Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-11-06
l HAPPENED IN FRONT.
PLAYERS TELL OF FUNNY ExPERi
 ENcES THEY HAVE HAD.


 Wanted Burr Mcintosh to soak Hims
 Players are affected almost as deeply by happenings in the audience as is tha 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 seat, three rows from the front, at performance of Fl Capitan" the other night. He was fat man, and he gave a sneeze suddenly--s terrific sneeze. It 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 Q third sneeze that ended in high note such as seldom had been heard in those parts, though the Metropolitag Opera House is near by. Fl Capitab stretched out his long arms toward the man, rolled his big eyes hesyenward and said in seYz2GiaEal vu!oe:
 6 Heaven bless you, sir. "
 This brought tbs audience back so shs stage with roar. and in seccaa1 the performance was running on at high pressure, while the fat man chuckse1 oyer the fact that for a brief space he had been the star of the evening. A few minutes later q Sun reporter asked MT. Hopper how he was affected by the funny things that happen ill the audi. ence. After getting grip on II Caci' f tan's nose and throwing down a cup oi hot coffee, as he does between acts. he 1 answered:
 American audiences are not demon. gtratiye, and as 8 rule things don't hap pen ill front. Of course the man who sneezed tonight couldn't help it, but he made such q blasting success of 1t that it affected the whole house and there fore, tho players If an actor is playing part where he can say something, il is tI2e best thing to do, for it makes them all laugh and keeps them from noticing q pause. U
 May Irwin is an actress with whon even metropolitan audiences take fiber. ties. People have habit of calling td me from the audience when they want me to sing a special song or to reeits something, she said the other evening "One night a man ill the body of tht house called out to me to recite 'Hia. watha. He took me off my feet for a minute. I eouldn' t remember Q line oi it, b1t I called back: 1 will if you Il give me my cue. Dye forgotten how il starts. He gave me the first line, aud , shouted il Ir him.
 When was playing the Widow Jones ono night, during the kissing scene between Rice and myself a man shouted, I'd like to be in your place, MT. Rice I would Rice and l wers both eonyulsed, and the audience roared. When the piece is funny, it often adds to the humorous situation for some one in front to do something unusual.
 I never shall forget an experience had while playing the Widow in Gin cinnati, though of course it isn't art fos an actor to see anything that goes on il front CT to recognize anybody in the au dienee, and never dol don't think One night, as l was saying, in the city of cinders and beer, 1 noticed the queer. est looking old woman down in front, 1 She looked like a farmer wife, and she kept peering up at mo oyer her glasses. She didn't laugh once, and in all my life never saw a human being take q play so seriously. She was with another woman who was equally serious Final 1 ly the old woman jumped mp and, peer. ing at me over her glasses and slfaking her finger in my face, said, with rasp ing western twang:
 "s Well, you don't look one bit like her.
 ''I was fustered, but I managed tt gasp:
 't Like whom?'
 Like the Widow Jones, she an swered
 " We'll, l am, said I
 I don't believe word you To say in, said she, fer l Bnow'd the Widow Jones and her huBban nigh on to 20 years ago. 1 stood up with 'em when they was hitehed, and you don look like her She went off from these parts, and heerd she was 4 widow and that Jones was dead, and then l heerd she was at this the.ater, and cum to see. You ain | the Widow Jones, and just want to say one thing more-I don't see how you dare to take other peoples names and use 'em.
 With that she houneed out, but the next day when appeared at q rehearsal she was on hand to give me another blast 1 explained to her how it was. Shed never seen play before and had come 20 miles to see her old friend, the Widow Jones. There was time yhet such things frightened the life out of me, but I've learued to turn them te good account "
 Perhaps thero is nob another man CD the stage so phlegnlatic as Burr McIn tosh during unusual occurrences in front He lays his ccolness all to the training he got on the football field when he was at Princeton.
 find more unexpected things hap. pen on the stage than in tho audience, ; said MT Mcintosh However. the G1st night we opened ill At Pincy Ridgo' ] got a piece of advice from the ftout l said to the villain, You lef' tho colo, nel's baby up thar, an you brung yo' own down heah. And his lines follow.