The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-08
THE MYSTERY OF A PLAY
MEMBERS OF GRAND STOCK COM
PANY SEEK INFORMATION.
Singular Omission of Manager Hunt
the Cause of Much Specula-
ton and Anxiety.

"Have shipped manuscript of play by
express" Such was the wording of tele-
gram received last night by Business Man.
ager Harry Cannon from ID. II. Hunt. the
man who decides what play the Grand
stock company shall appear in each week.
The dispatch did not quite satisfy Mr.. Can
non. however, who would like TO have
known the name of the play, the manu-
script of which had been started from New
York by Mr. Hunt. The stage director
and members of the company have been
besieging Mr.. Cannon for information as to
the piece they are expected to put on dur
ing Easter week, with the result that
Cannons face expressed keen disappoint-
ment last night when he read the message
given above. Another dissatisfied individ-
ual Charles A. Layman, Dickson &
Talbotts press agent, who gets up the
Grand Opera House programmes 1t is
part of Mr.. Layman's duty as programme
man" 10 announce in each weeks pro-
gramme the name of the play for the fol-
lowing week, together with such informa-
ton as to it's character as he may be able
to collect in brief space of time. All day
yesterday Mr.. Layman was on the qui vive
of expectation, looking for a telegram
from New York which should furnish him
the much desired information. The local
/
grammes for him, was crowding him for
the notice of the Easter week production,
In order that they might "close up the
forms" and begin printing the programmes
so as to get them completed by Monday
evening.
When the suggestion was offered that
possibly the reason of Mr.. Hunts delay In
answering the series of kilograms with
which he was bombarded all day yesterday
might be that he was trying to shift the
Cincinnati and Detroit dates for Quo
continuance in indianapolis week after
next, the local management entered vigor-
Gus denial.
'T'Il tell you what's the matter" said
Mr.. Layman. 'Mr. Hunt is so rushed with
his Quo Vadis war there in New York
that he is hard to find by a messenger boy
with dispatches. When he goes to his hotel
tonight he will find the big bunch that
We have sent waiting for him, and will
then answer and tell us what the play for
Easter week is to be- L wish he had men,
he announced that the manuscript had
been shipped, but L suppose In the hurry
and hustle about him he forgot IT."
next week w not be hailed with ioy by
the members of the stock company, who
have been devoutly hoping that Quo
Vadis' would be continued. Almost every
individual in the organization is ready for
the season to end. Very few of them are
satisfied with the line of parts they have
been assigned to interpret 1t is claimed
lIldI SeNtTdi VIII SlSHcu W pay d
kind of role have been given characters OF
an entirely different type to portray. The
effect of this dissatisfaction has been to
cause listlessness and diffidence among the
players.
A feature of the stock company's work
this season that has been the subject Of
much complaint from patrons is the habit
the members have fallen into of giving
careless performances on Saturday nights
Tt is said that on nearly every Saturday
night of the current season the perform
ance has been highly unsatisfactory to
the audience account of the hurried
manner adopted by the actors in reading
their lines. On the closing night of the
week of 1.-THE New Magdalen" the unusu-
ally lengthy letter which Carleton Macy
was required to read in the course of the
play cut to less than half its original
size and the incident was marked by poor
ly concealed amusement on the faces of
his fellow-actors who We're on the stage at
the time.
Interest in the production of "Quo Va
and all Of the current week, is at fever
heat among the regular members of the
stock company and the supernumerarieS
as well. Some waggish individual has pre-
pared a list of all the people in the produc-
ton who are dignified with names and op-
posite the play-name of each one has
written his real cognonen translated into
the Latin language. Friends of Messrs
Macy, Reynolds, Camp and Sheldon have
wondered not a little. to hear them greet
each other as "Macinicius,' "Reynoldo-
MUS" "Camponius" and 'Sheldonicus."
The Quo Vadis" spirit has infected the
aCtors. also. to the extent of impellinc
them to give the Roman salutation when
ever they meet their brother Thespians