The New York herald., 1921-06-11
Musical Plays to
Be Cut by Half to
MeetLabOr Demand
Managers Incline to Dramatic
Pieces With Small Casts
Equity Answers COhan.

The tangle due to unionism in the
theatre that has led George NJ. Cohan to
declare he would cease producing and
has brought about the prospect OF the
Hippodrome being dark next season. re-
vealed new development when 1t be-
came known yesterday that the number
Of musical comedies next season would
be curtailed. The outlook is that the
tired business man will have his pleasure
in this respect cut down by half.
Sam II. Harris, president of the Pro-
ducing Managers Association. said the
| indications were that managers would
reduce their productions in the line of
musical plays by half and that they
would concentrate on straight dramatic
shows. This Is due not only to the fact
that musical plays require much larger
company and many more stage hands.
production is nine or ten men, but for a
musical comedy the average is twenty,
and may even, as in the case OF the
five or forty.
Charles Dillingham;, foremost among
the producers OF this form OF entertain
ment. has shown by his announcements
for next season that he would reduce
his musical output. He has scheduled,
in addition to road tour OF Fred Stone
in Tip Top" the presentation of mu-
sicai comedy by Anne Caldwell and
Jerome Kern with Harland Dixon. and
OF John Charles Thomas in an operatta
version of Franz Molnar's THE Wolf"
by Victor Jacob and William lie Baron.
Mr.. Dillingham; next season, for the
first time in years. will produce plays
without music in 1.-TWO Blocks Away"
and "A Wise Child"
Similarly Arthur Hammerstein, whose
theatrical activities have been wholly
musical. Is breaking away from that
form and will have only touring COM
pany of Tickle Me-" In THE Front
Seat he has already presented out Of
town his first straight play.
Demands of stage Hands.
Sam II. Harris, who has also been
we'll known for his musical comedy
productions. says that ne will present
only one such show, the revue to which
Music Box Theatre. lie said that high
railroad rates. heavy overhead and eX-
cessive railroad and baggage charges
have contributed to this. and now the
demarde of the stage hands have made
it virtually impossible to send a show
on the road unless II rs assured capacity
business.
The stage hands. he said, have asked
for an increase OF % per cent. effective
September l. The rate OF pay is UNI
usually high as 1t is, the chief stage
hand for William Rocks show. silks
and satins." being reported to have re-
caived 1857 week. Harris estimated
that with the big decrease in musical
shows between 300 and 400 stage hands
would be out OF work.
Mr.. Harris said that the demands of
the mechanical forces would be gone
into thoroughly at the meeting next
Tuesday Of the Producing Managers As
ISOLATION, Is well as the subject of
unionism in general in the theatre. Con-
ferences between representatives OF the
stage crews and the managers have been
held over a protracted period. but no re-
suit has been achieved. The managers
will wait for word from the national
stage hands convention In Denver be-
fore taking action. and he did not an
ticlpate any definite steps toward set
tlement till late next week.
At the Tuesday meeting II is likely
that deliberations will take place as to
extending an invitation to George NJ.
Cohan once more to join the p. M. A.
Mr.. Harris stated that since Mr.. Cohans
announcement Of his retirement several
managers had suggested persuading him
back to the p. NJ. A. fold. Mr.. Cohan,
however, remained fixed yesterday in his
tn 70 ~
kilograms. letters and telephone calls
that reached his Office, asking him to
change his mind.
Equity Answers Cohan.
Frank Gilmore, executive secretary of
the Actors Equity Association. answer
ing Mr.. Cohan's asseverations and the
report OF managers retiring rather than
yield to the Equity Shop. declared that
demand for the new contract with the
Equity Shop clause by actors and pro-
ducers all over the country indicates a
most prosperous season under the new
policy. He said in part:
'Mr. Cohan knows as well as any
body that the Equity Is not closing up
shows. but that, on the contrary. Our
adjustments have kept open three OF the
biggest shows on Broadway at the pres
closed without moments notice. We
have saved q dozen shows this way dur
ing the past season by making some ar
rangement whereby our members could
receive sufficient pay to make II possible
to 90 on playing until the manager was
able TO go ahead under his own steam.
I'VE have made our more tempera-
mental members see the light OF rea-
son when otherwise they might have
stopped the show; we have dealt
equtably with the managers and have
never pressed a case where We believed
the actor was In the wrong, as Mr.
Cohan knows. for we had just such
an experience with a member OF his
own company. We challenge him 10
name q single case In which the Equity
has not given the manager as square
a deal as the actor.
I'VE have given out $500 contracts
on the Equity Shop plan already and
the demand for them II growing every
day. AS TO the necessity of closing
the Hippodrome. that Is also nonsense.
This rumor is only another OF those
attempts to stampede our people which
are characterizlng this season and
which invariably fail"
REPERTORY THEATRES PLANS.
Tho Ncw Yorlr Rcnartory Theatre