The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-05-19
MANKATo FREE Press.
FRIDAY, MAY, 10, 1882.
Hamlet in Street Clothes.

Maze Edwards, manager of Edwin
Booth, thus describes their appear
ance at Waterbury, Conn, last win.
ter, when the troupe played without
their customeS when found the
baggage. with the costumes, had not
arrived l was just going to throw
myself into the river, when thought
| would go and tell Mr.. Booth about
it and bid goodbye to some OF the
people who had always thought II
good deal of me, before killing my
self. Tony astonishment, Mr. b"oth
took il as cool us you would take an
invitation to drink. lie said, mas
much us the people were i'll the hall,
he would make few remarks to
them about the accident, and then
they would go OH and play three acts
of "Ilamlet" in the clothes they had
on. And so 1t was fixed up that way.
Well, the thought of Hamlet in Il
short.tailed coat and tight pants al
most made me sick, and when Mr..
Booth came on the stage looking like
IN Episcopal minister, with Knight
Templar's cheese.knife that he had
borrowed, l couldn't think of any
thing but Hamlet. l forgot all about
his clothes, and l believe If he had
only had on 4 pair of sailor pants and
Il red.ilannel tireman's shirt that the
people would only have seen Hamlet.
l tell you he is the greatest actor that
ever lived. The people sat perfectly
still anu seemed wrapt up in Booth.
That is, they were when they did not
look ut the other fellows. But when
they took in Laertes, with short
ham.fat coat on, a pair of Lade-dah
pants, and u pancake hat, 1t seemed
To me could hear them smile. And
the king, Hamlet's step father, he
WAS II sight. Imagine a king with Il
cut-away checkered coat. Il Pullman
ear blanket thrown over his shoulder
for Il robe, and Il leg of chair for q
sceptre, mashed on u queen. with a
travelling dress and gray wooden
basque, with buttons on 1t. And
think of Polonius with linen buster
and Il straw hat with blue ribbon
on. Oh, il made me tired. Ophelil
WAS all right enough. She had on
some crazy clothes that she had been
travelling in, and we got some straw
out of Il barn and some artificial flow
erS of the honnetS, and she pulled
through pretty well. But the ghost
You would have died to see the ghost
lie had on one of those long hand-mt
down ulster OvercoatS with Il buckl,
in the back rs big as a curry-comh
and the belt was hanging down OF
both sides. The boys got him greer
mosquito bar To put over it and, will
Il stuffed club for Il Sccptre, he feel
over Il chair and then came on.
should have laughed if had been ol
my death bed when he said tn Hamle
Il am thy fathers ghost He LOOKED
more like Il drummer for Il wholesal
confectionery house, with sort u
tin skinner on his head, and l ID,
Iieve the audience would have gon
wild with laughter, if it had not bee
. for Mr.. Booth. don't believe 20
, could get him tn laugh on the stag
for Il million dollars. He just locke
at the ghost rs though ii was
J genuine one, and the audience locke
7 at Booth. and forgot all about til
ulster and the ghosts pants bein
Il rolled up ut the bottom. 1t W;
: probably the greatest triumph thu
! an actor ever had for Mr.. Booth
!, compel the vast audience to forge
J. the ludicrous surroundings and thin
T. only of the character he was portra.
y ing. wouldn't have missed th
: nights performance for il thOusan
e dollars, and when, at ten O'Clock.
= heard the boys getting the trunk
:, up stairs, l was almost sorry. Tf
last two acts were played with I'll
II costumes, but they were no bette
y performed than the first. Still.
n think, on the whole, l had rather I'll
baggage would be there. 1t makes
manager feel better.