, 1889-05-12

lection, attended tho theatre. The deaf mute
fell into such "A paroxysm Of laughter at Joe
Grimhldi's antics That his nervous disenso
was dispellcd and his powers restored, to the
establishment OF his friends. In 1919 Grimaldi
first sang tho famous "Hot COLLINS" A boy
was crushed to death in the crowd that night.
In 1921 Egorton, tho actor, undertook tho
management. He induced Queen Caroline to
visit the theatre In state, and for two seasons
he industriously made everything unpopular
and wound up with disaster, tho abolition Of
tho water drama being ono OF his mistakes.
Mr.. Williams restored tho fortunes with
pony races and such plays ms "Mazeppa,n and
reintroduced tho tank dramas In 1924. They
remained n feature until 1888, when they
wero finally abolished, although water affects
have been used incidentally since.
GnIMAI4DIs
Ono of the notable events In the history of
this play house was Grimaldi's farewell bene-
cit on st. Pntrick's day, 1928. BY | o'clock
In the day the courtyard was filled with moro
people than tho theatre would hold. Tho
play WINS by Dfbdln, "Slxes, or tho Nend. -
Ho Ind played forty-nine seasons on those
boards. His Inst visit to any theatre was to
Sadlcrs Wells, on Jan. 90, 1889. 1t WINS n
benefit for n clown, and the management had
Announced that it would DO under the patron
nge of the veteran. A full house WINS at FIRST
disappointed at not seeing him, but in a duet
between tho clown and Jim Crow the clown
said:
PrIthco tell mo, Mr.. Crow,
Why you look so full of glec1
Jim CrOw-Whyf Cos our old friend JUc
I'm delighted there to sec.
Clown-Eow he's here wen welcome him
With n hearty three times three.
Tho house rose with deafcning shouts.
Poor Grinaldi cruwled to the front Of tho
box, faltcred out some broken sentences
about being overcome by the unexpected
honor, and that it WIS tho last time he should
ever SOC his friepds, spread out both hands TO
the house, saying, God bless you all,n and
fell back exhausted in tho arms of a friend.
II sn-AKEsPEAREAN II
Then cnmo the brilliant period of the
Phelps and Greenwood management from
1874 10 1850, when tho major part of Shake
spoare's plays woro put on the stage with IA
wealth OF spectacular beauty never before
nor since in any way approached. Phelps
intended to produce all-he did produce
thirty of them, occupying about 1000 nights.
The immense thatre,n says Philip Mars
ton, in The Dramatic Mirror, sis very weird
md mysterious ut night Irecollect being
at work all night once in n property room
right up In the roof, where n stage carpcn-
ter had once hung himself froma cross beam.
Ho was cut down, but the rope was left. l
know that, with tho cracking and whlstlinG
of the wind, my imagination, always pretty
vivid, WINS so wrought NJ that | could almost
SEQ him dangling at the end of tho rope which
gave n kind of human shrek every time tho
wind swaycd 1t to and fro. got so nervous
that ! began singing old Hundred.' Fenton
heard 1t and cried out to the paint boy:
Go up to Marston; he's scared into singing
hymns"
Tho Illustrations in this article arc taken
from Philip Marstons article In The Dramatic
Mirror. They are" no says, faithful in
their minutest details, and arc from sketches
madc on tho spot in my student days"