Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-29
DEATHS AND DISASTERS ON THE
STAGE.

Many cases are on record in which per
formers lave been struck with paralysis or
, apotHxy on the stage. Moliere, when act
Ins IN his c. iehrateo comedy of the "Malaie
Imseinaire y was seized on its fourth repre-
sentation with convulsive attack; he tried
t 80 conc a. III WIN laugh. and went on with
tne parf, put sunk into the grave a few DAYS
atterward. In this case he hal been warned
py his friends and advised to desist from
aclng ioi time; but he did not like TO
interrupt the run of q new piece which was
likely 70 benefit the manager aud the COM
psny. The actor MOntfieury had an attack
Of apoplexy on the stage; so likewise had
Monoory, when playing Herode I'm thedrama
OF Mar! ANNEX he resumed the stage again,
put before long broke down altogether.
During the time of George 1. an actor named
SpIller was struck with apoplexy on the
stage OF the Lincoln Inn Theater About
twenty years later. at the Norwich Theater,
Cnashel, the actor, was similarly seized
while performing the part of Frankly in the
suspicious Husband," and died in a few
hours. Near the close of the reign of George
hearted Peg Wellington, ;" was enacting the
part of Rosalinc in AS lou Like It." When
rendered almost speechless by paralysis, and
never fully recovered. Foote The COMEDIAN
was man who would have joked even
under the gravest circumstances. Although
struck with paralysis while acting in his
own farce OF The "Devil on Two Sticks" he
continued his habit OF punning and prac-
months of his life. Being recommended to
go TO France Tor the Improvement of his
health, he stopped awhile at Dover, and went
one day into the kitchen of the inn where he
was sojouning, TO ''chafr" the cook. He told
her She must have been a great traveller, for
he had heard that she had been all over
greece lgreasel; she declared she had never
been ten miles from Dover in her life. "Tnat
must be q fb," he returned, 'for you have
often been seen at Spit-head." Later years
have not been without their instances OF
sudden attacks of Illness on the stage. Miss
Linley, related TO the Sheridans was struck
fatally while singing Il know that my Re-
al m s4alFu
When Baddeley was acting Moses i'm the
"School for Scandal" at Drury Lane Thea
ter, he was suddenly taken i'll, and died soon
a1terward. Mrs. Pope, an actress OF some
emfBeDce in her day, was seized with an
apoplectic Mt while playing Desdemona and
was lost 10 the world week later. Lucas
Fabres, singer at the San Carlo Opera
House al Naples, broke a blood vessel while
attempting To reach a note above the COM
pass OF his voice. Two sterling comedians,
Fafren and Harley, whose acting is still
fresh in the memory of men in middle life,
were attacked with paralysis while on the
stage. The former played af;erward, though
symptoms of the affection were plainly Wis
Ible He was Paying Old Parr when seized.
Harley's attack came on while he was play
Dream" 1t is said that his DIVING words,
uttered uncoDsciously, were some of those
which Shakespeare puts into the mouth of the
redoubtable Bottom the Weaver: 81 have an
exposition OF sleep come over me-" Some
what similar was the case of Powell, the
actor, VINO, when on his death-bed
bctoIitt put himself
nearly as he could in the proper theatrical
attitude, aud gave utterauce TO the
Weli-known line in "Macbeth"-'Is this
n dagger that L see before me?" The
death OF the elder Kean was peculiar in
many ways. He virtually received his deaf tn
stroke on the stage, though he survived a.
little longer. His Irregular mode OF life had
weakened his health, impaired his memory
and destroyed his elasticity of spirits; he
mao been troubled, too, by the determina-
ton OF his son Charles 10 take TO the stage
as Profession, against the paternal wish.
The resolve being fixed, the father agreed to
give the son an Introduction to the pu bic by
playing Othello to his Iago. TIE perform
ance took place on the 25th of March, 1888.
The great actor was tanner than usual. The
audience waited for the bursts of energy
win when they had SO long been familiar;
but waited In vain. the accounts do not
exactly agree as to the precise passage which
was destined to be the last uttered by him on
tie stage. We are inclined to think 1t was
"0h, now forever
Farewell the tranquil mini;''
saying which he broke down, became speech
less, and was led of the stage. Mr.. BARLEY
solicited the indulgence OF the audience for q
few minutes; but when1t was found that the
great actor could not reappear, Mr.. Warde
manning scenes of the play. Virtually an
old man at the age of forty-five, Kean lin
gered awhile and finally sank. His funeral
was attended by larger number of theatre
fore assembled at one time in one place.
Though man who had given way to intern
perate habits, kean had endeared q large
circle OF acquaintance to him. Among the
Macready, Farren, Cooper, Harley, Charles
kean, Sheridan Knowles, BARLEY, Kelley,
Wrench, o. Smith, Strickland, Webster,
Fitzwilliam, Winning, Anderson and Frank
eight different theatrical companies followed
in the train Chambers Journal.