The sun., 1894-01-21
PASSING OF THE PROMPTER.
HE wow APPEARS PROFEssToNsBLT
nv BUr raw THEkTRES.

| sIrrsr f.eptatrs Mu-tsni Heas md Legs
He-pop-ibiiity OF tie Prorrater tor Mans
Players STAGE Ni-hap--EiwiD Booh'-
srs sniyin'- Experiences vita Hts
Hit had not been for the fact that the rro-
! fsssional prompter has practically ceased 10
be aa essential otthe American stage. Maurlce
Barrymore might have avoided tie embar-
easements which he suffered by dropping
his l!aes during the lrs. nights OF the produc.
tion Of Oscar Wildes play. "A Woman Of NO
Importance" lie became afiic.ed with what
Joe Jefferson calls stage nightmare" ard
the pecuiarities OF the situation forbade him
to invent dialogue. skip the book or resort %
any OF the stage tricks which have served
clever actors in good stead. lie was COM
pletely stumped. and il was painful TO witness
the manner In which he dragged through. The
Circumstance was. however. not discreditaLle
to Mt. barrymore ot his genius. as he was. as
the saying goes. dead letter perfect" in the
part before the opening performance Man
ager John 7. Sullivan held the book and
prompted from the wings as the prompt box
has disappeared with the prompters
Mr. Barrymore explained his predica ent
afterward TO a party Of friends. His break oc-
CURED in the drawing-room scene. At the left
OF the stage there was one OF those plush Gov
cred tete-a-tetes fashioned like the letter X
During the rehearsals this ttte a. tete was al
ways placed in n certain position. and on the
first night when barrymore made his en-
tree the stage manager had Just reversed its
position. so that instead OF being placed lik .
this -, 1t was like this -. This dis
concerted the actor FOR the moment and he lost
his cue To make matters worse. Prompter
Sullivan had left the stage for the m ome ent and
the actor was stumpe1 completely. The next
minute Sullivan was back at his post and
fairly Kissed the lines. but it was some time
before Barry moro could resume his part
At the gamboi" OF the Lambs Club last
Sunday night. this experience was one OF the
principal subjects for merriment Augustus
Thomas produced satire called "A Woman Of
no Department" and appeared In the prin.
cipal role himself Barrymore laughed as
heartily as the others when Thomas dropped
his lines and made other breaks
1t Just such incidents as that OF Barry
morc's which have been responsible for one OF
the worst difficulties thai can berall an actor.
The same thing has occurred times without
number to the best OF stars. even when the
PROMPT box was an established institution
Although the green painted hood which con-
cealed the prompter from the audience
has disappeared almost entirely with
that parsonage himself from tho stage.
1t is still considered Indispensable IN Europe
and every theatre there has its promp pter and
France sO"Wbf. Most OF the European artists
both operate and dramatic. require the ser.
Nc"s O. the prompter continually. They are
hrouHnt up in their profession with the
prompter always at their elbows and devote
more study to stage business than to coming
the!r lines Then. TOO. there are SO many
changes OF the repertOries in the European
theatres that the artists have no time for lorg
rehehr-HlS. Prompting is as much u profess
SION over the water as the stage itself and so
much are the nrornpter'- services considered
that he ls depended on to ring II p the curtain.
Signor Tommasn Salvini tho fam ous Italian
traEedian. had his own personal pronpter,
Tho; OF course sroEe n Italian, and he trav-
man who WAS :or u !plE time Connected with
hls company cannot remem Dor that the great
ways had the man with the book ready in
case he should require IL. An amusing Incl
uent occurred on ono occasion when SalyiDi
was nlayiG. h,Dg L"1r. IIo used two prompt
ers whenever this play was produced but il 80
haHpehed on this particular evening that
Io.Nille. his leading man. forgot tho words OF
an entire scene. lie was sure tha, lie could