New-York tribune., 1901-05-19
STAGE KISSES.
THERE'S NOT MUCH ECSTASY IN THEN
FROM THE ACTORS POINT OF VIEW.

From The Sketch
In reality. stage kiss is thing of little
ecstasy to the parties concerned. IL is. a
rule dreaded by both. Where the artists are Of
n 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 completely giving the lie to
the real article. In the first place. however il
may seem from the front. it is not easy To put
much soul into the affair under the eyes OF
several hundred spectators. IL would not he
easy. imagine. in actual life il is dOubly diff
cult when all these hundreds of people-many
or them themselves experienced in the of
oSculaton-have nothing else To attract then
attention, and. having paid their money. mean
To see the thing properly done The audience
iorSrtS that which is probably the case. these
ardent lovers are the merest acquaintances. pos
Sibly even not on speaking terms outside the
theatre. especially if there be a great discre-
pancy in their respective salaries. No. the dress
circle sees nothing but sweet. pretty girl cling
ing To her lover, her blue eyes wet with tears
her sunny rinsIcts falling his manly bosom
But what does h. see. poor fellow? He is the
earnest lover. He has exchanged vows with her
three inches from her nose. hawling into her
face in order that the gods may hear and un-
derstand She has assured him. in the same bei-
low, that his love is not in vain. she has loved
him, OH ever since before she saw him. He
''thrills'-a stage thrill is comparatively easy
and starts on the kiss. He looks her fun in the
face for now he is bound to), and what does
he see?
Glaring into his two unearthlv looking eyes
II
body color in each of the inside corners The
lashes are thckly coated with black substance.
not unlike burnt cork. ON her brow he can dis
Germ the line Of the wig with the sunny rinslets
attached He knows the sickly taste of the
ultra-sanSune. rosebud lips. But loyal 10 his
author. he plays the man. He strains the yield
ing form To his heart he kisses her: the cur
tam fails on a picture of uneXampled love and
as the lights in the auditorium switched on
Edwin and Angelina yearn again. And Ioi
Angeiina's sof; eyes are filled with tears. she is
that happy.
Who. who can question the stage lovers right
to bottle of stout. any other refreshment he
may require after this? And surely tile 'ghastIy
business is no less diSaSrccable to the poor fem
inine victim fresh very likely from all the COM
forts of 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 the Otherl
But by Jove. he can. and that is where the
trouble of stage kisses comes in.
The crowninG torture of a stage kiss may be
and. where possible. isavoided by the kiss i'm
Piled method. Here the authors victims shoot
their heads over each others shoulder and by
their ecstatic thrills. give the audience to under
stand that kiss is going on somewhere in the
region of the ear. But the kiss implied must
be done very adroitly. the implication Will be
missing: and he must carefully guard the lapel
of his dress coat from contact with her check
for both their sakes. But it is a cowardly sub
planting of the lips on her brow just near the
wig, will suffice; but this kiss pateruaI' de-
notes n f1abby, degenerate sort of lover. Again.
If matters have not gone to extremes. the young
man may get off with kissing the lady's hand:
the kiss reverential" is a good way out of the
of all. from the actors point of view is to cut
out the Objectionable lines and episode or to re-
write the play. This last remedy should not
however. be attempted in London.