The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-26
Hate Fishers "Mazeppa''- Trials and
Trsbnlations with Her Fiery, Un.
tanned Stee<f. ..-..,.. ....-

Kate Fisher visited Youngstown, Ohio,
last week, and astonished the people of that
city with her thrilling impersonation of
"Mazeppa.' How the 6 fiery, untamed
steed" filed his part Is set forth at length
IN the Youngstown Register, which says
"Ihe play went on. The tragic scene was
reached in which 'Casslmer' is lashed to the
steed' is brought in, and after thrashing
around the stage like an animated clothes
horse in 4 gale of wind, stood still while
'CasSimer,' who had been struggling with
the guardS'-a single young man, who evi.
dently had been promoted from his native
livery stable-got up on the back of the
steed and showed the guards how to tie
her--or him-on the back Of the supposed
ferocious horse. The steed was Ioosed,
walked composedly to one side of the
stage, stopped, turned around, walked
Gus of cultivatlng the acquaintance Of the
audience. I his laudable intention was
frustrated by an actor, who caught the
Fiery Untamed by the bits and turned him
in the direction Of the wings. The horse
went Off according to stage directions, L.
q. E., but halted while his headquarters
were yet on the. stage ndsdlstinctly visible
to the audience. From that position he
could not be moved. The voice of his fair
rider was distinctly heard uttering objurea-
tions in terse Anglo-Saxon expletives, but
the Fiery Untamed stood like mule, until
the curtain put an end to the scene, amid
the yells of laughter which the audience
gave forth.
"MisS Kate Fisher came forth and apollo
giZed Tor tue failure of the scene, attributing
it to the fatigue of the horse, who had been
travelling all day. The audience good
| naturedly applauded the apology, and
awaited the developments. After slight
| pause, the curtain, by one of those un. cen
| impulses which are most mysterious, went
! swiftly up on q stage full Of scene-Shifters
and carpenters. Miss Kate Fisher, in tnat
! airy costume which tradition allows for her
| involuntary ride, was busy ut work with
the rest. .'The Castelar, had evidently
! returned to his natural vocation, and was
plying carpenters tools, while the 'Count
. Palatine' was showing far greater qualities
in fetching and carrying than he had given
proofs Of as the mighty prince, which he
was popularly supposed to rep. e>ent. At
, the rising Of the curtain all dropped their
work, and sought refuge behind the wings,
| while the curtain, as il regretting its mis-
| take. came slowly and sorroWtully down.
"ThiS same curtain soon gave proof OF
more than ordinary qualities. After scene
or two, in which the Count Palatine and
the Castellan appeared as aspiring Tartar
chiettains, the drop-curtain gave an act on
its own hook. 1t commenced by going
swiftly up and coming as swiftly down
again. The boys in the back part of the
hall applauded. Encouraged by this, it
| repeated the feat. More applause. The
curtain was then fairly started. 1t went up
swiftly, it came down hesitatingly g.; it went
up halfway, dropped foot, went up
again, and for five minutes kept the audi
: ence in q roar by its ineXplicable vagarles.
Then the scene started again. 'Zenilla
came forth to sing song. The orchestra
hadn't got the music. a pau-e OF tive
minutes occurred, and the deficiency
was remedled. Just as the speaker
was in the middle of Naughty,
naughty mem the hoofs Of the Fiery
UntameG were heard moving about
in the wings, and in a few moments
he stuck his head out from behind one of
the side-scenes and viewed the applauding
audience with a complacent gaze. After a
few minutes survey Of his surroundings,
he retired. So the play went on. In the
last act but one, where Mazeppa again
| mounts the +. u. and rides him around the
stage. that black equine halted when half
on the stage, aud refused to bulge. The
dror-curtain came down, but stopped on
the back of the horse, and some minutes
ensued before the curtain could be got
down or the F. U. persuaded to bulge.
"It was the general opinion that the en-
tertainment afforded to the spectator was
fur greater than if the play had gone straight
on, without any of these extra perform
ances, not down on the bills"