Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-11-14
RICHARD Ill. UNDER DIFFICUL.
TIES.
Booth Had to Stick the Bills Because e
the Bill Posters Drank up the
Paste.
New York Herald.]

New York Herald.]
One night recently Edwin Booth sal
down to cosey little supper with Man
ager Dan Frohman, of the Lyceum, ani
Actor Edward Sothern, and during thu
little supper party the conversation came
around to Mr.. Booths experience as {
manager, and in answer to question MI
Booth gave quaint little bit of autobi0g
raphy which was too good to keep, and th'
story is going the rounds among the pro
fessiOn.
THE DRAMA IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS
about my first experience as mana
GER" said Mr.. Booth, was in the year 1854
l and four others were on our way to Aus
tralia to fill professional engagement
Two of the party were D. G. Anderson and
his wife. We were in slow old sailing
ship, and we were compelled to stop at the
Sandwich Islands for supplies and to make
some repairs to the ship. We found, to
our surprise, that Honolulu had a rude SO
of theatre, and as we were to be detained
there for several days we thought we might
earn q few dollars by giving performance
We were told that the King-Kamehameha
/ think his royal name was-was an en-
lightened monarch, who had visited
Europe and come back with great admir-
alton for the drama, and that he would
graciously patronize our performance.
I'VE determined to give Richard I'LL,
and was elected manager. Now, the full
strength of the company was exactly five
and there are about twenty-five parts IL
the tragedy, as you know, to say nothing
of the lords and ladies of the court, citi-
zens, murderers messengers and the two
armies of GlOster and Richmond. So yon
can understand that the manager had nc
easy task of it. 1 was to play Richard
and by an ingenious scheme Of doubling
up, by which each of the others was to
play at least two parts, we managed to ar
range for some sort of performance until
suddenly discovered that l had no Lady
Anne. Mrs. Anderson was the only lady
i1our company, and she had to do two
fparts-the Duchess of York and Eliza
beth.
II was almost in despair until l learned
that there was q white man in the tow Z
who, a. was told, had once been an actol
in humble way and would be glad t(
help rs out, and that as he was an under
sized man he might do to dress up as 9
woman. So sent tor him.
GOT DRUNK ON PASTE.
Meantime l had another trouble. W.
had some bills printed with q brush anG
marking ink and sent some natives out
to bill the town. But -four was entirely
too scarce and high priced in the Sandwich
Islands to make paete of, and as substi
tute was advised to buy some stuff called
pol poi, the sticky juice Of some tropical
plant of which it appears the natives make
an intoxicating drink. I innocently gave
this stuff to the bill stickers.
But the rascally natives, instead Of
using the stuff as l had intended, drank
up all the paste, got gloriously drunk, and
didn't post bill At the last moment
had to take pail and brush and bundle
of bills and 60 through the town posting
the bills myself.
LADY ANNE.
"The new member of the company who
was to do Lady Anne almost gave me q
spasm when / saw him. He was about
four feet high, stumpy fellow with handy
legs, cross-eyed, and with all his front teeth
gone. He chewed tobacco furi0usly, and
he spoke with a strong German accent
His only knowledge of the stage proved tc
have come from once working as grip
behind the scenes of some theatre in the
States
But there was no help for it and had
to engage him, after exacting solemn
promise that he would never forget thai
he was royal princess of England, and not
squirt tobacco juice over the stage during
the play.
II shall never forget that performance
of Richard I'LL Its like was never seer
before nor since. The two English armies
were Of course made up of native Sandwich
Islanders, and to see the followers of Rich
ard and Of Richmond fighting the battle of
Bosworth Field in burnt cork was some
thing never before attempted on any
STAGE
"But the Lady Anne! l regret to say
that her appearance when made mp was
something worse than grotesque. If she
had been homely in mans attire she was
hideous in skirts, and when had to make
ardent love to her as
"'Sweet saintp-'divine perfection of 8
woman fairer than tongue can name thee,
and tell her of her beauty which did haunt
me in my Sleep I thought l should burst
with modification, for her handy legged
waddle, her cross-eyed leer, her toothless
mouth and her German accent were some
thing indeecribable. And, horror OF horrors
while she stood mourning at her dead hus.
bands bier, her ladyship had broken her
solemn pledge and was actually chewing
tobacco!
TUT
"Oh, there never was such performance
as that! We shortened the play great
deal and left good deal 70 the imsgina-
tion of the audience, but was in cold
perspiration until it was over. But oul
audience was good -natured and by nc
means critical We had big house and
they seemed we'll pleased"
But there was q curious sequel to the
performance" added Mr.. Booth. AFTER
the play, while I WAS dressing, King Kane
hameha was ushered into my room. HI
proved to be pleasant, well informed gen.
tleman. He had been educated in Eur0pt
and had travelled extensively. He spoke
kindly of our Richard and he surprised me-
greatly by exclaiming, as he patted ms
familiarly on the back:
"Mr. Booth, 1 saw your father play Rich
ard in New York twenty years ago."
In Boston Society.
Epoch: Chicago Youth suppose you
had fine time in the East, Miss Wabash
Miss Wabash-Yes, indeed, my visit Il