Billboard advertising (Sept 1910)

SEPTEMBER 3, 1910. Xtie Billboard 9 The Coming Season in Chicago By WATTER80N R. ROTHACKER. What wUt be tlw Uieatrlcal harrwt as far as Chicago la concerned? Witli what tcceptloa -will tha Tarloiu ImpwMlIm olteilnsa b* cnetodT Wbat will Iw tbe dladimina at tlw ■a inu now under way? What will bo tbalr.worthT In a w«d, will Iftaa I.!'.WIII*a thnmba ba tamed up «r down la Terdlct of tbe attractloiis In scoera] wMcb wlU be Mdnnlttsd for her approval. It U ratbpr problematical: and dnbloua. tbia peerlnic Into the theatricalrtDtare. At tbe mercy of coDjeetnre and the ezlgencjr of an enr-diaBc- 1ns baalneas. the pnsnoatleator most eonalder nanr ttalnga. Booklngt ate subject to ebaose and alterations at abort notice. Mewa of them la amenable to tbe nsarles of prcaa asenta. Plani pass the iadgment of the enert pndocer hnt fall In the erei of the dramatic ctttlca and ■eaaoned piay epicures and are by them branded «ft' deficient. Some of theae "tallores" are prone to adapt tbemselTea loeaUy to the extent that thej even become sneeesaes from the Tlewpolnt of the t»x- ofllce. And then, after all la said and done. Isn't it tbli biroiMter'of resnlts wbwe center the eyes and tntetcat of the producer and man- aserT Of conrae there la a claas of phllaBttitop. iBts who persist In shootlnc from tbe hoose-topa that their aole aim in life, their beart'i deaire. la the eieratlott of the stage. : Far be It from na to even smtseet that thex are pn aa i aai . i l of even an atom of that which could be tenned meicen- aiy. Tber adTOeate. in wccda. tlw atage aa a polplt. They look on It aa a logical rostmra for tbe ranting of morallata and aoeial lefonners. Most commendable Indeed, is their besntlful thonght bat how little of It do'tbej practically realise. They, the theatrical anhiteeta who contract to accompllah ttala labor of lore *are engaged In a work which is traly praiseworthy. May we know them by their deed! and may their- a ncce aa be meaanrvd. by tbelr alBCcrltr. PerseTcrance and a keen conceptratim of eSbrt. goremed by the proper ezplottation of the de* ments InTolTed, may attain for them their, ad- ▼ertlscd ^m1. We faopefnlly dlamlas the topic. leaa sorfelted by amnaement. On the other Pl«y haa eaoifht en to any great ex- tent In the town made famous by'Broadway, the ■engagement is prolooged. Mtended again and again, and then, when It la perbapa a year old. It la permitted to toddle along toward us pre- ceded by a bunch of press: no. ices telling oa by infenioee that oar reception shoold be patterned after that accorded It by effete New Torfc. And then to heap oa more coala. In many cases, the Broadway farorites remain in their haants and a aeeood company is recruited and banded to Chicago alooc with the bank phrase. "444 times la New Tortt City." Some people "fall" for this italt, bat aa a whole tlie amaiement puti' lie . who inhabit the TlUage on lAke Michigan are capaUa ot alttlng aa their own Jnry and they baTe the 'eoorage of tlieic eonyleUons and the ability to Judge for thenuelTes the merit of a .play;-:.^;.::c. It la not aeldom that we do bare a new show hurried from Kew rock to Chlcsgo. bnt "there's a reason'? and it is usnally boldly erldent. We acknowledae with doe and gratetnl ..rcncct that some pndoctloos of an excdleat; stanoaid have their metiopolltan Urth In this dty; but It Is a: very modeat and aatonlabiag low birth rate. We bcsltate fearfolly. aitd cata aot:to mention these "mind bete" wonld be as unreliable as lengthy. At this writing Chicago mansgers know little definite/aa to the fatnre oecnpanta of their respectlre hooaes. There la an aetaal dearth of real news while an nneertain optimism nte- Tslls.';.;;: ' . By reason of the information given na by resi- dent managers of Chicago show shops, we are enabled to anticipate, to a limited extent, the attractions wlUch will play here In the near and . immediate ffntore. We make - mention of them not In prediction, bnt merely aa a retaOer who pnti in prtat as newt, .Information derived from . these ondal aooKes. We baw thns the advantage oT not bavlng to aaaume the respon- sibility of the statements. Manager Edward J. SnillTan. of the Stude- baker. weara an expression of eontemplatlTe contentment. The Old Town, which was pro- duced at Chicago last year, opened the Stnde- baker season on Angnst 19. tlie fourth nnder the Pmingliam .and Connor management. -When Haatgameqr and-Stone depart from tills atand, Elsie Jaata with her new play. The Slim Princess win come In. George Ade wrote the book, Eenty Blossom contributed: the lyrics and . I.e8^' . Delamater and -Karris are building their pro- ductlona In Chicago and expect to make their, headquarters la tSta city. %e opening datea o* .Uw'f Ptoanettona wm be an- ooanced later. Uauager Frank O. Veers, of the ^tner Onoa Hooae. telU oa that a^matbS- tlon^of iSs rftail of tbe lonesome ^Tis sUted for appearance at the Whitney thia lea- The Ctolontal baa been held In graceful pos- aeaalon by Madame Sherry during the warm weather now nniahing. The Fcfliies of UIO ■jomes^ln with September whUe the lady with tbe intoxicating name anffera an Eastern trans- fer. George Laderer, liefare he gare up Vam execntlTe reins to Jsmes J. Brady, said that nuowlng The IVdlies would come Bright Bysa. wtth Ceeu I>att and Florence Holbnx*: then Baymood Bltchcoek In return with Tbe Man Who Owns Broadway and later Genee la a new plur and Victor Moore la what is now called A rf"if"'*• Brady la now manager of tbe CdoDlal and George Lederer It eagand arlth hia New York efforts in behsif irf Klair & Brianger. George S. Wood lias algnlflad his intention to quit the theatrical bnslnesa and says that he wUI hereafter confine bis eStotta to strslght commercial endearor. Mr. Harry Powera bad a melodrama eallcid Her Son, as tbe lignal attractloa of thia tea- son. The IVaTellng Saleaman. with IVank Me- Xnl^rre is next on his books and hla antlclpatlona Include Miss Ullian Bnssell in her new plar and later Mr. Kyrle Bellew. Mr. Powers la tu be reaident manager of the new Blaekatone nie- atre. which is expected to open sometime In Norember with a new play by George Ade, In which William Crane will be featured. The Chicago Opera Bouse awakened from lla seascmable lethargy and pot oa The Girl Prom Rector's t<x the benefit of the Knights Templaia crowd who flocked here for tbe conclave. lfa» ager George Kinsabucr of thia theatre, aa- nounecs now tharMlas Hedw^ Belcher vral:be- for {tending the epoch it la well to consider conditions at they exist. This Introductory menUon which is apparently. W ••y. ?•«»«»«», irrelevant to the •object of this article as Indicated by the title, we submit merely as excuse tor an evasion^ We ..* .J""*^"" whichi would lead na thioogb waters-of. vlsionaiy Intentions oven b«nm«a;. M of rincerlty with Ita JSiS?^ ■""•"•wrtorea depth*, tvankly we admit that we eaOhew the teat of our ability as irlJ! portng at the binocular II?™ 5»'««>«» Of the current theatrical .ye prefer that ear views be obtained •piJSL,, '"1 v«n«age ground of "interrlewa." i-Mir^T ** J™'"* ">e turbulent surf of eormlse w .V "•.HI"'* entertain and leas reliable bidden rocks of ulterior nioUvet. We S. - '» '""clent low comedy to ex- hi. nnf fcii. "S o™. inlt* a BlaocBlar has nothing to do with a awimmer. Uni d.'\SP*»S.'.-''ii*' ?» •» tl»«t at some not dla- 'lain.i Ti^'''2!& i"»i«»ent qualiacationa u.?r ihiSi,*."' !»«» l«r o*«. However. \Vii,i?%J,"" '^J"li'<' ."> the tufcjeet of the iJren ?n nif„i** * i2!?««' IwuducinfcenteT ha* sti^ff" "S"' J?."!*" S» «* braiS It a* "old SiMlon Of'thenar. York In th.?!? iJ'r".*'*'"'* produetloB* of New «. •^.^SLf^'•"•^'plency are lnvarlably\nnouneed BMil iL ill* .!>ox'oae» pulse Ian and an^ ■eat* the advlaablllty of a move loTo ^etriS^ It la comparison with the birth rate Of Chicago, the metropolis. Will there be an increase in the number of productlona to be dlsclowd hera this season. We hope to, but are afraid that we will be dlaappotnted. It we are to Judge from the lengthy presa promises which are delivered over the mimeograph route we may well be optimistic In conaideretlou of the ontlook. We have too often heard theae "Wolfl" cries, however, and now take them "cum grano sails." Percy Hammond, In The Chicago Tribune, treated thte rfalte alarm" evil, te a masterUr manner. We heartily codocae Ms aentiments In echo. ^ l'^'*. ''■J .: Mr. Hammond aald: "Seventy-dvw^r cent. Of the "new*" tent to newspapers from theat- rical managera is based upon hope, Inclination, imagination and possibility Instead of fact, and unleaa the material la scanned miscioscoplcuiy. aa The Trlbune'tcana It. the theatre news cMumn becomes nothing bnt an unreliable record of alternate ststement snd denial, of no value to either producer or reader. It 1* not Uy a fundamental dtsregsrd for the truth on the part of the managera whi* cauaea these (vcklcaa pronooncemento. But w *"""** '» exigent and uncertain, end. besides there is a prevalent tradition that the dr«»««'e Stand for anything hearing the veneer of ne«m, and that it Is the correct thing to give him. sa hequently aa poaaible, the opportunity «« do,,*?;' iSiio being true, wo may better «i>end little time on the latlth promises of *'>»«''™Si..JJS teen berethi* teawn. , CJumn atter cgutnn could be written along that line bnt a list or lie Stuart lis responsible tor the musical aettlag of thia attraetioa. After that Mme. Sarah Bernhardt will play an engagement here. She will appear In a rep- ertoire of new plays under the direction of William F. Connor. Mr. Sullivan ■ Jolna Mme. Bernhardt in Europe and will retnrn with her to thia coontiy. The tour la to open at the Studeiwker Xheafie, October 31. George Ade says, "If yoa are a theatrical vnlter and are looking for 'copy* yon cant alt around the Studebaker office more than a minute Iwfoie you want to go out and write seven or elgbt sticks on the roalneas with which the coming season Is dawning, and pletnces In your mind's eye. a chain of theatres extmdlng from coast to coast and a Hue ttva blocks loait In front of each box-office." Oh. yon optlralttie George! The Girl of My Dreama inaugurated tlie sea- son at the Illinois Theatre and la at present the cartent attractloa. : It- la Indeed a pretty- show and la quite fica.ftom aivthtuK uawhole- aome. The Dollar Princeaa It expected to be the tenant of thia houae tioaa StptL. IS t» November 13. Then either The Aicadlaaa aciuBobt. UeooD. in a new play called What* the::TraU: DMdeo, will arrive. Both of theaa named ptaya are ex- pected hy Manager Will J. SaTl*.: My Cinderella Girl haa been eaterUining at the Whitney Opera Honae all-summer. Itnow takes to the.road. Alma Wo Wobnat DuT la tbe tentative telection to oecapy thia theatre nntn one <tf the two musical pndoetloaa In prcpara- tlon an ready for the pUlUe. ■ r ^< gin her aeaaon with him on August 2S. Her ap- pearance Uila time ia in a Busstsn revolutionary play, called On tbe Eve. This drama Is by Dr. liSOpOld Ksmpf. Miss Relcher made her Orst bo«r to Chicago In Charles Klein's short-lived play. The Next of Kin. at Powers' Theatre. Sandwiched In between the engagement of The Olrl From Rector'a and tbe presentation of On tbe Eve. Mlaa Rose Stahl as Tbe Chorus [.wly. occupied tlie.OUcaco Opera House. While here lOaa Seiclier may reliearse and play In a new — by* Bamaey Morris, entitled The Vaga- HeVIcketa* Tbeatte opened the^ seasoa on Ang. 97 vritb The DoUar Mark. After that, we are told by Manager George Warren, that Hooey Boy Evans and his minstrels will come In. to be followed by The Third Degree and later Ohauncey Olcott In a new play. Of course we expect Way Down East at this house about Thanksgiving Day. Thomaa Roes Is schednled to take his farewell with his 329th performance of The Fortune Banter at the Olympic Theatre on September 3, This show wag a creat goecess in Chlcsgo and defied the thermometer throughout tha sum- mer. Manager Sam lederer has recently : turned from a trip to Europe, where be, went to . viait hla father- Tbe next abow to occupy that Olympic Theatre Is The Girl In Walttng. wtCh Caurette Taylor In the principal role. Baby Mine haa been transferred from tha Princess Theatre to the Garrtck, wh*x*i.tt.; la now current. Herbert Dnce, who numiewa thia (Coatlaaed W.1