The Washington times., 1904-05-22
Stage Expedients
Some of the Methods by Which Diff
culties Are Met.

The many different methods resorted
to on the stage. in order to give q per-
Torrance in cases of emergency some
times cause untold worry and confusion
back OF the scenes. and call forth some
wonderful exDedients
AS a general thing, in case Of there
being no understudy. one of the Iescer
principals. who has sufficient confidence
in his or her familiarity with the lines.
goes on in the more important role and
fakes it. while the lesser part is cut
out altogether. Occasionally il happens
that nobody has the assurance to at
tempt the part, and someone reads the
lines from the manuscript.
This is all very well In a dramatic pro-
duction. but in comic opera. with its
songs. dances. music cues. and intrica te
business. it Is a different story. Some
body must be found who knows the part
or there can be no performance.
A remarkable example of The import
ance Of this was shown in the presen-
tation OF The Serenade" last summer
by one OF the Aborn Opera Companies
at the Grand Opera House. Philadelphia
Miss Eleanor Giusti was singing the
prima donna role of Yvonne. and as II
was her first week at work after an ex-
tended vacation. her voice was not pre-
pared to stand the strain of the diff
cult music. About the middle Of the
~eek she began to get hoarse, then sud-
denly, during the matinee Thursday, her
voice left her entirely. and she was
forced TO give 1t up. There was no un-
derstudy. and no one in the company
familiar enough to even attempt to act
or sing the part.
Sargent Aborn. who was in Philadel-
phia, FASTENED to the long distance tele-
phone and called up his brother in New
York. This was just as tn, .inal curtain
was descending on the last act of the
matinee, and the telephone and telegraph
wires were kept burning for nearly al
hour until at last Estelle Wentworth.
who was In New York. was cOmmuni-
Gated with. She was the only prima
donna then in America who had ever
played the part. Would she go over. to
Philadelphia and save the show? SIRE
would she; but she had not played the
part for three years, and was a little
'shaky" about it. However, she said
she would do her best.
1t was then $40. and she was all dress
ed for dinner, with a large bouquet OF
violets in her corsage. She hesitated not
a moment, but jumped into the swift
running automobile which was to have
taken her 10 dinner with friends, but
told the chauffeur to get her to Twenty
third Street ferry in twenty minutes
Away went the machine with violets,
Estelle, opera cloak and all. whizzlng
like mad down the smooth asphalt of
Seventh Avenue, and across town to
the Pennsylvania depot, and not a mo-
ment too soon.
As the gong rang for the boat to pull
out, the gatekeeper was startled by
beautiful, richly gowned woman rush
ing like mad onto the boat, Just an in
slant before 1t pulled out Milton Aborn
was there to see her off, but he only
got glimpse Of her as she sped by him.
He telegra phed his brother in Philadel-
phia TO meet the train and escort Miss
Wentworth TO the theAter.
AS Sargent Aborn had never seen her.
the telegram said meet tau girlp in
opera coat trimmed with ernine wearing
large bunch of Yioletst With this
means of Identification, she was recog-
nized as soon as she shipped Off the