River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-09-09
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 ira
gedian, then young man, and more
famous for his muscle than his genius,
gave a tremendous display of really
powerful acting. He was supposed to
represent a Roman warrior, and to be
attacked by six minions of detested
tyrant. At the rehearsals Mr.. Forrest
found Il great deal of fault with the
supers who condescendod TO play the
minions, They were too tame; they
didn't lay hold of him; they wouldn't
go in as If it we're real aght. Mr..
F. stormed and threatened; the supers
sulked and consulted. At last the cap
tain of the supers inquired, In His local
slang. Yer want this to be a bully
night, eh I" 81 do, replied Mr.. For
rest. "All right" rejoined the Cap
tam, and the rehearsal quietly pro.
ceeded. Ia the evening the little
Theatre was crowded, and Mr.. Forrest
was enthusiastically received. When
the fighting scene occurred the great
tragedisn tuok the center IL the Stage.
and the SIT mihions entered rapidly
and deployed in skirmishing order.
AT the cue "Seize him ~ one minion
assumed a pugilietie altitude and
struck Blow straight from the shout
der upon the prominent nose Of the
Roman hero; another raised him about
six Inches from the stage by we'll
directed kick, and the others made
ready to rush in for a decisive
tussle. For moment Mr..
Forrest stood astounded his
broad chest heating With iage, 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 s,.per
was seen sticking headforemost In The
bass dttIh in the orchestra, four were
having their wounds dressed in the
green room, and one, finding himself
in the flies, rushed out upon the tc of
OF the theater and shouted Fire I" at
the top of his voice, while Mr.. Forrest,
called before the curtain, bowed his
thanks pantingly to the applauding au-
dience, who looked upon the whole
affair as part. of the piece, and chad
never seen Forrest act so splendidly.p
Upon another occ lsion, however, the
powerful actihg was upon Tie part OF
the supers. For the sake of poetic
justice let us hope that they were the
same supers. The hero was Mr.. Geo.
Jones, afterwards known as the Count
Johannes. Mr.. Jones was impersonat
ing the theatrical British sailor trans
formed, of course, into the theatrical
Yankee sailor) who fights broad sword
combat with four pirates and secures
"a lovely damsel in distress. By some
means or other Mr.. Jones had offend
ed the free and Independent supers
who played the pirates, aud the result
was material alteration in the denoue-
rtient of tlle drama. yhe lofely damsel
Was IN distress the four pirates were
about to bind her and bear her away
to their secret cave; the feelings of
the excited audience were wrought up
to the highest pitch, when suddenly
Mr., Jones (as the Yankee tart dashed
upon the scene, threw himself before
the unhappy damsel, Hourishing his
cutlass and shouted, "Uome on, viii
lains One Yankee sailor is more than
a match for feursuch lubberly 81 arks -
Il guess not, y replied one of the pi-
rates, 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 be.
hind the scenes. The curtain fell.