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Show H WHY THEATRICAL BUSINESS IS BAD. B Commenting editorially in its September issue HH on last year's theatrical disasters, and on the poor HH. outlook for the season now about to open, the R Theater Magazine says: H "The truth of tho whole matter is, the public H refugee to be humbugged any longer. It will not I patronize poor plays. Last season's disasters were due, first to shrinkage of values in Wall street, and the great losses sustained there, which made itself I manifest in the box-office receipts from the sale f of the higher-priced seats. The disturbed condi tion of the labor market also affected the cheaper portions of the house. There was a further claim that $2 for the best seat in a theater is an unwar-! unwar-! ranted charge in view of the varying quality of the attractions offered, and under this head the question ques-tion was naturally opened as to whether many of a the stars circling in the theatrical orbit are worthy Hf of substantial Support and whether the plays of to- jH day are of a d.ass which either entertain or in- 1 H I ' f struct, and therefore entitled to the returns which H " make them profitable New York is a great and (growing city, but it may be asked whether the future has not been unduly discounted in the great number of new playhouses that have re- h cently been erected Great as the number of tran- V clents always is In the city, a long run nowadays H i is quite infrequent. This necessitates a constant V J change of bill, and with tho rapid growth of new B f houses, the profession has been unable to keep H I up the supply of competent stars and entertain- K j ing plays demanded. It would be invidious to at- m tempt to draw the line between those entitled to H 1 three-sheet honors and those who are not, but Hi there is decidedly a falling off in the literary and 1 ! intrinsic val.ue of plays designed, or written solely HI with the limitations of an incompetent star con- m stantly in view. We will not put on record aome H of these whose deluded managers think they can H gull the public with a fulsome parade of their I i m W1 IJIIIHHHHBHIHH----------------- none too capable talents. Why should altitude or pulchritude alone be regarded as the gifts which attract? Cold, bare facts prove that New York theater-goers are none too discriminating, and worthy shows have starved while mediocrity or worse has blossomed into positive success.; ilmt there is still some intelligence lett among those who patronize the playhouse, and the very satis-fled satis-fled manager will realize it in his only vulnerable point his pocket that the public is not the fool he judges it, and that on his part some effort is needed to keep pace with the demand excited by Intellectual growth. For one 'The Other Girl,' there is a harvest of futile dramatized novels. For one 'Her Own Way,' there is a wilderness of vapid talk, time-worn situations and stenciled characters. Certain managers owe it to themsellves, if not to the public, to look into unbeaten tracks and to rely on the solidity of their judgment instead of depending de-pending solely on those who have written well and may be expected to do so again. It is not that the stage has retrograded, but that public taste has improved. There is a great and growing demand for wit, Intelligence, humor and originality. When the manager by his own cleverness can realize this and strive to meet it, if Instead of sheeplike following the lead of some other be branches out into a fieiid of daring and accomplishes something new or creates an original, artistic demand, he'll reap the full pecuniary reward, whether bears or bulls predominate in Wall street. But in the mean-time mean-time it is a pretty safe proposition that the average aver-age manager, with his present grade of histrionic accomplishment and quality of plays, would play to much better business if his price were ?1.50 for the best seat. And his audience, too, would be better pleased. Few are patrons for the mere sake of encouraging art. There is as strong a commercial streak the desire to get one's money's worth in those who sit in front, as there is in the make-up of the manager himself, who is not adverse ad-verse to being wel'i paid for the energy and capital capi-tal he invests." |
