Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-07-31
Gales aud Sketfhes.
Tragedies of Stage Life.
SAD INCIDENTS WHICH CONE UNDER A
MANAGERS OBSERVATION.

MANAGER OBSERN AIION
During one of the entr' actes of per-
Torrance at an uptown theatre the other
night Sun reporter was talking with the
manager of the company. A messenger
bow dashed into the lobby with telegram.
The doorkeeper looked at the address on
it and pointed to the manager.
'.It's directed to the stage door," said
the messenger, as he delivered it. but
they wouldn't let me pass there"
The reporter saw. as the manager
glanced at the name on the envelope, that
it was for one of the principals in the play.
The manager called an usher and gave
him the telegram. saying: ''See that this
gets to Mss-after her last scene in the
| last act. Mind you, not before"
Please put the time was delayed at
the stage door. ;" requested the messenger.
"All right, my boy" said the manager.
"Bnt let me tell you one thing. Never
try to deliver telegram at the stage door
of we'll regulated theatre. You're sure
to be sent to the manager; for any door
keeper who'd allow a telegram to be given
to any one 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
livered to actors before the performance
is over?"
mo; nor letters either. The rule has
to be adhered to by managers, or they
would often be embarrassed.
"How SOP
well take this telegram for an ex-
ample. 1t may contain information that
some close relatn e-father or mother
perhaps-of the actress to whom it's adj
dressed is very sick. or has met with
some terrible accident. or is dead. Sup
pose it did, and allowed it to be handed
it to the actress now. She would probab-
y be Frustrated and unable to 90 on with
the part 1t would be necessary to stop
the performance. Should any misfortune
have befallen anyone dear to her shall
sympathize deeply with her, but the per-
Torrance must 60 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 it. Look at
poor DAILY, who directed every detail in
the production of new play, while his
two bows lay dead at home"
That's sad enough, said the reporter;
'but, after all. it doesn't seem as sad as
the lot of an actor who is merry and max
ing others laugh, unconscious that death
has stricken down someone near and
DEAR
Yes. your right. The very uncon-
seriousness of his actions makes the circum-
stances appear all the sadder. One of the
saddest cases I've heard of was that of a
hn
through dashing role, while we held in
our office the telegram which announced
that her husband had committed suicide"
Then actors often have to appear i'm
mediatelv after sad occurrences which
would drive other people into retirement.
don't they?"
"Yes. very often. and especially those
in the lower ranks of the profession,
whose lot is unepviable at its best re
member well the case of poor Young
woman had in one of my companies a
few years ago, who had been deserted by
a reckless husband, and whose sole ioy in
life was 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 de-
voted to his mother. They were INSOFAR
able. One night the woman came to the
theatre very pale. Her boy was very sick,
she said. The next three or four nights
her face told a sadder and sadder story
On Saturday, at the matinee, knew from
her looks that the boy must be in very
bad way. She arrived promptly for
the evenings performance. Her
lips were compressed, and her
face wore a look of great de-
termination. 1t was evident that her ner-
vous system was at a 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.
Didn't you have to stop the play ?"
"Yes. and refund the money from the
box office. had no urder study, for the
part, or YOU may be sure she wouldn't
have been obliged to appear at all after
her bov was taken down. | know of an
other case where woman singing in a
travelling comic opera company got a
telegram at her hotel Just as she was get
ting ready to start tor the theatre. announc-
ing that her husband, well-known actor
in the West, had committed suicide. Yet
she had to go on the stage and act her
part. She's playing in this city now
Not long age popular comedian under
took the production of new play in Bos-
ton. The night of the performance he
came to the theatre. leaving at home a
dead child and a wife to whom he had
hidden what they had thought last fare
well. as the doctor had told him she hadn't
two hours to live. The play was mis-
able failure. 1t seemed as though the
comedian might be driven mad by mis-
fortune. But to his unspeakable Joy he
found his wife still living on his return
home. By what the doctor pronounced a
miracle she recovered. but neither she nor
ne has forgotten the misery of their part
ing that night. The leading man of Mary
Anderson's company went on the stage of
a Washington theatre under the same cir
cumstances. During the performance
kilograms came from Baltimore that his
wife was improving. just before he went
on tor his best scene in the last act a tele-
gram was handed to him. He opened it
hastily, expecting even better news. He
saw the announcement of his wiies death
two hours earlier inst then his cue came,
and he went on the stage. 1t seems that al
most the last words of his wife were instrnc-