The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-01
THE LINE WAS BUSY.
Telephone Girl Performance Pro.
lenged Last Night.
MR.. MANN HOLDS THE WIRE FOR
TWENTY MINUTES.

Portland and Declares Himself I'M
fstrly Trested-Replies In Heated
Language and Ask Audience To
Approve.
The audience which witnessed the
"Telephone Girl'' at The jefferson thea
tire last evening was preparing to leavs
the theatre as the orchestra struck up the
opening bars Of the closing chorus. The
ladies commenced to put on their hats,
the gentlemen were hunting for their
overshoes beneath the seats or preparing
to don their overcoats. Estelle Coocoo,
the telephone girl played ty Miss LIP
man, had won her Dick, Hans Nix, in
spector of telephones, played by Mr..
Louis Mann, had miracuously and sud.
denly recovered from his assumed jag
and the chorus girls lined up behind
thsse stars of the play were preparing TO
burst forth into the ''Star Spangled
Banner" with the waving of tiny flags,
when a most unusual thing occurred
WulCn not OniN tboh tht ~
surprise, but was evidently somewhat
startling to the well drilled chorus,
Miss Lipman stepped forth and com.
menced to sing:
"Oh say can you seer"
She got no further than the opening
line of the song.
"Ring down the curtain" Mr.. Mann
exclaimed, motioning energetically to
some one uehind the scenes. 1.-The cur
tain, the curtain, ring down the curtain j.
With opened-eyed wonder Miss Lipman
stared at MIR. Mann, who now standing
close to the footlights, continued TO order
the curtain to be lowered. The orchestra
suddenly stopped in the midst of the
"Star Spapgled Banner" and the audi
enoe knowing that something vary un.
usual was to take place at once, seated
itself while the curtain obscured the
stage world from view.
The silence in the big theatre was I'M
broken, the manipulation of the drum
and cymbals ceased TO manipulate, and
Hans Nix, the Dutch telephone inspector,
quickly transformed himself into MIR
Louis Mann by the removal of the absurd
little mustaohe and the dropping of the
perplerine German brogue, and stood
alone before the foo.l'ghts.
The paint OF his makeup still remained
upon his face, his costume remained
unchanged and the anger which be had
assumed so well as the irate German In
spector was still with him.
He commenced in somewhat nervous
and subdued tone with voice trembling
with suppressed anger to address the
audience.
Ladies' and gentlemen" he said, ~
crave your Indulgence for just one minute
in order to call your attention To what
seems to me to be must uncalled for
and unjust criticism of myself and mem
beers of the Telephone Girl" company.
Then he cleared bis throat and as he
went on. his voios once more took the
tone of the irate telephone inspector
though he was not now trying to create
a comedy part or to appeal 10 the risi-
bilities OF the audience.
1t must be confessed that what Mr..
Mann said was somewhat confused, but
in su distance it was something like this:
eve nave been playing for your amuse-
ment tonight under great difficulties, in
the face of great discouragements, and
| beg leave to apologize to you because
fear our performance has not been as
good as it ordinarily is.
EITHER you, who have apparently en-.
joyed our performance tonight are idiots
or the man who wrote the article To
which am about to refer, is an idiot.
| think ! am right when l say that all
but two of our musical speciaities have
been enoored tonight and my attempts
to amuse YOU have apparently met with
success, judging from the libernlity OF
your applause. | wish to say right here
that the drinking act of Miss Ltpman,
which you were kind enough to applaud
has been pronounced by Mr.. Joseph
jefferson. for whom this theatre was
named, TO be one of the most clever bits
of acting he has ever seen aud that every
where she has received the praise of dra-
matte critics for the manner In which
she plays the part of Estelle Coocoo.''
Then Mr. Mann, with his anger con-
stantly increasing and his voice growing
louder all the time, proceeded TO tell
what great success the Telephone
Girl" had met with in Boston, New York
and Philadelphia, and the many nice
l..