The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-21
SUPERB SCENIC EFFECTS.
He WOULD Be AN ACTOR.
Frank Mordaant's Experience in =
Minstrel Company.

There are few actors in this ountry
who have not at some period of their
lives been amateurs to the fold of Thes-
pis. Frank Mordaunt who is appearing
this season in the title role of 1.-THE VIII
lage Postmaster was kept away from
the theatre during his early youth by
the fact that near his country home
there was nothing that resembled a play
house in a sufficient degree to inspire the
slightest ambition for histrionic success.
Now and again s~trollers came to the lit
tile town in which Mr.. Mordaunt had
been born and reared, but their business
was never startlingly large and so they
seldom returned. But one particular
evening this state of affairs had changed
in so far as the green little rustic boy
was concerned and in his mind was plant
ed a desire for the stage that was not up
rooted sven by the harsh treatment he
received in trying to crafty it.
A minstrel show had come to town dur
ing the week and was billed for three
performances. 1t was a cheap combin-
alton of Door talent and trumped up
gaudiness, but to young Mordaunt the
rattle of the bones, the beating of the
tambourine, the playing of the brass band
and the jokes of the end men appealed
strangely. After SONS hesitation he
sought the anager of the show, a cor
pulent individual who wore a checked
suit and dozens OF paste diamonds, and
asked for a position. AT first this indi-
vidual seemed surprised at the Ignorance
of the lad before him and then amused.
He asked the boy if ne could sing OF
dance and Mordaunt replied that he
thought he could. They gave him a short
rehearsal and leading hrsn TO believe that
he was engaged, the manager finally told
him that his services were accepted. and
that he might sit in the first part that
night.
Mordaunt went home and spent two
hours in dressing himself. He could not
eat his supper for excitement and when
be finally turned up at the stage door
dressing room he was mystified at what
he saw. so charmed with the rough con-
versation going on about him that he did
not notice how much fun his new found
friends were extracting from his appear
anee, nor was he surprised at finding
that some of them had enoved his shoe
laces while he was preparing for his APP
pearance, poured water in his hat, and
otherwise entertain themselves. But
when the time came for him to put the
backing on A1DFuduHl Was dt d tOSS- Tx
saw that the other men had blackened
their faces but could not tell how, and
finally was constrained to ask two OF
three of the rogues to help him This
they did with a will.
Having found a box OF shoe polish they
with some candle grease mixed in the
backing. put on two coats of mixture
over the boys face. They then secured
a cleth and rubbed the skin until it
shohe. He suspected nothing until after
the performance was over when the work
of washing consumed about two hours
much. to the amusement of all the min
streis, who had washed up, donned their
street clothes. and were preparing to go
to their hotel. The efforts to remove the
backing from Mordaunt's face proved fu-
tile and he finally sneaked home and with
the aid of acids and strong I've soap
used for several days afterwards, finally
succeeded with hard rubbing in regain
ing his natural complexion. For a very
long while he was the laughing stock of
the village and then realized that a trick
had been played upon him. 1t is evident
that he did not give up his desire to go
on the stage as he has been for any
years an honorable member and an or
nament to the profession.
Mr.. Mordaunt, the hero of the story,
plays in the Village Postmaster which
opens at the Academy of Music Monday
p:obf