The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-23

was not to be overlooked. So care
was necessary. The only important
precaution that her manager de-
manded was hair dye. She had to
turn those rich brown locks which
we're hers by nature into golden just
because the autumn silver had fallen.
He was memorable. He painted with
emphasis, if not with delicacy, the re-
suits of a gray haired star. How
shocked the public would be! To think
that this girl who has before our eyes
Grown into most popular actress
should now have gray hair! OF course
he carried his point. Reddish gold
were her locks on the first night.
Great was the success of the play.
Deep was the disgust of her friends.
The manager, however, was right. The
general public rushed in as it never
had before. Would the masses have
taken as much interest in any gray
barred actress? The manager denied
it, The actress wondered. The crowd
swarmed in. and everybody was salts
fled but the actresses friends. They
We're irrecouciable. AS a matter OF
fact the probabilities are that what
the man of the thcater advised was
correct.
Women Like Dresses.
The play, in the second case, was
not powerful. 1t had a novelty. how
ever, in the two acts that passed on
the yacht. The manager was disposed
10 be liberal in order to make a sue
cess out of what seemed unpromising
material. His designer had thought
out wonderful yachting costumes for
tho women in the two acts on the
Mediterranean. They should furnish
an intimation TO the world OF the way
in which women of fashion appear in
their hours of leisure on board a
yacit. But the manager scorned the
suggestion. Only the most modish
gowns should be worn. F'rochs which
would serve just as we'll on dry land
We're to costume the characters in the
play. There was to be any necessary
number OF them. They might cost any
amount.
The play. which would otherwise
have been doomed to quick failure, en-
1oyed through the richness of the cos
tuning comparative prosperity. The
public talked of little else than the
superb dressing of the women. The
play thus met with as much success as
any POSSIBLY can when its appeal is
chiefly to the eye of woman. But
without the experience of the man.
ager who wanted the costly gowns the
enterprise might have made no i'm
preston. Again was the impresario
correct in his Judgment. But he had
neither good taste nor probability on
his sde--nothing, indeed, but expert
showmanship.
a final example will show the irri-
tating habit the entrepreneurs of the
theater possess OF having the right
idea. A popular actress who didn't
have to dye her hair or do anything
else she did not want to do. so great
was her hold on the public, determined
TO appear in a play by a famous for
eign writer In spite of the fact that
her character was the mother OF six
children. In vain her manager re-
monstrated. In vain he swore--in
: more ways than one-that her admir-
crs would never accept her in such a
part, or IL they did, would never again
be willing to look upon her as a young
girl, which she was still by every Law
OF nature and art, entirely capable OF
playing for some years to come. The
actress was headstrong and had her
way. This particular play did not
approach any OF its predecessors in
popular success to be sure. but the
actress received something like the
usual tribute from her admirers. There
was nothing like her former popular
ity. however, when she set out the
following season i'm another play. Nor
did she over recover her unique fol-
lowing. From the season she pre-
scented herself to her public hitherto
loyal, as n mother of six children, the
old spell was broken. Again was the
impresario exasperatingly right when
he had no earthly grounds for It, No
reason In art demanded that her
really brilliant impersonation OF a
mother of six should estrange the no.
torious affection OF the theatergoers.
But nevertheless, SO inexplicable is the
Will Of the public. that II did.
The Reason for IL.
Yet there was something in the
training of these men that enabled
them to sense what the opinion of the
public would be. It is an opinion
founded on reasons which bear no re-
latlon TO the art of the actor or the
skill OF the dramatist. This does not
prevent 1t from being most Inn
portant kind OF opinion in the career
OF the manager. He may have his ar
tistic responsibilities. Yet he is not,
as he would probably say, i'm the bust
ness for his health. 1t is part Of his
duty to himself. therefore. to learn
what the public wants. In the cases
described here no was right. He Is. Of
course. right in the majority Of them