The Washington times., 1901-06-30
FEAsTs BEHIND FooTL1eHTs.
Difficult work TO Gracefully Per-
form Eating Parts.

form Eating Parts.
a central incident in each of the late
| James A. Herne's plays, Shore Acres
and Sag Harbor,' was the dinner scene.
| Everyone who saw Shore Acres re-
| members the feast, with the roast turkey,
| which came on steaming and was cut up
| and divided among the guests. 1t was
no make believe or property turkey, for
not only did the smoke arise before the
audience and the dressing gush out when
! it was opened, but the fragrance foated
| all through the auditorium. The actors
in the clay have told how surfeited they
! became, Before the season ended, with
roast turkey. Night after night they
were obliged to partake of the bird, until
the sight of it became almost unendura-
bic. As the turkey was a large one, so
that everybody might be helped in pro-
/ fusion, the aggregate cost at the end of
the winter was something considerable.
Pleased with the success of the turkey
in Shore Acres" Mr.. Herne introduced
real clam pie into the action in Sag
Harbor" II must be said, however, that
in places where CLAIMS were not to be
| had oysters served just as well. The
point Was to have genuine pie and this
was invariably brought from the kitchen
and it was appetizing TO see the seafar-
ing folk on the stage enjoy it and to
smell the perfume of the CLANS when
it was cut up. As in the case of the tur-
key, however, the actors in the piece soon
| tired of the pie, although succulent it
may have been at first
Mr.. Herne thought, from long expert
ence and observation, that audiences like
to see q good dinner eaten on the stage
Other playwrights have been of the same
opinion, for eating and drinking occurs
in many dramatic works. Dinner as an
incident is very useful or even supper.
Recall the lively supper in "CamiIle"-
the furious talk and laughter, everybody
gabbling at once and eating at the same
time. There is something of the same kind
in BIr. Mansfields "A Partisan Romance"
And how amusing as in Aunt Jack" if
there is a comic character, who cannot
get waited upon, and who sits half
starved In London at present there is a
play in which the dinner scene occupies
three-quarters of an hour-far too long
Twenty or twenty-five minutes is album
dance for an incident of this character.
Stage banquets, however, are not in
yariably merry. as witness a very old
one-that in Macbeth" where Banquo is
p guest unseen by all but the host whose
rawlings at the sight throw everything
into disorder and cause the hostess to
dismiss the company There is also an
outdoor dinner going on in "As You Like
IT. when Orlando interrupts. In Shakes
peare's time at these stage feasts the per
formers used as food marchpane, sort
OF biscuit, to which one of the servants
makes alIusion in Romeo and Juliet
Good thon, save me piece of march
pane" The actors grumbled at the con-
~, .r,A kax
preferred something substantial. In the
last century, when the stroliing players
went more or less merrily on foot and
we're much of the time half starved, real
food in the plays was more than welcome.
There was British manager who, when
ever salaries were considerably in arrears
and dissatisfaction prevalent, soOthed
everybody into good hEmor again by
putting up the nautical drama The
Cramond Brig" which calls for dinner
of boiled mutton and turnips. In The
Gentle Shepherd which used to be
given in Scotland, real haggis was in
troduced. There was also a very elabor-
ate meal in the old farce, mo Song, No
Supper"
Persons in the audience are not aware,
perhaps, that it is difficult TO eat on the
stage and carry on the dialogue at the
quired The experienced players, how
ever, do it gracefully and well Before
an audience one must eat very daintfly,
else weIl-bred people In front win criti-
else. An actress must also know some
thing about cooking or, at least, about
the preparation of food Making bread
on the stage is common, and in Robert
sons ours there is charming scene
where Mary Netley runs about in the hut
in the Crimea with sleeves rolled up and
in her hand the well busted rolling pin.
She also works out the dough.
Occasionally there is too much drinking.
In play entitled The Wary Widow
which was acted in 1893, it is said that
there was so much whisky punch con-
sumed that all the performers became in
toxicated Mr.. Clement Scott, in his me
moirs, relates the disastrous experience
some years ago In London Of Miss Nfta
Nicotina, young woman who made her
debut in a play called 'Ecsrte" The Au-
stralian tragedian. Boothroyd FairclOugh.
was in the cast The picnic scene was of
highly realistic chara racter-genuine hampers
from Fortnum & Mason's, Perigord pies,
chicken. truffies, and champagne. The re-
past was Of sumptuous character, and the
actors and actresses ate ami drank heart
ily- The gallery, after while, becoming
geary of so much feasting without being
able to join in it, began to 5eer. The
champagne continued to flow. and Miss
Nicotina displayed the effects of overin-
dulgence. The Jeers turned into yells
and presently. when she entered with a
green boot on one foot and yellow boot
~ she other, the yells became howls and
n. l<dy unwisely attempted a speech.
The piece ended In riot and the lights
were put out-Baltimore News.