Daily Republican., 1881-04-25
Kinr rIuawix,s Encore.

| am told that in a German concert OF
pera they hardly ever encore a song;
thatthough they may be dying to hear it
again, their good breeding usually pre-
serves them against requiring the repe-
tition. Kings may encore; that is quite
another matter; it delights everybody to
see that the king ispleased; and as to the
actor encored his pride and qualification
are simply boundIess. Still, there are
circu instances in which even a royal
encore-but it! 5 better to illustrate. The
king of Bavaria is "a poet and has Il poets
eccentricities, with the advantage over
all poets Of being able to crafty them,
no matter what form they may take.
He is fond of the opera, but not fond of
sitting in the presence Of an audience;
therefore, it has sometimes occurred in
Munich, that when an opera has been
concluded and the players are getting
off their paint and tinery ii command
has come to get their paint and tinery
on again. Presently the king would ar
rive solitary and alone, and the players
would begin at the beginning and do
the entire opera over again, with only
that one individual in that vast, solemn
theatre for an audience. Once he took
an odd freak in his head. High up and
out of sight, over the prodiglous stage
of the court theatre, is maze of inter
lacing water pipes, SO pierced that in
case of fire innumerable little thread
like streams of water can be caused to
descend, and, in case Of need, this dis
charge can he augmented to u pouring
flood.
American managers might make a note
Of that. The king was the sole audi
encc. The opera proceeded. 1t was
piece with II storm in it; the mimic
thunder began to Inutter, the mimic
wind began to wall and sOugh, and the
mimic rain to pattcr. The kings inter
est rose higher and higher; it developed
into enthusiasm. He cried out
at is good, very good, indeed! but |
will have real rain. oh turn on the
water"
The manager pleaded for reversal of
the command, said it would ruin the
costly scenery and the splendid costume
but the king cried
"NO matter, no matter, ! will have
real rain. Turn ON the water"
So the real rain was turned on and
began to descend in gosSamer laces to
the mimic tlower-beds and gravel walks
of the stage. The bright richly dressed
actresses and actors trippcd about sing
ing bravely and pretended not to mind
it. The king was delighted; his enthu.
siasn grew higher. He cried out
Bravo, bravo! More thunder! More
tightening! Turn on more RAIN
The thunder doomed, the lightning
glared, the storm wind ragged, the deluge
poured down. The mimic royalty of
the stage, with their soaked satins
clinging to their bodies, stopped around
ankle-deep in the water, warbling their
sweetest and best, the tidders under the
caves of the stage sawed away for dear
life, with the cold overflow down the
backs Of their neckS, and the dry and
happy king sat in his lofty box and wore
his gloves TO ribbons applauding,
More yeti" cried the king; 'mOre
yet; let loose all the thunder; turn on all
the water, | will hang the man that
raises au umbrella"
When the most tremendous and ef-
teCtive storm that had been produced in
any lHtHtlt " do dl lilSu pNCl lll' RlHS
appreciation was ineaSurelr>S. He
cried
"NIagnifcent, magnificent Encore!
do it again.
But the management succeeded i'll
perSuadiug him to recall the encore, and
said the company would feel sufficiently
rewar led and compluented in the
mere fact that the encore was demand
ed by his majesty, without tatiguing
him with a repetition to crafty their
own vanity.
During The remainder of the act the
lucky performers We're those whose
parts require change Of dress; the others
were II soaked, hedraggl"d and uncOm-
Portable lot, but in the last degree
picturesque. The stage scenery was
ru' med, trap doors We're So swollen they
wouldn't work for Il week attrrward,
the fine costumes were spoiled, and no
end of minor damages were done by
that remarkable storm.
1t was royal idca-that Storll--and
royalty carried ont. But observe the
moderation Of the king. He did not
insist upon his encore If he had been
a gladstone, unrrfecting American
opera audience he probably y would have
had his storm repeated and repeated
until he drowned all those pcople.-
I Mark Twain,