Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-01
A STAGE KISS.
What 1t Really Is and What 1t Ap.
pears To He.

pears to he.
From the London Sketch.
Amy (widly)-I love you. love you!
Sir Athol Crossing to her quickly)-I
know it! My own!
They embrace passionately.
So runs the manuscript, and "Sir AthoT'
presses his lips to hers for several seconds,
and Edwin andfAngelina in the pit-for 1t
is early closing day in Brixton-squeeze
each others hands and look into each
each others hands and look into each
others eyes and yearn.
You bet he's pretty sweet on her in real
life" observes the sapient Edwin on the
way home. "or he'd never kiss her like
that"
"Oh, do 'ush!' replies his divinity coyly.
Not but what [ thought so. too
And the ardent young stockholders
clerk. who has a great reputation in his
home circle regular fiirt,'' feels that
he is being wasted in mere business; that,
loving the stage he would make a splendid
stage lover and. with no other qualifica-
ton than that of suburban Don-Juanism,
he forthwith joins Mr.. Squeezer's X Com
pany-"fit-up'' towns-and starts on his
theatrical career at Salisbury Town Hall.
In reality, a stage kiss is thing of little
ecstasy to the parties concerned. 1t is
a rule dreaded by both Where the artists
are of a nervous temperament, the thought
of the stage kiss keeps them awake at
nights. Never since the days OF Judas has
anything in kisses been invented so COM
pletely giving the lie to the real article. In
the first place, however it may seem from
the front, 1t Is not easy to put much soul
into the affair under the eyes Of several
hundred spectators. 1t would not be easy,
I imagine, in actual life; it is doubly diff
cult when all these hundreds of people
many Of them themselves experienced IN
the art of osculation-have nothing else to
attract their attention, and, having paid
their money, mean to see the thing proper
ly done. The audience forgets that which
is probably the case, these ardent lovers
are the merest acquaintances, possibly
even not on speaking terms outside the
theater, especially If there be great dis
crepancy in their respective salaries No,
the dress circle nothing but sweet,
pretty girl cinging to her lover. her blue
eyes wet with tears, her sunny ringlets
falling on his manly bosom.
But what does he see, poor fellow? He Is
the earnest lover. He has exchanged vows
with her. three inches from her nose, bawl-
ing into her face in order that the gods
may hear and understand. She has as
is not in vain: she has loved him. oh! ever
since before she saw him. He ''thris"-a
stage thrill Is comparatively easy-and
starts on the kiss. He looks her full in the
face (for now he Is bound to-, and what
does he see?
Glaring into his, two unearthly looking
eyes. the lids painted dark blue, with a
touch of red body color in each Of the In
side corners. The lashes are thickly coated
with a black substance not unlike burnt
cork. On her brow he can discern the line
Of the wig with the sunny ringlets at
tached. He knows the sickly taste of the
ultra-sanguine, rosebud lips. But. loyal to
his author. he plays the man. He strains
the yielding form to his heart; he Kisses
her; the curtain falls on a picture ofsunex-
amped love, and, as the lights in the audi
forum are switched on. Edwin and An
gelina yearn again. And 10! Angelinas soft
eyes are filled with tears, she Is that happy!
Who. who can question the stage lovers
right to bottle of stout. or any other re-
freshment he may require. after this? And
surely the CHASTITY business Is no less dis
agreeable to the poor feminine victim.
fresh. very likely, from all the comforts of
a refined home, with flowers and things If
only In a stage kiss each wasn't so near to
the other! If only each could not see the
other! But. by Jove. he can. and that is
where the trouble Of stage kisses comes in.
The browning torture Of a stage kiss may
be.and, where possible, is-avoided by the
kiss implied method. Here the authors
shoulder. and. by their ecstatic thrills give
the audience to understand that kiss is
going on somewhere! in the region Of the
ear. But the kiss implied must be done
very adroitly, or the implication will be
missing; and he must carefully guard the
lapel OF his dress coat from contact with
her cheek, for both their sakes But 1t is
coWardly subterfuge at the best. Or 1t may
be that a mere planting of the lips on her
brow, just near the wig. will suffice; but
this kiss paternal' denotes a flabby, de-
generate sort of lover. Again. if matters
nave not gone to- extremes the young man
may get off with kissing the ladys hand;
the kiss reverential' is a good way out of
the difficulty when practicable. But the
best way of all. from the actors point Of
view. Is to cut out the Objectionable lines
ana episode, or to rewrite the play. This
last remedy should not. however, be at