The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1883-12-07
NUMBER 40.
THE WICKED FLEA ON THE THEATRICAL
BOARDS


VIII result IN much fun to audiences in the
future unless some action IS taken at once
on the part of the managers. Ii seems that
! many of the best theatres OF the cities have
become infested with tieaS. It is believed
the ilras have been brought to the theatres
"n the Pet dogs OF actresses and by the ,iurs
used IN plays and they have multiplied anG
rcHicnlShcd tic places OF amusement uutil
| they are Il formidable army. 1t is said that
when theatre has not had a performance
ior several days the iras bccomc hungry and
| when The next company arrives upon the
s'a2c the iira> take possession of the mem
bcrS too quick. Some aver that the iieus
are divided of iuto squads. each squad with
leader. aud each squad is assigned to one
particular actor or actress, as the case may
DC. ticas are no fools, and it would not be
strange if they had choice AS to which
nirmbcr of Il company should be assigned to
them vi course, 1t is possible that the
boss ilcas shake dice to decide which shall
have fist choice for his squad, and Vet it
may he ltat fleas Know nothing of dice, and
=" up"p the principle ne first como first
served While the flea i not human we
must gave the in sect credit for Knowing the
difference between the taste Of youn. and
beautiful actress anu an old man or wuman
ne fra Is no fool. whatever else may be,
sad oil hlm. and any person with auy heart
At ail Will feel ior the young actress whose.
part crmprlS her TO so upon the stage of a
hcaihicct'd theatre with Il low ucckcd
dress, bare arms, or stockings that are pcr>
t"ratcd by fashion on the lnstcp. or which
have not "t,aincd their growth rs to height.
Such person has got much beside her art
tn attend To, and her miud must he constantly
occupied IN dcvisng means to mash heas and
not give it away 90 the audience.
An actress eau, if she feels flea grazing
around, suddenly place hcr hand on her
heart. aud while the audience is looking Il.
the expression Of paiu on her face, she eau l,t
one or two fingers wander down where the
tica is and paraIyZe him, and the audience
VIII think that 1t ID "a gesture that is in the
play. But there are places on every person
where a flea night walk arm in arm with
another flea, slipping the life blood and b..
coming Intoxicated, where no gesture Laid
Gown in a play will hit.
Suppose Mary Anderson, while tying to
haul Romeo up to the balcony So she can sec
il hr has been chewing cloves, feels flea
eraEInEo AYEdp IAef IAefr bbAak aSS Sh@ wife a
"Wherefore art thou, Romeo - she eau
cvcrlastinsiy dig her nails into tie opening
in the CORSET and Kill the flea, and tho audi
cncc would be none the wiser, while il she
bnckcd up against thr railing and scratched
hCr back on scene it would be noticed
and commented ON to her discredt us an
artist aud besides she might push down the
scenery. Again, if Il flea should appear to
b: exploring the vicinity of her waist, while
il would not br admissible for her to create
a gesture that would lit the case, she could
by the poetic license that Is granted all great
""nuScS. lean against the rafting, on the
point where the flea was. and while giving
iaiiy tn Romeo. she coh!a make the flea
think he had got in the wrong pew. And
yet in that scene, if u few tlcas should yct
among her Stockings. rs is almost certain to
hr the case, Mary would not have any cx.
cusc. By amy act or gesture in the play, to
pay any attention to the flea, and she would
have To go on with the play and die game.
IN opera it is different. The costumes
are such that the hunting of iicas is mere
pa>time. Especially is this the case in the
sIeru-wakcr is aftred with candle
and garment that has always been
highly recommended for the pursuit of ileas.
1t is supposed that actors arc imprrviuus
10 the influence Of tcns, but such is not the
case Booth, Barrett jeff lson and McCuls
!ough are nervous A. women, and We may
rxpcct any evening" to see Booth as Hamlet
drop his sword and roll down his black
lights, while the ghost is telling him the old
story. and catch flea and crush it between
his two thumb nails, pull up his stockings
and tell the Ghost that H. will 60 home and
make it red not for his moihcr and the uncle
WHO poured melted scaling wax 10 the ghosts
ear In the play Of "iramccsca da Rims
ini.' when Lawrence BarreL starts home
from the array to Kill his brother and his
wife for being too numerous, and lie Us all
cxci'Cm@nt it would look strange TO see him
SIT down on stump and 90 TO catching tlcas
before an audience, and vet this is what
the stage i coming to ii ti"as and dogs are
not Gurantncd. It would look queer to
. 81. jefferson, when he rises up on the stage
/ ,iicr the twenty years sleep. 20 10 hunting
around his dccayrd aud m,!dcwcd lcggings
! inr iiaa< and t. src Nee CuiiUu.h as Othclio
stop Oh the way to murder Dc>demona and
search for tieas. i'k!s would bc going from
IL" >uriiurl to tha ridiculous. and the SIN
rlrr:,ons lhc,c ro>:hIli,i'S that managers
iIny see wHa. is liable 81 happen unless thcy
cause insect powder ir be freely used on
the stage and cause al doG> brought by
actresses 10 bring a c"riitcrrc from an VI
ID ;hat they are tree from icaS. 1t takes IL