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Show PLATS FOR, THE WOMEN. Now York Managers Appreciato Favor Fa-vor of tho Fair Ser. The time Is at hand when we may expect promoters to Join In noisy chorus In praise of the harvest of plays they havo garnered for our theatric fodder next winter, says William Bullock In the Now York Press. Presently we shall be told In detail of a orop of plays far superior In every respect to tho harvest of former years, and, whatever the real thoughts lying deep and undisturbed in their minds, the managers will smile In company and assert that never before have they awaited the opening of a season sea-son with stronger reason for Indulgence of the optimistic spirit. Occasional statements have beenmadc In the last three months of maturing plans, but as yet it Is not posslblo to obtain ob-tain a clear look over the entire dramatic drama-tic situation. JuBt what lo hidden, in the depths of Charles Frohman's manuscript manu-script sack Is a mystery; tho Llebler programme has not been given in full; there still is some uncertainty of- the Shubcrt Brothers' plans, and the other managers, groat and small, are busily eng-aged In striving to get Vill their schemes in readiness for tho firing df the opening gun early in September. But tangled as is the theatrical skein, enough threads hove been cleared to ehow that we are on the eve of a season that will bo dominated by women. Campaigns Cam-paigns h.T.vo been mapped out by tnc managers with a view almost sole y to winning the approval of the feminine half of audiences. In going to writers promoters have been a unit in asking, "Have you something that will appeal to women?" and in arranging for early productions scenery, costuming and lighting have "been made subservient to the gentle sox. It Is no new problem, this, ol women a sway on tho theater, but never before was It so potent aB at present., In tne last fow years the tendency of managers has boon to cater more and more to feminine fem-inine tastes, until now wo have arrived at the point where man la of distinctly secondary Importance. "What do the women say?" Is the- question of managers mana-gers and players after a first performance. perform-ance. On their verdict hangs the fate of almost every play produced, for, although al-though a production may be without especial es-pecial Interest to men, should It bo strong In Its approval to women the men will be dragged along as escorts to parquet par-quet and balcony, unwilling victims, whoso consolation comes from trips between be-tween acts to liquid retreats. Slowly the percentage of wohien In audiences has grown until now they comprise tho majority in tho average gathering In Broadway theaters. And what Is true of New York lo true of almost al-most every city throughout the country. The gradual declino in the opposition of certain church bodies to the theater has greatly increased tho number of women patrons In all playhouses, and with the recrultlng of an Immense army of feminine femi-nine playgoers In the last generation has come a radical change In the tone of nearly all classes of plays. Men have watched with friendly interest inter-est the drift of the managers toward a iixed desire to please first of all the women wo-men auditors, and although In the last decade a great change has been wrought In the make-up of finished productions the result has been gratifying td all Intelligent In-telligent observers. The tone of the playhouse has beem lifted by the increased in-creased attendance of women; managers have been made to realize that artificiality artifi-ciality will not be stamped with feminine femi-nine approval; to meet with success today to-day a play must bo permeated with wholesome sentiment, and through woman's wo-man's influence- Interest 13 waning in tho problem play, so dear to the cold heart of Mrs. Patrick Campbell. When Mrs. Campbell was here a couplo of years ago she unburdened her mind of a long string of ideas touching this problem question. To her way of thinking women wo-men demanded a dash of poisonous bitters bit-ters In almost every production, and the stronger the bitters the greater the chance of generous patronage. It Is surprising now to think that Mrs. Campbell's views were received without a storm of protest; Indeed, memory tells that the only -voice raised In objection was that of Father Ducey, and even his vigorous words attracted attention only for a day. Not in Individual opinion, however, but In practical example do we find that Mrs. Campbell was In error. er-ror. Take tho really successful plays of last season, and what Is the lesson read to us? The plays that were tender and true In sentiment were those that paid the largest dividends. What of "Merely Mary Ann?" What of "The Secret of Pollchlnelle?" Here we have two plays that wore made successful by women. And their acceptance In New York Is now being duplicated by "Mrs. Wlggs of the Cabbage Cab-bage Patch" another woman's play In Chicago. When "Merely Mary Ann'' was flrst put on the Garden theater was shunned by men. but In a week this playhouse was the Mecca of the matinee crowds. It was the same with "The Secret Se-cret of Pollchlnelle," which at flrst was so thinly patronized that James K. Hackett thought seriously of sending it on the road. These plays throbbed with human sympathy; they drew a tear or two and much laughter. If they had depended de-pended on men for success In a week or less the managers would have ordered them on tour But the women rallied to their support and in time even the men began to take Interest- Another type of woman's play was "Candida," which eome hav6 Insisted In placing In the category cat-egory of problem dramas. Admitting for the moment that the Shaw story builds up a problem In a theatric svnse of the term, It appears manifest at flrst sight that the problem la not of the kind favored by Mrs. Campbell. Lately Late-ly we all have been surprised by Shaw's confession regarding the womanliness of his heroine; but even accepting that Candida Is not the pure soul we had Imaged, Im-aged, who Is there to say she Is one of the women pictured by Mrs. Campbell, and, let It be added, by Mrs. Langtry. Arnold Daly was enabled to pass with his company through five theaters by the interest taken in "Candida" by women. wo-men. Tho motives underlying the play appealed to the feminine heart In- a way that, -from every sign, could not have been possible a few seasons before. Thus In "Candida" and "Merely Mary Ann" and "The Secret of Pollchlnelle" we have testimony that the women rule the theater and that these rulers of ours are growing in spirit, demanding a higher plane of human excellence. The sentiment of the woman's play must not be maudlin, the plot must not be Improbable; the dress of the actresses ac-tresses must not be unfashlonble. Let us think a moment. A few year3 ago who would have thought the time would come when the women of a company would be gowned in Fifth avenue shops and that advertisements of the Interested, Interest-ed, modistes would be- displayed In programmes? pro-grammes? Has It not been dinned Into youthful oars since time beyond mind that a straw shows how tho wind blows, and have we not here proof of the fact that the great Increase In women auditors audi-tors has imposed' on managers the duty of presenting their actressss In gowns permitting of only favorable criticism The influence of the women on our playhouses Is becoming stronger and more noticeable every season. Calling up the stage settings of Ave and six years ago, the belief takes hold that the present attention to detail, the striving for color harmony, is owing to the quicker and finer sight of women patrons. pa-trons. It is the same with the costuming, costum-ing, the came with the plavs. and a new phase likewise It Is the same with nil the players. The likes and dislike of women have laid a lasting impression on the American stage, and certainly it has been for the better. Some crusty old croakers may make protest but It s3ems as If there are few who will object to the promoters making ready for the season with tho ascendant woman flrst In mind. aant |
