Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-04-08

wanted burr MCINTOSH 10 Nodh
Players are affected almost as deeply
by happenings in the audience as is the
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 I'll
Captain the other night. He was fat
man, and he gave sneeze suddenly
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 sneeze that ended in high
! note such as seldom had been heard III
those parts, though the Metropolitan
Opera House is near by. FL Captain
stretched out his long arms toward the
man, rolled his big eyes heavenwarG
/ dllU SdlQ d NOtOS'
"Heaven bless you, sir.
This brought the audience back to the
stage with roar. and III q second the
performance was running on at high
pressure, while the fat man chuckled
over the fact that for a brief space he
had been the star of the evening. n few
minutes later Sun reporter asked Mr..
Hopper how he was affected by the
funny things that happen in the audi
ence. After getting grip on FL Capt.
tan's nose and throwing down cup Of
hot coffee, as he does between acts, he
answered:
American audiences are not demon
strative, and as a rule things dom hap
pen in front. OF course the man who
sneezed tonight couldn't help it, but he
made such blasting success of 1t that
it affected the whole house and there
fore TIE players If an actor is playing
part where he can say something, 1t
is the best thing to do, for it makes them
all laugh and keeps them from noticing
pause.
May Irwin is an actress with whom
even metropolitan audiences take iber-
ties people have habit of 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 i'll the body of the
house called out to me to recite 'Hia-
watha. He took me off my feet for a
minute / couldn't remember a line of
hoc1-. xx-il1 if u
give me my cue. I've forgotten how it
starts He gave me the first line, and
shouted it for him.
"When / 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 one
in front to do something unusual.
81 never shall forget an experience
, had while playing the Widow in Gin
cinnati, though of course it isn't art fol
: an actor to see anything that goes ON III
front or to recognize anybody III 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 farmer wife, and she
kept peoring up at me over her glasses
a She didn't laugh once, and in all my
life / never saw a human being take {
, 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 in my face. said, with rasp
ing, western twang:
We'll, you don't look one bit ik
her
q II was flustered. but managed t.
gasp:
Like whom?'
"'Like the Widow Jones', she an
2 swered.
"'Well, am said /.
o al don't believe a word you're say
I in,' said she, for know'd the Widow
n Jones and her husban' nigh on to 2
o years ago. 1 stood up with 'em whel
they was hitched, and you don't look Xix
! her. She went off from these parts, an
- heerd she was a widow and that Jone
J. was dead, and then l heerd she was a
+ this the-ater, and L cum to see. You ain
r. the Widow Jones, and just want to sa
= one thing more-I don't see how yo
"a dare to take other peoples names an
!. use 'em.
/ with that she flounced out, but til
next day when appeared at a rehearsa
II she was ON hand to give me anothe
! blast. 1 explained to her how it was
"a She'd never seen play before and ha
= come 20 miles to see her old friend, til
a. Widow Jones. There was a time whe
70 such things frightened the life out {
m me, but I've learned to turn them
70 good account"
q. Perhaps there is not another man @
W the stage so phlegmatic as Burr McIl
tosh during unusual occurrences
frunt He lays his GOODNESS all to I'll
training he got on the football fiel
~ when he was at Princeton.
Vi 81 find more unexpected things hal
| Den ON the stage than in the audience