Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-06

retiring room, where the members of the
royal family may spend the time between
the acts and have a degree of privacy
which they could not have in their box.
even from a respectful English audience.
Members of the English royal family buy
their boxes in the theaters just like mem
bers of the general public. Notification Is
always sent to the manager of the theater
on the day before, and an announcement
Is made to the manager whether the visit
Is in public or private capacity. Many
little arrangements are necessary from
habits which have become traditional. In
the first place, the royal carpet must be
spread from the sidewalk through the royal
entrance up the stairway to the box. Sec
ondly. flowers are provided for the ladies
Of the party, and the flowers play a
unique and rather important part. In the
case of Queen Alexandra's attendance at
Mr.. Gilette's performance, for instance,
they were presented to her majesty just as
she was entering the box. In this instance
the flowers were orchids and maidenhair
fern. If at the end of the play the men,
bers Of the royal family are pleased with
the production. the flowers are taken from
the box to the carriages IT, however. the
play does not please, the flowers are left
behind. This has become a recognized GUS
tom, and 1t is usually rather unhappy
quarter Of an hour for the local manager
when he sees his floral offerings left be-
hind, and, singularly enough. it frequently
happens.
Just before the hour for the royal car
riages to arrive. and be 1t known that the
King of England is always prompt to the
minute, two firemen in full uniform stand
outside, and as the carriages draw UP they
throw open the doors The manager of the
theater, accompanied by the manager of
the company, stands inside the entrance
1t Is not etiquette for them to cross the
pavement to meet the king in his carriage
The footmen open the doors, and the king
who is always first, greets the waiting
managers and accompanied by such men,
bers of his family as are attending him.
and his equerries, goes Immediately to the
box The managers are expected as the
curtain falls at the end of each act to be
outside of the royal box to attend to any
commands which the king may make, or to
answer any questions which he may put
and this latter Is not always an easy task
in the case Of King Edward VII He is
an earnest seeker after Information. and
the questions he puts and the knowledge
which he displays of the details of things
which no one under the sun would expect
king to know anything about are really
astonishing.
In the case of the kings visit to Mr.
Gillette's performance the king occupied
the center Of the box, with the queen on his
right and the Princess Victoria on his left.
Just before he took his seat he commanded
that Mr.. Gillette be brought to the royal
room at the end of the second act AS
those who have seen Sherlock Holmes"
are aware, the curtain rises and falls in
perfect darkness. Efforts were made to
explain this to his ma esty, but he would
not hear it. He said that his people in
Copenhagen had seen the production of the
play there; that they declared that 1t was
so thrilling it needed a nerve tonic to be
athletic sit 1t out, and he would have nothing
of what " IS going to happen told him un
der any circumstances. At the end of the
act Mr.. Gillette was conducted to the royal
room, made up as Sherlock Holmes, of
course. The king greeted him as an old
friend and chatted with him so long that
the curtain had to be held for consid-
cradle period. At the end of the play Mr..
Gillette was again sent for, and he accom-
panied the royal family as far as the royal
entrance.
King Edward is great stickler for cere-
mony. He will never permit the slightest
deviation from the fixed rule, and so
marked is his personality that one would
never dream for a moment of attempting
to take any liberties. The well-known
court etiquette rule of never addressing a
monarch unless one is addressed is always
adhered to. even in his visits to the thea
ter. but there is a degree of geniality and
hearty manhood about King Edward which
wins for him great respect and love. He Is
courtesy personified. The firemen who
throw open the doors, the attendants who
stand guard the usher who lays on the
ledge of the royal box the specially printed
program of the evenings entertainment,
all received smiling acknowledgment from
the tactful king of their slight service
All of his life the king has been a great
patron of the theater, and it is said that In
England there is not a better judge of
play. There have been instances when as
Prince of Wales he attended PLAYS which
were not to his liking, when he has not
hesitated to show his displeasure in very
pronounced manner but he Is equally en-
thusiastic when anything pleases him Dur
ing his visit to Sherlock Holmes his
applause was as frequent as it was hearty
for he does not consider 1t beneath the dig
nifty Of a ruling monarch to show his APP
probation Of an actors talent.
Last Saturday night complimentary din
ner was extended to John Blackwood of
this city by friends and associates. Mr.
Blackwood's departure to assume the posi-
ton under David Belasco Of business man.
ager for Mrs. Leslie Carter was an occa-
sion Of mingled congratulations and re-
grets. During his stay in this city as a
writer on theatrical topics he has won the
confidence Of the managers and the es-
TEEN of his coworkers, and the gathering
that babe him godspeed was a convincing
testimonial of this fact.
Here IS another telephone story from
Chase's. Some time ago the transmitter
did fine service in a conversation concerning
the lions at the Zoo, but since that noble
effort 1t has dangled idly at the press
agents elbow. The bell, however, is mer-
rily ringing once again.
The Four Otis have been separated for
some time and Joseph Hart, Foxy Grand
pa was the cause of their return to yaude-
Vile. He concocted for their especial use
the sketch named, and rehearsed them in
the act which was tried OUT at Chase's
Empire Theater in Cleveland recently The
act was given an opening with some mis-
givings, but the fact that the sketch was
by Joseph Hart and that it was to be done
by the four Otis furnished the excuse for
making it the second headliner in the EN-
pire bill this week. The understanding was
that Mr.. Chase would play the act in WASH
ington If it achieved success there Charlie
Stevenson. who is the manager representing
Mr.. Chase at the Empire Theater, hit upon
a novel way of informing the Washington
management of the public reception accord
ed the act. The Empires box office over
locks the auditorium, and the phone has a
long-distance attachment that is frequently
used for conversations with the Washing
ton house. AS the time approached at the
Monday matinee for the OTIS act to come
on the fong-dstarce connection was made
With Chase's here and the box Office vim
dow was opened upon the auditorium at the
Empire there. Mr.. Chase glued his ear to
the receiver ard then the OTIS period of
probation began. OF course the diaIop,,a
could not be heard with any distinctness at
all, but there was no mistaking the nunc-
tuations in the way of applause In this
way the demonstration of success was
without bias and prejudice, manifested
here, and in consequence of this unique but
certain method the four Otis were given
the earliest opportunity to appear here