The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-06
News of the Green
Room and Foyer.
Some of the More Important
Doings of These. Our Actors.


D'Grady:"
4 was a jolly sailor and fell into the sea,
And when reached the bottom. the ship
far away;
lost my nerve completely, and, begob, I'd
not be here
II decent little fairy hadn't whispered in
my ear.
CHORUS
Swim out, o'Grady, you have no time to
spare,
You're stranded on the billow. twenty
miles from anywhere
II you don't mind your business there will
be one vacant chair.
So swim out, OGrady, swim out.
met II whale out walking. and he was fat
and full of fun,
And the two of us got talking about the
yarn that Jonah spun.
He said he'd never heard it, 50 told II TO
him then.
He smiled, and said politely, as he winked
his other fin
Oh swim out, o'Grady! you take me for a
fiat?
I've got great big swallow. but couldn't
swallow that
Believe me, Mr.. Jonah, was conversing
thro' his hat.
So swim out, O'Grady, swim out
There is a general feeling among
theatrical people that the Casino posing
of nude women clad in smiles and
bronze powder marked the elimination
of the anatomical entertainment: and
that from this time forward, for at
least a year or two, there will be a
gradual reaction in favor of those types
of public entertainment in which brains
are exhibited as well as the human
body. Sensible persons agree with
William f. Crane that the living pic
ture' fad has gone far enough. Apropos.
Mr.. Crane says The most encourage
ing thing about all the dirt that is
reaching the stage is that none of it is
of native origin. Most of it Is coming
TO us from England Our own dram
atists are showing no disposition to
initiate what the Englishmen are writ
Ing. When what was called the adul-
ferrous drama, that was translated from
the French, first became popular In
New York, there was u great outcry
against 1t, but | do not remember any
thing in the plays of that time that
compared with the nastiness in speech
that We hear now on the stage In
these plays that are supposed to be
popular the men and women listen to
speeches which If a man made them to
a woman in her own house she would
very promptly call servant and have
him shown out. In all my experience
OF the stage | have never known the
taste for such nastiness to last as long
as II has this time. and it seems to me
there is no way out of the situation ex-
cept through cooperation on the part
of the actors, and steadfast refusal
on their parts to speak such lines or
play in pieces of such immoral tenden-
cies as most of the plays popular for
the past season or two"
Again, Mr., Crane observes: II am
pretty certain that a determined oppo-
sition to enacting unworthy roles and
speaking impure lines would be very
generously supported in the profession.
1t ought to come from the actors, be-
cause they are the ones that suffer
most. The profession has advanced so
favorably in public opinion and an
actor has become so thoroughly what
he makes himself that the players can
rebel against the degradation which the
character of these modern plays bring
upon them. In the mind of the greater
public the actor is likely to be associat-
ed with what he plays, and of the num-
Der Of people that see a play there Is
probably only a smail proportion that
separates, in its estimate of what it
has seen, the actor and the part he is
playing For that season, when actors
appear in the plays that are disgracing
the stage today they are dragged down
and degrade their own profession. A
legitimate result of this condition OF
things in the drama can be seen at the
music halls, in one of which manager
Is endeavoring to attract the public by
the announcement that he will display
woman nude. This depth Of degrada-
ton has never been reached in the
whole history of amusements before.
The decency Of the theater has never
been so insulted in this country as far
as ! can remember The actor Is the
one to put stop to such condition of
affairs by refusing to appear in the
class of plays which have led up to
such a state of things. If an author
brought to me the best-written, the fun
niest and altogether finest comedy that
I ever saw, and it was tainted with the
indecency that is rampant on the stage
today, | would refuse to act in 1t from
the sense of respect which feel for my
own calling, even if my inclination
tempted me to play the piece" "Sena-
tor" Crane can count on carrying the
country on this issue.
Here is a clever bit of repartee cred
tied to the much-in-evidence Oscar
Wilde. Some would-be dramatist COM
planned to Wilde that his new play
was not noticed by the critics. "There
is a conspiracy of silence against my
play" he muttered. What would you
do about it If you were in my placer"
oscar reflected for a moment, and then
replied, "Join It."
And here is another story, the au-
thenticity of which cannot be vouched
for. 1t concerns an actress who got an
engagement upon the accuracy Of an
accent. 1t was an important part Of a
Russian adventuress-the sabled, be-
diamondeG. poison-bearing adventur-
ess who speaks pure Siberian Russian
mixed with Partisan French. and
qyenpes a n through the nlay II WAS a.
matinee. at the Globe theater, London,
and the piece was called 1.-The Monks
Reason" T.. s. Willard played the
leading role, but adventuresses were
scarce just then on the London stage.
Marion Lea. the American actress. now
with the Kendals, was then at Brigh-
ton. She heard Of the need of the man.
agement and fastened to the manager.
She began to act at the moment she en-
tered his Office. II hear Eat you wish
a actress to play a Russian character.
iz zat sO?" she queried. The managers