The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-09
HAPPENED IN FRONT.
PLAYERS TELL OF FUNNY EXPERT
ENCES THEY HAVE HAD.

G'NOGO tt'Gt ''N'e 'iFNOs
Eject Upon Actors OF Interruptions From
tho Audionce-The Man Who Sneezcd.
May Irwin aud "The Widow jones'
Wanted Burr Mcintosh to "Soak Him."
Players are affected almost as deeply
by happenings i'll tho audience rs is the
audience by happenings Oh tho 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 seat. three rows
from the front, at performance of Eel
Captain" the other night. He was fat
man, and he gave sneeze suddenly-a
terrific sneeze. 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 sneezer and
the players paused just as he snorted
out third sneezo that ended in high
note such rs seldom had been heard in
those parts, though tho Metropolitan
Opera House is near by. Eel Captain
stretched out his long arms toward the
man, rolled his big eyes heavenward
and said in scpulchral voice:
Heaven bless you, sir.
This brought the audience back to the
stage with roar. and in second the
performance was running OH at high
pressure, while the fat man chuckled
over the fact that for 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 that happen in the audi
ence. After getting q grip on FL Capt.
tan's nose and throwing down cup of
hot coffee, as he does between acts, ho
answered:
American audiences are not demon
strative, and as n rule things don't hap
pen i'll front. OF course the man who
sneezed tonight couldn't help it, but he
made such 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
NIL laugh and keeps them from noticing
q pause.
May Irwin is an actress with whom
even metropolitan audiences take liber-
ties. People have habit Of calling to
me from the audience when they want
me TO sing u special song or to recite
something" she said the other evening.
Zone night man i'll the body of the
house called out to me to recite 'Hia-
watha.' He took me off my feet for n
minute. couldn't remember a line Of
1T, but called back: L will if you'll
give mo my cue. I've forgotten how it
starts. He gave me the first line, and I
shouted it for him.
when 1 was playing the Widow
Jones one night, during the kissing
scene between Rice and myself man
shouted, I'd like to be i'll your place,
Mr. Rice. would. Rice and were
both convulsed, and the audience roared.
When the piece is funny, it often adds
to the humorous situation for some one
i'll front to do something unusual.
81 never shall forget an experience I
had while playing the Widow in Gin
cinnati, though Of course it isn't art for
an actor to see anything that goes on in
front or to recognize anybody i'll the au-
dience, and L never dol don't think.
One night, as was saying, in the city
of cinders and beer, noticed the queer
est looking old woman down in front
She looked like a farmers wife, and she
kept peering up ut me over her glasses
She didn't laugh once, and in all my
life never saw IL human being take Il
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 i'll my face, said, with IL rasp-
ing, western twang:
Well, you dom look one bit like
her.
II was flnstered, but I managed to
gasp:
Like whom?'
Like tho Widow Jones' she an
swered.
"'Well, am, said I.
L don't believe word You're say
in, said she, for know'd the Widow
Jones and her husban' nigh on to 90
years ago. I stood up with 'cm when
they was hitched, and you don t look like
her. She went off from these parts, and
L heerd she was widow and that Jones
was dead, and then I heerd she was at
this the-ater, and cum to see You ain t
the Widow Jones. and just want to say
one thing more-I don't sec how you
dare to take other peoples names and