The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-08
UNFOLDING THE STAGE.
Two Actors Who Were Content With
That Without Trying to Elevate


That Without Trying to Elevate
It..
Will J. Davis of the Columbia thea
ter was sparing a few minutes to
memory few nights ago, and in the
course of conversation on past events
the question Of elevating the stage
came up.
did you ever try any OF that?" one
Of the two who were sitting in Mr..
Davis's presence inquired.
"Once," the man of the drama, an
swered. Gust once. ! never cared to
attempt a repetition. 1t was several
years ago, when was taking band
of musical marauders through the
south and the west. I believe it was
the old Chicago Church Choir Pinafore
company, with all the good artists
cleverly and painstakingly weeded
out for the sake of economy. We were
pretty shrill, but what we were short
of in vocalization we made UP in earn
estness of purpose. The prima donna
was slender little woman from De-
troit, and she was the only person the
cast who was below the middle-weight
limit. The people were as hearty and
robust as If they deserved to be SO,
and our hotel bills were an object of
great concern. On the occasion which
I have in mind we had reached little
town away down In California, where
our advance man had arranged for a
hall. 1t turned out when we arrived
there that the hall was a new one, and
no incline had been made for the back
ward extending chairs, and no stage
had been constructed. But our men
We're handy-thei first tenor was a car
pentor and the comedian had served in
a shipyard or something of the kind
so we rugged up a stage with the lun-
Der we found lying about. We decided
to let the chairs stand on a level, and
opened up with a flourish of trumpets
quite cheering in the circumstances.
I'VE were given great reception.
The plaudits of the townspeople
nerved our folk to extreme exertions
to be entertaining, and the 200-pound
Ralph Rackstraw made the most de-
| lightful love to the slender Josephine
while the heavyweight Dick Deadeye
| looked on and scowled, promising duly
| to inform the elephantine Captain Cor
coran. 1t was very great, but just as
they got into the home stretch of the
| last act noticed that something was
wrong. 1t was naval piece, but
had never before seen a stage act so
true to life as this one. 1t careened
| like the billowy sea. and I knew 1t
| couldn't hold out much longer than the
| close. Indeed, just before the finale a
| cracking noise indicated that it was
| time to do something to save a wreck.
| There was no way Of supporting the
internal thing; not trestle or beam
! could be found on short notice, and so
| lhurriedly called Sir Joseph Porter,
who was not quite ready to go on, to
take one corner while got under the
other and with the two heavy joists on
our shoulders we braced to keep that
platform in an upright place. 4
well, upon my life, I never knew
that the last act of 'Pinafore' was so
| long or had so much bouncing and
! humping in it. First Buttercup would
MARBLE few sweet notes and then
! jump about in a dance, coming down
with every step of it with good hun
bred and a half of weight and making
us stagger; then the bos'n would be
lmpelled to carol and also to leap and
dance, and whenever he went into the
air and lit on his feet knew how At
las felt. and so did Sir Joseph Porter.
Then the whole chorus set to scram-
bling and pirouetting and We sweat
and swayed and clenched our teeth.
Suddenly the cue for Sir Joseph
to enter was uttered, and of course Sir
Joseph couldn't. If he had attempted
it large and expensive cast would
| have fallen about five feet into broken
lumber. There was pause and then
the cue was repeated. Still no Sir Jo-
seph. Captain Corcoran, who was
stage manager and a man of expedi-
ents, not knowing what was up, but
determined to save the stage-Wait,
then said:
" While we are waiting for Sir Jo-
seph we will have go at the fishers
hornpipe, II you please Sir Joseph
and / moaned, but We had to stand it,
although it was killing. l felt as
| though somebody had shot another