New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-07-06

C0a0 D0QCdlOOu6s 4udu, AO"O'SA'
hardly account for the queer, nervous, ex-
ultant feeling we had as we strutted about
among the impossible soldiery and assistant
fairies, preparing to 60 on the stage. we
were not quite happy though, Tor lear OF
Mr.. Butler, the captain of the supes- ne
had not discovered us yet, but what would
he say or do when he should discover Us
He certainly would catch US, for some OF
the ballet girls and most ct the PROFESSIONAL
and a couple Of blonde pages II silver
spangles and disbevelled hair were poklng
fun at u.s. just at the awful moment when
we had got up stairs to the region OF the
wings, and were upon the point OF MAKING
our let at in vast procession OF gnomes,
fairies and Utopian infantry-men ana
women. bows and girls-just at that moment
we were addressed by Mr.. Butler, the ehiel
Of the supes. He argued the case ALOUD
right in the hearing OF the two SILVER
spangled blonde pages and others, whether
he would not put US out into the street,
fights. turics. unmatched sandals, and all.
Not ONLY while he was thus debating the
matter. but when he demanded how we
got in there, We did the only thing tor US
to do. which was to look him cOmplacently
in the face, and say nothing. Then he
looked at US in silence awhile. Maybe
he didn't care or dare to lose tho wardrobe
we wore. Perhaps he thought he would
draw our ealaries-twenty five cents a
nipbt-for himself. NV friend was, or pre-
tended to be, Of opinion that the Chief OF
the supes admired the persistency OF our
devotion to the drama. l think, rather, ne
saw the funny side of our lmpudence. Al
any rate, he said we might go on the stage,
now that we were there, telling my friend
to keep right behind me, and charging me
to follow directly after certain red sp,rlt
of evil with green baize tail: Then Mr..
Butler turned on his heel and lett us. we
observed him sOoE alter LOOKING our way
and laughing with one of the actors IN
neighboring wing; and we were SO lar re-
assured as TO give all our trepidatlon to the
approaching debut.
1t is doubtful if the audience knew what
the play was about; 1t was one OF those
grand spectaculars whose plot dies OF sheer
iuanition midway of the performance.
From the wings, hustled about as was IN
a throng of supes and ballet girls, with
those two silver-spangied blonde pages jam
ming my cap and-be extingulsher down
over nv ewes and nose-well, l can give no
idea what an insane tumble, what con-
fused system OF gOOse-tracks, those foot
prints of the fairies were to me. At last
the thrilling moment OF our first appear
ance before the foot-lights had ar
rived, and the motley rabble OF the
wings and side scenes disgorged itself upon
the stage in a grand procession, whose
connection with the past, present, or future
Of the beautiful fairy, the heroine of the
piece, / never hope to understand. we
entered at the back of the stage left. crossed
over right, came down the stage, and turn
ing once more, marched across il the full
glare of the foOtlights and off left, and went
directly on again, having merely shutfied our
selves into different order, so as not to seem
the same procession. During this second
deal, as we were coming around again IN
front of the foOtlights, my friend dropped
one of his red sandals, and, instead OF pass
ing on without it, as a professional supe
weulG have done, he stopped and clattered
back after it, thereby breaking the line,
hating the whole procession, and, OF course,
bringing down the house.
For all the heartiness of the audiences
applause, my friend felt that he had not
distinguished himself, and we both stole
away out of Mr.. Buffers sight, concealing
ourselves with our old patron, cOstumer to
the supes. His hand trembled and wasted
snuff. in an unusual manner, when he
learned what my friend had done. We
kept very quiet for some time, and hoping
at last that the storm was blown over, were
beginning to feel a return OF the gauzy ex-
hilaration of tights and TUNES. suppose
there was very little of the real Grecian in
our makeup: but l must say don't know
when ever got so much real pleasure out
OF anything classical. And that was our
Glad state when the chief of the supes sent
for us. Mr.. Butler, as strange as it may
sound, did not seem to have time to swear at
either of US just then; he wanted US, in
great haste, to go on the stage again. We
went on once or twice more, sometimes
marching, sometimes leaning on our wands
;01, etrni11y of fha auHiepoa like
practised professionals. So, by the end Of
the act everybody began to have confidence
in verybody; which we, on our part, man
ifested by traternizing with the supes, and
getti0 in the way of the scene-shitters and
property men.
A queer race we found the supes to be.
Some of them worked at trades during the
day, but many of them looked as if they
never did anything SO unromantic or
praiseworthy as honest work. Some OF
the young ones, / fancy, served in a
blameless state of stage-struck glamour.
Even the rOgues among them did not
appear to be Of the most intelligent sort.
We were surprised to learn that the
cOarsest featured women. as a general
thing. we're the handsomest before the
foot-lights. It seems that everything on
the stage must be exaggerated; your living
statuary must be of heroic size; as it were.
The ballet girls we're mostly heroines in this
sense; they were certainly not attractive,
huddled together near at hand There
were, however, some good, not to say
pathetic, faces among them. Think of a
poor widow dancing to support her four
small children. Well, there was such a one
in that ballet. The blonde pages, have
told you of were rather handsome; but then
they annoyed US SO, especially after my
friends exploit with the sandal, that we
could not look upon them with I'M
preiudiced eyes. There was dis
contented supe, who, perhaps, for
the sake of being contrary, sided with us.
or should say, befriended US through all
the evenings troubles. He was tall fel-
low, just pigeon toed enough to make him,
when crossing the stage in OI-clOth top
boots, appear to go sideways, or rather in
that larboard quarter way in which you
have seen dog trOt, seeming to tack, but
really going before the wind. Well, there
is some sort of connection between this pc
culiarity of his and the pathetic voice in
which he vented his discomfort, for never
can think of one without thinking OF the
other. 1t was true, he eaid, when they
painted for Indians or Turks, or BACKED
themselves for negroes in the moral drama
of "Uncle Toms Cabin, or the "OctorOon,"
supes got fifty instead of twenty-five cents
night; but then they had to furnish their
own soap. The Spanish brown, with which
they made themselves Moors or Indians
was always very bad-the same that
houses are painted with he believed. We
could form no idea, he assured us. OF how
it would stick.
In the third act Of the play we were
drafted as Roman soldiers, and we appear
ed as nearly in character as gilt and paste
board and tin battle axes and broad swords
1,,1l otn sold
were to figure in the scene disclosing the
celebrated FAIRY Lake of GLASS;" adver-
tised by the management to be lone solid
glass plate" and to have cost $4,000. Now.
that extraordinary sheet of water consisted
in reality of a gOodly-sized piece of bright