Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04

I soon knew all the local witticisms which
were floating around. and absolutely
learned the names on the membership list
by heart. precisely as had learned the lines
of the play.
ENTERTAINING THE STOCK EXCHANGE.
I was able. of course, under these circum-
stances, to make all kinds of local illusions
in the lines of the play, and the consequence
was that the members ofthe Stock Exchange
crowded the theater nightly during the run
of the piece. I remember particularly L
had front scene which was full of allusions
to Stock Exchange matters and men. and L
didn't fail to have brand new joke at
every performance. The brokers used to
put me up to the jokes and then came
with their friends to hear them sprung. The
play was produced under the management
OF Hooley, of Chicago, who brought US out
from San Francisco, and it was the one
successful thing which we did.
consider Louis James, without any man
ner of doubt, as the most brilliant fellow, 30
far as gagging on the stage is concerned,
whom ever heard. remember particu-
larly one evening going to see Zone Of Our
Girls" at the Lyceum Theater and sitting in
box during the performance. james caught
sight Of us very shortly after he had got on
the stage and started in to gag his part from
one end to the other for our especial delecta-
tion. Everything he said was thoroughly
in the line of the character he was person
ating, which was that of the doctor, but the
quotations the doctor makes in his speeches
were not the classical and other quotations
set down by the author of the play, but were
drawn from such interesting samples of
standard dramatic literature as the "Rough
Diamond and similar dramatic works. The
audience never caught on for one moment to
the fact that James was embellishing his
part alter this fashion, but of course 1 was
familiar with the stock plays from which he
was quoting as well as the other actors in
the house, it there were any, and I need
scarcely say that I was highly delighted and
amused with his cleverness. So was Miss
Dauvray. .swho was on the stage with him at
the time.
WHEN HOWARD CAME IN.
Finally he brought the gagging to very
abrupt termination, and 1 didn't under
stand the reason OF his sudden action until
he explained afterward. Bronson Howard,
the author af the play, had come into the
theater, and as he liked Howard very much
he would never indulge in gagging when
| Howard was in the house. It seems that he
had an arrangement with the chief usher
that whenever Mr.. Howard did come in this
| important functionary would raise his hand
above his head. and Mr.. James would un-
derstand the significance of the gesture. On
| the evening in question the usher's hand
went up toward the end of the third act, and
James, turning to Miss Dauvray, said to
her, 'Bronnie est frontas," that is to say,
Bronson, or Bronnie, as his wife and friends
call him, was in front, and their fun was
over for the evening. From that time on he
stuck faithfully to the words of the text
Although I do not condemn gagging SO
severely as some people do, I must confess
that do not quite appreciate the necessity
or the advantage of it in plays which are
carefully written and where the lines are
deliberately set down to contribute to GER
tain effects, which in their turn combine to
make up the effect OF the play. think few
players are able to improvise lines, or in
deed, premeditate lines, which will help
the general scheme. don't say that it is
not possible to do it, but have sufficient
respect for the authors of plays to believe
that they understand their business some
what better than the actors do, whose busi-
ness in life is something entirely different
and apart w. II. CRANE.