Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-08-16
Powerful Acting.

The little old theatre at Albany, n.
Y, has been the scene of many curious
theatrical stories. On one occasion Mr..
Edwin Forrest, the American tragedian,
then young man, and more famous
for his muscle than his genius, gave q
tremendous display OF really powerful
acting. He was supposed to represent
n Roman warrior, and to be attacked by
six minions of detested tyrant. At
the rehearsals Mr.. Forrest found a
great deal of fault with the supers who
condescended to play the minions.
They were too tame they didn't lay
hold of him ; they wouldn't go IN as if
it were a real nght. Mr.. Forrest storm
ed and threatened the supers skulked
and consulted. At length the captain
of the supers inquired, in his local
slang, eyer want this to be bully
fight, eh ?" 81 do" replied Mr.. For
rest. "All right, reioined the captain,
and the rehearsal quietly proceeded. In
the evening the little theatre was
| CIONuCNAy anu 4hIs OIlGbu was Chuhhol-
astically received. When the fighting
scene occurred, the gneat tragedian took
the centre of the stage, and the six mini
ons entered rapidly and deployed in
skirmishing order. At the cue, "Seize
him !" one minion assumed pugilis tic
attitude and struck blow straight from
the shoulder upon the prominent nose
of the Roman hero another raised him
about six inches from the stage by a
well directed kick, and the others made
ready to rush in for q decided tussle.
For moment Mr.. Forrest stood as
founded, his broad chest heaving with
rage, his great eyes flashing fire, his
sturdy legs planted like columns upon
the stage. Then came the few minutes
of powerful acting, at the end of which
one super was seen sticking headfore-
most in the bass drum in the orchestra,
four were having their wounds dressed
in the green room, and one, finding
himself in the flies, rushed out upon
the roof of the theatre shouting ''Fire p
at the top of his voice, while Mr.. For
rest, called before the curtain, bowed
bis thanks pantingly to the applauding
audience, who looked upon the affair as
part of the piece, and chad never be-
fore seen Forrest act so splendidly. !"
Upon another occasion, however, the
powerful acting was on the part of the
supers. For the sake of poetic justice
let us hope that they were the same
supers. The hero was Mr.. George
Jones, afterwards known as the Count
Johannes. Mr.. Jones was impersona-
ting the theatrical British sailor Grams
formed, of course, into the theatrical
Yankee sailor), who fights broadsword
combat with four pirates and rescues a
lovely damsel in distress. BY some
means or other Mr.. Jones had offended
the free and independent supers who
played the pirates, and the result was
a material alteration in the den0un1ent
of the drama. The lovely damsel was
in distress ; the four pirates were about
to bind her and bear her away to their
secret cave; the feelings of the audi
ence were wrought up to the highest
pitch, when suddenly Mr.. Jones Gas the
Yankee tar dashed upon the scene,
threw himself before the unhappy dam
sci, fourished his cutlass, and shouted,
"Come on, villains - One Yankee
sailor is more than a match for four
such lubberly sharks - "I guess not, p"
replied one of the pirates, and the four
of them coolly took the astonished
Jones by his legs and arms, and, in spite
of his desperate struggles, carried him
bodily off the stage, locked him in the
property closet, and, returning, bore
off the maiden to their mountain cavern
behind the scenes. The curtain fell
Era Almanac. ... .....