Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-04
STAGE SUPERSTITIONS
THINGS TO BE LEARNED BY IN
EXPERIENCED ACTORS.
Happenings of Seemingly Little Mo-
ment Fraught With Great Mean
ing to the Initiated.

From the Detroit Free Press.
II had heard great deal of the super
stitions of player-folk,'' remarked the en-
bryo actor after his first tour, put IL
takes the actual experience with a ROAD
company to realize how firm hold the
supposed good and i'll omens of the stage
have upon it's followers. Few are free
from them. From the iowliest chorus girl
to the most exalted star-an have their
presentiments and superstitions. l had
them brought home to me in emphatic and
malignant form before had been out very
long Right at the start l committed
very serious breach of theatrical behavior,
though l was entirely innocent of any IN
tention to offend. When we had all as
sembled at the depot preparatory to be-
ginning the tour I noticed that the bag
gage seemed to attract considerable atten-
ton, and the side remarks that were direc--
ed toward one particular trunk aroused my
curiosity. i one of the actors shake
his head solemnly, as he observed:
That's bad-a Jonah, right on the start.
I wonder what chump brought that thing
along.
Conspirators at Work.
eve rehearsed another half week at the
town in which we opened, and 1 soon
learned the caused of the pessimistic ex-
pressions. 1 happened to be in the theater
one afternoon before the opening night,
and 1 overheard a conversation between
the stage carpenter and the property man,
which ran something like this:
We've got to fix that guys trunk the
first chance we get, said props. The ldtar
OF his totin' along round-top trunk Shows
he hasn't been out before
Well said his partner in crime, well
fix it all right, all right. That trunk won't
| very easy matter to place it at the bottom
| of the heap every time, and with a little
Judicious handling, between ourselves and
the transfer NEIL, we can soon put 1t out
! of business.
Il didn't need to hear more. I was the
guy with the round-top trunk. 1t was
the only one 1 had at home, and as hadn't
been instructed as to the style of trunk
! to carry, of course l brought 1t along. But
l now saw that it was clearly regarded
as a Jonah. 1 went Immediately to the
manager-star and quizzed him on the mat
ter.
"'Well said he, am not overly super
stitious myself, but a round-top trunk Is
believed to be one of the biggest Jonahs
in the business. 1 guess the best thing
you can do Is to ship 1t home before you
lose 1t. You can put your stuff in some
ones else trunk until you get a new one.
And don't fail to get a square-shaped trunk
when you buy one
Don't Whistle in the Dressing Room.
We'll, I shipped the old family trunk
home right away. Another popular super
stition in regard to baggage is that rope
bound trunk is sure Jonah, and a rope
bound trunk will not be tolerated by the
majestic persons that handle the baggage.
About the third night of my appearance
I was severely called to account for whist
ling in the dressing room. / had trilled
about half a bar of a popular comic song,
when my dressing room mate looked up
with Mortified expression that was greatly
accumulated by the pale shade of grease
That settles It, he gasped: won't
last with this show a week
What's the matterT I asked inno-
Matter! Don't you know you oughtn't
to whistle in the dressing room That
means that the man nearest the door will
be sure to get his two weeks notices?
We'll, as matter of fact that fellow Che
was nearest the door in this instance) did
receive his notice after We had been out a
month or OF course, he laid it to me.
] didn't; for the way In which he butchered
the English language convinced me that he
would have been more suitably employed
on the section.
"Ugh" Said the Leading Lady.
Not long afterward 1 called for
looking through the 'peek-hole before
had made my first entrance.
lone day as we We're leaving a town in
which business had not been particularly
encouraging 1 noticed the leading lady
skudder
Ugh she said, drawing her kimona
closer about her shoulders.
Thinking she was about to have chill.
I asked her If there was anything l could
do for her.
"Oh. it's nothing she replied. rather dis
mally. But didn't YOU them putting
that corpse on the train. That's sure Jo-
nah. you know. We are sure to have bad
business in the next town
II found that the leading lady had an ex-
tended repertoire in the matter of super
stitions. some of which 1 took pains to re-
member for future reference. A few of them
/ have seen published; others l think the
reading public are unfamiliar with. Here
are some that | recall, in addition to those
mentioned above:
Some Stage Superstitions.
Never put your foot on the roll of a
curtain drop.
Never look through a broken mirror.
1T is considered extremely unfortunate
for person to look over anothers Shout
der into a mirror. CT is said that Booth
and Barrett believed in all the mirror super
stitions)
1T is considered unlucky to leave a hat
on the bed. 1t must be removed and hanged
elsewhere before 1t is worn, and must not
be touched until another hat Is on the
wearer's head.
Avoid meeting cross-eyed people on the
way to the theater
Don't return to your dressing room lie
anything has been forgotten.
Never quote Macbeth in the dressing
rooms.
Few actors are brave enough to walk
under ladder. 1t means certain misfor-
tune.
III the figure Is seen on a locomotive
the actor should turn his back to It,
''On coming out OF the hotel to go to the
theater, the sight of load of hay assures
one OF prosperous engagement but the
sight OF a load of empty barrels will fill
the stoutest heart with gloom and fore
boding.
"A few actresses believe that certain
cities are their Jonahs as they have never
played those cities without misfortune of
some kind.
Prominent Believers.
THE most prominent people In the pro-
fession have their superstitions. 1t is said
that John Drew L. carof.,l .,z...--