The Washington times., 1938-07-13

dramatic or comic sketch was a
standby. Hugh Herbert pre-
sented them for years; so did
many other headliners.
Nowadays, the show has to
start where the last patron
came in. You can't use more
than a mere thread of story
connection now without -mysti-
flying a large part of the audi
ence, who came in after the
performance started and won't
know how it began until an
other performance rolls around.
Another reason is that in the
days of silent pictures, talking
on the stage came as a change
from an hour or more of panto-
mime. Now, with pictures filled
with dialogue and music, the
audience is more interested in
movement and action when the
stage show comes around. Too
much talk will tire them out.
Under the circumstance, an old
time performance would not
"get over" with modern audi
ences.
These are some of the ways
in which conditions under which
stage shows are presented have
changed. But every one of them
has, in my opinion, helped to
make stage shows-as we know
them now-better entertainment
than they have ever been. But
the greatest changes and the
biggest improvements have re-
suited from the motion picture,
not as it has changed schedules
and varied physical requirements
OF the threaten, but as it has
changed entertainment.
LIVELY STAGE SHOWS
Pictures, or the most of them
are faSt-moving, action-hlled en-
tertainment, directed, edited and
presented so that there is no lag
IN audience interest. Hence by
the same token, the stage show
which accompanies them has to
be directed and presented so
that it has no dull moments.
Hollywood leaves failures on the
cutting-room floor: the modern
stage show must strive to match
its example by presenting only
sure-fire material.
Pictures have changed the
style of entertainment in another
way. When Sonia Henie skates
on the screen, she is appearing
against a lavish background of
skaters.
When Eleanor Powell dances,
she appears In front of a line of
100 or more dancers. The best
of skaters and the best of tap
dancers are not in themselves
alone enough; so it naturally
follows that when you persent
a skater or dancer on the
stage, there, too, he or she must
be presented in as effective a
manner, against as interesting
background as is possible.
In the old days, the actor was
king. He came to the theater
with all of his own light cues,
his own music, his own back
drop or his specifications for
the type of drop the house
should use. No one supervised
his material; his act was his
own.
Now, in order to present en-
tertainment most effectively. an
actor is in many cases. given
new lighting, new music, new
settings, not infrequently new
costuming, all with the idea of
using his talent to the greatest
possible advantage in a given
theater and a given show.
MODTRN STAGE SHOWS
This is something of what we
we are trying to do at the Earle.
It Is our aim to present talent
against interesting backgrounds,
in settings that will add to
The effect. BY careful rehearsal,
we endeavor to eliminate dull
moments, to offer only the big
geSt laughs, the sure-fire rou-
tines. the best songs.
The whole stage program is
planned with the final, total eff.
feet in mind, and it is our en-
deavor, by means of all these
factors, to adapt a show to a
pace and tempo that will result
in the most entertainment pos
sible.
BY this, Z do not mean that
there are never dull moments
or misfiring gags in our shows.
But do mean that with all
these facts in mind, we strive to
present modern stage shows for
modern audiences in a manner
that will be most pleasing to
every patron. The tWo-a-day is
gone forever; but we are striv-
ing to make today'S stage shows
every bit as pleasing in their
way as were the vaudeville
shows Of the past.