The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-10-14
ACTORS AND HOODOOS
WOE TO APLAY WHOSE FIRST NIGHT
SEES A YELLOW FLAeEoLET.

The In Itself Harmless Instrument Exer-
cIres a Peculiar Fatality when In The
ter Orchestra at a Dress Rehearsal or
ut the Initial Performance.
! THAT play can never succeed" said an
old time manager in an up town cafe sew
ertti nights ago. at is pity, too, for lisa
good play and good company. wish
that had not seen the dress rehearsal"
YOU'RE getting old, colonel, and you
only see success in the past" said a leading
man.
THAT is where you are wrong" replied
the manager. Il know a good thing when
see 1t, and this play is good thing, but
it began with hoodoo, and 1t will surely
fail"
"Hoodoos are tommyroti There Ia no
such thing as q hoodoo that can harm any
play"
Around the table were half dozen actors
and men interested in theatrical affairs
Few men in New York know more about
the history of the American stage for the
past few years than the manager who spoke
Booth, Jefferson. Barrett and Irving have
all claimed him as their friend, and his
"reminiscences Of the stage make him the
center figure in any after u play gather
ing of actors.
Now. colonel said the leading man when
the glasses had been filed, you were talk
ing about hoodoos on the stage. don't
believe in them. When play Is failure,
it is easy to explain it by saying it had a
hoodoo."
WELL" said the colonel, factors the
world over are superstitious lot. Even
Henry Irving brought his horseshoe to this
country when he first came here. l didn't
believe in hoodoos and that sort of thing
when was young. don't like to accept
them now, but am forced to by expert
ence.
Have you ever known the yellow flageo-
let to fail in wrecking play' Now, you
laugh at that. think that, as a rule, there
is no harm in a yellow 1agcolet in itself,
but there is peculiar fatality in the cir
cumstances that bring it into n theater or
chestra at dress rehearsal or on an open
ing night. There was yellow flageolet
in the orchestra today, and that is why ]
say that the piece is doomed. Yes, that's
right; laugh IL you will, but my experience
is long one, and think am sane man.
Any old manager in this country will tell
you that a yellow flagcolet is sure to wreck
any company. Circus men won't have them
in their bands. could tell you many in
cidents to illustrate what l say. Perhaps
you remember that when The Junior Part
ner' was put on, every one said it was 60
ing to be big success. Everything point
ed that way, but it opened with yellow
fageolet in the orchestra, and then Mrs.
Mckee Rankin's troubles began. That is
a fact / have known stage managers, and
sensible men, too, who would refuse TO ring
up the curtain until the yellow fageolet
was driven out of the orchestra"
THAT is just as absurd" said the light
comedy man, "as the cheese that the Ital
ian ballet girls in the Crystal Slipper kept
in their dressing rooms. know the effect
of that mascot, for was in the company
Every time l went on the stage or near the
dressing rooms thought of Hunters Point
and the Gashouse district. Couldn't per-
suade those girls to throw away this cheese
They believed that as long as they kept it
they would be sure Of an engagement. The
cheese had been given to them in Italy to
rotect them from harm. Each girl had
small piece of it-loud cheese it was, too
rolled up in paper in her trunk. To be sure
of protection they took it to their dressing
rooms Eddie Foy nearly choked because
of the smell of that cheese. Eddie never
did like comic opera, and that cheese set
tied him. 4 could only show them what
could do in Days company he would say,
and escape from this horrible italian
cheese. Pm too delicate for this work any
way. Just wait until get into the "legit"
and wear swallow tails and smoke ciga-
rettes on the stage and pull my cuffs
Now, colonel speaking about the hoodoos,
that is my experience with a mascot"
For some reason, said the leading man,
factors are naturally superstitious. Per-
haps it is because their life is one of many
ventures, and sometimes tho most insig
nificant thing may lead to failure or sue
cess. Probably a good deal of the super
stition is assumed Most people have a
dash of that in them, whether they will adj
nit 1t or not. Do you remember when
, Rose Coghl8n made her hit at Wallack's in
Diplomacy as the Countess Zicka? As
you remember, the plot of this play hangs
on the perfume that tho countess uses-
Rose Coghlan used certain perfume on
that night, and she madoa big hit. have
} heard that she always uses this perfume
now, no matter what the play may be. o.
course it is only woman's fancy, and ye
have heard that Miss Coghlan woulC
rather lose her wardrobe than her per
fnme. Patti also has similar fad. Wher
rho hidNic hci htHp tlttO NV rho Nptc
pair of shoes Of peculiar pattern. Patt
wears in her concerts now shoes made OIL
this identical last and of the same pattern
She believes they bring her luck, and ap
l. parently they hnvo done So Yes,r stag
folk are a bit superstitious You probabl
have all peen would DO funny men throw
of the stage at rehearsal for quoting som
& OF tue hoodoo passages in Macbeth
Where Is very little or no connection,
said the colonel, between these little foi
/ bles and splrltualism, but the conversation
suggests It, You would all probably b
} surprised to know the number Of wei
known actors who believe in spiritualism
II Billy Florsnce was spiritunlist, althoug
IL few people knew 1t, / knew him as int
(, mately as any one, and he has often talke
about his belief to me- BARLEY Campbe
Is was another, and 20 is McVicker of Oh
>. cago, Ada lnaaea Men5en is now simply
name to yen youngsters. She was a clev,
l. woman, as we'll as u very beautiful womal
# The elder Dumas and many other men
lettera were among her friends. She wro
two volumes OF verse. which, she claim
Ia were inspired by the spirits. These vers
consisted of musical lines of varying lengt
and they attracted some attention. I'm m
a spiritualist, but ! am firm believer
81 hoodoos and occasionally in maseots. Let
- have nigAtcap New York Sun.
ell ---------------
sii A Well Balanced Head.
Jacob Myers delights in scaling dir
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