The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-09
THEATRICAL TYPES.

prOmptCrs. Treasurers, Money Takers.
Check Takers, Scene Painters, stage
Carpenters. Property Men, CO-tumera,
can Boys. Pcrruquiers, Gnsmcn. HaII
POrtcrs. Gcutlemcu's nressers. Ladies'
Dressers. and Supcrnumcrarics.
Though there may be no end 10 the my Rad
combinations Of color formed by the bits Of glass
! in a kaleidoscope, and no end to the mutitorm
varieties Of character developed by the singular
conditions OF theatrical life, there must be end
| to a description Of them. Kings are not more
| imperative than rhymes; aud rhymes, on their
| own ground in books and newspapers, are not so
| imperative as space. There are many more types
| of player than have been treated of in these
pages many more than would be interesting 10
write of, and many more than the reader would
care to hear about.
Otherwise many hundred words should be de-
voted 20 the prOmpter who is usually either very
young man, whose belief in the manager and in
the stage-manHger is touching to witness or a
very old one, long past belief in anybody or in
anything, including Shakespeare, but the creature
comforts, his old pals, his old pipe, and his reCOl-
lections Ot the old actors, to whom, to his mental
| vision, the modern men are but as gutterng
| rush-ight 10 a glass drop chandelier.
| There is the treasurer, called by the company
| not iuapproprately, the First R0bber. lie is
generally very prim parsonage in the nattiest of
| collars, and haG and boots Of the most dazzling
| backnCss. He is "a most intimate friend OF the
| manager, whom he hates, and who hates him
| They know each other too well for anything like
mutual esteem, but, rs the knife to the fork, they
| are indispensable to each other. The treasurer
| assumes airs Of patronage to the actors, and
thinks 1t very fast thing to address any OF the
| corps de ballet as "my dear" Though "A we'll
| dressed man, he is n shade too showy for gen
| tlemHn; and the nape of his neck, which is
always bulbOus and self tassertiye, lifts itself too
far out of his cOat.collar and gives a snaky sug-
geStiOn of back view of the throat OF Mr.. VIM.
Sykes of housebreaking celebrity. The trca-
surer has good salary, and IL invariably pros
porous man. All folks about theatre thrive,
except the actors.
| Then, the money. ey.takers-ah the money takers
they are a most difficult subject. Who would
abuse an honest industry-whO traduce the fol-
lowers TO a labOrious calling3 The cobOler who
was asked why he applied for the situation Of
| keeper to a lighthouse, answered that he sought
| the office because he dislked confinement. The
same taste, perhaps, leads men who follow pro
| htabe Calings 10 shut themselves up IN a gas
perfumed box for halt-a-Crown OF three shillings
night. Eighteen shillings a week is not much (;
perhaps there may be perquisites to exc the small
sum out. Who knows!
= Ye ars ago, when the unhappy fate of George
| Bamwell slill drew sobs from ladies whose waists
| were two inches long, and whose skirts were
| about two feet wide, one of the patent theatres
was managed by gentleman who came from
the other side Of the Atlantic-a shrewd man, and
an obseIvant, with quick eye for the mouth and
nostrils OF those whom he addressed.
Among other things he noticed that his box
| money tukCT ANOluGu nm. Az but manager )
approach he would dart up an entry or into u
tavern or shop. AL smiles and Difference when
spoken to- he seemed to dread a tete-a.tete.
This ecCentricity set the Yankee manager
thinking.
One dayemployer and employed-trustng one
and trusted-met in Russell street. As the money
taBer removed his hat Il thought "slantindicu-
| lated" across the managers brain. He acted az
once on It's suggestion. lie pointed his right fore
| finger between the mOuey-takers eyes, and said
Il know all! Come to me in the treasury IN
an hours tine, and tell me how far you are i'm
plicated, and will not prosecute. If you do not
| ComC-OUF give you one hour"
And the manager walked off to the staye-door.
| Within the hour the box mOney-taker had re-
yealed a systematic plan of robbery, so arttully
cOntriyed and Of so enormous an extent, that the
manager stood cOutOunded aud ughast.
The money-taEers and check-taliers at each
door Of the theatre-that is, the whole gang
| never again showed their faces.
al am fearfully robbed at my DOORS" said q
modern manager to a friend.
"Why not send your money and check-takert
"Whatl" exclaimed the knowing director, 81
have had these same men for the last twenty
; | years. They have all acquired property-row
of houses and the rest of it. They are full gorged
| Do You think Pd exchange them for fresh blood
| suckers They would want rows Of houses too
| No Give me my old and faithful thieves VIII
like me, and let me of easily; new lot woul
| be my ruin ~
Not that these pages would assert that al
= money and check. takers are Of the same pro
fessiun as the forty gent emen mentioned IN tn
a Eastern tale, who met a deserved aud oleaginou
c death at the hands of one MOrgiana, who "potted
n them in jars, But it is hard fate TO continual
a finger tho cash of others and constant oppoI
s tunity is a terrible temptation.
20 The painter is usually one of the pleas ant
est men in the theatre King in his snug paiutin
a. room high over the stage he recks not of th
g. whiTl OF passions and yanities below. IL is
great power the theatrical scene painter holds be
!. tween his plant thumb and fingers lie copic
u Nature on a large scale.
.f II must be high delight to look upon a broa,
flat, white surface, and choose whether 1t sha
'e be converted into an Emir's palace, all pillar
ld curtains, gold tasselS, friuges and polished mi
Cd Tor marble floor, the hot 'un shining on a touu
l' tain in the distance OF into an Alpine gorge, wit
ly blocks Of snow covered stone and funeral iii
IN trees, with plains Of ice conducting TO frost
Ig | horizon; or into magiCiln's cavern, where Il
,- dark rocks, cut in fantastic forms, loom inl
sight in the shape Of squatting demons, petrihe
a. giants, and ghostly yerebru Of huge and hideol
Iy | reptiles or into sparkling, ripping sea, wit
~ but one white speck OF sail between it and tt
W clear dome Of blue sky above It, The
W are great privileges. But the great char
Is. Of the sc,Itpaiplers lie is 70 take OIL his wei
ia cut we brushed garments, aud don his pAnhn
re- suit; then he rcyels in dirt, and dauOs, ar
d. spots that are of his clothes and not Of hir
ial How That very iauItlessly go-up gentl6ma
Bh6 Just now asked for letters in the hall-th
he exquisite in the black frock-coat, pearl colort
e. trousers, fashionable hat and perfect boots-cI
l." he be this canvasy creature, in a wide-awa
| a
,a upon his scarccrow That dirty jacket, tho
~ gImy trousers Is il beggar who has maC
on himself suit out of old sail-cloth No 1t is
ns artistic gentleman who owns villa in the neig
Ih borhoOd Of Hampstead, who has choice wines
dy his cellar, and Is a captain Of volunteers. The
IS are his working clothes.
Id In these present days of scenic display, VIII
ey even no poor ghost can walk undsturbed
We scientific satellites, lime-lghs, mirrors, and
like, the scene painter is far more impOrta
person in a theatre than the tragedian-not Il
the bearing of those gentlemen would impress
stranger with the fact for by so much as I
T. tragedian Is pompOus, blatant, and assuming, {
scene painter IS easy, natural and polite. ~
Ia haps the tragedian takes his tone from
nc brgand- d-chiefs and aspiring patriots, whose CHI
IT. acters he assumes; and the scene-panter, wi
he his keen eye for the glores Of color and kno
10 ledge of the combinations of natural beaui
W knows how 10 blend himself harmOnously.
The stage carpenter is q singular creature.
Il, Is the victim of delusion by which he is bour
n, hand, and foot, and brain. 1t is q belief,
ur deeply rooted in his mind as is his twO-toot n
~ inserted in his trousers pocket that while he
)u | In the theatre he is "at work" III he is what,
theatrical parlanCe, is termed day-man,
We reaches the theatre at quarter 70 10 If the
hearsal be at TO- at a quarter 10 IL II the rehear
/ ~, fhn rait cal lp