The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-27
STAGE EATING
AND DRINKING.
An English Lady's Bequest for
Real Champagne for Actors.
The Articles for Stage Banquets Form Naturally
P, TT Of the Domain Of the Property
Man-What Is Furnished

lady had left legacy of $4,000, the divi-
dends accruiDg from which are to be de-
voted to the purpose of supplying real
champagne when that exhilarating vintage
is consumed at stage banquets, says the
London Telegraph. The French Dramatic
Artists Association is a mutual benefit
fund for granting pensions to actors
and 1t is to be hoped to actresses
too old or too infirm to appear on
the stage, and it numbers upward
Of 5000 members; thus, were the
bequest of the English lady a wholly I'M
conditional one, it would be equivalent to
a donation of % francs head to all the
members of the society, while, if it were
treated as an indivisible fund the aggregate
of 5000 francs invested at . per cent in
terest, which is by no means unattainable
in France, would prove very handsome
addition 10 the Pension Fund at the dis
poSal of the trustees.
No good news was ever received without
the Intelligence being greeted with certain
amount of incredulity. Thus there may be
skeptics who will feel inclined
TO DOUBT THE IDENTITY
OF the English LADY, and the authenticity
of her legacy. The "Miladis" as the "M-
lors" of perfidious Albion are credited with
the possession of all kinds OF eccentric ca
prices. Now they follow lion tanners
about the world in the expectation of see
ing the Van Amburghs devoured by their
ferOciOus pupils, consummation on which
the speculative Britons have made heavy
bets. At another time, while Lord Allcash
takes band of brigands into his pay, Lady
AllcaSh converts the banditti TO follow the
paths of piety and virtue by the judicious
distribution of tracts and a careful selection
OF psalm tunes on the harmOniunl. These and
a hundred other tales as silly have been re-
lated of our eOuntrymen and conntrywomen
who are travelling or who are domiciled on
the Continent; still, in the present instance
looking at the matter-Of-fact gravity with
which the announcement of the $4,000 be-
quest has been made, We have no right to
impugn the veracty of the story. Assum-
ing that there has been found an English
lady generous enough and whimsical
enough to leave this very large sum Of
money in order that real champagne shall
be substituted for cider, ZoedOne, OF toast
and water, when the genuine vintage Of
Epernay is supposed to be quaffed on the
stage, an extensive field Of speculation re-
mains open, first as to the quality of the
champagne that will be supplied under tile
auspices OF the society to the different Par
iSiaD theaters, and next as to the average
quantity which will be required by each
place OF popular entertainment. What may
be termed pieces au wins de champagne
are not of very frequent occurrence in the
French dramatic repertoire, at least in
dramas OF a high order. Vaudeviles and
farcical comedies of the order Of " D0minOs
Roses" the 'GarcOns de chez Very" or the
Monsieur Chout1euTy chez lui" uIay Occa-
sonally require to be mOistened with cham
payne, and the sparkling beverage on the
English stage has frequently proved, as MIR.
Tom Taylor discovered in the american
Cousin" to be very effective "deScente
de rideau' for weak act. Indeed, the
English dramatst was so pleased with the
success Of the etfervescent finale that he
concluded another act by making Lord
Dundreary pull the string of shower-bath,
which again brought the curtain down with
a tlZZ. In French, however, unless play
includes in lis action wedding banquet
or scene in cabinet particular"
AT CARNIVAL TIME,
Champagne is rather conspicuous by its
absence than otherwise. Not for the first
time must it be repeated that the French as
nation are not half so partial to CHAMP
payne as the English, the Germans, the
Americans, and especially the Russians are.
The Latin races, in fact, are not habitually
drinkers of sparkling wine. The Italians
have. it is true, their Asti Spumanti, but
they prefer their still red and white vint-
ages. Even French champagne did not
begin to sparkle till late in the reign of
Louis. xiv, and there are assuredly no
SpuullnS CDdllceS 10 De IOunu IN tue ORA
T.atic works Of Racine or COrneille or
MOliere. The terrible Commander comes
to supper with Don Juan, but it is bumper
of led wine, and not 1.-THE foaming juice Of
amber hue" that the trembling Sganarelle
serves to the stony guest.
The English lady's legacy-always sup
posing 1t to be genuine-will constitute, in
times to come, curious Item In that chap
ter of stage history which relates to the
consumption Of food on the stage. The
.FVu1 aIrr Taln
tell US whether the original Audrey in GAS
You Like 1t, munched a real turnip or an
imitation one, and if there was any real
food on the table in the forest at which the
banished Duke invited the strangers to sit
down and feed. Eating and drinking on
the stage form naturally part Of the domain
of the propertyman; and whether the
things consumed, or supposed to be con-
sumed, be genuine or spurious, has hith-
erto depended mainly on the wealth
or the poverty Of the management;
but, on the whole, it may be said
that the unreal has been predominant
over the real in stage comestibles, and that
the grander the banquet the more fragrant
has been the sophisticatiOn of the yiands
and the beverages purpOrting to appear.
Who has not seen the parcel-gilt g0blets-in
reality paSteboard pOrridgers covered with
Dutch metal-which eXulting supers have
waved in sham enthusiasm above their
heads at dramatic and operate banguets9
Has there ever been MaffeO Orsini who
has Quatfed anything stronger than cold
Mater in the famous "brindisi" Beenr-
ring for q moment to Don Giovanni" it
must be admitted that in Italy real macarOni
is always served at the Don's suppe table
when the statue comes to supper, Just az in
the delightful English opera of mo Song, Nc
SUPPER" real boiled leg of
MUTTON AND TRIMMINGS
Always made its appearance. Still, until
comparatively recent period genuine pro-
visions were very rarely seen on the English
stage. Nine. Vestris. at the Olympic. was,
we believe, the first managereSs who intro
duced little genuine champagne into
vaudeville; but the Incompatible Eliza
BartoloZzi, with an intuitive artistic percep-
tion hated shams. 1t used to be said in
jest that her propertyman kept supply of
real sovereigns and real bank notes
it is certain that whole tribe of
real little King Charles spaniels made their
appearance behind the footlights in the
comedy of THE Court Beauties" Genuine
outlets and claret are said by stage tradi-
ton to have been first enjoyed in Douglas
.JeTrold's comedy of The Prisoner of War"
at Covent Garden. Mr.. Macready, at Drury
Lane, more than once placed real edibles
and notables before his company, and at
the Princess, when the Courier of Lyons''
was first performed under the management
of Mr.. Charles Keau, real repast sa.ose,s
on the board in the restaurant scene; but
these were exceptions, due to the taste and
liberality of artistically minded managers,
and down to very few years ago the prop
erty-room only supplied the merest smu-
lacra In lieu of veritabe eatables and
turntables. The sirloin of beef was usually
so much painted wood. with orifices
pierced in it filled with slaked lime. the
fumes from which did duty for the smoke
from hot joint; and when the low COM
edian in "The Turnpike Gate" coming
across pot of beer left on the table, made
the opposite remark that some gentleman
had left his beer and another gentleman
had found it," the supposed pewter pot from
which he pretended to drink Barclay and
Perkins: Entire was only a sham of stiff
fened brown paper coated with tin foil,
with some cotton wool stuffed into it to imi-
tate the foam Of the genuine decoction of
malt and hops. This unsatisfactory state
of things has long since passed away. Real
champagne, claret, bread and butter, bis
cults, plum cake and strawberries are now
frequently seen and consumed in genteeI
ahxr. md LON