Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-27
STAGE Ram NOT coon ENOUGH
A King Who Wanted the Genuine Arti-
clio and Got It-So hid the Singers.
Fromths Philadelphia Se,rs.

From the PhiiadslpAia Hetcs.
The King of Bavaria is poet, and has
poets eccentricities-with the advau-
tage over all other poets OF being able 10
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 &C.
CURED in Munich that when an opera has
been concluded and the players were get
ting OFF their paint and finery, scommand
has come to them to get their paint and
tnery on again. Presently the King
would arrive, solitary and alone, and the
players would begin at the beginning and
do the entire opera over again with only
that one individual in the vast, solemn
theatre for an audience. Once he took an
odd freak into his head High up and out
of sight, over the prodigiOus stage of the
Court theatre, is a maze of interlacing
water pipes, so pierced that in case of fire
innumerable little threadlike streams of
water can be caused to descend; and in
case Of need tits discharge can be aug
mented to a pouring flood. American
managers might make note of that. The
King was sole audience. The opera pro-
ceeded; it was IA piece with storm in it;
the mimic thunder began to mutteT, the
mimic wind began to wall and sough, the
mimic rain began TO patter. The Kings
interest rose higher and higher; it deVel-
Oped into enthusiasm. He cried out:
1T is good, very good indeed! But
will have real rain! Turn ON the waterp
The manager pleaded for reversal of
the command, said it would ruin the cost
ly scenery and the splendid costumes, but
the King cried:
mo matter, no matter; | will have real
rain! Turn on the waterW
So the real rain was turned on and be-
gan to descend in gOssamer lanees to the
mimic flower beds and gravel walks of the
stage. The richly-dressed actresses and
actors tripped about singing braveIy and
pretending not to mind it. The King was
delighted-his enthusiasm grew higher.
tie cried out;
bravo, hravOl More thunder! More
lightningl Turn on more ramp
The thunder doomed, the lightning
glared, the storm winds ragged, the deluge
poured down. The mimic royalty on the
stage, with their soaked satins clinging to
their bodies, stopped around ankle deep
In water, warbling their sweetest and
best, the tiddlers under the caves of the
stage sawed away for dear life, with the
cold overflow spouting down the backs OF
their neeks, and the dry and happy King
sat IN his lofty box and wore his gloves to
ribbons applauding.
"More yetp' cried the King; ''mOre yet
let loose all the thunder, turn on all the
water. ] will hang the man who raises an
umbrellaV
When this most tremendous and effec-
tive storm that had ever been produced in
any theatre was at last over the Kings APP
probation was measureless. He cried:
"Magniflcentl Magnificent Encore
Do it againl"
But the manager succeeded in persuad-
ing him to recall the encore, and said the
company would feel sufficiently rewarded
and cOmplimented in the mere fact that
the encore was desired by His Majesty,
without fatiguing him with repetition TO
crafty their own vanity.
During the remainder OF the act the
lucky performers were those whose parts
required change of dress; the others were
a soaked, bedraggled and uncomfortable
lot, but in the last degree picturesque.
The stage scenery was ruined, trap doors
was so swollen that they wouldn't work
for a week afterward, the fine costumes
were spoiled and no end OF minor damage
was done by the remarkable storm.