Evening journal., 1897-04-03
HAPPENED IN FRONT.
PLAYERS TELL OF FUNNY EXPERT
ENcES THEY HAVE HAD.

May Irwin and "Ihe Widow Jones'.
Wanted Burr Mcintosh TO ''soaIs Him."
Players are affected almost as deeply
by happenings in the audience as is the
audience by happenings on the stage.
Sometimes they are moved to wrath, but
more frequently TO laughter. Occasion
ally they are frightened out of their
lines
A man sat in an aisle scat, three rows
from the front, at a performance of "El
Captain" the other night He was a fat
man, and he gave a snee2o suddcnly--a
terrific sneezc. 1t was followed by an
other that shook the plumes on the big
hats Of the women around and made the
lights flicker. The audience suspended
attention and looked at the snoezer, and
the players paused just as h0 snortcd
out third sneeze that ended in high
note such as seldom had been heard in
those parts. though the Metropolitan
Opera House is near by. El Captain
stretched out his long arms toward the
man, rolled his Zig eyes hcavenward
and said in a sepulchral voice:
Heaven bless you, sir. d"
This brought the audience back TO the
stage with a roar. and in second the
performance was running on at high
pressure, while the fat man ohuckled
over the fact that for a brief space he
had been the star Of the evening. A few
minutes later Sun reporter asked Mr..
Hopper how he was affected by the
funny things chat happen in the audi
ence. After getting grip ON El Capt.
tan's nose and throwing down q cup Of
hot coffee, as he docs between acts, no
answered.:
American audiences are not demon
strative, and as a rule things don't hap
/ pen in front. OF course the man who
snoezed tonight couldn't help it, but he
made such a blasting success Of it that
/ it affected the whole house and there
fore the players If an actor is playing
part where he can say something, it
is the best thing TO do, for it makes them
all laugh and keeps them from noticing
pause"
]
even metropolitan audiences take liber-
ties People have habit Of calling to
me from the audience when they want
me to sing a special song or to recito
something, " she said the other evening
lone night a man in the body Of the
house called out 70 me TO recite Hia-
watha He took me OF my feet for a
minute. / couldn' remember q line Of
il, but / called hack: Il viii if you'll II
give me my cue. I've forgotten how it
starts. He gave me the first line, and ]
shouted it for him.
"When / was playing the Widow
Jones one night, during the kissing
scene between Rice and myself a man
shouted, I'd like TO be in your place,
Mr. Rice. 1 would Rice and / were
both convulsed, and the audience reared
When the piece is funny, it often adds
TO the humorous situation for some one
in front to do something unusual
''Ircyer shall forget an experience l
had while playing the Widow in Gin
cinnati, though of course itisn't art for
an actor to see anything that goes on in
front or to recognize anybody in the au-
! dience, and never dol don't think
One night, as 1 was saying, in the city
Of cinders and beer, l noticed the queer
est looking old woman down in front
She looked like a farmer wife, and she
kept peering up at me over her glasses.
She didn't laugh once, and in all my
life never saw a human being take a
play so seriously. She was with another
woman who was equally serious. Final
ly the old woman jumped up and, peer
ing at me over her glasses and shaking
her finger in my face, said, with a rasp-
ing, western twang:
Well, ycu don't lcok one bit like
her
II was hustor-d, but ] managed to
gasp:
Like whomT
"'Like Ito Widow Jones, sho an
swcrcd
"'Well, am, said l.
" ] don't believe word you're say
in, said she, for 1 lnow'd the Widow
Jones eud her husban' nigh on 10 20
years ago, 1 stood up with 'om when
they WIS litchod, end you don { look like
/ hoerd ac was a widow and that Jones
was dead ari then l heord she was al
this thc-it,r, ead Ioum TO see. You ain Il
the WidcD Jc-es, and ! just want to say
one thing mCie-I don't see how you
dare to take otLcr peoples names and
use 'en
With that she fourccd out, but the
next day when appeared at q rehearsal
she was on hand to give rue another
blast ! explained 20 her how it was.
She'd never seen play before and had
come 20 miles TO see her old friend, the
Widow Jones. There was a time when
such things frightened the life out Of
mo, but l'yo learned 20 turn them e
good account
Perhaps thcrc is not another man on
Tie stage SO phlesnatic as BUR- McIn-
tcsh during unusual occurrences in
front lie Jays his coolnoss all to the
training be got ca the football field
when he was at Princeton.
" / find mole unexpected things hap