Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-09-10
AN ACTORS MATINEE.
GENERALLY THE SPECTATORS TEAR
THEIR HOST TO PIECES.


Actors Are the uarshest Sort Of Critics Of
Members Of Their own rrofcssion-rhe
Have Bocns and Those who win Be
smiio at the Efforts OF tho star.
Tho soubrctto came clinging to the
arm Of the villain She was glorious in
yellow silk waist and he was glorious
in a high hat and patent leather shoes.
Thus armed they felt quito suro Of con-
quering tho world, which means that
they expected to "star" together some
day.
Nine ont of ten persons in every audi
onco which consists entirely Of players
have like expectations and right hcre
lies the structural weakness Of the act
ors' matinee Your future star begins
criticising the performance Gs soon as
the curtain is lifted fof the first act in
every movement Of tho star, in every
word spoken by the star, he sees how
much better he could have dono the
part IL ho had had the chance. As It is
not half satisfying to have half Of the
house Whispering when one is IN the
midst Of his loftiest flight in the third
act, the stars FIRST actors matinee is
usually his last.
"There are three reasons bor giving a
professional matinee, " said an old man
agcr "Tirst, for tho self qualification
OF tho actor, who wants his colleagues
to know what fine work ho is doing;
second, out Of courtesy to the profession,
and third, to get little advertising.
The second is the most common. The
manager Of every production which has
a long run gets many requests from act
ors who say they want very much to 500
it, but can't, because they're engaged.
"The first thing manager does when
he determines upon a professional matt
nee is to ask the different managers Of
attractions playing in town how many
seats they can use. Usually every per-
son in every company wants two or
three seats. Their extra seats are goner-
ally occupied by some stanch admirer
| Of theirs who will believe that every
criticism thoy utter upon the perform
ance is true. This person is called the
sympathetic ear.
"Ticl1et sellers complain about fin
icky people, who always insist upon
such and such seat But an actor,
when the seats are given to him. viii
come and raise a terrible hullabaloo un-
less they are in q certain, exact spot in
the house. I've even known a manager
to send back dozen seats because he
couldn't get them six instead of twelve
rows back. There's line Of would be
actors waiting outside your door all day
long, who want anywhere from one to
twenty seats apiece, and you don't get
a moments peace until the things over.
You don't get much peace even then. "
After all of their trouble to get seats
TO please them, many of tho actors who
have engaged seats do not como. If
they are merely enemies of tho actor
Who gives tho matinee they present the
tickets TO a boarding house keeper; II
they hold an actual grudge, they give
them to a bootblack. Consequently the
we'll dressed leading maui doesn't always
find the persons at his elbows exactly
tho sort Of company he would choose.
The most important figure at the pro
fessional matinee is by all odds the mid
die aged lady who is a relative Of q
soubrette. The moro distant the relation
the moro important she is. If she is an
eighth cousin she expects the great doors
to swing open when sho is within q
block of the theater, and eight usher'
come out to meet her. She is fat and
comfortable looking, and che alwayl
has temper.
The old time actor, who has barr
stornsd it in tho legitimate as long a
he could, comes to SEQ how low th'
stage has fallen. Maybe one Of these fa
and comfortable boarding house keeper
is his sympathetic car. Hotels her tina
things were far different when he an'
Booth wero starring it; these younI
actors don't know much, aud the stag
has gono TO the bowwows.
Between the acts the corridors swarm
Acquaintances meet, and then they be
gin to talk ia this way:
"How did it happen?"
"Don't ask me, dear boy. Bullhea
,, luokW
! "And, do you know, he really think
. he can act. F"
Eyes suppose that no thought h
was going to astonish the natives, Cad
Did you notice that entranceY"
Horrible. Conception is all wrong
Now, II ~
"And II ~
But they break right there-each bs
ing Immediately convinced that Oh
other docs not know anything about il
But thore are exceptions They an
usually the most prominent actor
Sometimes the hand Of the star
grasped warmly between the acts, an
ho feols the thrill Of triumph with I'll
! ! words: Its immense, old man. 70
arc a revelation.
The reporter had on his right side th
y soubrette and the villain, and ON hi
: left very nice old lady with whit
y curls, who had come with her son. III
Il young man was yery critical He pickle
= out flaw after flaw, and regaled b
mother with them. The old lady WI
y an actress hersclf--a very good actres
apparently And finally she said 20 th
y bov in a QentlO aside: