The New York Clipper (December 1904)

1022 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER. Deoembeb 24. M155 CIipper'5 Anecdotes. Mllties aid Counts, CONCEBNINO ST1GE FOLK and Sometimes OTEEES BY JOSEPH INK GEO. A budding playwright, with a bundle of manuscript under bit arm, entered the onter office of a prominent manager the other day. Never, with hla unknown name, would be hare gained admlialon to tbe "inner of In- ners," but It wai bla temporarily good for- tune to meet and accost the manager before he could make hla escape Into hla private domain. "I hare a play," he haitened to My, "which contains the whole sixty-five possible situa- tions for dramatisation." The proud assumption of tbe young begin- ner In tbe art of play writing rather amused the manager, and as be bad a few minutes to spare, be concluded to waste tbem on the aspirant, In drawing him out regarding the wonderful play. > "And bow do you make out that there are only sixty-five dramatic situations?" be asked, "when there have been thousands of playa written. These situations must bays become very commonplace by this date." Whereupon, the young man explained that tbe sixty-five were primal, and all others were merely modifications of them. He was launch- ing deeply Into tbe technique of what tbe manager knew much more than be, when the latter Interrupted blm wltb tbe question: "But your own play,—what of that?" "Well, of course, there being no absolutely new situations, I bare taken tbe beat of those that bare already been used. Now, for In- stance, I have In my play a situation similar to 'Othello smothering Desdemona,'—It baa never been used In any other play but that; and another thrilling situation is where my heroine baa a similar scene to that of 'Eliza crossing the Icel' " "Hold 1" exclaimed the manager. "I might use a play containing the former Idea, but 'Hllzn,'—why that has been played thousands of times." "But It has been used In only one play," remonstrated tbe young playwright "One Is enough for that," replied tbe man- ager, whose spare momenta by that time bad been more than consumed, and wishing to bring the Interview to a close, added, "at any rate, I fear I could not use your play." "I'd let It go cheap," said the young man. "Now, what would you give me for It?" "Well," said tbe manager with a tired smile, aa he moved In tbe direction of the door marked 'private,' "I'd give vou ten year* lor it." , 9 H f> r °l' os ot 'casting pearlB before swine,' " 1] art admirer of grand opera with Its jjc themes and classic music, "I was mak- ny slow way through the lobby of the Ijopolltan Opera House, along with the Iclatlve crjusdawhlch had been viewing IfonjJseTOIytraglc scenes sung and acted deeply, even to the point of real sacrifice. Why Is Is so dear to yon?'' Then with.a revengeful snarl the man gave an answer altogether unexpected by the kind hearted philanthropist, and one which scored heavily for the theory of the pessimist "Why do I love that rat?'' repeated the man In a voice of bitter, venomous hatred,— •he Ml it uvrden." * Lew Dockstader has not always had things hla own way, as be seems now to have. Al- though a college graduate, wltb a .tempera- ment sunny and hopeful, be has bad bis share of bard climbing over the uncertain theatrl- beard a remark just e truth of the old ^ J}».„young voice of i^t'JiMto'XAW or hear ittoWgHI popular phl- --£jfe1»niilnce^i peasi- filn*3» m H e good ' - ■ — *"that no ght be, good In would '0 prove edupon a-vjslt to rcftVUiat a uld tongue of Paris, and advantageous offers were constantly at her disposal. She ap- peared on tbe Boulevards Montmartre and afterward accepted a part In Sarah Bem- bsrdt's production of e La Ola," which she was about to put on at L'Amblru, prompted to tbe acceptance by Bernhardt'* personal request Tbe success she gained on that occasion, and in an appearance at the Palais lloyal In the Mellhac Gllle comedy, "Ma Comarade," opened tbe eyes of tbe Vaude- ville management, and tbey Immediately made her a proposition to star her. pay her nn enormons salary and make ber future absolutely secure. She accepted and en- tered upon ber new work with hlgb hopes, hopes that were afterward dashed to earth by tbe same objectionable treatment on the part of the management which bad per- suaded the actress to desert them before. cal paths that lead to money and fame,—for This she did sgaln, engaging at the Varieties 'to play the leading role in Mellhac's "De- core," which tbe ant ho r had written for some. Possessing a sense of humor In Its keenest, he liberally employs this valuable attribute In relating the hundreds of laughable Inci- dents that beset him during the years of struggling to reach bis present eminence. Hla first engagement was wltb an old-time manager who kept no account book. Dock- stader aays: "I remember one night when tbe show played to over two hundred dollars. Of course we boys all expected some on account, for we were far In arrears. To our disgust, tbe manager Informed us that we would have to wait a few days longer as he had taken tbe money to get hla life insured. As he had put me on the door, tbe most dangerous place, and as there was no Insurance on me, I de- cided to quit, quickly following my decision with the act. * "An old time favorite In those daya waa 'Zera,' a magician, strong man, motto singer, besides doing every other popular act of the times. He bad been around the world so many times that his bead waa full of oceans. The manager of the company we were In con- ceived tbe Idea of paying us off alphabetically. He paid up to F, and of course, D being early on the Hat, I got my money. Zera, however, didn't fare so well. There waa a general kick among all those who came after the F'a, and "It ended In the show breaking up. The manager then reorganised and gave notice for all those who wished to rejoin to have their names enrolled. As he drew beautiful mental pictures of a successful ending to the disap- pointing season nearly all of us decided to rejoin. "Zera was the first to step up and tbe man- ager began to write hla name on the list " 'Hold on !' said the strong man, 'not Zera this time,—put down A/a*,—that's me.'" • Speaking of the Inequitable arrangement of licenses In tbe different cities, Dockstader re- marked: , . igg •' "They charge fifty cents for a marriage license In Leavenworth, Kansas, - while. In. Kansas City the tax on a dog license, la a dollar and a halt. It costs more In Kansas City to be a dog than It does in Leavenworth to be a married man." ««» GABRIHLLB REJANE Was born In Paris and passed her Infancy Judlc. The success of "Decore" meant the Academy for M. Mellhac, and the author's triumph meant tbe triumph of the star— and Bejane won both Then came the en- gagement at the Odeon, where, to the amaze- ment and despair of her truest and warmest friends, and despite the pleadings of 8arcey nnd Raymond Dealandes, she elected to ap- pear In Daudet's "Qerminle Lacerteux." It would require pages to detail that event, nnd the triumph which Bejane achieved. This waa really tbe beginning of her ascen- sion to the Imperial throne. Letters of con- gratulation cauie from all the distinguished men of Paris, and among them one from Sardou, who bad written hla play. "Mar- quise," especially for her use. She bad left the Vaudeville getting 18,000 francs a year; she returned under a contract to pay iier SOO francs a performance. Under this con- tract many notable productions were made. and between tbe Vaudeville, tbe Odeon nod tbe Varieties she passed ber time, and It was at the Odeon that Mellbac'a "Ma Cous- lne" was first presented, Oct 27, 1890, and with "Ma Coualne," "Decore" and "Monsieur OUR LOUDON LETTER. from o.t?a own cobmsmhdbnt. ~'' v . Clipper Borrnu, • 48 Cranbovrae Street, Leicester Square, London, W. C. ' Dsc. 10. Edward Terry sails for America today and will make blsjlrst appearance In the United States In "Tbe House of Burnslde, at the Princess Theatre, New York, under the management of Shubert Brothers. Mr. Terry will be accompanied by Mrs. Terry, and takes his own company with him, com- Rrising Cynthia Brooke, Beatrice Terry, elly Mortyne. Olive Wilton, Clara Barte, W. H. Day, Win. H. Denny, W. T. Lovell, A. Hylton Allen, Arthur Cornell, George Howard and Master Boy Lorraine. Gaston Mayer Is the business manager. In tbe course of hla lecture on "Hamlet, at his dramatic academy, ten days ago, Beer- bobm Tree said he saw In that morning's paper, on the authority of Henry Arthur sent and is stolen from the mail, a duplicate Jones, that the .degradation of the British WARNING! All persons are cautioned against j Q . closing money with letters to us, UNLESS THE LETTERS ARE REGISTERED. We are in receipt of complaints from many who have lost money by sending it throngh the mail, which demonstrates (bat that method of making remittances IS KTOT SAFE If Postal Money Order, Check or Draft is drama and tbe failure of certain playa was due to the fact of there being no actors to Interpret them. "Vet" continued Mr. Tree. "I remember several plays from the pen of Mr. Jones which were successes, notably •The Llara' and The Sliver King.' Dare I alao reOer to 'The Dancing Girl?* I, for one, cordially hope that Mr. Jones may soon be more fortunate In his actors, so that he may give us another successful play. He saya 'the remedies' for this terrible state of things 'are tbe recognition of the dramatist as a literary artist, and tbe means of giving the young actor the training which long runs deny him.' Well, we have a training school, but Mr. Jones has apparently been too busy addressing provincial audiences to bear about it. And as to tbe recognition of the dramatist as a literary artist, who says he ia not a lit- erary artist? Mr. Jones admits that he baa stooped to the public In order to conquer It between St. Martins Gate and the Place da Chateau d'Kau, the birthplace of the Parisian riot for the previous bait century. She found ber recreation and much toil about the lobby of L'Amblgu, where.- ber father took tickets at the main entrance to the the- atre and her mother tended the. buffet. It was this early experience which fired her ambition, for here she saw all the great actors and actresses of the time. Dies Petit, Jane Easier, Adole Page, Frederick Le- maltre, l'aul Cleves, Hellngue, Paul Deshayea and Marie Laurent At toe age of five her father died and mother and daughter were left to their own resources. Notwithstand- ing this great reverse tbe young child waa sent to school for four years without inter- mission. These were busy years and years of great progress for Gabrleile. Then came the Commune, which, while It brought suf- fering and 1 misery to many, brought valued assistance to Madame Bejane and her daugh- ter. A wealthy widow whom they knew fled tbe city and left, ber property In their care, and the compensation thus secured gave them a comfortable living and enabled the mother to Bend her daughter to tbe Boulet boarding school of St Begalle. Here Gabrleile was brought into, contact with a different class of people than she had hitherto known, and here she became acquainted with a daughter of Jules Simon, then Minister of Public In- struction, i Charles Simon, a brother, knew the famous 1 actor-teacher, M. Begnler, and. learning of| .Gabrlelle's desire to entecOpaA-" a stage career be took her to Begnler Iri ths hope that he might be able to set her"Into the Conservatoire, with which Regnler .was then connected. Begnler's sympathies ' be- came enlisted In her behalf and the .months of toll that followed In setting the ambi- tious girl into proper condition for the pre- liminary examination Bejancs baa not tor- otten to this day. It was seemingly a opeless struggle yet, despite all, she was examined and waa admitted, and after years or laborious study she graduated, and with the second honors of ber class. .-• One day M. Mellhac, nt Barcey's request-gave her a part In one of bis new comedies, and she ac- quitted herself creditably. Other minor en- gagements followed, and finally the strife over her In the newspapers attracting much attention, propositions began to pour In upon her. The Odeon, the Vaudeville and the Qymnase all wanted ber. The Odeon claimed her under a written promise..made - M. Duquesual by the maftager of the Depart- readers .pf .... ment of lienux Arts, and'.Jflalated upon hold-'-1» known to the Ing her to.the promise. -IWjSne wanted to llejani Is tourtnr accept tbe proposition from tbe Vaudeville, and on tbe strength of a letter In her pos- ^kseslon from the minister himself she se- ■cured her release and signed with the Vaude- ' Hie. Bbe made her debut there March 25, „JUii In "La Iieveu des Deux Mondes." Her he^ng%B*sjMut with tlio Vaudeville was for two ., mars atrOJhcr name appeared at practically , every perfofnian.ee o^.thoaajeare. One night "i'r. Offenbaeh^rrrtrd h&r TftKjan Interpolated .Vsdng In "Le Premiere TnH" and the next >y came an offer',,fi 0,000 francs a yettv If^he'WFuTjfetal Kart In a play which he would ''write for . er, and put on nt the "Varieties." Bbe the Bhe ed her engagorftept atl-*B>'Vaudeville irporo'.tbBU dourjU whatfAjre, bad re- rfl before;. ; l'Woight '^eigi^sh»..='»ev~ d 'a{ the Vaudeville. Ctrcsa ot-gfent nbl ,J "T0und by womi d who were comers. The TOM LEWIS AND SAM J. RYAN, Who are now successfully appearing wltb Geo. M. Cohan's "Little Johnny Jones" Co., are familiar figures to profession and public alike. Mr. Lewis Is making the success of his life by his presentation of the Unknown, and Mr. Ryan is equally successful In bis role, Timothy D. McOee. Throughout the continuation of their partnership they have been playing as headllners In all of the leading vaudeville houses, ever original In the conception of their characters, which Hat Included burlesques on many famous plays. Betsy" prosperity took up Its abiding place at the Odeon. M. O. de Porte-Rlche's "Amoureuse" was produced at the Odeon in April, 1801, and "Lyelstrata" some months later, this Mellhac's fast and unfinished play. The Daudet-Belot play, "Sapho," was pro- duced by Rejane at M. Porel'sJaJew Grand Theatre Nov. 23, 1892, and SaraoiTs "Mme. Pans Gene," at the Vaudeville, the following year. Uejane's Catherine proved an extra Well, Is not this In Itself an admission of weakness? Tbe strong man commands the pub- lic to follow him. Aa I said on a recent occa- sion, you must not give tbe public what they want, give them what you want them to have, and In time they will want it I would recom- mend Mr. Jones not to reach down to the pub- lic," but make the people reach up to him. Really, all this talk Is a little fatiguing when Shakespeare fills tbe bouse nightly." ordinary triumph In all the capitals of Bu- to this Mr. Jones sent the following reply: rope^no matter_how_ It was .received_ln "My dear Tree—In today's papers you are represented me as corn- America, and In Paris It waa played for years. The year 1804 was a great year for the. Vaudeville nnd for Rejane, for now Idol of was lire- she was fairly established. ..as tbe Pnrla. Ibaen'a "The Doll's'Jt* sented that year, and! Abbey, Schoeffcl francs for one America, which The. later, history hftedH tory. under the management of ler A Co., and is meeting with pronounced success. Her New York City engagement of four weeks at the Lyric Theatre, closlDg Dec. 8, was notable (for big attendance ana the marked prajayca^jetedtd her for hor fine work - <yiffig^|B^- — NotostT We have Florida, pfi reported to have plaining that my ploys have failed 'for lack of actors to Interpret them.' You also rep- resent me as dissatisfied with my public. in a paper I recently contributed to the PresB Congress at Vienna, on The Need of a National English Theatre,' I said, 1 will ?ladiy owe my Indebtedness to many of my nterprcters, and I will ask them all to pt from me their own valuation of tbelr and services. It you can tell me how , make a more handsome acknowledgc- of my gratitude to tha whole body nf actors and actresses who have appeared In my plays I will forthwith make ft. Bo far as regards English playgoers, I have nlwavs and everywhere acknowledged my gratitude to them. There la a vast difference between complaining of one's own personal position nnd complaining of the position that one's art occupies in public esteem. You were one of my rightly, in t| 1'ietc, last S| Lmsl sin towards the brutlslKJK«8.feMlybMr.'hot 4>666 frAfes from mi. ,M .hn,.M hi^ •" fsJgsedg«s. " I whstr n here .*e*pll ^rjgi them. _^ A oulBrf'TTiorne. ',dlrtc{»r; nnd gfjie-Hoiizo "draw- ot was gravi condition 0' have start make an me of .ex] tie back 1°'^ last, ilvcn her mg^t ntentlofl management to give her the opportuTJ she wanted, she resolved to seek It else- where. Despite her mediocre roles at the Vaudeville, her name bad ever been on the^ Tng, YJtfK 1 I TtufTnlo via thcl Ncv/v*rk Central or the Shore let Tot: 'a 'tal_ .. aslol Flttle of nnd phlloso] on similar during the , V. lou UBe fi the dn « pro dt ie dram failures extreme vi A man doe! arter of n centu' if I remember 'orinUihtlj lie- the degraded state was bewailed In no the educated classes declared that there " n with the nd. acr You too mi uponv ot plrf with gh with theTBuaaSS'Tf I hi . jredlt me wl tbe same conspicuous fortitni my that you have so often shown occasions. But as It happens, past season English playgoei can be obtained and there will be no I >-. of money, bat there may be a loss of time which may be of the utmost innportar.ee. We will guarantee all persons against lou in sending us remittances IF TBE LETTERS IN WHICH THEY ABE SENT ARE PBOPERLY REGISTERED. NEW YORK CLIPPER. ALBERT J. BOmiE, Msmatger. have given me no opportunity of playing the martyr. Facts and figures are at your ser- vice. You would have thought It strange It you bad been accused of venting personal grievances when you deplored tbe condition of the English drama last Spring. I think it no less strange, and I am sure you will be f:lad ot an opportunity of withdrawing your nslnuatlons. We have a common enemy to light, and we need not fire Into our owa fleet. Always cordially yours, Henry Arthur Jones." Mr. Jones and Mr. Tree have exchanged several more Interesting letters, but the above shows what the "argument" Is about A delicate point of theatrical etiquette came up In a local court last week. T. Davis, the theatrical proprietor, who pro- duced "Florodora," was defended In. an ac- tion brought by G. Sydenham, who has been manager of touring companies for Mr. Davis. Mr. Sydenham's complaint Is that In 1903 he was engaged by Mr. Davis to manage tbs provincial tour of "The Medal and tbe Maid," and when he bad been at work for only a short time was Informed that his engagement must abruptly cease. Hfs contention Is that the engagement la for the whole tour. Mr. Davis, on the other hand, asserts that tbe custom of the profession allows a fortnight's notice. Several tbeatrlcal managers were called as expert witnesses. These gentlemen Bald that the custom of the profession was to engage a manager for the whole tour. The jury returned a verdict for tbe plaintiff. Arthur Bourchler sent the following letter to tbe 0. P Club on "The Tyranny of the First Night:" "Personally, I can not say that of late years I have detected any par- ticular tyranny on the first night of a new play. The only thing that exercises sny tyranny, In my opinion. Is a bundle of nerves, which every actor and actress ought to pos- sess. It always seems to me that a first night audience Is particularly ready to take up the good points In a play. Indeed, It is very often a fact that a play never goes so well as It does on a first night. This would rather point to tbe possibility that the re- ception of a play by a typical London first night audience Is not indicative of the future opinion of the general public, who may or may not throng to see It afterwards, and It Is an established fact that the verdict for good or 111 ot a typical London first nlgbt au- dience has never been prophetic of the finan- cial success of any play. The old favorite on both sides of the water, "Charley's Aunt," made Its reappearance at a West End theatre last Monday night, Bran- don Thomas, to whom the rights have now reverted, having arranged for Its rerlvsl at the Comedy Theatre. Mr. Thomas appears In his own play as the Colonel. J. M. Barrle baa chosen "Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Dp," as the title for his "play for children," to be pro- duced at the Duke of York's Theatre on or about Dec 22. The cast will Include Nina liouclcault, Dorothea Balrd, Hilda Trevelyn, Jean Burnett Master George Hersee, Sidney Harcourt, George Sheldon and Gerald du Maurler. The first performance at the Court Thea- tre of Lawrence Housman and Granville Barker's fantastic play, Prunella, or Love In a Dutch Garden,' the music for which has been composed by Joseph Moorat, has been fixed for Dee. 23. During Edward Terry'a absence In Amer- ica Mrs. Langtry will commence her London season at Terry's Theatre, In her play, "Mrs. Deerlng's Divorce," on Jan. 16. It has been stated that "The Prayer of the Sword" la to be given In America by James K. Hackett and Mary Mannerlng. A new and original comedy. In three acts, by Gordon Holmes, entitled "The Fascinating Mrs. Kemp," was seen for the first time In London, at the Opera House, Crouch End, last Monday eight. In the Westminster County Court recent- ly Blackmore's Dramatic Agency had to sue Herbert Clarke, acting manager of the Vaude- ville Theatre, where the "Catch of the Sea- son" Is being played, for one hundred dol- lars, commission due on procuring him his present engagement with Messrs. Gattl. and got Judgment for fifty dollars with costs. The Judge commented on the unbusinesslike way In which theatrical people do their busi- ness. "Merely Mary Ann," which'la nearlne the end of Its run at the Duke of York's Thea- tre, will be sent on tour In February, but Eleanor Robson, who Is the feature of the comedy, will not be a member of tbe com- pany. The Theatrical Mechanics' Association I* about to resume the prosecution of the music halls by taking drastic legal proceedings not only against the presentation in them of an sketches, but even of dialogue scenes. M. Sardou has agreed with George Ed- wardes to write for him the libretto of n new comic opera to be produced by the Gaiety manager In London. The composer for the music of this work Is not yet named, or, it moy be, considered. Beerbohm Tree announces that Hla Majes- ty'a Theatre will be closed after the matinee on Dec. 21 until Boxing Night (Dec, 24) and that the present run of "Tempest" will ter mlnate 00 Saturday, Jan. 14. On the follow- ing Thursday, Jan. 19, he will produce "Much Ado About Nothing." . . „ . . A new play, entitled "Tbe Palmist, by R. Henderson Bland, will be produced tor two special matinees, Dec. 16 and IT, at tne Alhnmbra, Brighton. ._ '*[ Ibsen, the dramatist, snfferlng from r relapse, la now stricken with parai- lvlng him of the power of speaking. writing. '" atre Is to be reopened Dec. Seymour, with the new lnnAI" Bert Coote, who is _ In lie 8tates, Is to take a Iln/ pak ftvtbe/productlon. ^"*who made a good Inipres; In "Three JJttle Maids, cal play .*j»i'\ ai^iiHiwl IVOTAu