Finance of the Drama.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVII, Issue 25, 22 December 1906, Page 24

Finance of the Drama.

STRIKING FACTS OF THEATRI CAL RISKS AND PROFITS.

The extraordinary record of 13,000 performances has just been achieved by the exceedingly funny farcical comedy, “The Private Secretary.” Produced in London in May 1884, it lias been acted continuously since then, and is now in its twenty-second consecutive year of tour.

During the London run the weekly profit amounted to £l2OO. By the end of the second year’s run £BO,OOO had been made in London alone.

It ran over 300 nights in New York (a remarkable run for America), and Mr J. M. Palmer made a fortune out of it.

Similar success awaited the comedy in Australia, and that now there is hardly

an English-speaking town in the world -where the inhabitants have not laughed uproariously at the vagaries of the Rev. Robert Spalding, who “doesn’t like London,” and of Mr C a t. cat; t e-r, ter; m-o-l-e, mole—Catteruiole. Altogether, the amazing career of ‘‘The Private Secretary” has resulted in a total clear profit of at least £300,000. Joseph Jefferson's life-long success, “Kip Van Winkle,” probably made more money than any other single production. Jefferson played the title-role no fewer than 5000 times, and earned the great sum of £1.000,000. For three successive seasons at the Boston Theatre it averaged £4OOO a week in gross returns. Another American favourite, “The Old Homestead,” netted £050.000 in twelve years. The famous Vaudeville Theatre success. “Our Roys.” ran for nearly five years at an average output of £4OO a week. Mr Barrie’s “Little Minister” made over £lOO,OOO net profit in England and America. SOME GOLD MINES. Probably “A Chinese Honeymoon” made more money than any other musical comedy. It ran for two years and eight months, and at the end of that period the author estimated its remaining value at £54,000. On the London production alone the profit reached six figures, and there were besides eight provincial. American, European, ami South African companies playing the piece on tour. Authors' shares of such successes make fortunes in themselves. Mr Pinero received £40.000 from “Sweet Lavender.” Mr G. R. Sims has made as much as £15.000 a year from one of his popular melodramas. Mr W. S. Gilbert’s profits from six of his Savoy operas have been reckoned at £90,000. “Pygmalion and Galatea" alone brought that brilliant dramatist £50,000. The expenses of popular productions are often more impressive than the profits. For example, although “The Prodigal Son” cleared only £5OOO, the receipts amounted to £40,000, the cost of production being £7OOO, and the weekly expenditure £3OO. A Drury Lane pantomime is not often produced at a cost of less than £20.000. The late Sir Augustus Harris, indeed, considered himself lucky if it did not run to £25.000 before the curtain was raised on the opening night. Before the curtains are raised on the 140 odd Christmas pantomimes in Great Britain, some £400,000 has to be expended, and a further £700.000 or so must lie disbursed in salaries during the run of these profitable annuals. SALARY BILL OF £lO,OOO. The initial cost of Mr George Edwardes’ musical comedies is very great. “The Duchess of Dantzic” cost £lO.OOO to produce at the Lyric, and ten months elapsed before the original outlay was returned. Mr Edwardes pays out every week about £lO.OOO in salaries, fees, etc., on his numerous musical comedies in I.oudon amt the provinces. One very popular melodrama will make more money than a score of ordinary “big successes.” “The Silver King,” for instance, has earned more than a million pounds’ profit in its quarter-of-a-century career, whereas the total pro-

fit cm a score of average West End successes rarely reaches £200,000.

The principal reason for this is the crippling, rents of West End theatres aa compared with the more reasonable arrangements obtaining in the country. The Adeljdii and the Criterion are typical houses. Mr Otho Stuart pays £ll,000 a year for the Adelphi, and th* little Criterion lets at £lO.OOO. although the most that can be squeezed out of it is about £lBO a performance. Salaries of great artists are crippling too, especially in opera. Mapleson. in order to retain the services of Adelina Patti, had to pay her £lOOO for each representation. Carl Rosa offered Christine Nilsson £250 a night at Her Majesty’s, and Jean de Reszke refused £5OO a performance to sing in English.

The late Dan Leno commanded £250 a week. Mr George Alexander received the same amount for playing “The Prodigal Son” at Drury Lane. With such demands upon his coffers, the modern theatrical manager has to be very astute to make both end; met.