Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-17

- So - any "he concerned IN the
representation before the curtain is down
on the last act would get the Grand
bounce"
Don't you permit kilograms to be de-
is Overr'
mo, nor letters either. Tho rule has to
De adhered to by managers, or they would
often be embsrrassed.b
Chow sop 4tH3
Wen, take this telegram as an exam
pie. 1t may contain information that
some close relative--father or mother per-
haps-of the actress to whom it's ad.
dressed is very sick, or has met with some
terrible accident, or is dead. Suppose it
dld, ana allowed 1t to be handed to the
actress now. She would probably be
Frustrated and unable to 60 on with the
part. 1t would be necessary 90 stop the
performance. Should any misfortune
have Defalleu any one dear to her | shall
sYmpathiZe deeply with her. but the per-
t0rmAnce must 20 on. We managers and
actors are the servants OF the public. and,
no matter what our private griefs may be,
managers have to work and actors have
to smile If their part requires IL. Look at
poor DAILY, who directed every detail in
the production of a new play while his
two boys lay dead at home"
''rhats sad enough" said the reporter:
"but, after all, it doesn't seem as sad as
the lot OF an actor who is merry and
making others laugh, unconscious that
death has stricken down some one near
and dear"
"Yes, you're right. The very uncon-
seriousness of his actions make the cir
cumstances appear all the sadder. One
of the saddest cases Pve heard was that
of prominent comic opera singer, who
went through a dashing role, while we
held in our office the telegram which an
nounced that her husband had committed
suicide"
"rhen, actors often have TO appear i'm
mediately after sad occurrences, which
would drive other people into retirement,
don't theyg"
eyes, very often, and especially those
in the lower ranks of the profession, whose
lot is unenYiable at it's best. / remember
well the case Of a poor young woman
had in one Of my companies a few years
ago, who had been deserted by a reckless
husband, and whose sole JOY in lite was a
little boy. She played small sOubrette
parts. Whenever her duties took her on
the road the child went with her. No
mother could have been more devoted TO
her boy and no boy more devoted 20 mis-
mother. They were inseparable. One
night the woman came TO TIE theatre very
pale. Her boy was very sick, she said.
The next three or tour nights her face tod
a sadder and sadder story. On Saturday,
at the matinee, / knew from her looks
that the boy must be in a very bad way.
She arrived promptly for the evenings
performance. Her lips were compressed
and her face wore a look of great deter
minatiOn. 1t was evident that her nerv-
Gus system was at tremendous tension.
One of the stage hands told me, when
went behind the scenes, that the little
boy had died soon after the matinee.
Well. everything went all right till she
came to a comic song. In the midst OF
that she broke down and ran weeping
from the stage"
I'D dn't you have to stop the playW
Eyes, and refund the money from the
box Office. ! had no under-studY FOR the
part, or you may be sure she wouldn't
have been obliged TO appear at all after
her boy was taken down. / know Of an
other case where a woman singing ia a
travelling comic opera company got tele-
gram at her hotel just as she was getting
ready to start for the theatre, announcing
that her husband, well-known actor in
the West, had committed suicide. Yet
she had to 20 on the stage and act her
part. She's playing IN this city now. Not
long ago a nOpular comedian undertook
the production OF a new play in Boston.
The night Of the performance he came to
the theatre, leaving at home a dead child
and wife TO whom he had hidden what
they mad thought last farewell, as the
doctor had told him she hadn't two hours
to live. The play was a miserable failure.
1t seemed as though the comedian might
be driven mad by misfortune. But, to his
unspeakable Joy, he found his wife still
fvfr 10 ~
doctor pronounced a miracle she recoy-
cred, but neither she nor be has forgotten
the misery OF their parting that night. The
leading man OF Mary AndersOn's company
went on the stage Of q Washington thea
ire under the same circumstances. During
the performance kilograms came fro m
Baltimore that his wife was improving.
Just before he went on for his best scene
in the last act a telegram was handed TO
him. He opened it hastily. expecting even
better news. He saw the announcement
Of mis- wife's death two hours earlier.
just then his cue came, and he went on
the stage. IL seems that almost the last
words Of his wife were instructions that
kilograms containing words OF cheer
should be sent to him up to a certain time,
when she thought the performance would
be over, and that not till then should the
telegram announcing her death be trans
mitted TO him. By some oversight the
last dispatch was sent half an hour too
soon. l could 60 on ami tell you dozens
Of equally sad cages-how the lives OF
comedians are shortened by domestic
grief; how women leave a festive ban
quet scene for the death-bed OF hus-
band or child.
"Of course a manager sees so mucn
misfortune that after awhile only the sad
dest cases make an impression upon him.
ret always feel sorry when misfortune
oYertakes any one Of the extra girls Or
super ladies' employed about theatres,
They nre plucky women who, as rule
are the support OF some poor relatives. II
seems to me as If fate could AFFORD 20 spare
them, but IL doesn't. You remember that
some time ago In one Of our theatres q
platform upon which a number Of super
ladies' were standing gave way, and that
one Of them was severely hurt. I1ai
woman supported from her earnings a
poor blind husband and several children.
since Der Injury she hasn't been able u
work, and the actors fund won't help hel
because she has sued the manager. An
other sad case Is that OF a woman who has
two children - support. Formerly she
could i've quite nicely. for her husband
~ ade considerable money as an actor
one night, after returning from tho thea
tire. BE began a letter % her, Tor he was
then with q travelling company. The neX'
morning his mangled body was found al
the boitom Of the elevator shaft. The un
nnished letter law on the table. He mus
have stepped out into the hall and through
the elevator door, which had carelessly
been LEFT omen.