Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-09-22

Woe TO the Play whose First Night
Sees that Instrument in the Orches-
tra-Actorss Faith in Hoodoos, Mas-
cots and spirits.
TFrom the New York Sun-l
Chat play can never succeed said an
old time manager in an uptown cafe sever
al nights sgo. 'It lie pity, too, for its 8
good play and good company. 1 wish
that 1 had not seen the dress rehearsal"
"You're getting old colonel, and you or.
ly see success in the past" said leading
man.
"Thst is where you are wrong" replied
the manager. 'I know q good thing when
1 see it. and this play is good thing, but
1t began with hoodoo and it will surely
fail"
"Hoodoos are tommyroti There is no
such thing as hoodoo that can harm any
play"
Around the table were hal: u dozen act
ors and men interested in theatrical sffairs.
Few men In New York know more about
the history If the American stage for the
past few years than the manager who
spoke Booth, jefferson, Barrett and Irv-
ing have all claimed him as their friend,
and his "reminiscences of the stage make
him the centre figure in any sfter-the play
gathering of actors.
''Now, colonel" ssid the leading man
when the glasses had been filed, "'yeu
| were talking about hoodoos on the stage.
I don't believe in them. When q play Is 9
failure Il is easy to explain Ii by saying ii
had hoodoo "
"weu," said the colonel. factors the
world over are a supsrstitious lot Even
Henry Irving brought his horseshoe 10 this
country when he fret came here. didn't
believe in hoodoos and that sort of thing
when waa young. don't likesto accept
them now, but am forced to by expert
ence.
"Have you ever known the yellow Hsge-
olet to fail in wrecking a plsyl Now, you
| laugh at that. l think that as s[uls. there
/ is no harm in a yellow isgeolst itself. but
| there Is peculiar fatality In the circum-
| stances that bring II into theater orchestra
| at dress rehearsal or on an opening night.
| There was yellow isEeolet in the or
chestrs to-day, and that is why / cay that
the piece is doomed. Yes, that's right
laugh II you will but my experience is 6
| long one and / think ! am 6 sane man
Any old manager in this country will tel
you that a yellow asgeolet lie sure to wrecl
any company. Circus men Won't hsv
them In their bands. could tell you man,
incidents to illustrate what 1 say. Perhsp
| you remember that when The Junio
Partner was put on, every one said II wa
going to be q big success, Everything
pointed that way, but It opened with yel
hsgeolet In the orchestra, and then hrs
Mckee Rankis's troubles began. This is
fact. have known stage managers, ant
sensible men, too, who would refuse b
ring up the curtain until the yellow fsgeo
let was driven ont of the orchestra"
THAT is just as absurd" said the lish
comedy man, "ss the cheese that the Itsl
ian ballet girls in the Crystal Slipper KEEP
in their dressing rooms. l know the effec
of that mascot, for l was In the company
Every time went on the stage or nesr th
dressing room thought of Hunters Poir
and the gas house district. Couldn't psi
susde those girls to throw away thi
cheese. They believed that as long as the
kept 1t they would be sure of an engsg,
ment The cheese had been given to thel
| In Italy to protect them from harm. Eao
girl had piece { it, loud caeese II W,
too, rolled up In paper In her trunk To /
cure of protection they 'ooE u 10 the
drsssing-roon Eddie Fuy nearly choke
because the smell of that cheese Ed
4 | never did like o1n': opera and that che.
3 | settled him. i could only show them sski
. could dc in Days company he Goul
l say, and escape from this horrible Itslis
t cheese I'm too delicate for the work, an
e way. Jurt Walt until / get into the ''legii
T and wear swslloS tails and smoke cigA
= cites on TIE stage and pull my cuffs.' Nov
8 colonel, tpeakIng about hOodoos, that
, my experiences with mascot"
. "Well," said the colonel, "the italian
: are naturally supsrstitiousL / know q
! opera house In Italy that was built s,v=ri
q years ago, and, Of course there was in 1t
4 seat numbered l3. 1t was one of the be-
seats in the house, and even on crowds
+ first nights that seat was always vAcaa
Il was q dead loss The manager paint.
r out the number Is and numbered 1t l2l
l. and now the sest is popular"
n "For some reason, Said the leading maj
l. factors are naturally supsrstitious. Pc
d haps Il is because their life is one of man
II ventures, and sometimes the most insign
n fcant thing may lead to failure or success
q Probsly a good deal of the superstition
q assumed. Most pc 'ple have dash of tn
10 In them, whether they will admit 1t or no
n Do You remember when Reese Coghls
1t made her hit at WallAck's In rDlplomAc
ls "a the Countess Z!ckAi As you remembe
le the plot of this play hangs on the psrfuu
the countess uses. Rose Coghlan used
certain kind of perfume on that night a
abe made big hit. I have heard that d
always uses this perfume on an openil
night now, no matter what the play m
81 be. OF course, 1t Is only a womsn's fanc
it and yet have heard that Miss Coshl
would rather lose her wardrobe than
Is perfume. Patti also had q similar fs
n When she made her first great hit she We
ly a pair of shoes of q peculiar pattern. Ps
20 wears In her concerts now shoes made
this identical last and Of the same pattel
On She believes that they bring her luck, q
a apparently they have done so. Yes, sts
be folks are q bit superstitious- You prol
. bly have all seen would be funny N
thrown off q atage at rehearsal for quot
bx some of the hoodOo passages in M
n. BETH"
l 'as isThere is very little or no connection
said the colonel, between these little
bles and spiritualism, but ths converssti
suggests It. You would all probably
re surprised to know the number
lat weIf-fnown sectors who believe In Spiri
.er alism. Billy Florence was Spiritual
me although few people knew 1t. knew
as intimately as any one, and be has of
ck- taIkad ahout his belief 10 me Rzrt