"LEGITIMATE" AT THE SHUBERT.
Its Days as a Vaudeville House
Numbered, Says Lehman.
Promptly at the beginning of the performance this evening the Shubert theater will pass officially from the control of the Klaw & Erianger-Oppenheimer regime into the hands of the Orpheum circuit management. Martin Lehman, manager of the Orpheum, will at that time assume actual control of the other playhouse and a new order of things will be instituted for the Shubert. After being buffeted about for more than a year, the theater will at last settle into what seems destined to be its future as a home of legitimate drama of the highest class. Its days as a vaudeville house are numbered.
To a Journal reporter last night, Mr. Lehman made a semi-official announcement that next week's bill would be the last of the vaudeville bookings at the Shubert. He declared that the one remaining bill had been contracted for and that after its finish the new engagements scheduled would be of the "legit."
"There remain three contracts to be filled after next week's show," said Mr. Lehman. "The first of these will be be Bertha Kalich in "Marta of the Lowlands," which will begin a week's engagement January 13. On March 9 Ibsen's drama of "Rosmersholm," with Minnie Maddern Flake, will begin a week's engagement, and the "Rose of the Rancho" will play the week beginning April 6. These three contracts will finish the bookings of the old company. Aside from them the bookings for the rest of this season will be entirely new.
"While our management has not instructed me to give out any advance notices of the rest of the season's engagements, I think I may safely say there will be no more vaudeville. We shall doubtless try to secure the best possible productions in the legitimate drama, and hope to offer strong bills for the rest of the season. I think there is little or no foundation for the rumor that the theater will be closed. There will be no changes in the working forces at the Shubert. All the old employees will be retained."
