| Show J ti American Stage Sta e. e Needs Help S 73 is La- La La aye j R. R K F WILTON I. CK yr believes es 14 Il that the American stage taJo Is t In Iu a alow low 10 condition and nr nax ll help M The actor who is now flow appearing a at t the Savoy Io avo I o tho theater hr In Ch Cleveland Cleve J Jl land s successful fut piny M The Thc B Battle was seen the other r 7 t afternoon In the library of the Lances Lamus club and while ho puffed away at ot cigar cigarettes ettes ettea h he also blew awn away assay the happy belief f that I Is ls as ns It should be In thc or tho tiro American stage stage- e. e And Ami what Is the tho trouble with the stage he was asked The thc The trouble chiefly chIen IF fF d duo ducr to the thc pub pub- llo lIc itself was s. s Mr Ur lr There Thero Is no nu ll uro cla clays class s In this countr coun coun- tr try continued tho actor In England I or France you ou can cnn J get et away from the bit big I 1 dUes clues In tho the summer b by bicycle or automobile automobile auto auto- mobile and you'll B see sec C hundreds upon hun him I. I V dr of villas In which the l Inhabitants seem to be bo enjoying lIrt In a a. leisurely u hl j s sensible le thoughtful lIa manner noe I You Ton will j set sec see m men men n rending rending reading books book and If tr you yon talk taK i with Ith them you ou will will III find that they aro not too buto busy busy- to think about such things a aart as asart art and the theater tel Til They have ha sensibly n l ly r retired d upon a small comfortable able sum of I money mone money Rut Put the I acv acquisition t of or a I hundred thousand dollars Is simply the i I goad Food to set get t a million and nd possession of or orono I ono ono million leads ads to tin the wish for Cor L two Iwo woo woot t twenty ent forty forty tUcru there's theres no iio end p What hat time tame ha has the financier l' l the I 1 t for tor art None Why h hi hl his clerk I i more snore leisure for wh when JI he hei I i 11 1 leaves the office he hc leaves ln his office cots COM I II behind him while the financier t takes his I I office coat home h mc with him hint as ho does does' I his plans His ifs head Is buzzing with bull busl- rios esli esa d deals al and if It It occurs to mm him to go goI i I to tb th the theater ho seeks those thoe theaters r that offer excitement lIe He is hunting thrills sensations A 1 good pIa play play- does docs not Interest t him for he wants to see sec a ashow ashow I. I show that Is frankly a a disrobing exhibition exhibition tion or ho w wants want to see lice a comedian fall Call falli i 1 off salt the top lop of a a. ladder and not nol kill himI him- him 1 I i And thi this same hurr hurry 11 and restlessness i this something dolne doln mood sits upon i the public at Itt large Theres There's no repose In inthe the race If IC they thc travel b by rail rat the they cannot can can- not not find rind trains fast ast enough If It b by nn an nu ou- 1 I l immobile th the they y must go tearing tc over OHr the I country at sixty sito miles mile an hour houri If they thoy KO fo o to the theater It U must be an exciting show hon Everywhere I there are signs ot of hysteria h How low can a good erious pl play lY survives survive under such mch conditions How can n canI I a a. serious minded manager overcome diem 1 1 Prefer Melodrama to s peare Bare I 7 Added to this desire de lre for sensations Is I the Ile Item Hem of h hypocrisy Ask the vast majority ma ma- I of educated people what the they think of r. r Shakespeare and the they will roll ro their eyes in ecstasy Produce Shakespeare t plays pla s 's and these good p people will eagerly I l remain away anay from the theater Let Shakespeare be be- acted by stars and the public will go to goto to see ace the stars t and even n eveni ni i then the tho attendance will be comparatively h I slim alim Sir SIt Henry Irving never did lId the hu business in 3 h hero here rc with Shakespeare rc that he did with such uch out and out melodramas as The B Bolls Bolls' and The Tho L Lyons ons Malltell Mall Olan I tell you OU the stage c I Is looked down clown upon Persons who belong In to vaudeville IlI V Arc elevated Into stars on the sta stage e of or tho the legitimate theater theat theaters rs that ought to bo be devoted dc to lo pla plays s 's are aro arou u alven over o to n flashy ones once and md no one puts forth a n helping hand In this country for dramatic art l. broad Abroad bro d the iho governS govern govern- S provide PlO funds for or the thc maintenance 01 ot of art in the tha theaters but here herc what I has has the the- government o or 01 the public done for tor V the theater r Nothing absolutely nothing If Jr a a. girl sins sings In In a 11 village choir rind anti J traces of talent a I. I purse purs Is made I tip up for her and she Is sent abroad to study The same sama is If done In tho big cities and in fn thousands of cases What hat did the wealthy wealth mE men n do who nho built the Metropolitan opera house Thc They made it jt po possible for the poorer classes classes' to hear j opera a and and to get to love It until c loda today New York has wonderful opera houses 8 and to fill them Eu Cu- rope lope ca can n nIn sn In sneer or I at us UR no longer In the tho t matter of music musie and we wo have ha arrived at Jt this point In only onh K a fp few years I b her r distinctly that noc not many yi years rs ars ago Bill m Nye Nyc would alwa always 8 get a it roar of V flaughter 1 laughter by saying i i t I am Informed d a upon on good authority that Wagner n Is not as liS as bad bail as he sou sounds ids They used to think that Wit teas 50 o funny funn funny but Lut no now you ou cannot Joko yoke on the th subject ct of Wagner Th The public will not laugh h because b caule it H has ll ert b-ert ert educated d to understand understand under under- stand and nd appreciate Wagner npr So o much has hag ben 11 done for music here herc but for the the- stage Nothing V As to the New Theater w a 4 1 1 nave have not noticed that the wealthy S' S 4 Invite the famous French t to pIa play before them when they have c a S. S l Pr Private entertainment to give e. But nut I have tt ted no ICed that tha t the they om yary or th the tho y monotony of giving monkey dinners rs b by M Down c Cline sing Throw Him HII Down own or 01 b by bJ y having bavin Miss May Ir Irwin It sing king coon songs t Tha Thais Thai's Q an U Index of wh what t some o of the wealthy Sot of the tho th theater But how About t the tha new ne theater tr That is III still tI I a thing thins of or the future But Cut even now It seems to me th that t the wealthy I It at 1 r tk t I I I i W 1 I rr- rr n I I t f i I 14 S. S I i 1 V A- A I I f i y f fr A r r r rf f I r 1 I I II 1 I f- f S I V II I I PV I II I r II I M T Jf I r I men at the head of the Now eX theater do donot donot I not think Vcr very hl highly highly- hl of the American stage for tor I have ha not heard Uti that they have ha appealed for Information and advice d to such players as Miss Julia Marlowe Miss Viola Iola Allen lIen or Mr Ir E. E H HO H. Sothern or Ot any others r of our Ina many n players of oC great rent ex cx e experience who ho I am sure would be very ery happy happy to IB lay lay- layat at th their lr feet foet all tho Information Information information tion thc they possess on the subject of th the tho theater knowledge theater knowledge c gained d by experience that must simply be bo Invaluable In So fio far as JS asT asT T know no roo such consultations consultation have 0 been held so It remains to be seen what the new theater Is going to do for fot the American American Ameri Amen can sta stage e. e I sincerely I hope It will do much There Is no doubt that tho the stage needs It Why Wh do you ou know know- that tho the occasional serious minded man you ou meet is J rapidly losing Interest In the th theater ater Just a short time LImo ago aso I J met an old friend one ono of In my school dB day chums I happened to he be playing In the city In which he hc lives and we e met in the the- street i A After I a moments moment's chat he said most t solemnly Im 1111 going to see fee ee you act tonight Ah h said ald I I. I this Is an tn honor Indeed My h tone must have hate betrayed some sarcasm for he hp added Seriously ly od man I 1 did not mean to speak condescendingly but hut Ive I've not bt been n nto to the then theater for Cor a year ear as J 1 cannot canno waste an any time on tho the pim piffle nod the thc vulgarity V garity that hold the tho stage these days das Public Is to Blame Now XOI I dont don't blame th the managers I continued Mr Oil LACk Lackaye I for or they th treat the theater purely purely- as a a. business s r-opo r proposition proposition l. l I tion lion 3 and nd the tha only one to blame Is the public t Itself ctr Then th there re is s another corn com and that I is the tho foreign element I which is no now so o Jr great creat a t a part art of oC the population population population lation of New York Theater Theater managers manager rs must cater to that too which probably In a 11 measure accounts account for some of tho the things seen In Broadway playhouses An AnI And AndI I tell teU you OU there are nrc sonic some things on view at some of these houses that would not be be- tolerated fifty in miles lies s away from here here here- say ay In N. N JIm JIm J. J Im not a prig or a n. prude but I d have ha wondered what hat t topic plc of conversation must I follow folio witnessing some of th those shows Ive I've wondered what train of ideas must be started by some of these exhibitions Now Xo that youve you've t c cited d the evil P Mr i Lackaye 1 have you 1 0 thought out some ome scheme of or reform 1 Indeed I have c The remedy reined lies In a I theater censorship Not th the censor appointed appointed ap ap- ap pointed but th the censorship In the home It Is absolutely absolutely- Inexplicable to me mf how how-a a mother can give she h her r daughter 1 t 1 tand and send end her down town n to buy herself and ami her school girl Irl chum matinee matinee- scats Peats for Cor an any theater that th the daughter r elects to patronize Is tho same flame daughter al allowed allowed al- al lowed to purchase and md read any and all an books books' ie she Is-she she allowed to look at all any vulgar gar pictures Hardly All these nr are questioned ques honed but the theater Is not taken Into consideration at all Parents evidently c do donot donot donot not take it seriously enough to give sive It Il t tany any thought Public Will WUl Work Reform And do you you OU think Rn any 1 reform will ever cr correct cl th sQ conditions Yes they will be corn corrected by the public Itself in time I think possibly in another generation the thc mall masses s will cease ceale to have the tho bicycle c eye o gotten otten In hutting hunting for tor th the dollar and when the public be begins I to give tho the theat theater r serious consideration then there will arise a n g general dissatisfaction dissatisfaction faction and when the multitude grows OS dissatisfied a reform is hound bound to follow I Then let us hope a lot of ot the piffle now I holding the boards will be bc thrown In the theatrical discard and good serious pla plays play's s 's sI will lit bl bo ho given the respect and patronage I they thc deserve e But at al present tho plague Is upon usA us A show showy flashy production gets the audience au an- thence of oC excitement mongers screaming with dell delight ht the tho first nl night ht and nd the they go o out Into tho the highways still st screaming Its great Go to ace seo It So tho the success lS of that tha t pIa play I Is assured I I but hut tho the more dignified audience that goes to the first night of a simple exquisite I pIa play is quito quite moderate modera to in spreading the theold good old newts news I r Oh Oh yes they lIa say nay its charming And the tho r result I Is that the news about I tho lu lutter Hel spreads so 10 slowly that the manager Is usually compelled to take thI the th play play- playoff off before the real public ever gets J I Interested enough to hear and know kno about It You 1011 ou know concluded Mr lr It Lackaye I theres a saying a that the emptier the head the har harder the hands That applies to theater audiences too loo and hard hands m make k an nn awful lot of noise when thC they ire are ireI brought together In applause I |
