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Show IS r I 2 Theatrical Truest and It? gPassitig. IB (Written, for Goodwin's Weekly.) P Trusts, of course, hold the center of the stage 5 just now, with the political campaign drawing to i a close. There is one trust not in politics, how- , ever, that is likely to have some trouble after i the count has been made and the field has been I cleared for the next year's battle. There are mul- l tiplying indications that a theatricarSvar of mag- r nitude is impending and before it is over the syn- dicate that has placed itself in control of the the- , atrical situation is likely to be smashed. Other trust magnates may well envy the six I men who form this syndicate. Twenty years ago i thoy were poor. They have been reveling in pow- or for more than, six years now and the greatest of public favorites at one time or another has been ! 4 compelled to make obeisance to them, while the theater and amusement managers have been rest- HijUj nk ive under their exactions. And all this has been Hi I ?ii accomplished without an organization that can K r , i f j be held accountable for anything and that does B ff : it not have a dollar of liabilities. It is all income. jH 1 1 5 U As planned the syndicate .was invincible. The M 1 1 j f six men who combined to make it were in control m I Sw of the theatrical situation. Charles Frohman and M I . L r Al Hayman had obtained long leases on most olj 1 . (j ; the important theaters of New York and Mr. Proh- M man and those associated with him were the great- K ; est dramatic producers in the country. Nixon & bbv i )f' M Zimmerman were equally powerful in the circuit j . V of Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Baltimore and Wash- m v t ington, the first refuge of a play after it has worn B 1 lk ' out its welcome in New York. Klaw & Erlanger H a j t controlled a booking agency through which passed B 1 'Jj j the business of most of the important theaters in B I 8 the country. B V J ? Once formed there was nothing to hinder the V V 'I fe i growth of the trust. Managers of plays were coni- f b pelled to accept its terms or be denied bookings 1 J at the theaters it controlled. Managers of thea- Bvl Ii ters were compelled to accept its bookings or do jjj ,b ' without the plays it booked. One after another fell B ".j into line until two years ago the syndicate was in k) , position to force practically every independent Bj 'I Ah t manager to accept its terms. W ! M' There were not easy at times. Five per cent Bj 'I! ! of the gross receipts in some cases as high as 33 H $5 per cent of e Profl nas keen tne Price often 1 1! $ exacted for the services of the booking agency. H in J 4 th Managers of independent productions that were LV 1 V profitable found it to their interest to permit mem- H v if U bers of the syndicate to take a share in them. . ;j 'J There was scarcely any theatrical property that B j ft !- did not pay dividends in some fashion. Conse- Bl II i quently the profits grow and the members of the Bl r V syndicate a year ago divided an income that ran Hi jl j' ' well up into six figures. Hi il 1 1 f When "Florodora" was running at the Casino, B ti with a contract permitting it to stay so long as the Bl 11 ' I ' business held above the line of profit, the syndi- B f i cate determined to book Miss Anna Held for that B' j j house. "You must move to the New York," the B-,r J ! managers of "Florodora" were told. ti - I "Of course not," they said. "We have a con- BLjgl i I tract that will keep us here the rest of the sea- B:j 3k son." B i m I "Well, we have promised to let Miss Held in Bf ft i and you move or your companies play the barns of H I'W the country," was the ultimatum. "Florodora" Bkm H moved and with it went the prosperity it had en- V-h I jj joyed. B j j d That is an instance of the power the syndicate B j 'a I wields. But that power is working its undoing. i'll Already there are signB that its members are pre- K'il mm Paring for war among themselves. Nixon & Zim- Br ! 181 merman began it. When Augustin Daly died they H I Bf secretly attempted to lease Daly's theater, al- Hw MT though by the terms of their agreement they were IHh Hi not to attemPt to obtain a foothold in New York. HHmK Tbo otners checked them at that house. Then Klaw & Erlanger, who were to have confined con-fined themselves to the booking agency, began a defensive policy. They sought control of theaters thea-ters in New York and when unable to lease them immediately bought plots and are now erecting two theaters. When the New York was put upon the market a few months ago they purchased it and so by next season they will be entrenched, with three houses. Nixon & Zimmerman have not been idle. They are supposed to be in close alliance with the Shu-bert Shu-bert brothers who have taken long leases on the Casino and Princess theaters and will have the new theater to be erected this season by Reginald De Koven. They have been in control of the Herald Square for two seasons, but Klaw & Erlanger recently re-cently obtained the new lea&o of that house in the name of another firm. Meanwhile Charles Frohman is believed to have made preparations for a breach in the syndicate. syn-dicate. Should it come he must have theaters throughout the country in which to place his attractions at-tractions and he has been in close touch with the Stair syndicate, which has a circuit of popular priced houses, which might be turned into first-class first-class houses over night. With him are operating Al Hayman and the strong firm of Rich & Harris. There seems to be little doubt that a crisis is coming. Already these interests are in conflict and the feeling of hostility has had more than one manifestation. Shrewd observers believe the season will not be over before some overt act brings on a battle that will cause a breach in the syndicate and probably a three-cornered fight for control of the situation. When this comes there will be other powerful managers who will have a voice in the contest. David Belasco will be one of these. He is already in open rebellion. His first defiance of the trust was uttered last spring when he sought bookings for Mrs. Carter in "Du Barry." He wanted six weeks this season in New York and the rest of the time in five other cities. He was curtly told that no time would be given in New York and that Mrs. Carter must make an extensive tour to the provinces. Mr. Belasco instead leased a theater. It was one of Oscar Hammerstein's, which had been devoted de-voted to opposition to the syndicate with not a little bad fortune to its builder. Mr. Belasco made it over and announced that hereafter he would control his own bookings in New York. He had another contest recently when he asked for book- H . gs f0r Miss Blanche Bates and was told he could H not get tne dates in Washington and Baltimore B which he wanted. He obtained options on the I tirae of two music halls and then delivered his B ultimatum. He obtained the bookings. B Liebler & Co. have also grown strong as the B trust has crushed out many of the smaller man-B man-B agers. They took Miss Viola Allen from Charles n Frohman when she rebelled against certain of i her manager's plans. They brought Mrs. Patrick Campbell to America after Mr. Frohman had failed to obtain her engagement. James O'Neill and Kyrle Bellew have been steadily , successful and added to their revenues. Mme. Duse and "The Eternal City" promises further big features for this season, and they will bring Mme. Rejane and other big " attractions next season. They have long since taken the position that the syndicate must suit them with bookings or expect defiance. There are -plenty of others who are only waiting wait-ing for the syndicate to divide. When that division di-vision comes the independent managers will hold the whip and it will be a long time before another group can be formed to assert such absolute control con-trol over the stage. E. J. Y. |