The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-22
THE LAUNDERING "SUPE"
ANECDOTES ABOUT A CLASS OF
THEATRICAL employees.
"Reminiscences of Macreacy's Sparta.

From the UustrGf led american.
We have long had an idea that the origin
/ of that popular phrase which has puzzled
the most eminent philologists and anti
! auarians, ''in the soup" would be intelligi-
! bic at once if We wrote it, Tin the supe.
/ 1t is the earnest, though ungrammatical
expression Of public commiseration for the
unfortunate condition of the stage super
numerary, so that TO have your lot meta
phoricllly cast among the supes is TO indicate
that you have been a woful and conspicu-
Gus failure. There was a song in Dixey's
"Adonisn that always excited the
laughter which in sensitive organizations is
akin to tears. 1t was the song the baritone
in the chorus delivered before the foothghts,
wherein, after reciting the high hopes with
which he lad left Macy's or Wanamaker's,
or somebody else's ribbon counter he par
ticular counters being varied so as to meet
the humorous requirements Of the locality,
the singer burst out into the sorrowful ac-
acknowledgement;
Yet in the chorus now be-"
But even the chorus is a step, and long
step, higher than the corps of supernu-
meraries. The chorus aretreated with re-
spect by the audience; their deficiencies, if
any, are overlooked; but the supe is always
considered legitimate butt for ponderous
ridicule and if he appears alone, especially
if it be his honorable but unhOnOred duty to
shift the stage furniture, he is liable to in
suit at the hands of the gallery gods in the
shape OF loud cries If ".oupe! supew which
he has to bear with grin Of sheepish desc
latiOn.
The chorus may win at least corporate
applause, though they have no individual
chance for Distinguishing themselves. The
supe can merely hope to escape derision.
But alas! he seems fitted by nature only to
stumble He is quick only at blunders, and
his blunders have all the effect of the subtlest
wit, save only that of winning glory for the
perpetrator.
Thus, when the centurions received Quin
as 'COriolanus" with succession of grave
bows, they were performing practical pun
equal in merit TO the majority of those
that appear weekly in Punch-upon the
Roman generals command, Lower your
fascesw
FURNISHING THE WRONG MAN.
At rehearsal of don Giovanni" in San
Francisco, some years ago, the Don" hap
pened to be absent, and the final scene, in
which he was to be carried off by two devils,
was rehearsed by the "Leporello" of the cast
When night came and the opera neared its
conclusion the two supes who played the
diabolical parts seized "Leporello" and bore
him off the stage, taking all struggles and
protests as part of his regular business. The
Don" was left bewildered and helpless,
until the prompter appeared, in his shirt
sleeves, and led him ANONYMOUSLY away.
Macready tells several amusing stories of
a similar kind. At badly equipped thea
ter in Kendall he was playing 'Virginius"
The two supes provided to bear the body of
Dentatus off the stage set the corpse upon its
feet and, each supporting an arm, marched
it off erect, with closed eyes and slow
time.
At another country theater the actor cast
for the part of Angelo in THE Castle
Specter," did not turn up on the night of
the performance, and there was nobody
available as a substitute. Thereupon the
manager threw himself into the breach
he did not know the words, but hint
would suffice him; he would make up his
| speech as he went along. Macready in
structed him that Angelo has been unjustly
imprisoned, and comes out of his dungeon
| weary ana emaciated. "Goodl" said the
manager. And when his cue was given out
he came with these words: ALAS! worn
with travel, faint with long confinement,
cruelty imprisoned for sixteen long years,
| and during that long and bitter period hav-
| ing tasted no food" He was not allowed
to proceed. The audience burst into roars
| of laughter.
At a rehearsal of the banquet scene in
Macbeth, the first murderer would insist
upon stalking down to the center of the
stage, thereby obScuring Macbeth from the
view of the audience. At last Macready
made the stage carpenter drive a nail in a
certain spot. Now, sir, look at that nail,
he cried; "come down to that SPOT, not an
inch further and wait there till l come
! The scheme worked well; the rehearsal pro
ceeded without any further balk. Night
came, and with it the banquet scene. Enter
the first murderer. He stalks down the
stage, stops suddenly, then turns round auC
round, as if in search of something he haC
dropped. The audience laughs. Macbeth
wrathfully approaches the man and Kisses
in his ear: What In heavens name are
you aboutW "Sure, amt looking for thai
blessed nail of yours" cries the murderer
loud enough to be heard through the house
which vociferously proclaims its delight al
the contI'etempS
AN AMBITIOUS FATHER.
supe may be overlooked by the audi
ence; they may ignore his existence uules:
he does something foolish to accentuatt
himself they may forget before the clos
of the curtain that he ever made his appear.
ance; but there may lie one or two In the
assemblage-a relative, a friend a sweet.
heart-to whom he is the central attraction
of the show. Charles Dickson is now a we'll
known comedian. He made his first ap-
pearance some years ago at Niblo's, where
he was supernumerary in war drama HI.
father Hebrew merchant, brought {
crowd Of friends to the opening perform
ance, prepared to see a youthful prodigy il
his son.
But large part of the play passed. The
son rarely appeared on the stage and die
nothing even then, save to hold muske
wrong side foremost. At last, toward the
end of the third act. goaded to desperation
by the taunts Of his friends, the old gentle
man rose in his seat and shouted at tn,
top of his voice: "Sharlie, my boy. fol
Gods sake do Something's Shoot de gur
off,
Sometimes the supe has intelligence, anC
makes himself master of the situation. Thu
Luguet, in his early day, was playing tn
bearer of an important dispatch, on tn
contents of which the plot OF the dram;
turned. BY mistake the property man hat
: given him blank piece of paper to hanC
to the mimic king, who, not having studied
the words which ought to have been writer
on the dispatch, was in a quaudary. H,
thought he had cleverly extrlcated himsel
therefrom by handing the paper back Il
Luguet, with the command, Read it t.
me, sirrahm But Luguet rose equal to tn
occasion. Alas, sire, " he responded, "borl
of poor tut honest parents, have never
learned TO read"
A REALISTIC FIGHT