The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-24
ACHAT WITH RIGNOLD.
What He said About "Ihat Orches-
ira and other Local Matters.

What He said About chat Orches
trav and other Local Matters.
Mr.. George Rignold has been stopping
at the Mcclure House during his stay in
Wheeling, and yesterday evening before
supper time REGISTER reporter dropped
into the Office, and sent card up to Mr..
Reynolds room. In short time he
came down and pleasantly expressed q
perfect willingness to have chat upon
things generally, although he added, al
don't know what can say tba. will be
of interest to you"
"W hat do you think of that orchestra
you had last nigbt2' queried the REGIS
TER reporter, after two comfortable seats
had been selected on the balcony.
"Oh," replied he, with shrug, There's
but one opinion to be had about that. 1t
was atrocious perfectly beastly. I'm
sorry l said what l did TO the audience,
but q quick temper is one OF my tailings,
and it was very Notifying TO me-sll
that awful racket. l knew that it was
only some twenty five or thirty boys in
the gallery, for the audience Down stairs
were evidently intellectual people, and
did not Join in with those making the
noise. l did not think they would take
what | said 10 themselves"
GLOW was it that you got such musi-
cians2"
"Well, you see, the orchestrss here in
town were all taken up with balls and
parties. 1t was the fault Of
your manager here, for my date
was fixed long enough in advance for
him to have bad first class band, the
one that plays tonight is q capital one.
al expected to give good performance
last night, but our first trouble was with
the stage. 1t was so small we could not
use our scenery and had to omit sll the
best backgrounds. 1t was so Internally
warm and rslned so, that the audience
didn't pay much attention. 1t was a
very cold audience, l must say, and when
came home after the play, ! SAID it had
been bad failure. My support seemed
to be disheartened, and we were all be-
low par.
"Hsd the orchestra rehearsed the
music?" Yes little, but they could not
play it-they were horrld set Of
| ChQe. no uuslC IIoSll 10 'SI Au'' III
deed. IL is taken almost entirely from
old masses, OF the time represented in the
play, and if the musicians are good, the
people always enjoy it. That little
Frenchmsn I've got isn't good tor any
thing. The fellow might have known
better than to play the same thing over
and over. You see, the curtain ought to
be drawn very rapidly during those tab
leaux, and the six or eight bars OF mar
tial music are just right then, but we
could not work it fast enough on account
of being crsmped for space, and that fool
played the thing twenty or thirty times
instead OF giving the men some new
music"
"Your horse must have given you q
| great deal OF trouble in training, Mr..
Rignold2" said the REGISTER reporter,
putting a cigar which had been glyeR
him by the famous actor, and admlring
said famous actors taste in tobacco.
Gle did do that same thing, bat he's
amply repaid all my troubles. He is an
English horse, but was bought in this
country. He is perfectly docile on the
stage and will do what he is told, except
in crossing traps on the stage. He fell
through one ut Booths, IN New York,
and now he walks oyer them very gln-
| gerly."
"What caused the delays between the
acts2"
That's one thing that worried me in
the most provoking way. As l had so
much time before the night of the play,
| thought | would have the supes all
trained and that the play would
be success, for l always try TO do my
best, but the supes did not appear until
three o'clock on Monday, and most OF
them knew nothing whatever of their
business. Some of the scene shifters were
beastly asses too; they tumbled over zach
other, fell down with the things they
were carrying and altogether they were
enough TO provoke q SAINT. The supes
had agreed to work for the usual pay
which is given in all the Eastern cities
five and twenty cents apiece. Just be-
fore the play began most Of them struck,
and said they would not work for less
than dollsr. l discharged the whole
lot of them, and when found they would
not leave / sent for policeman. lie
came IN with an umbrella, and when |
told him what the trouble was, he got
after them. 1t was one Cf the funniest
things | ever saw, The noble army Of
the Disconnected ran of, and the police
man belabored them with the umbrella
till he broke it into bits. A little meditR-
ton in the rain outside, cooled the gen.
tlemen of, and they came back and went
to work for the five and twenty cents"
"Did you ever have trouble with an
audience before, of this kind"
"Ob, yes. In Baltimore, which was
the first city in this country outside Of
New York that l ever played in. l was
at Fords playing Henry V. one night,
when the audience started 10 leave
the house before the last act was over |
stopped speaking and they all looked
back TO see what was the matter. | said,
Ladies and gentlemen, the plsy is not
over. If you have had enough of it l
will ring down the curtain, and by Jove
l did ring it down. Most OF the papers
thanked me next morning for breaking
up such a miserable habit. They said
that Baltimore audiences were noted for
this habit, but never had trouble with
them atterward. If you let it go on you
cant do anything with the boys. How
ever, Pm sorry the trouble occurred, and
hope the people of Wheeling will not
think ! meant to lecture them"
Mr. Ringnold is not at all pOmpous
man, but is as pleasant and agreeable in
his manner as it is possible for a gentle