The Somerset reporter., 1895-11-28
SOME STAGE STORIES.
FUNNY EXPERIENCES OF FAMOUS AC-
TORS ANO ACTRESSES.

Compliments Paid to Performers of Tn.
popular Parts by Persons In the Audi.
ence-Several Interesting Incidents Re.
lated by London Newspaper
Playgoers Of today do not appear tc
fall so easily under the influence of the
power of the performer or the vividness
| of striking situation as in times gone
| by. They do not SO quickly lose their
own identity, so to speak, and become
so absorbed in the drama as to be car
RED away with the interest of the plot
| to such an extent that they feel them
selves not merely spectators. but partici-
pants in a real and tangible incident
| But when plays deal more with homely
and natural stories and less with the
fantastic and woman with a past
class of drama folks appear TO have been
more emotional and enthusiastic They
forgot the mimic side Of the picture
and only saw before them life in minia-
ture, as they understood it. They had
the human note very finely tuned and
developed.
L VI tAdlllits WIFI lItN NtIt play
ing the almost immortal "Groen Bush
es'' at the Adelphi during one of its
many reyivals, Nine. Celeste, in the
character of Miami, the Indian, had to
shoot her English husband, by whom
she had been deserted, and, after firing
the pistol, woman started up III the
pit and exclaimed in loud voice,
"Served him right; it's just like my
monster' This explosion of insulted
womanhood, produced by the cunning
of the scene and Nine. Celeste's pow
erful acting, was naturally followed by
a burst of laughter from all parts of
the house.
1t is certain that art frequently pos
sesses more sway over our feelings than
nature herself. 1t was at the Olympic
theater in the autumn of 1874, when
the 1.-Two Orphans" was being acted.
that a young lady sitting in the stalls
hurled her opera glasses, with the ex-
clamation, "You beast" at Mrs. Hunt
ley Ola Frochard) who was i'll treating
Mr. Henry Neville, the crippled Pierre,
in the garrett scene. 1t was certainly IA
high compliment to that actress power
though it was a dangerous way of send
ing a testimonial.
But it was critic who uprose, on
the first night of the late Charles
Reade's drama, ITS Never Too Late to
Mend, at the Princess theater, i'll
1868, under the management of George
Vining, and yehemently protested
against the tiogging business i'll the Jail
scene, as being inhuman and untrue to
life. However, it was true to life, and
the discussion that ensued in the papers
tended to crowd the theater nightly for
many months But audiences did not
always take things too seriously and
We're in the habit Of expressing them
selves very candidly when occasion
arose
Even the great Grimaldi could not
invariably rely upon success for his old
vile yes He WAS once Kissed at Sadler' S
Wells theater after singing his celebrat
ed comic song twhat dull piece it was
to read, by the way y "TippityWichet, ;"
and be appealed to the audience. He
had nodded, he said, Crowned,
sneezed, choked, gasped, cried, grinned,
grimaced, hiccoughed-he had done all
that could be done by brow, chin,
cheeks, eyes, nose and mouth-and what
more did they WANT "Why we
want, " yawned languid voice from
the pit, "wo want "a uew feature ~
Sometimes it is the manager who
gives vent to his feelings when sitting
in front, as was the case with Henry
Harris, for many years manager Of
Covent Garden theater III the early part
of the century. He was watching the
performance from the stage box Of an
actor of the name of Faulkner, who had
recently arrived from the provinces and
was making his appearance on the met
ropolitan boards as Octavia in 1.-THE
Mountaineers. " Faulkner was not quite
up to the mark, and when he exclaimed
il u deep, cultural tone ooh, where is
my honor?" Harris exclaimed, 81 wish
your honor was back at Newcastle
again, with all my heart!'
Macready, Of whom many stories
We're told, says in his memoirs - q
remember On one occasion acting III
Venice Preserved A long and rather
drowsy dying speech of my poor friend,
Jatfier, was dragging Its slow length
| along, when some one in the gallery,
i'll a tone Of great impotence, called
ont very loudly, All, now die at once
when voice from the other side imme
diately replied, Be quiet, you black
guard, and then turning with patron
izing tone to the lingering Jaffier, Just
take your time, Will you" "
As an example Of how easily the most
| acute persons may lose themselves to
some extent in the mimic action of the
stage, we may recall the story of an
eminent special pleader who was wit
Messing performance of Macbeth = In
the scene where the Thane of Cawdor,
questioning the witches i'll the cavern,
says, What is't you do?" the answer
is, "A deed without name " This
phrase struck the ears Of the pleader at
once, and he cried out excitedly: "A
deed without name? Why, It's void. -
London Globe.
wouldn't Want Her PreaencR