Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-11-20
RICHARD N UNDER DIFFICULTIES
Booth Had to Stick the Bills Because the
Bill Posters Drank Up the Paste.

down TO a coy little supper with
manager Dan Frohman, of the Ly-
ceum, and actor Edward Sothern, aud
during the little supper the converse
ton came around TO Mr.. Booths expe-
riences as a manager, and in answer
to n question Mr.. Booth gave n quaint
little bit Of autobiography which was
too good 10 keep, and the story is GO
ing the rounds among the profession.
About my first experience rs q
manager" said Mr.. Booth, was .n
the year iSjL and four others were
on oar way to Australia to ill a pro-
fesSional engagement. Two OF the
party were ID. G. Anderson and his
wife. We were in u slow old sailing
ship, and we were compelled TO stop
nj the Sandwich Islands for supplies
aud to make some repairs 10 the ship,
We found, TO our surprise, that Homo
lula had n rude sort of theatre, and MS
we were 10 be detained there for sew.
| cTi days we thought we might M a
few dollars by giving a performance.
We were told that the king-kam-
hamoha, ! think his royal name WAS
was an enlightened monarch, who
had visited Europe and come bacs
with n great admiration for the drama,
and that he would graciously patron
ize u 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
dererS, messengers and the two armies
Of Gloster and Richmond. So you car
understand hat the manager had nc
easy task of it. | was to play Richard,
and by an ingenious scheme of doub
ling up, by which each of the Others
was to play at least two parts, we man.
aged 10 arrange for some sort of q per
Torrance until | suddenly discoverec
that | lad no Lady Anne. Mrs. An
derson was the only lady in our com
pany, and she had to do two parts
the Duchess of York and Elizabeth.
II was almost in despair until /
learned that there was u 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 an under sized man hcmight
do 10 dress up as a woman. SO | sent
for him.
Meantime | had another trouble
We had some bills printed with o
brush and marking ink, and | sent
some natives out 10 bill the town. But
flour was entirely too scarce and high
priced in hcSandwich islands 10 mako
paste of, and as a substitute | was adj
vised 10 buy some stuff called poi poi
the sticky juice of some tropical plant
Of which It appears the natives mako
an intoxicating drink. | innocently
gave this stuff TO the bill stickers.
But the rascally natives, instead Of
usingt the stuiIasI had intended, drank
up all the paste, got drunk, and didn't
post a bill! At the last moment ! had
TO take Il pail and brush and n bundle
of bills and 60 through the town pyst
ing the bills myself.
THE new member Of the conpau,
who was TODD Lady Anne almost CAV.
me a spaSn 1hen saw him. He was
about four feet Eitn, a stumpy fellow
with handy legs, cross eyed, aud 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 have come
from oncc working as a grip behind
the scenes OF some theatre in the
States
But there : no help for il, and |
had to engage him, after exacting his
solemn promise that he would never
forget that he was a royal princess OF
England, and not squirt tobacco juice
over the stage during the play.
Il shall never forget that perform
ancc Of Richard III Its like was
never seen before nor since. The two
English armies were made up Of native
Sandwich islanders, and 10 see the fol-
lowers Of Richard aud of Richmond
fighting the battle of Bosworth Field
in burnt cork was something never
before attempted on any Stage
But tie Lady Annel | regret IT,
say that her appearance when made
up was something worse than gro
tesque. If she had been homely in
mans attire she was hideous in skirts,
and when | had made ardent love to
her as
sweet saintr-'divine perfection
of a woman fairer than tongue can
name thee, and tell her Of her beauty
which did haunt me in my sleep,'S
thought should burst with mortilIca.
ton, for her handy legged waddle,
her cross eyed leer, her toothless
mouth and German accent were some
thing indescribable. And, horror oi
horrOrsl while she stood mourning at
her dead husbands bier, her ladyship
had broken her solemn pledge and was
actually chewing tobaccol
"Oh, there never 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 perspiration unth
it was vel. But u audience was
good natured and by no means crit.
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 Kamehameha was ushered into
my room. He proved 10 be a very
pleasant, we'll informed gentleman. Ho
had been educated in Europe and had
travelled extensively. He spoke kind
ly of our Richard, apd he surprised me