Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-10-26

GEN. SHERMAN VAT HES mi PLAY.
tiful in the metropolis. Therseldom 20 to
the theatre to see any hing but first per
formances, and long practice has made
them specialists. They can tell in a mo-
ment if anything In the piece has been
''cribbed" from previous productions; they
know all the little II lnnerisms OF the act
ors and actresses: hey can detect at a
glance any imperie ton which appears in
the construction OF the play; stage secrets
Of make up and scenery are to them an
open book. They never applaud where the
work Of the actors does not thoroughly de-
serve IL. but il conmendation l. really mer-
tied il is given heartily and means some.
thing.
The other class in the frat night audi
ences is made up Of friends Of the author,
the performers and the manager. They
are, very naturally. ready 10 approve of
and applaud anything which is said or
done on the stage, and sometimes become
so enthusiastic that the other spectators
Ia was the case o long ago. are obliged
to rebuke them with "A few we'll directed
cries Of Silence or a hiss OF two in order
that the play may 20 on at all.
To the actors themselves the first night
is IA terror. As one of them says: Railways
feel on first nights A. ii | were standing
unner a rock which might fall al any mo-
ment.n Weeks OF labori0us rehearsals
have gone before: tasks which the general
public has no idea of. and would not ap-
preciare il they were named, have been
performed: every tone and infection Of the
voice and every movement Of the body
have been practlced with the minutest
care.
But even the CONSCIOUSNESS that one has
learned his part ''line perfect fails to
COMFORT, for On the decision Of the first
night audience the success Of the piece
often depends. These decisions are seldom
reversed. As goes the first night 80 goes
the season might with safety he added 10
the long list of theatrical proverbs. To
the young actor or actress who has been
longing perhaps for a year or two for IA
New York opening the first night is
particularly dreadful The eyes Of the
various managers are upon them. The
size Of their salaries, their future pros
poets, are trembling in the balance. The
strain is severe, and in nine cases out of ten
they do not do themselves justice, They
try too hanl.
The author aud the manager are In a
fever OF suspense an hour before the cui.
tain rises. They have expended thpusands
of dollars in preparing the piece Tor pres
entation. Their fortunes are, likely
enough, to lie made or marred before mid
night. What "A sigh Of relief j. heard he.
hind the footlights as the curtain drops on
the last act. With what smiling faces do
the performers graspthe hands and receive
the congratulations of their friends IL they
have done we'll: now bitter are the tears
they shed II their work has been discredit-
able! How eagerly their eyes sean the
next mornings papers for the mesger no
tices which precede the longer and more
carefully written reviews, but which tell
in what direction the reviews will lean!
Miss Beautiful's work In the love scene"
says the new spapcr, was brilliant Miss
Beautiful is happy. But, . continues the
newspaper. Miss So-and-so exaggerated
her part and was disappointment" Miss
S~o-and-so's eyes are red and there are black
circles under them, which have to he GOV
cred over with grease paint when she ap-
pears for the next performance.
Notwithstanding the fact thai the actors
performance are seldom perfectly smooth,
and that there will almost surely he bitches
in the handling Of the scenery, attendance
ut a first night is certain 10 he An Interest
M ~