The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-04-09
F'-RITZ.
What he knows about
pleasing Audiences.
How he played to a single man
on one occasion.
The Secret Of Joe Emmet's Great
Success.


Success.
Fritz Emmet tells the following story G
how be played TO a single auditor. Fl
was asked if be had difficulty in cap,ur
! ing an audience ans replied as follows.
Very rarely" Fritz answered "Ooc
L was h!ilDg an engagement at Loudol
theatre. A gentleman with buttoneC
kids and hair parted ia the middle occu.
pied private box. He coolly surveyed
me through his eyegiass. was feeling
pretty good, and was acting with more
than usual freedom. The audience roaret
with laughter but not a muscle of his fac,
moved. He stared at me like a Gorgon
| was nettled. and determined to captur,
him. L did my best. but there he sal
partially turned toward me in the easiest
of of positions with the coolest of faces
You could fairly read on his features
Well, upon my soul, / expected some
thing pretty bad, you know, but this is
perfectly execrable.' | lost my guard,
and made no secret of my effect
to capture him, The gaudence
dropped on it, and became deeply inter
ested. warbled "WiIhelmina Strauss, -
and filed it to the brim with grotesque
ness, but the fellow sat there like a stone
statue entirely unmoved. Apparently
nothing would fetch him. And SO the
performance progressed. the audience
watching the man in the box more than it
did me-. At last | made an impression. 1t
was in the act where [ prapced around the
stage with a little child astraddle my
shoulders. A faint smile overspread the
| mans face He raised his gloyed hands
and languidly clapped them twice. The
| audience screamed with delight and
| from that time until the close of the per-
formance | had every soul in the houss
with me. The naivete of the child. COM
bined With the acting, had been too much
for him, and had brought him down.
IN DESCRIBING
the scenes Mr.. Emmet unconscioGsly as
sumed the character of Fritz and danced
around the brokers' Office as gracefully as
though he was in costume. He was
asked to how large an audience be had
ever performed. We'll, don't know"
be replied, There were nearly 1900
in the Grand Opera House last evening
Of course. as it was first night. some of
it was paper. But my share of the re-
ceipts was $S00-that is. go per cent, of
the gross receipts at the box Office. |
think played TO over 1000 people in Lon
on, once. The smallest audience [ ever
had was in Columbus. Ohio. The man.
ayers had been trying to Introduce matt
nees, but with not much success. Joe
Jefferson. Denman Thompson and some cf
the big stars had gone through the mill,
and the audiences had been so small that
they had SHE'D, and refused to take the gate.
The money had been returned at the box
aE1 hn nd nly
had departed. determined Dever again to
patronize q matinee in Columbus. Tie
afternoon business was at its lowest ebb
when | struck the town. After two or
three performances the posters announced |
matinee. | went to the theater at 2 |
o'clock that afternoon and found |
my company sky larking behind |
the curtain. in their every
day suits, looked ont into the auditorium. |
There was Just
in the theatre. He sat clear back 10 the !
parquet. 1t was as much as | could do 10 |
outline him in the darkness. | went out |
to the box ofice, Did that man pay for
his tichet? | asked. Yes. fifty cents the |
treasures replied. The manager told me
to return him his money and close the |
theatre. No, you won't.' | said, I have |
never disappointed an audience when l ID |
sober, and | don't propose to do so now.
We'lI play for him went into the par
quet, introduced myself to the man, and |
thanked him for his attendance. | told |
him that as he had thought enough of ne |
to come and see me and pay fifty cents fer
the privilege, he should have as good
performance as though the house was
packed: | then wsnt behiad the curtain
and requested the company to dress.
Great Caesar, Joe, one Of them said, you
amt going to to play to that one man, /
are your Yes | am,' / replied, He's
paid his money, aud Le saall have bis
worth oh, the devil. broke IN
anoiher member of the company. iii pay
his 6ftv cents and you lot him CO.. I told
them that the performance must go on as
usual, and | warned each one that any
attempt to guy the audience or any failure
to play part in full would be the signal
for discharge.
We'll, the orchestra played an overture
and the curtain arose" Friz continued.
Il walked down to the footlighta. /
INVITED TUE AUnIEaoE
20 come forward and take a front seat
where he could see and be seen. He thank
ID me and settled himself in the front
low. | suggested that little generous
applause thrown 10 where be thought the
actors deserved it would serve to inspirit
hem and warm them to their work. he
seemed to appreciate the situation and
agreed to give US all the encouragement
hat he thought we deserved. The per.
'ormance began, l done thlak | ever
played better I threw myself heart aud
,oal into the character, and saeg the
Lullaby" 81 tenderly that the entire eadi-
snce waI in tears. He called for an eGcore.
told him that we rarely gave . encore,
put es this was an extraordinary occasion
1e should have oue. He applauded Iiher-
Ally at tunes where no applause was
deserved, and again failed to applaud
ghere applause was deserved. At such
lines called his attention to tbs omis~
ion, and asked whether on reflection he
lid not really think that be had made q
mistake,
A HINT WAS SUFFICIENT
lie would clap bis hands as though
perfectly enchanted aud shout. "Rre
,ol" like an Italian over 1sivlni 1
The company paid 20 attaation TO him but {
vent On sitn tae performance as regular
s CLOCK work. Between the acts however {
,ae or two of them evinced disposition
: = o,,k into fha auditorium and miDQle