The record-union., 1897-12-25


then, and his voice wouldn't have been
very suitable tc pulpit utterances.
THAT won't do, he said, you are
supposed to be a Swede girl. A Swede
never says got, she says 'gat. Go
back, please, and try it again.
The girl made the entrance again
and repeated the line this time to the
satisfaction of both the stage man
much before Mr.. Rankin stopped her.
ITO whom are you speaking?" he
asked
ITO the professor was the reply.
Exactly" rejoined the autocrat of
the production, land since he is on the
stage kindly refrain from looking into
the auditorium when addressing re-
marks to him" Then, in a louder
tone, he said: Ladies and gentlemen.
At this all the members Of the COM
pany came quickly to the various en-
frances. This applies to everybody.
wish you to distincly understand that
SO far as this organization is concern
ed talking at the audience will not be
tolerated. 1t is altogether too COM
mon nowadays. SO far as the actor is
concerted, the audience should not ex-
ist That's ALL
At this, the actors not engaged in
the scene disappeared and the rehear-
sal was resumed. In few minutes
there came an abrupt halt, and imn1e-
diately Mr. Rankin roared: Mrs.
Goodlyi Mrs. Goodly! You've missed
that cue again." and then, as the i'm
personator of Mrs. Goodly appeared at
the entrance in a state Of evident per-
turbation he continued: Now, ladies'!
ladies."-this with that rising inf1ec-
ton which conveys so much-"if you
will cease chattering and attend to
business, you will oblige me greatly.
l am here to conduct a rehearsal-not
a school for conversation. Let US go
back to Mrs. Goodly's entrance, please.
The next scene was a buStling one.
1t was all action and pantomime, and
had to be timed to nicely. One OF
the company did not seem to grasp Mr..
Rankin's idea, and that gentleman
played the part while the actor watch
ed him from the front. Even then he
could rot do it to the stage managers
satisfaction, and finally he said: But
don't you think if l went down stage
here, then crossed to the left and shook
hands with Marjorie, everything would
be satisfactory"
YES" replied Mr.. Rankin; that's
pretty good business. When you pro-
duce a play, put it in"
As the rehearsal proceeded it became
evident that Mr., Broadhurst was a
stickler for correct pronunciation, in
which respect he seemed to differ from
the members of the company. The
ssr,ts in h.
solutely" and presume" proved a
stumbling block, but the pronunciation
of really" caused the most trouble.
One actor insisted on pronouncing it
''reely," and another showed a wonder
full fordness for it in the form of rare
ly," but after many trials and strug-
giles matters were finally adjusted.
Scenes such as the above would prove
conclusively to any stage-struck indi-
vidual that life behind the footlights is
not what the general public imagines it
to be. What Happened to Jones' is
comedy. the easiest sort of play
to rehearse, and yet to prepare it for a
proper presentation four weeks Of hard
and constant rehearSals were necessary.
Belasco occupied eight weeks in re-
hearsing THE Heart of Maryland" and
other pieces have required as much
{ time. and for it the actors receive no
recompense whatever. No drudgery is
/ quite equal to such work when the
/ freshness has worn off the lines and
/ the situations have lost their novelty.
/ "Ole Oleson" will be played at the
Metropolitan Theater New Years af-
/ ternoon and evening. 1t is a rafting
comedy with strains of pathos vibrat-
/ ing between wit and mirth. II Is Of the
! higher order of dialect drama, and rises
superior to very many. The play has
been many years on the stage and
proved a money maker. which is test
/ of the estimate in which it is held by
/ the theater- going public.
! The clever character actor, Ben Hen
dricks, is again "Ole," and Miss ST
| George Hussey is Mrs. O'Flannigan, -
two exceptionally talented people. The
balance of the cast is one of equal
ability With so important a feature
/ as the great bicycle contest. introduc-
/ ing that endurance rider, John Law
son, better known as The Terrible
Swede" "Ole Oleson" will probably
pack the house.
Nine. Wagner has just settled the
outlines of the arrangements for the
various Bayreuth festivals down to the
end CT 1901. She has resolved to hold
no festival next summer. but q series
of Wagner performances on the Bay
reuJh model will in all probability be
/ given in London. Bayreuth represen-
tations Will also be suspended in 1900
so that the Wagner festival to be or
ganized by NJ. LamoureuX in connec-
/ tion with the Paris exhibition will not
be interfered with In the summer
of 1899 Die Meistersinger' will be re-
I vived at Bayreuth upon scale of great
splendor, and performances will like
1 wise be given of Der Ring des Nibe-
/ lungen," and of course, Of "Parsifal "
/ In the year 1901 the Flying Dutch
man" viii be produced for the first
time at Beyreuth. Wagner's early op-
/ era viii be given in its entirety. and the
/ scenery will be upon the most lavish
scale. In that year Der Ring des
| Nibelungen" will not be performed: but
Tristan und Isolde" will be revived.
/ and there will. of course. be several
| representations OF "Parsifal''
| The London Daily Mail" SAYS: "The
/ London press having been cireularized
/ in reference to a new scheme for q
so-calisd Anglo-American Theater in
I Paris, il is necessary to warn the Eng
/ lish and American authors and man
+ ayers appealed TO to make very strict
/ inquiry as 70 the position and the rep
u,at.on of those principally Interested
in the venture. L; Will be as Well also
| for nc actor or actress to visit Paris