The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-13
WlLOER'S TROUBLE.
Overcome BY Fright on First Appear
ance In Vaudeville.
Maddensd BY Woman's GiggIs Hs Made 4
Speech That Drew Applause.

Some very notable engagements have
been made for the Keith circuit of vau-
deville theatres; and among them that
most recently announced, of Marshall p.
Wilder, who will head the bill In Prov
idence next week. is especially note-
worthy. For some years Wilder, "the
merry little man." as he has been called.
and who has unquestionably earned the
title OF 1.-The prince Of entertainers and en-
tertainer of princes" has been probably
the best known and cleverest of all those
who have won distinction upon the ly-
ceum platform and as entertainers at So
cial functions among the 400 OF New
York. His advent In vaudeville Is COM
paratively recent and he tells some very
Iunny stories of his first experiences and
his sensations when he haced vaudeville
audience for the first time.
ION "a Monday" says Mr.. Wilder, II
signed a contract 10 do turn. The
next day my appetite had fallen OFF 10
such an extent that 1 omitted fruit and
oatmeal for breakfast and left the dinner
table before dessert was served. We'd
nesday ! could partake of nothing but
spoon victuals. Thursday palpitation of
the heart became pronounced. Friday 1
was so nervous that bribed policems =.
10 stand under my window that night
while ! slept, or, rather tried TO sleep.
Saturday | kept TO bed all day. Sunday
they dosed me with bromides and tnnl..,
from morn till night.
Monday morning | went to the mana
ger, and with tears in my voice pleaded
TO have my contracC annulled. He re-
fused. Indeed IL is no exaggeration TO
say he refused rudely. From that time
until g:l0. the hour when ! was To do
turn. = covered I'm the dressing room that
had been assigned TO me, feryently pray
ing that the theatre might burn down
or that another 'Sapho case might be put
on trial TO draw all the amusement low
ing public away. so that no performance
would be given.
but nothing happened. At $40 two
muscular scene shiiters. under the mana
gers orders, projected me on To the stage
like an overgrown football This led
some of, the critics TO compliment me next
day on my droll walk Violent chills
traversed my spine In both directions
At once with the usual result of trains
trying TO pass on one track My tongue
stuck TO the roof of my mouth. ! could
not move, or speak. or even think, I
could only breathe hard and yearn for
the silent tomb.
"A heartless woman somewhere up in
the the gallery, seeing my my agony .snickered
ings were great enough without being
made an object OF public derision. Clinch-
ing my hands. ] Missed:
" Some people would find the struggles
OF dying man amusing
II intended that remark bit OF sar-
casm. hot enough to singe the feathers
touched her She thought 1t was part of
the show. and giggled right out loud. The
audience joined In. You see | had been
billed in very large type as the greatest
living humorist.
Before j signed that fatal contract I
had decided. after careful study. that on
my first appearance on any stage ] would
recite Hamlets soliloquy and Patrick
Henry's speech before the Virginia con-
vention. For an encore / had planned
to giv.. 'Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight.
with some realistic stage business that
would make Mrs. Leslie Carter fall dead.
But the unseemly levity of that audi
ence drove all thoughts OF the pieces
was TO speak out of my head. though IL
loosened my tongue I was furious
stormed: -raved though / haven't the
slightest idea what | said At last. ex-
hausted. staggered off the stage. The
audience burst into uproarious applause.
"By this time the first glimmerings of
returning self-possession were dawning
upon my brain. ! saw nv opportunity.
7 would let on that | did II on purpose.
I stepped back on the stage and bowed I'm
acknowledgment of the applause. I was
recalled n second time, but | gave no en-
core: I couldn't.
II wonder what said TO that first au-
dience. hope IL was nothing bad"