The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-09-04
THEATER DOORKEEPERS.
Petted Misanthropy at the Stage Entrance
and Pestered Urbanity In Front.

Petted Misanthropy at the Stage Entrance
and Pestered Urbanity In Front.
There are theater doorkeepers and
theater doorkeepers, and the para
dox which is remarked among them
is this-that whereas the stage door
keeper, who is the continuous recip-
lent of smiles and gratuities, who is
eheerfully saluted and whose health
is cordially inquired after by the di-
whites of the stage and their satel-
lites, is usually a crusty and dlsa-
greeable individual, the front door
keeper, who stands as a bulwark
against intruders and is harassed
and perplexed by their importuni-
ties, is usually a cheerful and afa-
BILE parsonage and may be seen,
when off duty, mingling in the
friendly bowl Or participating in the
wassail cup.
1t is a tradition in nearly all thea
tors that the stage doorkeeper should
be a man who at some time Or other
has had some direct connection with
o playhouse. He is usually an actor
who has either voluntarily with
drawn from the stage or reluctantly
retired from it by reason OF the fail
ure of those who witnessed his per-
formances to appreciate thom at his
own high valuation. He is usually
a disappointed individual who lives
in the congenial atmosphere of the
past and regards all newcomers as
Objectionable upstarts to be toler-
ated If need be, but under no cir
cumstances to be encouraged i'll the
belief that they T fit to rank with
his own peers and contemporaries.
The ravishing smiles Of the leading
lady or the hearty s%alutations of the
leading man are lost upon the stage
doorkeeper.
Notwithstanding the fact that be
has very few titles to popularity, be
enjoys a certain distinction among
writer's of sentimental songs, by
whom he is represented as a person,
age of much benevolence and philos-
ophy, with q heart as big as a Wa
terbury clock and q purse which is
always open to the needy and undo.
serving.
The front doorkeeper, on the other
! hand, Is o man usually drawn from
7 the walks of commercial life anG
having no sympathy or connection
with the stage Or its people. He is
selected on account of his urbanity
and forbearance, and there are scores
of applicants, as he knows, for any
vacancy which may occur in his
place. 1t Is for this easo that he
Is careful to give as little offense as
possible to the patrons of the thea.
ter. The pay visitors give him very
much less trouble than the persist
emit seekers after deadhead tickets
who, until worsted by a vigilant ant
courageous opponent at the theatel
gate, swarm over the lobby and re
turn repeatedly to the attack. The
front doorkeeper in q theater enjoys
no celebrity among prose Or Lyric
writer's. He is not the subject of pa
thetio recitations, and he is not point.
cd out as one of the %ouriosities Of
the city. Quite the contrary, no is
generally regarded as o necessary
evil, and the less said in his defense
the better it is usually considered.
With the practical abandonment
of resident stock companies at the
leading theaters up town, the prom,
inence of the stage doorkeeper has
to some extent been eclipsed, for he
can no longer tell with much guste
and many monotonous details how
the leading members of a company,
such as Mr.. Wallack's, for instance,
would not appear on the stage OK.
eept after the formality of inquirins
how his wealth was, and how, il
the event of his absence, the curtain
could not DO raised unless he had
conveyed his consent to permit such
q seeming denial of the necessity OF
his presence. Now York Sun.