Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-01-04
REALISM ON THE STAGE.
An Old Actor Tells Some Things which
he Thinks Should Not De known.

REALISM ON THE STAGE.
he Thinks should Not be known.
From the N. 7. SUM-
THAT is the kind of an article don't like to
read. That is to say, it's the sort Of informa-
tion that hate to feel has gone out to thou
sands of readers this morning"
The speaker was an old actor. and the end OF
his forefinger rested on paragraph of comment
| in yesterdays San ON the fact that the Legion
of Honor" company was disturbed by angry
charges of dshonor
"What want to get into your mind j" he con-
tinued, sis the idea that the Illusions of the
| stage ought to be preserved. I can remember
when an actor was kind of mysterious to the
general public; when hero on the stage was
nero OH the stage, in the estimation of his ad-
mlrers The members of the Legion of Honor
company shouldn't be known except as the
niSh-tohed personages they represent III the
drama. Inc misrepresentation you see?-are
giving away our business. That isn't judiciouS
OIL the newspapers, do you think? There's all
illustration of my argument right in here" and
ne Jerked his thumb toward the Union Square
Iheater. you've seen the Lights o. LO5toOs.?
Well when you saw Charley Th0r1,e as the per
secuted hero leap from the bridge into the
water 10 rescue the very villain who had helped
10 rum him, you yelled with delight. Maybe
you didn't, but for certain you heard the rest Of
the audience yell, and clap, and stamp. They
were carried away with excitement. They called
inorne out two or three times. and would have
nung laurel wreaths around his neck if they'd
mad any. What was it made the scene 90 with
such a rush? The bridge well painted, the
acting was spirited, and the stream looked
natural, but those things didn't get the people
/ III Tell you what it was. sir 1t was the real
Eh?"
THAT is true" the listener assented.
TO see genuine water squirt up gave the
realistic touch. 1t was the perfect illusion that
carried 'em away. So1"
'.Yes"
"Well, now. what's the use of telling the pub
Tic that 1t wasn't real water. at all. 1t was
nothing but a handful of rock salt mixed with
| little bits of mica When the spectator knows
this: it half spois the pleasure for him.
After dramatic pause, for the rock salt and
mica revelation to have it's full effect, the old
actor continued: "Another destroyer of stage
illusion is the dissemination of knowledge about
the personal relations of the performers. The
audiences over at Booths Theater will enjoy
the I1co Orphans all the better if they don't
know that Miss Kate ClaXton. the pursued blind
girl, is the wife of Charley Stevenson. who acts
the pursuer; or that the Marquis de Preses'
is at this minute being sued by his wife for d.
vorce And over at the Windsor, isn't it a help
to the acting of John A. Stevens as the insane
hero, and Miss Lottie Church as the heroine
that the sympathetic crowd doesn't know they
have for years been comfortably married? Miss
Fanny Davenport is the well and hearty wife of
Edmund Price. the manager of her company.
and you ought not to have that fact in your
mind when you see her dying as Camille at
the Fifth Avenue. Her sister May. who plays
Nanlne, is to marry Willie Seymour in a few
weeks. George Clarke, who is the Armand
Of the piece. by the way isn't either the brother
or husband of Miss Lillian Cieves- Clarke who
played with him at Niblos some time ago. She
has Just been married to Richard F. FoOte who
was her lover in The Farmers Daughter in
good old Charles Fisher, the NJ Duuol, is the
husband of the young Nichette. The pretty
Miss Lillian Russell. the Snake C2n,-,.er of the
Bijou, is the wife of Tony Pastors orchestra
leader. Nine. Janauschek is Mrs. Frederick
Elliot Miss Rose Temple. one of the Patiences
has just got divorce from Mr.. Jones. Miss
Clara Morris is Mrs. Harrlott Louis James and
Miss Marie Wainwright, who were the lovers of
Barretts recent season at the Fifth Avenue are
married. Miss Victoria Vokes is Mrs: Wright.
The much photographed Miss Brancombe is Mrs
Stuart. Miss Agnes Booth of the Madison
Square is Mrs. j. B. Booth, formerly Mrs. Perry.
Mrs. Chanfrau bravely bills herself as married at
the Fourteenth Street. Effie Ellsler. the sweet
est of the Hazel ki,kes. is Mrs. Frank Weston.
Miss Fanny Morant of Dalys is Mrs. Charles
Smith. Mile. Marie Roze of the opera is Mrs
Henry MaplesOn. and Mile CayallaZZi. the chief
dancer at the Academy is Mrs. Charles Maple
son."
"Hold on. Won't you leave an unmarried &C
tress on the New York stage2'
On. there are plenty-the Misses Jewett and
Harrison at the Union Square, Coghlan and
Boniface at Wallack's, Burton aud at least half
the aesthetic maidens at the Standard, ard
next week, Mary Anderson at Booths. though
report has her engaged to a Baltimore man
But wasn't making matrimonial directory l
was simply arguing that, to preserve the iu-
SION OF the drama, the actors shouldn't be
known personally. except as the dim. mysteri-
Gus, superior being that they used to be taken
for. Do you catch my idea?'