St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-28

t-zSf VI nevertheless.
~ Actors and act
MA tresseS-and It's a
@SE&S$~A cruel shame to
S$%\ MA make fun of such
Y1TCtNE4f delightful Great
ures as actresses
are generally supposed to be-do some
very queer things now and again in
their violent and oft strained efforts to
be natural.
You may not have noticed 1T. You
probably wouldn't notice it unless you
are hardened sycophant with cal1ouS
spots on the place where your tender
perceptions and soft sympathy ought to
be.
/ have noticed these reflective bits"
however, and, looking at them from the
soured side of life, | will tell you how
they are.
know that these things at which L
would scott are all in the stage man
ayers manual-way up in it, too-and
of course stage managers know great
deal more about their business than L
do, but nevertheless l cannot but think
that common. everyday human nature
is not set forth quite so realistically on
the stage as are the fire engines and the
SaWmillS.
Now, for instance, how does the young
woman in the play always Indicate that
she is diSpleased?
She taps the toe of one shoe rapidly
on the carpet and froWns. Then we i'll
the audience know that she is mad.
Did you ever have real live young
woman actually angry with you who did
that?
Pll ''wot not" and I'll "wot' quite a
heavy roll on it.
Nine chances out of ten she will for
getaIl about her feet when she is mad,
but she won't forget, about her tongue.
Young women know how to express
their anger IN words, even if they don't
know how to swear, and they will OK
press it, too.
Still we applaud Miss Ingenue's "del-
icate and appreciative portrayal OF the
part" when her little love scheme is
frustrated and she taps her toes, or
when the villain insults her fathers
me mory.
She always taps her toes. The stage
slippers of whole lot of New YORK IN
genueS must be worn thin at the end.
Then, too, stage folks always have
very queer way of thinking out loud.
The deeper the thought the further you
can hear it. have heard $40-aweek
stage villain think so hard about MUIR
dering somebody that his voice would
have been audible across Madison
square.
The expression of his cOuntancnee
counted for nothing. He might have
been thinking whether he would have
oysters or corned beef hash for lunch
for all his face indicated.
AS long as he thinks loud enough a
stage william does not much care what
kind of game the lines of his features
play with each other.
Sometimes they play tag, aDd some
times L can't help thinking that they
would like to play paper.
These OutburStS of thought are al
ways preceded by stride to the wings,
and then comes deep chest "Ah!"
These "Ahs" usually precede
snow, if all goes we'll he is mine. To-
night he shall pay the forfeit with his
life. All. Revenge is sweet" or per-
chance, with the usual greed for some
BODY else's money, the william shouts
this think into the painted canvas Of
the wings and possibly the ear OF a
berry stage hand:
''Wait. Let me think. Everything
goes well. l have the key to the safe.
His millions are in my grasp"
OF course in real life we usually find
out what people are thinking about by
looking carefully at their faces.
All that trouble is saved at the the
alter. You can just shut your eyes and
the actor will tell you vehemently and
concisely Just what his thoughts are.
| suppose the plot is more sure to be
worked out understandingly that way
than though the thought were left to
your own understanding.
1t is also curious thing that in plays
villains only smoke cigarettes, while the
good men. the heroes, c0nflne them
selves exclusively to cigars.
You know the villain always pulls out
a silver-plated cigarette box at critical
moments-just when some fellow IS eX-
posing him-and lights one with cool
but reckless air.
The good fellow, however. never
smokes at critical moments. When the
curtain goes up and he is in his library
at his leisure. waiting for things to hap
pen, he Invariably putfS at big, black
| and hard-looking cigar.
He always has just lit it, by the way,
and smokes it much as though it was
| the last cigar in the world.
Now, | don't question but what 1t is
very Just arrangement to relegate the
| cigarettes to the villains and let the
| good fellows have the cigars. and yet L
| have found lots of good men who smoke
| cigarettes, if they smoked at all. and
| the villains of my personal acquaintance
| are much more likely to smoke cigars
! than anything else.
| Imagine a Thoroughbred bunco
| steerer wasting his time on a cigarette,
| lfyou can. Hungry Joe" would feel in
| suited at such an insinuatl0n.
! Again, did you ever notice how these
| stage scribes can rattle off a letter? If
l 7 t,r n nj
| rate Eve seen people do it on the stage,
! MI. Gould would have to rustic around
| pretty lively to keep pace with me
| financially.
| When a man has note to Write he
| sits down and scribbleS off long eplstle
| explaining the whole situation and die
4 tating to himself.
| He can write just as fast as he can
4 talk, and one dip of the pen will on an
/ average last for about four sheets OF
! manuscript.
| 1t is rather curious, too. the plumber
i of words an average actor can crowd on
/ toa page. They find no trouble in get
| ting in about quarter OF column On
| an ordinary sheet of note paper
That beats me, and | write VERY
close"
Then. if YOU will notice, stage ink
| never bIots, and the writer never mis-
spells word OF hesitates i'll his con-
struction.
If some of these people really lived
they would be invaluable i'll neWspa-
per Office.
1t is also interesting to note the utter
abandon with which TheSpianS throw
around property" money. They care
naught for dollars, and never seem TO
/ expect any change back whenever a
purchase is made. There is always ian