Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-04-18
SECRETS OF THE ART.
How Actors Look and Talk in Their Dress
ing-Rooms.

it is strange to those in front, but the
actors themselves and the life they
lead are strange in themselves. The
other night New York San reporter
was in stars dressing-room waiting
to 60 up town with the actor What
he saw and heard was all part of the
world utterly strange to the great ma
jority of the people. The actor had on
nothing but trousers and drawers, and
was washing off his makeup. He had
appeared as nobleman of the middle
ages, and was made up to look like an
extraordinarily handsome youth, with
preternatural splotches of red on his
cheeks, and his jet-black eyes and cor
al lips and all the rest. He stood be-
fore the mirror over a table, on which
was a box of many compartments,
each one full of paints. These paints
look like the sticks of cosmetic that
men use to dress their mustache with.
They were much the same thing-mere
thick pencils of grease dyed with diff
ferent colors. Brushes, bottles, pots,
a litter of false jewels and bits of fin
! ery were all around. Dozens of cos
tunes hung on nails around the walls,
and queer shoes, slippers, tights, and
odds and ends of costumes were on the
floor, the chairs and the trunks The
actor suddenly smeared his painted face
with glistening bath of something
that shone like oil.
''It's vaseline," said he. at removes
the paint"
He rubbed on more and wiped it off
and rubbed on still more, and again
wiped it off with dry towel. "Some-
times" said he, "when it is very cold
out, we don't wash this off. We rub
enough of it off so that it does not
shine, and then we go home and wash
| there. That prevents the face from
chapping.
'How did the piece 60 in frontp" he
asked.
"Oh, very well, indeed. The house
was enthusiastic"
"What did the newspaper men sayp
Are they going to give it rats, or
what
"Why, they spoke well of you and
not as we'll of Mr.. Jones, who over
does his part. But Miss Brown will
get some good notices on account of
her pretty figure"
sis that SOP" said the actor. 'John,
90 and call Miss Brown. Is that you,
auntie? Don't come in till | get an
overcoat on. I'm in frightful dis
habille."
you're growing very nice all of q
sudden" the voice of the pretty actress
sounded from the other side of the
dressingroom door.
Eyes; but it's only because I've got
some friends here. Now (buttoning
up his overcoat) you can come in.
They're newspaper men or [ would
have asked you right in. say, auntie,
the papers are going to make nice
reading for you tomorrow because you
looked so pretty, and they're gone on
your FORM"
'sAre theyp" said the little actress,
who was quite as bewitching in a long
Newmarket and Partisan bonnet as
she had been in tights few moments
before. .'Are theyP Well Pm glad
they did not see how dreadfully ner-
vous was. I'm trembling yet. New
York makes US all afraid, gentlemen.
It's a horrid, cruel place, where the
papers say just whatever they please,
and kill us off right and left"
''Auntie," said the star, Il want to
tell them about your form"
well, Go on. What you inventing
now?
you know. gentlemen" said the
star, "when this piece was cast and we
knew that some of the ladies would
need to wear tights, there was a great
deal of buzzing, and one lady boosted
that she would make great hit. Her
legs were simply wonderful, she said,
] o,,I1 > III
eclipse everything on the stage. This
little woman said not a word. She IS
so small and quiet that if any one
thought of her it was to guess that she
would not amount to much in tights.
Well, the dress rehearsal came and she
appeared, and we never heard an
other sound from the woman that had
boosted of such prodigious wonders of
human perfection as she had claimed.
Auntie knocked them all out And
auntie's are her own, want you to
know. | satisfied myself of that"
''You may be sure he did," said the
actress.
81 took a dagger and went for them,
and how she did howl"
"Well, can 1 60 nowP" said the ac-
tress. ''Oh, here he is. Twas waiting
for my husband. I'm all ready, dear.
Goodnight, gentlemen.
Other members of the troupe, male
and female, came in, cigars were light
ed. and chatter flew around the room.
One actress, seated on trunk, carried
all before her with her wit.
"This is delicious" said she. ''You
know, the manager orders that shall
not receive anybody in my room. |
thought it was going to be dreadful
not TO see any body at all, but l can
come here and entertain as much as l
like in your room-can't Mr.. Brace
bride? Oh! 1 do enjoy getting around
his horrid rulesr'
'She's only been on the stage fifteen
weeks" said the star.
"But what about the other rulesP
I'm not to have anybody see me home,
and I'm not to receive gentlemen at
the hotel, you know. Dear me! but
those rules will have to go. too.
There'll be war, but it will be fun"
The rules did have to 60. She went
out of the theater with four male es-
corts, and all were invited to her
room, with its confusion of lace night
caps and photographs and dresses
hanging up, and its bottles of perfume
and china pots of mysterious toilet ar
ticles. Again cigars came out, and
walters flew around with glasses, and
/ the strict rules and the night both flew
away together.
Tt is short reach back to Cyrus
EioId-S frat cable but nine of them