Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-04-18
POOLING THE AUDIENCE.
New Development Of an Old Theat-
rical Plan.

The builders Of burlesque long ago
discovered that the New York public
get an immense amount of pleasure
out Of seeing man made ridiculous,
says the New York Sun. Five years
ago, in farce which was produced
in this city, a variety actor used to
stop in the middle of his turn" and
apparently hold whispered con-
versation with somebody in the
wings. Then he would step to the
front of the stage and in rather
anxious voice inquire whether there
was q doctor in the house. It's hard
to find a New York audience which
! doesn't include at least one physician,
and the actors inquiry and evident
anxiety invariably brought at least
one man to his feet.
I'm physician; what's wanted?"
was the usual form of response, and
the spectators would glue their eyes
on the doctor, who would be undergo
ing the sensations that usually come
| " q A4cSA WIZ AC0A0 OWA FO1CO
raised to high pitch in theater for
the first time. Then in the dead ST.
lence the actor would make some re-
ply as:
"Well we're glad you're here, and
hope you'll stay for the next act, be-
cause it's good.''
Sometimes the physician would re-
tire amid the shrieks of merriment
from the audience, sometimes he
would stick it out, but the trick was
always regarded as a mean one, and
finally abolished by managers.
Then the travelling variety company
conceived the clever scheme of wax
ing up parts OF the audience by run
ming electric wires through different
chairs in the body of the house. At
quiet period of the performance
they would turn on a switch behind
the scenes and the audience would
have the pleasure of seeing a dozen
people sprang out of their chairs
simultaneously. A man finally sued
the managers Of theater, where this
trick was played on him, and re-
covered several thousand dollars
damages. The wires weren't utilized
again. Finally came the soubrette,
who had song of several dozen
verses, descriptive Of all sorts and
conditions of people. From her
repertory she could draw verses to
fit people in the audience in range
Of her eyes, and these personalities
always tick1ed those at whom they
were not directed.
New Workers finally revolted against
this sort Of thing and then came
London singer with the well-known
song George" which she sang to
the cello player to the intense de-
light Of concert halls habitues. Then
the custom of singing at some in
d1vidual in the audience died out,
but the managers couldn't let it rest
and it has been revived on different
plan in a burlesque which is now run
ming at an uptown theater. Here a
young woman in tights, a very
pretty and shapely young woman,
wanders out on the stage, looks
around with a forlorn expression on
her face, finally fastens her eyes on
light-haired young man in the au-
dience-he always sits on the aisle
seat, third row, left-hand side OF the
households happy again and pro-
ceeds to sing a song of love to him.
She is quite mild in the first verse,
but grows warmer as the song pro-
ceeds, and finally almost falls over
the footlights in her efforts to get
near the object Of the outburst. The
young man meanwhile wriggles
around in his seat, tugs at his mus
tache, and looks as uncomfortable
as he can. The audience roars at him;
other young men feel sorry for him
and get a little lower in their own
seats for fear the singer will turn
her ditty on them. Just before the
last verse the young man gets up
from his seat, runs up the aisle, and
disappears. The spectators howl
with glee, the singer losses a kiss
after her victim, finishes her song,
and trips off the stage. Night after
night he goes on, and each nights
audience is certain that it has seen
something not down on the program.
But it hasn't. The same young man
does the uncomfortable wriggle and
disappearing act every night and
matinee, and the joke is on the audi
ence, not on him. He is the singers
husband and the son of a well-known
comedian. AS he puts it: New
York audiences are easy