The Washington times., 1894-07-01
1t Plays an Important Part in Many
Dramas.
OF COURSE IT is NOT REAL
Some Companies Employ y Specially Pre-
pared Sort Of 1anknotes- others Depend
Upon Advertising Money-A Story Told
by Actor Henry Irving.


played in the average drama. The rich man
was always producing his thousand-dollar
bills, and the villain was always tempting
some poor weakling with his display OF filthy
lucre. Seen from over the footlights. the
stuff that was banded about so freely and SO
unlike the way currency is handled in real
life looked genuine enough. and l used to
wonder, as suppose many another person
has wondered before and since, whether the
mock business of the stage was carried on by
means OF actual money.
Sometimes fancied that before the curtain
was rung up the actors who would be obliged
to use banknotes during the play went out to
the box Office and made II requisition on the
cashier for the amount that would be re-
quired. promising faithfully to return it after
the show was over, but even when was very
young l could not quite make up my mind
that such was the case; for, 1 reasoned, the
person who borrowed the money would be
obliged in the course o the acting to give 1t
to some one else. and that some one else
might not be quite honest and might never
see that it found its way back to its real
owner
Then, as 1 became better acquainted with
LUt uttuOuS Ot DtOitcoiOu, pONaA.S
very sure that wherever else the money came
from, it was never intrusted 10 the actors by
the managers, for in dealings between play
ers and managers the latter see to ii that Just
as little cash rs possible passes from them to
their employees. For Il while held the the
orv that possibly the actors put up the really
money themselves. but that solution also be-
came untenable. and then / didn't know what
next to think about the matter. so gave ii up
SayernI / fpunt ont
that the money of the stage. Ike many other
things that one sees on the boards. was de-
lusion; like stage mountains and stage rivers,
it vas made for show. but not for use.
The necessity for having plenty OF stage
money OH hand among the properties OF 4
theater may be made little palmer by n
statement of the amount of it that is used. 1t
was estimated that on one night last Win
ter in the two cities Of Sew York and Brook
lyn not less than 81 ,2:6, 900 in this bogus cur
rency was passed from hand to hand. Evi-
IDENTIFY then the theatrical banker must
ALWAYS have large reserve fund and be
ready to produce fortune on demand ~ any
moment. .H
In some theaters of the better sort bills es-
peciaily prepared for the purpose are kept in
stock They are backed with muslin aud
printed in green or other colors. according to
the denominations they are supposed to rep
resent. OF course. stage money is not enough
like the real thing TO he used for counterfeit
ing purposes and don't think that the OIL
GERS of the secret service have ever found it
necessary to make any seizures or coniisca-
tons of II.
Many of the travelling theatrical companies
do not buy regular stage money, but depend
upon what is called advertising money to
supply their needs. Perhaps you have seen
the material that refer to. II is often issued
by business houses. and the wording OF il is
such as to call attention TO the merits OF the
goods sold by those who have il circulated.
Checks drawn in the same form and notes aud
promises TO pay. all of equal worthessness,
are also sought after by transformers. and
when troupe that is going TO play Il GRIM
melodrama at popular prices" gets
hold of an assortment OF this kind OF money
they have no further occasion TO worry about
their mimic finances.
So much FOR the paper money. Sometimes
il is necessary 10 use what seems TO be gold
or silver When it is silver that is TO be ren-
resented pieces of tin are employed, and If
gold com is called for. brass seryes the hgr.
pose just as well as the real article. In one
Of his lectures Henry Irving tells q story
about an experience that he had. when rs q
very young man he was employed in the COM
pany that was supporting that great actress.
Charlotte Cushman. i'll the character of Meg
Merriles. 1t was Iryings business to give
Meg gratuity.
In those days. Mr.. Irving says. it was the
custom of actors TO I'LL purses with pieces Of
broken china. in order that when they We're
ratified about or fell upon the stage they would
make great noise and the impression would
be produced that they contained great deal
Of money. So when Irving gave Met, the gift
he handed her Il bag loaded with prodigious
amount of crocke-y. and when Meg cast it
scorn:ully from her the result was. to say the
least. n suiliciency OF noise. After the play
was over Miss Crshman called irving usiie
and gave him u bit of kindly advice. which
be confesses that he never forgot. She said:
Mr.. Irving. don't you think it will be more
natural II. instead OF giving Meg Merriles
iull purse, you should take out u few pieces
Of coin and hand them to her Us though You
were giving TO a beggar?'
One night last Winter saw Mr. irving n nj
Ellen Terry play The Merchant of Venice
rs their farewell performance in. New York.
In the trial scene. where Portia offers Shylock
hrce his bond. she holds out TO him purse
hat is supposed to be flied with golden
iucats. Mr.. Irving. a. Shylock. Introduces a
very effective piece OF stage business at this
point. He draws IRON the folds Of his gar
nent the knife with which he expects 20 cut
he pound of flesh from Antonio's breast. and
With it taps the bag OF ducats. while he de-
lines TO accept them in settlement of the
ieUt. AS tne kilie pi;iie pays upon tie
purse n sound is made ,hat leads one to he
ieve that perhaps Mr.. Irving. for the purpose
If this act has gone back to the custom of
nbstituting broken china for pieces o; gold
But false money is not the only thing upon
he stage that is not what it p-etends 10 be-
several years ago an account was published
n many newspapers Of an eccentric rich
nan who died and left n fund for the pur-
hase of real wine to be drunk by actors and
at,..%v h.,
ion of drinking scenes. | do not know what
'ecame OF this old bequest. but have yet to
meet the player who has reaped any benefit
rom it. So far as / am aware. there are very
ew stage people who have real wine TO drink |
uring their performances, and | am sure |
hat great many poor fellows are obliged to |
make rs good faces as they can while imbib- |
ng nothing more or less than sweetened |
7ater or weak tea when the audience before |
hem perhaps believes that they are relishing |
he taste of some good old wine. ripcned with !
ears of waiting in the darkness OF some |
ody's cellar.
When it is desiIe ed to convey the impression |
hat champagne is being opened. very often a |
ottle is filled with ginger ale and in the bot |
om of 1t is put something that will make it |
purt and effervesce when it is shaken up. |
nd that is about rs near to champagne as |
lany an actor ever comes. You have all seen |
hu iCcoSliZ ttiuitiOhdi ottt,c tIiNAth.
he unreaity of which even the strongest
)otligh.s are insufficient to transform into
ne likeness of the real bird.
There was an actor once, however, who
ad fancy for having things on the stage
ist what they were represented to be, and
nat acter was Barney Williams. When he
ad roast chicken In one of his plays 1t was
real chicken and no mistake. In one of his
rish comedies there was scene in which he
rewed punch and gave it to company of
-ish peasants. and every night as long as
lat play was presented he used to take some
BAL whisky and make q real punch in full
lew OF the audience. and the fellows whose
usiness 1t was to drink the punch were unan-
nous in their verdict that there was no
sitter mixer of drinks in the United States
ian Mr.. Williams One night in Pittsburg
'me OF them carried their appreciation so
I that the next morning their heads were
se-wosse-ses-sssa<v-h hnt -klsaf nasl 4
le only occasion on which they abused their
rivilege
At the beginning Of this article told you
lat real money was not used on the stage.
+. Williams made an exception to this fule,
10. He and his wife used TO play together.