The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-25

Folks Xrnas{


To no class of people well-housed, we'll
fed and well-clad does merry Christmas
ring with such hollow mockery as to ac-
tors, says the Washington Star. This for
two reasons. First, because it is the one
day in the year when they realize to the
full extent that home life and the stage are
practically incompatible. Second, because
at both matinee and evening performances
they play to the hardest audiences of the
year, composed Of people like themselves,
separated from home and kindred and
turning desperately to the theater for so
lace. The spectators are in no mood for
the play.
The mercurial spirits of stage-folk rise
under the collaborating influence of big
houses, tlattering press notices and gifts
except on Christmas day. Then, even in
the best of regulated companies, where
good fellowship ordinarily reigns. a fit Of
the blues Is the only correct thing.
On Broadway, Miss Tessie Lightheels,
who halls from Toledo, and all her lays
has been pining for a metropolitan OPEN
ing, fingers, the. flowers, bonbons and more
substantial remembrances that come to a
musical comedy favorite, and remarks,
with a sniff that is unm~istakable:
Il bet mothers just taking the turkey
out of the oven, and-and-who wants
+ w L turkey Ul CHRISTMAS
rday."
On the other hand, Miss Margaret Null
yillill of avenue A, New York, who, after
many seasons in. small parIs on Broadway,
finds herself starring to a very good bust
ness in the middle west, glares at her long
suffering manager and demands to know
why5he could not have booked them with
in q, hundred miles of New York for
Christmas day.
And the az .ival of a box from home is
the signal for a general movement in the
I direction of the recipients dressing room,
for, after all, these stage people are just
big, affectionate, impulSive children, when
their heart strings are really touched.
In the vaudeville houses where Coptin-
uous performances are given Christmas
day strikes terror to the most time-har-
dened dramatic sou.
The doors open anywhere between $50
and 1880 a. m. and close at about mid
night. The head-liners play their custom
airy two turns. but those lower in the ar
tistic scale play ION demand generally
about four times. If an act is. p~articu-
larly weak, it is used to chase out the
audience-in plain English, to tire it into
leaving the house and making room for the
line waiting in the lobby.
The low-salaried vaudeville actor, there
fore, eschews any Christmas dinner, and
HES himself to the nearest quick-lunch
counter, there to feast ON turkey sand
witches, eNercrable coffee and pie as heavy
as his spirits. BY the time he has done
his last turn on the stage he is more ready
for bed than the festive board.
To the unsuccessful actor Christmas is
likely to bring that blessing of the Rialto,
a turkey date
Scattered within easy access of New
York are numerous small cities, or, more
properly speaking, towns, where good
shows never come. OF these the catch
penny anage keeps a list, and on quick
notice he scours Broadway for cheap, I'M
engaged talent, from which he organizes
his company, rehearses it hastily in some
playhouse whose royalties have expired,
rushes some cheap printing upon the poor,
unsuspecting town and lands there bright
and early Christmas morning. The pop
ulation, show hungry, welcomes the holt
day diversion and packs the town hall,
matinee and night.
TIL actors are thus assured of a good
Christmas dinner and supper and a per-
centage of the box office receipts. Usually
these are divided according to the i'm
portance of the roles played by the &C.
tors. This will tide them over until New
Years day, which brings another 'tur-
key date