Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-11-15
RICHARD III UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
Booth Had to Stick the Bills Because the
Bill Posters Drank Up the Paste.

manager Dan Frohman, OF the Ly-
ceum, and actor Edward Sothern. and
during the little supper the converse
ton came around to Mr.. Booths expe-
riences MS n manager, and in answer
to n question Mr.. Booth gave a quaint
little bit of autobiography which was
too good Ia keep, and the story is go.
ing the rounds among the profession.
"Abort my first experience rs a
manager" said Mr.. Booth, was in
the year 1851. and four others were
on oar way 10 Australia 10 ill a pro.
fcs~ional engagement. Two of the
party were ID. &. Anderson and his
wife. We were in u slow old sailing
| ship, and we were compelled 10 stop
at the Sandwich Islands for supplies
aud IN make some repairs Ia the ship.
We found, tO our surprise, that Homo
lulu had u rude sort of theatre, aud Us
we were to bc detained there for sew.
cral days we thought we might earn "A
few dollars by giving n performance.
We were told that the kiug-kamc-
hamcha, | think his royal name was
was an enlightened monarch, who
had visited Europe and come back
with a great admiration for tue drama,
and that he would graciously patron
ize our performance.
I'VE determined TO give Richard
Ill, and | was elected manager. Now,
the full strength of the company was
exactly five, and there are about
twenty-five parts in the tragedy, as
you know, to say nothing Of the lords
and ladies of the courts, citizens. muir
dcrers, messengers and the two armies
of GloSter and Richmond. SO you can
understand that the manager had no
easy task Of il. | was 10 play Richard,
and by an ingenious scheme of doub.
ling up, by which each of the Others
was to play al least two parts, we man
aged 10 arrange for some sort of a per-
Torrance until | suddenly discovered
that | had no Lady Anne. Mrs. An
derson wa the only lady in our COM
pamy, and She had to do two parts
the Duchess of York and Elizabeth.
Il was almost in despair until !
learned that there was n white man in
the town who, as | was told, had once
been an actor in a humble way and
would be glad To help US out, and that
as he was M under sized man he might
do to dress up IS a woman. So | sent
for him.
Meantime | had another trouble.
We had some bills printed with a
brush and marking ink, and | sent
some natives out 10 bill the town. But
flour was entirely too scarce and high
priced III theSandwich islands to make
paste Of, and as a substituted wa adj
vised to buy some stuff called poi poi,
the sticky juice of some tropical plant
of which it appears the natives make
an intoxicating drink. | ~innocently
gave this stuff 10 the bill stickers.
But tho ruscally natives, instead Of
usingthc stuff as had intended, drank
up all the paste, got drunk, and didn't
post a bill! At the last moment / had
to take pail and brush and a bundle
of bills aud go through tho town pyst.
ing the bills myself.
The new member of the company
who was to DO Lady Anne almost gave
me a spasm when | saw him. lie was
about four feet high, a stumpy fellow
with handy legs, cross eyed, and with
all his front teeth gone. He chewed
tobacco furiously, and he spoke with
a German accent. His only know
ledge of the stage proved to lave come
from once working as a grip behind
the C of some theatre in the
States
But there was no help for il, and |
had 10 engage him, after eNacting his
solemn promise that lac would never
! forget that he was a royal princess Of
England, and not squirt tobacco juice
J over the stage during the play.
Il shall never forget that perform
anco Of Richard Ill lis like was
never seen before nor since. The two
English armies were made upof native
Sandwich islanders, and Ia see the fol-
lowers of Richard and Of Richmond
fighting the battle of Bysworth Field
in burnt cUik was something never
before attempted on any stage
But the Lady Anne. / regret to
say that her appearance when made
up was something worse than gro
tesque. IL she had been huInely in
mans attire She was hideous in skirts,
and when | had made ardent love to
her as
sweet saint.-'divine perfection
Of a woman faircr than tongue can
name thee, and tell her Of her beauty
which did haunt me in my sleep |
thought should burst with mortiiica-
ton, for her handy legged waddlc,
her cross eyed leer, her toothless
mouth and German accent were some
thing inuescribable. And, horror of
horrorsl while She stood mourning at
her dead husbands bier, her ladyship
had broken her solemn pledge and was
actually chewing tobacco
"Oh, there nevcr was such a per-
Torrance as that! We shortened the
play a great deal and left a good deal
TO the Imagination of the audience.
but | was IN a cold pcrSpiration until
it was over. But our audience was
good natured and by no means criti-
cal. We had a big house and they
seemed well pleased"
But there was a curious sequel TO
the performance" added Mr.. Booth.
After the play, while | was dressing,
King K%amehameha was ushered into
my room. He proved 10 be u very
pleasant, well informed gentleman. He
had been educated in Europe and had
travelled extensively. He spoke kind
ly of our Richard, and he surprised me
.....aI.. l.. -..l.-.- - l.. 49,