The Washington herald., 1919-10-19
-ilIustratea ~
ALBERT LEvERING


from architectural iron work to zinc
and who pride themselves on knowing
SO much about the show business, In.
cluding plays and actors, that consid.
ering II only costs 10000 or 20 TO put
on q play. you wonder that some of
these amateur experts don't back their
infallible judgment by selling out their
stock. fixtures and good win anc
treble the proceeds with the very nrsi
show they produce. Take my wife'a
sisters daughter's intended, by the
name Sam Meiseison. which he Ia In
the dressmakers' supplies business
and expects to get married as soon a.
he can afford to. Abe. and from whas
he said the other night when me and
my wife was round to his intended
mother-in-law's to dinner the othel
night, II the feller that wrote Friend
ly Enemies" had consulted him first
a. to the way the second act should
ought to have been fixed. instead OF
the play making only q half q million
dollars, II would have been q great
big success. Peg o. My Heart was
another play that Meiselson would
have improved upon, and I doubt
whether he thinks that the Players
scene In Hamlet" was properly pre-
pared for and planted: anyhow. not
the way Meiselson would have pre-.
pared for and planted It." .....
We'll. some people are very funny
that way" Abe remarked. with me
when I see q show. I take the au.
thors word for It that he wrote Il ac-
cording TO the constitution and by
laws Of the United Dramatists OF
America, New York Local No. /, OF
whatever document It IL that sets
down what the crickets call the rules
Of dramatic construction and which
them knockers says Is always being
violated. With me. Mawruss, IL an
actor dies on the stage in the course
Of . show. 1t affects mo pretty near
ly as much as IL he would be IN real
life q customer Of ours and a whole
lot more than II he would be a COM
petitor. My Rosie Is the same way,
too. I took her to see once The Auc-
tioneer and the way that woman car
, rted on over what happened to this
here Warheld. you would think that
he was anyhow her mothers favorite
brother and how could she 60 home
and break the news to the old lady!
one enjoy a show more than that. nc
hhdhhNi ho" thCy MIC" auOus
the way such a play should ought tc
be constructed"
That's just the point which ]
am trying to make. Abe" Morris
said. ITO my mind a play is like
. dollar regular dinner-the les,
you know about how II IL con.
cocted the better you will enjoy It
but you take these here amateul
consulting play engineers which
goes to the first performances o.
shows in New York. Abe. and then
fellers gets no more pleasure ou
of going to q theayter and seeing ,
show that a health department foo,
inspector would out OF going to ,
restaurant and ordering a salmi o
turkey wings the week afte
Thanksgiving Day"
Probably they don't want to ge
pleasure out of it." Abe said. "whicl
it always seemed to me from tn
expression of them first nighters
faces and the loud way they talke'
so that everybody within four Q
five rows of them shouldn't mis-
nothing that they said. that wha
they were getting pleasure out o
was informing other people VIII
was also trying to get no pleasur
out of the show that they WASH
getting no pleasure out OF 1t, II yo'
understand what I mean"
II do know what you mean," Nor
ris agreed. land the chances is tha
when a really and truly good shov
comes along, II embarrasses then
first-nighters to death II for a feS
/ minutes they get so interested in tn
play that they forget all about hov
4 e. a. - -
construction full Of holes and max
ing them laugh or cry against th'
regulations Of playwriting in such cas-
made and provided. Yes. Abe. whel
them st-nighters laughs by mistake
they look around to see IL any othel
! first -nighters has seen them doing II
! just like 1t would be eating with you
| knife or forgetting to button YOU
| vest"
1T must be very hard for an author
to tell from the actions Of the audi
ence at the first night in New Yorl
whether his play Is a success or not,
Abe observed.
loser a stuck" Morris replied. "I
such an audience comes out looking
guilty and ashamed, that means tn,
author played a dirty trick on then
and made them so far forget them.
selves as to laugh once in a while
and the play is therefore q success
On the other hand. IL such an audi
ence comes out very pleased will
themselves and looking like they hat
done the right thing in the righ
! place. you could depend on Il. Abe
the play is a miserable failure"
And to have such q rotten time they
are willing to pay 500 a throw fol
tickets" Abe exclaimed.
They are willing to pay even ter
dollars to have a rotten time at q
good show or a good time at a rot.
ten show-it is immaterial to them
just so long as people won't mistak,
| them for the ordinary theaytergoel
, who. when one Of the actors leave.
! the stage and says he is going into
the conservatory. Is willing to be-
lieve that he IS going into the con.
servatory and doesn't stop to con
slider that in reality the actor 1,
going into the space between tn,
scenery and the back wall OF tn,
theayter." Morris said.
And suppose you did stop to con.
slider 1t. Mawruss; is 1t going to ado
to the evenings entertainment? Fol
my part. when an actor says he 4.
going out into the conservatory t
| smoke q cigar. not only. do I tax,
his word for IL, but in nine case,
! out Of ten feel like calling aftel
him: Wait! I'll go WITH you" ;
Ahe said ahan.ns> ,-Au- I'LL