Variety (December 1909)

VARIETY 11 SHUBERTS HAVE A CHANCE IN THE LEGITIMATE FIGHT 44 Concentration" the Savior; Theatrical Opinion. Klaw & Erlanger Side Not Materially Hurt. Lee Shubert Sanguine. To a Variety representative, when asked for n statement on the position of the Shuberts in their present battle in the ••legitimate" field, Lee Shubert said: "So far this has been our best sea- son, and we intend to expand. Our New York successes this year will be of great aid to us next season, when they can be sent on the road, without having to first produce a success for the out-of-town theatres. "We do not feel the loss of the 'one- nighters.' In fact, our New York shows are too big for one-night stands. Though we played to capacity inmost of them, the expense of the production could not be met. 4 "We have no intention of giving up any of the houses we are now in either east or west, and shall add to them." The last statement was in answer to a question if it were likely that the Shuberts would concentrate their attention next sea- son upon the larger cities in the territory enst of Denver or Kansas City. This plan of concentration in the east seems to be the belief of well informed theatrical men who are unbiased in their opinion that it will be the savior for the Shuberts in the tight now being waged by them against •'The Syndicate" (Klaw & Erlanger). That the Shuberts have split the theatri- cal money with the Klaw & Erlanger shows in the larger cities is conceded, though with the exception that where the K. & E. people have sent in a "star" of standing, the "star" has drawn its normal quota. The split of the available "show money" weekly has been where competition be- tween the factions has been equal with shows of average merit, and without a "feature." "The Syndicate" shows meet- ing with this "split" in certain towns hold the advantuge on the season over the Shuberts' companies, playing for the greater part where there in no opposition, while the Shuberts encounter it continu- ally. With the return of the Western Man- agers' Association and the theatres in the middle-west controlled by it to Klaw & Erlanger, the Shuberts were left without representation in the "one-nighters," the south having been closed to the "opposi- tion" altogether. It is said that the experiment of the Shuberts with the western one night stands cost the independent legitimates $100,000. Towns like Albany, Syracuse and Rochester are held by the Shuberts and will probably be continued by them. In Rochester and Albany the Shuberts are reported to have fared poorly, while at Syracuse where they occupy the Bastable, a mixed policy has been pursued. For three days at the Bastable, popular priced shows appear. For the remainder of the week usually one of the Shuberts big shows comes in when the admission scale is raised to $1.50, resulting in hardly any attendance. ^ . The real big cities are understood to be returning the Shuberts something of a profit, though in Philadelphia for instance, where the Lyric, a Shubert house was reckoned as a $40,000 winner each season under their management, with the addition of the Adelphi to the Shubert string in that city, the profits seem to have been lessened to the extent that the Lyric and Adelphi each now net about $10,000. The Phila- delphia houses are adjoining one another. Lee Shubert in his conversation stated he only wanted more houses in Philadelphia. A reliably informed theatrical man said the other day he thought the Shuberts were netting from $25,000 to $40,000 weekly in New York City. This amount came from the Hippodrome, Casino, Lyric, Broadway, Herald Square, Maxine Elliott and Daly's. He thought it hardly enough for the Shuberts to cover their out of town losses. Another man disputed the quotation, and gave these figures as the present weekly profits and losses of the Shuberts in New York. Profits: Hippodrome $10,000 West End 2.(100 Elliott 3. noo Lyrlr U.non Daly'H l.oao Broadway a.oo> Cawlno I.ikio Herald Square 1 .oOO Total $2<S.OiH) Against this was figured a loss of $1,000 weekly on the Majestic, Metropolis, York- ville and Lincoln Square, all at present subleased for popular combination vaude- ville and pictures shows. Added to this $4,000 was another thousand for The Comedy, Shuberts' newest, leaving a net New York profit of $21,000. The cost of operating a musical produc tion is said to prevent the piece being profitable without extraordinary receipts. While the New York HipjKMlrome is play- ing to about $28,000 or $30,000 weekly, the expense account there runs around $18,000. On the Shubert side it is claimed "The Midnight Sons" at the Broadway is operated at a cost, of $0,000 a week. This is thought to include the expense of the theatre, for outsiders estimate it at around $5,000 with initial expense of production running to $55,000. The Elsie Jan is show requires $0,000 a week; Dillingham's "Candy Shop" takes $5.200-to pay off, and the Fritzi Scheff company. $7,000. Few musical produc- tions can be equipped nowadays for less than $50,000. When giving these figures to a Variety representative, the estimator said: "The Shuberts are lucky, for it never rains with them all the time; the sun is shining some- where. If one or two pieces fall down, something happens in an unexpected quar- ter to partially offset it. "There's room for two first class circuits" he continued, "but only in the larger cities. There are too many theatres now. The Shuberts are at a disadvantage when fight- ing K. & K. 'The Syndicate' has a staff of experts to commence with, and plenty of producers. The Shuberts have only Lew Fields and the Lieblers. A staff of experts around them would be of the greatest bene- fit in the world." The flop of Belasco and Fiske to Klaw & Erlanger was a hard blow for the Shu- berts. They have recovered nothing to counterbalance it. Another desertion from the Shuberts side was Max C. Anderson, interested with them in the Hippodrome, though Mr. An- derson, upon retiring, withdrew from legitimate theatricals and is at present engaged solely with his vaudeville interests. Whether the move of Anderson's carried with it his theatrical partners in Cincin- nati (CJeorge B. Cox, J. J. Rhinock and the tit hers known as "the Cincinnati crowd") no one seems certain. The financial backing of the Shuberts is re|K>rtcd as coming from among the stock- holders in The New Theatre of which Lee Shubert is the Director. The pointed re- marks of A. L. Erlanger upon The New Theatre, its sponsors and director, are said to have been the cause of bringing to the Shuberts an offer of $2,000,000 to finance their scheme to "down 'The Syndicate/ " How uear the actual amount this is, is a mere guess. The report that several wealthy men, headed by Clarence Mackay, it is said, did propose to the Shuberts to find the money for their fight is accepted. What amount has been advanced or how the backers may feel disposed at present is also guesswork. The Shuberts are said to have invested over $200,000 of their own money in their several enterprises. With them are Lew Fields and Felix Isman, each of the latter having a one-third in- terest in "The Midnight Sons," the biggest money maker of the season, having had a continuous run at the Broadway since the middle of last summer at enormous receipts weekly. "The Jolly Bachelors," which faded away for further rehearsal after the third week, was another stupendous pro- duction Messrs. Shuberts, Isman and Fields were equally "in" on. "The 'picture shows' have killed the naileries of the out of town houses and hurt the balconies perhaps," said the theatrical man. "But the over-supply of theatres has done the most harm. In Chicago for instance a few years ago be- fore the Iroquois *vas built, The Illinois, Powers and Grand Opera House (then in- dependent) did $12,000 to $1.'{,000 a week with shows remaining in Chicago hut two weeks at the most. Now to keep the many Chicago theatres filled, "runs" must be made of four, five or six weeks to gross receipts of $7,<WM) or $N.000 for a paying attraction. "It strikes me," said he in conclusion, "that if the Shuberts would go in more for money than for Might' they would be letter off. With about twenty houses and twenty shows to fill them, the Shuberts would be in good shape, at any rate better than they are now. They en n't go on 'eat- ing their heads off' in the far west ami giving their money to railroads. 'Concen- tration' would mean the elimination of long jumps, which they are now obliged to make, and give them a showing. They can't hope to whip Klaw & Erlanger; at the most they will only annoy 'The Syn- dicate' and I should think the Shuls-rts would be willing to 'annoy' their opisisition in the meantime building up strongly enough to 'bother' it." An item of expense with the Shuberts is the headquarters the "opposition" supports, without having the booking fee of five per cent, which K. & E. receive. The news- pa iH»r, lately started by the Shuberts, is also reported to be a not inconsiderable jot each week on the wrong side of the Profit & Loss account, though in the establishing of the newspaper, the Shuberts are said to have enlisted many of their managers. It is one of the many reasons assigned for the dissolution of the Ander- son-Shubert connection. Klaw & Erlanger charge a commission of five ]>er cent, on all bookings through their office, bringing to "The Syndicate" an unaccountable amount yearly, clear of their losses or gains with shows. Chicago. Dec. 8. The Klaw & Erlanger forces are too strongly intrenched here for the Shuberts to make much of a showing. The Shu- lierts play at the Creat Northern by a "booking arrangement" only. John Mason in "The Witching Hour" following Mar- guerite Clark and Ezra Kendall is the first to bring it recognition at the standard prices. The "second companies" organized from the Shubert successes by the middle west- ern managers pay 10 per cent, of the gross to the Shuberts. It is claimed the half-dozen managers who sent the second shows on the road have made money. The loss of the middle-western one- night stands by the Shuberts is awaited with much watching here. So far this season the Shuberts have added little strength to themselves in this section. Seattle, Dec. 8. The legitimate struggle in the north- western division is branching out strongly just now. It has been a hard pull for the Shuberts, jumping their shows from Winnipeg to Seattle, and from Portland to 'Frisco. The Shubert house at Spo- kane is due to open during January, when this condition will be somewhat bettered. Credit is given to the "opposition" for the improvement seen in the attractions playing here this season under the Klaw & Erlanger bookings. Seattle has now been made about a two-week stand by "The Syndicate." Good business has re- sulted. The Shuberts also have done an excellent business, and patronage is al- most assured if the grade is kept up. The Moore (K. & E.), with a capacity of 2.300, is playing to $2.f>0 against the Alhambra (Shubert), capacity of 1,500. The Moore has a shade the best of it. The (Iraml Opera House (K. & E.) is playing at .$1.50 without any opposition to speak of. In this part of the United States the "legitimate" for money making does not compare with vaudeville. St. Louis, Dec. fc. Any effect that the re establishment of t lie Shubert legitimate circuit may have had on the Klaw & Erlanger theatres in this city is not visible to the average person. Toronto. Dec. H. The Princess plays the Klaw &, Erlanger shows, while the Royal Alexandria, the pride of Canada, houst-s the Shul>crt at tractions. Business at t'he ■ Princess thin season has been very good; at the Alex- andria it has been even better.