The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
I'll COLLEGE BOY ACTRESS.
MS sTAGE CLOTHES NAY FRI HIM,
BUT HE'S a SIGHT.

NOW " v N"N bNNN NV o.
shining hour. He has 10 do II. In the FRS
ploce. he has a nting at the dressmaker's a
=. NJ, End after that he has to buy q lace
trimmed petticoat. Then he has an engage,
n.nt with the retired bnlletsdanoer. Nine. Is.
who is giving him most painful corns on the
snds OF his toes in her efforts to teach him hel
Art. Then he has to sit up late learning how
10 use a fan and practicinR pretty feminine
...s before the glass.
I'm other words. this Is the season for college
theatrtcals-the FINE when six.foot athletes
axe to petticoats and ~falsetto voises; when
they try TO trip lightly and succeed at least In
doing 1t Enthusiastically when q boy will take q
kiss from another fellow without kicking the
7ther fellow in the most convenient spot. These
college plays are happy occasions. Everybody
likes them. The fellows who perform are az
pleased as Punch. Their genial college mates.
good souls that they arel ask no better fun
than to sit across the footliRhts and Ruffaw
at the depths OF their voices and store up
enough guys to give them the upper hand OF
the actors for the rest of the year.
But most OF all the college play appeals to
women. Young'women and old women; pert
little girls in short skirts and long hair
swell young women who ordinarily stand In
awe Of high and mighty college chaps; Jolly.
comfortable. middie-aged women who are al
ways TeuuCbu W E6bDCUtiVi btlbuC0 Wubn InblT
boys come home and talk about Greek and
Euclid and.half backs and:taokles; all of them.
from the youngest to the Oldest. p~atronize the
college play and ~patronizo those players in
particular who assume the feminine roles.
At a college play last week there was ono
fellow who took the part OF o French maid.
Nivette was her name. and she was expected
to trot. so to speak. in the soubrette class.
She was TO be piuuant. coauettish. irresistibly
feminine. She. that Is. he. took the part as
well as a healthy boy 8 feet 5 inches In height
could have done. She. that 10. he. wore at first
a black satin gov n with q skirt which came
only to the knees. There was a great craninR
Of necks to see what was below that skirt. and
when the women had got q good look they
giggled one unanimous giggle. In the course
Of the play vivette asserted that she posed as
a model. her great point Of beauty being her
foot. which she. that is. he. obligingly stuck
out toward the audience for inspection.
The audience promptly roared with laugh
ter. Vivctte's legs were incased in black hose
and on Vivette's feet there were black slippers
with shining buckles; hut, In spite Of the fact
that black makes an object look smaller than
1t really is. the Eeet Of yivette had undeniably
much more size than they had shape. As for
the legs OF college boy soubrettes, they send
the women into commissions OF aughter which
end in inexplicable smiles Of. satisfaction.
One boy. a Pennsylvania fellow he was, is
said TO have taken a course OF several months
in ballet dancing, as PREPARATION for his APP
pearance In a college, play. He was q great
from his photographs In ballet costume that
he was not what he seemed. Those photo
graphs ornament numberless feminine dress
ing tables throughout the country. and also,
strange AS IL may seem. they ocoupy a promi-
nent place on the bureau Of at least one mid
pened to chaperon her two daughters and lost
her. head over the boy ballet dancer.
,h This MIsd is s mot eo% ann 3ns h Gnn e ., G{"n;S 81 ,hs
play. There is the first old lady; q stately
dowager of 5 feet 8, who gets to the mid
ing her skirts living She always carries q
fan. which she Yields with such viRor, as al
P R%ss It th S.Hw sh ee ed sFas to wit talk Hn in hs q v oHss dif sae
ent from the one with which a discriminating
Providence endowed her thim), SO she makes
the sound Of a foghorn across the bay than 1t
is like the tones Of an elderly lady, Says the
the fan as Il it we're a pair Of IdumnbbellGs:1
II wonduh wheah Lawd Stuhling. can bel
The " grows late and weally feel vewy
Meantime. in the nfty-mils gale raised by
her fan. the dowager's gray f@rizzes are stand
brow corrugated with care and grease paints.
The wigs are generally a veritaRle seyIla
Ing their football locks and winding rubber
bands around the different wisps Of hair. They
stewerinG their wigs into these, horns. but still
they cannot rest easy. Violent emotions.
the heroine Of leaning her head upon the heroS'ss
shoulder. any one OF these things may precipi-
tate the catastrophe Of dlslodeing the, wig.
TO, bring it about. This being the case. the
lady soph who plays the part of the heroine
hanging more or less down her back. One OF
the funniest things. from the point Of Wow OF
the women in the audience. is 70 see the hero;
inc xyhAD har uvfO Dafd fnfn fhtO HAnnnRQli VaH
state. Instead OF deity tucklng In the hair
pins. as a woman would. and getting it into
ducks his head forward between his shoulders
trying TO keep his wig. on as II It were a hat.
The d wager is luckier than the other lady
evident RELIEF and gets un again with just as
OF the lady sophs have their various belong
l FSa as secately anchored to them as possible;
around a@s tpe the nsct ia" Ha .1G ensidsis' cannot n auR be
to try to. put these valuable props" in the
time to find a pocket and put his;kerchief into
=, a. @ Gb get it out: college SEs PLAYS PLAYS would would last m1r a. , long
pockets, but Just tuck their handkerchiefs
under the edge OF their bodices. 1t 10 a side
S %sen on tb Ri. k to Q sfs th ssi laay u se9h to try on TO
Of trouble with the little lace: edsed AFFAIR that
to wSaGd iitasediii into a little bali about as Big as
walnut. and any chaD's fingers turn into
thumbs when he tries to spread 1t out daintily
as q woman would and dab his eyes with the
middle OF II while tho.lace edges cascade grace
iuly around his hand. Though he tries his
best he can't shake out the measly little wad.
and SO the general effect Is that he is digging
his knuckles into the corners OF his eyes. Ana
again the women laugh till they cry. Then
they give an exhibition of the real way in
which a woman wipes way tears.
Somehow or other the lovely heroine In col
lege plays Is generally a. strapping big fellow
whose flowing. skirts make him look as II he
was taking a day or from his Job as giantess
III a dime musecn What impresses every
woman in the audience is the apparently iron
clad character OF the heroine's clothes. He
yaqks them around. kicks and claws Mt them.
walks up the front of his skirts and then up
ne back in a way that would reduce ordinary
ieminine apparel TO %tatters. The heroine In
the last Columbia College play was a tall
young fellow who played his part very well.
BY the way-whose first entrance. upon the
stage was made with a sort. Of flying. leap
which sen: him s%prawIing, or course. II was
and he probably took precautions
10 fastening his clothes. II he hadn't there is
no telling What, might have happened. But
lady sophs is so healthy. II would send COM
m3gplace feminine tastenings flying.
VI course, the tender passages form the ell
max When the s~ix-foot heroine lays her