Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-14
sUYING ACTOR o'CoNNoR.
Noisy Scenes at the Star Theatre In New
York


New YORK, April 12.-The question at
the Star Theatre last evening was SIS
O'Connor d luna!ic, or is be playing this
game for the money in it?" The almost
universal answer was that he was making
fool of himself f,r money, and this
view of the case was justified by several
features of the evenings entertainment.
Mr.. O'Connor carica.ure Of Hamlet" was
regarded on Monday and Tuesday nights
as the freak of a warped intelligence, for
In his curious way he really tried
to act. LAST night he had aban-
doued acting, and hurried through
bis lines and cut the play all to pieces IN
order to shorten the performance. He
smiled at the ipcessant guying Of the audi
ence, msngled some of the lines with the
evident intent Of raising alaugh, and made
innovations without end or reason. In
spite Of bis abandonment OF seriousness, he
was vastly amusing, for it is almost impos-
sib!e that he should stand still without be-
irg g.o.esque He appeared in double
bill-the first act of ''Msrble Heart" and a
di. toGted version of a portion of The
Merchant of Venice" The house was
nearly full, almost entirely Of men and
boys.
Tie curtain rose fifteen minutes late
upon the first act of Marble Heart. !"
Hardly tLIee successive words of the entire
act could he heard The slightest pretext,
the svayirg OF q curtain, the misit OF a
costume, tho ordinsry ungainliness Of a
super, was seized upon for cause for
laughter; and when the sudisnce was not
Laughing at the actors, it was bowling with
ylee n. tine remarks of its members. The
O'C0nuor ltgs were painfully. exposed in
the abbreviated Greek costume Of PHI
dias," and his cOmical gestures were
strongly pronounced.
He used his lett arm almost exclusively
in giving emphasis to his lines, and when
4 bass voice Toa!ed, Play with yoar
right, James 0C0Gnor himself joined
ia the laughter. His exits was accom-
panied by chorus Of whistling and a
measured stamp oil over the house. At
The conclusion Of the act there was long
call for speech The orchestra WAS or
dered by the management to play, bat the
audience drowned out the noise Of the H.
strumeuts. and the musicians gave 1t up.
They started several times, but stopped
before the audience became weary of
shouting and pounding
As "Shylock," Mr.. O'COnnor was great
IL subdutj, and bis grotesqueness was moi
~ painfully apparent as Ia 'Phidlas' aud
"Hemlet." IN ore of the few moments
when the actors voice could lie heard, a
Ia. man in the orchestra exclaimed:
You have monkey wrench IN your
mouth, james"
The remarks made by the audience were
most Of them Of this wildly hilarious char-
acter. When the unfortunate man who
tried 70 play "Bassanio" brought out the
golden casEet TO mediate upon it, some
body cried;
"BripS ne kidney stew, please"
Mr.. O'ConnOr WIS apparently mistaken
for DR.. McGlypn ths moment he cane on
as Shylock." When he made his inst
appearance, wearing Gueer-looking sst OF
wsather-bsaieu whiskers, this is what
greeted him: All "Ab, there, DR.,
M,Giynuw "Johnny get your gnD!'
Jimmy, you're masqueradin''' Keep
of the grass "Fwee.whoo!' the slang
whistle in loud chorus), ''Your left
hand is on guard; use your rlghtl'
start the racesw Louder! louder"
The house must have been very profit
able one. Men were standing IN every
inch Of available room and the seats were
all filed. Inspector ByinSs and many 9th
er well known people sat in SEATS as near
"a possible to Tire stage. Still the guy ing
went on everywhere. 1t never ceases, a.
though every body knew that an extra force
Of ushsrs was wing in wait to identity and
drag cus the offenders. The fun Was so
spontaneous, though, that to do this would
have emptied tie house. People came
there 10 laugh and they laughed. When,
in the trial scene, shy lock" began to
scrapa a nice rev bo y ie-knife mp ard down
the court room floor, "Basssnio' asked:
why dost thou whe; thy knife so keen
Typ voice in the gallery answered, He's
goin' TO shave of them whiskers," and
eysry body roared.
Mr.. O'Counor sees fit to make 'Shy lcck'
commit suicide at the end Of the trial
scene. When he started it last night he
reeled round and round with uplifted
knife. A hundred voices shouted: One,
minutel One minute there, old man
Easy rowp When he fell dead back
ward the gallery boys shouted: "Oit on
thirdr' "Hold itr' YOU'RE knocked
outr' And so the curtain fell on the Jol-
lest death scene New Workers have looked
st for years.
Alta performance Of Hamlet" on Tues
day night the fencing scene between
Hamlet" and "Laertes' was very inter.
estiDg to the audience. They applaudsd
wildly and yelled: go on; no grudge,
old boy.p When Hamlet" first touched
"Lssrtes" he cried out, Judgment" and
naan>- N naR An IN aRzp