The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-09
Woe to the Play Whose First Night
Sees q Yellow Flagsolst In
the Orchestra.
The Harmless Instrument Seems
to Exercise a Very Peculiar
Fatality.
II Isn't Wanted In y Thsatsr Orchsstrs, At
Dress Rehearsal or ~ Iaisinl
Perform Ances.

''That play can never succeed SAID mn
old time manager in an up town cafe sew
eral nights ago. ut Is a pity, too, for lisa
good play and a good company. ! wish
that l had not seen the dress rehearsal"
You're getting old, colonel, and you
only see success in the past" said il leading
man:
the manager. II know a good thing when
/ see 1t. and this play is o good thing, but
it began with a hoodoo, q 1t will surely
fail"
''Hoodoos are tommyrot! There is no
such thing as q h0odoo that can harm any
play"
Around the table were half adozen 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 t. play gather
ing Of actors.
Nov, colonel, !" said the leading man when
the glasses had been filled, you were talk
ing about hoodoos on the stage. / don't
believe in them. When a play is a failure,
it is easy to explain it by saying it had a
hOodoO."
"Well,' said the colonel, factors the
world over are a superstitious lot. Even
Henry Irving brought his horseshoe to this
country when he first came here. didn't
believe in hoodoos and that sort Of thing
when / was young. don't like to accept
them now, but l am forced to by expert
ence.
Have you ever known the yellow flageo-
let to fail in wrecking a play9 Now, you
laugh Mt that. l think that, as q rule, there
is no harm in a yellow flageolet in itself,
but there is a peculiar fatality in the cir
cumstances that bring it into a theater Or
chestra at a dress rehearsal or on an open
ing night. There was a yellow fiageolet
in the orchestra today, and that is why l
say that the piece is doomed. Yes, that's
right; laugh if you will, but my experience
is a long one, and l think / am q sane man.
Amy old manager in this country will tell
you that a yellow fiageolet is sure to wreck
any company. Circus men won't have them
in their bands. could tell you many in
cidents to illustrate what I say. Perhaps
you remember that when The Junior Part
ner' was put Oh, every one said it was 60
ing to be a big success. Everything point
ed that way, but it opened with a yellow
flageolet in the orchestra, and then Mrs.
Mckee Rankin's troubles began. That is
. fact. l 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 ths cheese that the Ital-
ian ballet girls in the Crystal Slipper kept
in their dressing roouas. l know the effect
of that mascot, for I was in the company.
Every time / went on the stage or near the
dressing rooms l 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 a
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 thisw work any
way. Just wait until l 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 supcrstitious. Per
haps it is because their life is one of many
ventures and sometimes the most insig-
niGcant 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 ad.
nit it or not. Do you remember when
Rose Coghlan 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 the countess uses
Rose COglilan used a certain perfume Oh
that night, and she madea big hit. l have
heard that she always uses this perfume
now, no matter what the play may be. d
course it is only 4 woman's fancy, and yet
l have heard that Miss Coghlan would
rather lose her wardrobe Than her per
fumc. Patti also has q similar fad. Wher
she made her first great hit, she wore {
pair OF shoes of peculiar pattern. Patti
wears in her concerts now shoes made or
this identical last and of the same pattern
She believes they bring her luck, and ap
parently they have done SO. Yes, stag
folk are a bit superstitious. You probably
have all seen would be funny men thrown
off the stage at rehearsal for quoting som'
of the hoodoo passages in Macbeth"
"rhere is very little or no connection
said the colonel, between these little fol
bles and s%piritualism, but the conversation
J suggests It. You would all probably b
surprised to know the number of wei
known actors who believe in s%piritualism
Billy Florence was a s%piritualist, although
few people knew it. l knew him as init
mately as any one, and he has often talke'
about his belief to me-. BARLEY Campbell
was another, and so is McVicker of Chi
cago. Ada Isaacs Menken Is now simply
name to you youngsters. She was a clcve
woman, as well us a very beautiful woman
The elder Dumas and many othcr.men c
letters were among her friends. She wrot
two volumes of verse, which, she claims
we're inspired by the spirits. These verse
consisted of musical lines of varying length
and they attracted some attention. Pm no
n sniritualist. but | am a firm believer j