Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-12
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
JOSEPH JEFFERsGN's STAGE SETTING
FOR ROME0 AND JULIET.
Properties That Were Too Real very.
body WaItzes"-Coquelin's Partisan
Triumph-stage Notes.

Jefferson" now being published with pic
lures in ''The Century" we quote the fol
lowing 81 have before said that portion
of my early theatrical education wa.
drawn from hard work in the paint and
property-room of a theater, so that when
became manager l delighted in the get
up as it was technically called, of plays
so far as our slender means would permit
To fashion and paint rustic bridge, with
wide board behind it, set upon two shaky
trestles, for Rob Roy to cross over, was a
special privilege. A profile boat for the
Lady of the Lake was another delight.
This perfectly unsafe-looking skiff was
always set on a trunk mounted upon four
little wooden wheels that no amount Of
black lead could induce to keep from
squeaking. The rope must be steadily
pulled-the slightest jerk and over goes
her ladyship into the gauze waters. But
let us return to the story.
"'Romeo and Juliet being announced,
felt that the balcony scene should have
some attention, and l conceived simple
an economical idea that would enable me,
at days notice, to produce the effect in a
manner hitherto unparalleled in the
annals of the stage Skirmishing about
the wharves and ship-chandlers, | CHANGED
to light upon a job lot of empty candle
boxes. By taking a quantity the card
boards were thrown in, and Eothing makes
a finer or more imposing but unsubstantial
balustrade than cardboard. The boxes,
placed one by one on top of each other and
painted neat stone color, formed pleas
ing architectural pile.
Before the play began | had cautioned
Juliet that when she leaned her cheek
upon her hand she should let her elbow
rest gracefully but lightly on the fraiI
structure that was to support it. Romeo
also had to be cautioned, for, as the house
of Capulet was already about his ears, it
was necessary that at least his shins should
escape any contact with the foundation.
The scene opened with the backing of
something, supposed to represent the dis
tant city of Verona, with my new balcony
in the foreground. Romeo and Juliet
were warm and energetic in their love pas
sages, but still acted with becoming care
and gentle consideration for the balcony
about which they fluttered. All seemed to
be going well till presently
there came the sound of half-suppressed
laughter from the audience. CrockeI,'
said |, from the wing, are you shaking
the balcony? No. he whispered; i
haven't touched it, What are they
laughing at, theng Can't imagine said
he The laughter increased, and it was
quite evident that something not an
nounced in the bills had gradually at
tracted the attention of the audience till
at last the whole house had discovered the
mishap Juliet retreated in amazement
and Romeo rushed off in despair, and
down came the curtain.
81 rushed upon the stage to find out
what had occurred, when, to my horror,
discovered that one of the boxes had been
placed with the unpainted side out, on
which was emblazoDed a semicircular
trademark, setting forth that the very
cornerstone of JuIiet's balcony contained
twenty pounds of the best short sixes'"
EVERYBODY WALTZ"
The attaches about .he Chicago Opera
House are nothing if not sportlve. Not 4
day goes by that some joke is not perpe-
trated, or at least planned, for future exc
cution. Some time ago one of the stage
hands cracked joke and some one called
out: Everybody waltz" This started a
ball rolling that has since kept in motion,
and has made more fun than one could
imagine. AT the least thing out of the
way, on the stage or in any part of the
house, the cry will be heard: Everybody
waltz" and they do waltz; they grab each
other or anything portable that may be in
reach and waltz about like mad. When
Lawrence Barrett was at that theater play
ing an engagement loug ago he stood in
the wings awaiting his cue TO go on. Just
about the instant he got it something
transpired to start all hands on the waltz
The actor had heard of the performance
and knew the cause of it, but it happened
to catch the tragedian's humorous side on
this occasion, and as ne rushed on the
stage he was convulsed with laughter,
much to the astonishment of those about
him, and much at variance with the sober
and earnest requirements of "Ganelon."
Henry Ballard, the doorkeeper of the
house, was presented some time ago with a
parrot. but before taking the bird home he
wished to have it trained to talk. He
therefore kept it about the theater for
some weeks, and, naturally, the bird
learned the great byword OF the house.
Ballard finally took his pet home, and one
of the first evenings, at supper time, Just
before Ballard left home for his duties at
the theater, something happened to cause
a general laugh, and the parrot hearing
bo thor,Obt Of -
one of the ordinary occurI Iences and sung
out clearly and distinctly, Everybody
waltz" Ballard was 'on," and said moth
ing; hut one of the family said, "Polly,
what do you mean by that?p "Shu, up"
screamed the bird; what do you know
about it? Everybody waltz, | iel; YOU ?'
PROPERTIES THAT WERE roo REAL.
"One night we were playing Fen Nights
in Bar-room,' and | was cast as Frank
Slade. / had to hit Breeze over the head
with bottle in the saloon fight, and we
had papier-mache bottle for the purpose
one that wouldn't hurt, like a stuffed
club. But this time the property man
only put up the real bottles on the
bar, and when the fight occurred | seized
one and hit Breeze over the head. Then
the line came:
"'Great heavens! What have you done
killed your father@
"Whereupon Breeze let off howl like
a suffering wildca., and said:
"'No; but hes killed the piece, d-n
him and bolted the stage
Everything went wrong that night,
and we gave one of the vilest shows we
ever presented anywhere We saw how
things were going and sent over to the
hotel to notify the landlord to have our
teams hitched up and ready for us at II
o'clock, so we could get ont Of town quick.
But we had to leave the hail by the front
way, and the audience, which cherished
resentment against us, laid for us outside
with bushels and bushels of hard, icy
snow-balls, dipped in ice-water and al
lowed to freeze while we dressed The
women folks got away first and we males
made dash later. Then the audience
pelted US with those 'soakers.' One Of
them would hit me on the ear, carrom on
Thompson's nose and land in Breezee's
eye, and so I'd, making every SNOWFALL as
good as two or three. They chased us all
the way to the hotel, and when we got
there and fell down bruised aud battered
the landlord told US he thought we might
want little supper and hadn't hitched