The New York herald., 1921-04-17

T HE intention of the managers
to retrench during the coming
season may have more than
one good effect, in the opinion of some
experienced caterers TO the public taste
in musical plays. They believe that
a pause will be advantageous.
at has been evident during all the
frenzied production of musical plays
during the last two years" one man
ager said TO a reporter of THE NEW
YoRK HERALD. that the supply of en-
tertainers by no means equalled the
demand. Vaudeville can DO relied on
for certain number, but the strain
on this form of amusement is con-
siderable, with every manager looking
to it for reviews and operettas. Then
the demand for variety actors is going
to be larger than 1t ever was before
long.
"At all events, II has become evil
dent of late that there are not enough
comedians to go around any longer
The plan of grouping three or four
together when 1t was no longer pos
sible to get a really funny man, has
been generally adopted, not because
the producers wanted to do anything
OF the kind, but because 1t Is the only
course left to them.
"One need only look at the list Of
comedians to see how slowly It grows
and thus realize how difficult Il is to
find new talent. The men who are most
popular now are the same men who were
most popular about five years ago.
can recall just two men who have como
to the front in the meantime. On the
other hand theatrical enterprise in the
field of the musical play has multiplied
greatly. II Is easier to get the pretty
girls for the leading roles since the
transfo. nation of chorus girl into n
divette is not at all difficult. But with
the laughmakers the difficulty Is greater.
They are scarce.
$50 It will not be In the least a bad
thing for the managers II they go slow
for a while on the musical plays. Maybe
some comedians my be discovered In the
meantime"
More Commercial Theatre.
In addition 70 selling chocolates,
chewing gum and other aids to passing
through the onnui Of the intermissions
in the theatres there is TO be another
form OF commerce introduced. But it
will apply only 10 plays with music.
"Alt the popular airs words and music"
is familiar sound already 20 the audi
ence retiring from the playhouse. There
will be, however, still further oppor-
tunitiea for Investment In connection
with the play
Disks OF tho popular tunes will soon
be put on sale In tho Hobbies. II will
no longer be necessary for the fascinated
listener to go TO his favorito record shop
the next day and buy the song that was
repeated six times by the leading lady
nor tho fox trot that the soubrette sang
with the dancing man. All it Is neces-
sary 10 do under the new arrangement
will be TO step Into the lobby and buy
the disk there and having received a
carefully wrapped parcel take IL home
from the theatre while the tune "a fresh
IN your mind. or course IL ls possible
to put it on the talking machine when
you get home that very night and enjoy
the gems or the opera stlll further.
Pity the Box once Man.
lie had Just been appointed 10 his
post as the reward OF honesty and efil-
cheney. lie was At the head OF the men
in ono or the most important theatrical
box Offices IN the city--important that
r., in the sense that many successes
were likely TO make the tickets to that
playhouse much In demand. The willy