Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-06-03
HAPPENED IN FRONT.
PLAYERS TELL OF FUNNY EGPERl-
GNCeS THEN HAVE HAD

Nf1ayers are affected almost as daeply
by happenings in the audience as ~ the
audience by happenings ON the s.aEe.
Sometimes they arc moved TO wrath, bait
more frequently to laughter. Occasion.
ally they are frightened out of tisir
lines.
man sat in an aisle seat, three rows
from the front, at a performance of "Tl
Captain" the other night He was a fat
man, and ne gave a sneeze suddenly
terrific sneeze. 1t was followed by an
other that shook the plumes on the big
hats of the wsmen 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 sneeze that ended in q high
note such as seldom had been heard in
those parts, though the Metropolitan
Opera House is near by. FL Captain
stretched out his long arms, toward the
man, rolled his big eyes heavenward
and said in sepulchral voice:
Heaven bless you, sir"
This brought tAe audience back to the
stage with q roar. and in q second the
performance was running on at high
pressure, while the fat man chuckled
over the feet that for brief space he
had been the staruf 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 a grip,m Ell Capi.
tan's nose and throwing down q cup Of
hot coffee. as he does between acts, he
answered.:
American audiences are not demon
strative, and as rule things don't hap
pen in 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 il playing
part where he can say something, it
is the best thing to 90, for it makes them
all laugh and keeps them from noticing
pause.
May Irwin is an actress with whom
even metropolitan audiences take liber-
ties. People have habit Gf calling to
me from the audience when they want
me to sing a special song or to recite
something" she said the other evening.
Zone night man in the body of the
house called out to me TO recite 'Hia-
watha.' He took me Off my feet for
minute. couldn't remember line of
it, but called back: Il will If you'll
give me my cue. I've forgotten how it
starts. He gave me the first line, and I
shouted it for him.
when I was playing the Widow
Jones one night, during the kissing
scene between Rice and myself man
shouted, I'D like to be in 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 ono
in front to do something unusual.
II never shall forget an experience L
had while playing the Widow in Gin
cinnati, though of course it isn't art for
an actor to see anything that goes Oh in
front or to recognize anybody in the au-
dience, and 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 farmers wife, and she
kept peering up at me over her glasses
She q laugh once, and in all my
life ] saw u human being take
play -, -Iuusly. 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:
We'll, you don't lcok one bit like
her.
81 was fustered, but I managed to
gasp:
"'Like whom?'
"'Like the Widow JONES' she an.
swered. .... ....
"'Well, I am, said I.
"I don't believe word you're say.
in, said she, for know'd the Widow
Jones and her husban' nigh ON to 20
years ago. I stood up with 'em when
they was hitched, and you dom look like
her. She went off from these parts, and
heerd she was widow and that Jones
was dead, and then heerd she was at
this the-ater, and cum to see. You amt
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 founced out, but the
next day when appeared at a rehearsal
she was on hand to give me another
blast. explained to her how it was
She'd never seen play before and had
come 90 miles to see her old friend, the
Widow Jones. There was time when
such things frightened the life out of
me, but I've learned to turn them to
good account"
Perhaps there is not another man ON
the stage so phlegmatic as Burr McIn-