The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31

little-lUnch- all-ready-for- him Yes, in
deed. we all have seen that lunch. 1t fair
~ makes our mouths water. There is a
tall dish for celery, with celery in il. Gel
cry is always good for comic business.
such as flaming the girl when she faintS.
or busting ones shoes. Well. as | was
saying. there is celery, and lots of it. in
the tall dish. There are several rosy ap-
pies, an orange or two, a squad of rolls
and perhaps a coffee pot. If the play is
very realistic, there may be coffee in the
pot, but If nOt-nay, nay. Bring in
stage hand, in a dress suit and tan shoes
FIRST giving him what looks like a cham
payne bottle with water inside. and the
delightful Illusion is complete. | saw a
meal ike that the other afternoon on the
stage. and after the male member of the
sketch team had taken about three bites
and spluttered out the coffee because it
burned him-very funny-he rose up and
said, with a smile:
- There, l feel as If / couldn't eat an
other morsel for week Wen. I sup
pose many time he hasn't had the
chance. heinE veteran actor.
The vaudeville meal is not the only
sparsely settled stage pOke-out. 1 have
seen John Drew, after telling the audi
ence how hungry he was. in one way or
another for ten minutes. sit down amid
beautiful scenery TO an empty Chatng
dish and bottle of real wine | have
always envied the actor who could have
real wine and consider it mark of pros
perity in the show that provides it, Still
wine, without food is at times injurious,
particularly when you see a couple of
characters in a society drama pour il
into them for breakfast. Now. while 1
am speaking of wine. I'm going to talk
about the stage toast. What a graceful
act II is, the stage toast. In legitimate
drama, in such a scene for instance as
Mary Mannerins's toast TO Washington,
IT Will pass, but comic opera-ah, that's
the word
Ever seen comic opera toast? OF
course you have. Everybody has. Some
body on the stage cries: "A toast. a toast
ana then the baritone steps forward and
levels his voice over the footlghts He
has an able-bodied cup in his hand in
which chorus girl pours wine from an
empty fagon, and then, prepared for the
song. the baritone let's go: And it's will
We quar- me. my iads?' or something like
that is what he says and then he drinks
deeply II there's an encore, which there
usually is he comes back and drinks
again without the formality Of rehlling
his glass. That : one kind OF opera toast
Another kind is when everybody drinks
together. They used to do that in the
first act of III Captain. The chorus and
a couple OF the principals used To get out
IN front OF the house and sing something
like %, the raven black wine, let us sip
Up; come let us sip-ip, come, let US sip
lp. wont be sure about the color of
the wine as characterized in the song.
but | do remember that toast. Every
body on the stage used to clinls glasses
tthey We're made of metal, Of courseD
with enough force to break q pressed
blinking cups they were swinging them
around their heads. like green quarter
back making his first double pass. OF
course. II wont be necessary for me to
stale that the glasses were all empty
Having discoursed about meals that
are spurious. let us now pay our respects. |
in conclusion. to the real articles. Where |
can you find them? Why. in the truly |
rural drama. with whistling wind. the |
driving snow, the real fruit tree, the OK |
team. and the Annie Laurie quartette. i
You all know the sort of show l refer to.
The kind old man with whiskers and |
oNeralls, comes In from the barn and |
says 'Marthy. be tibet turkey done Wit; |
1t smells all fired slick Hello, who's |
tibet there comm Up the road? and hav- |
ing said that, the dinner preparations go |
on and finally they take real turkey |
from a real stove and set II on real |
table. with real cloth and knives and !
forks, and real bread and real cOnversa- /
ticn. Everything real, In fact. except the /
actors. Sometimes they are wooden. In
these plays the members of the east get /
So sick of turkey that FOR ordinary meals
of the stage they are glad to tackle a
iripe sandwich. After all, then. it becomes
a question whether the actor with three
rolls and an apple isn't thu better sit
uatcd The Brooklyn Eagle.