Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-06
SUCCESS IN VAUDEVILLE
OFTEN HINGES ON WIT
MoNoLoeIsT KNOWLES SIZES UP
ENGLISH AUDIENCES
Once Asked Waiter to Bring Him
Glass Of Wine OF His Tray and
the Laughter Put the Audience In
Sympathetic Humor

r. G. Knowles, the world-famous
monologist, who is appearing at the
Orpheum this week, tells an interest
ing story of the way he raised his
first laugh in an English music hall
over fifteen years ago.
Every vaudeville performer who re-
turns from "the other side" tells a
different story concerning the charac-
ter Of English audiences and the recep-
tion accorded American acts. Mr..
Knowles was one of the few who
struck the right note from the first.
Consequently he likes English music
hall audiences. But his first reception
came near being a frost, as will be
seen from his narrative.
II made my first English music hall
appearance" says Mr.. Knowles, "at
the Trocadero on June 49, 1901, before
an audience of about 800.
Audience open-M outhed
For the first five minutes the au-
dience looked at me In open-mouthed
astonishment. My style was something
so new that they could not quite grasp
it. My rapid fire method of delivering
my jokes, the restless way in which
1 hurled my patter and the general
activity of my manner, so different
from the methods of the English music
hall comedian, had them gasping with
astonishment, but they were not, ap-
parently, greatly impressed. 1 watched
my chance, however, and it came in a
most peculiar way.
"In the middle of one of my stories
a waiter crossed the auditorium with
two glasses of champagne on tray
which were sent by man on the
lounge to two friends in a box. When
the waiter appeared happened to be
on the left side of the stage. AS he
walked across in front of the audi
ence ! stopped talking and walked
across the stage, step and step with
him, all the time keeping my eye fixed
on the glasses of wine on his tray.
Stuns a Waiter
IAN ominous silence fell upon the
| house, and L knew that I at last had
the attention of the audience and the
opportunity to make a fit-or hu-
initiating failure. Just as the waiter
reached the front of the box he felt
the silence and realized that something
was happening,
"He stood still, looked at the audi
ence, then turned and looked at me.
leaned over confidingly and said in
stage whisper when you have one
of those out of work bring it UP here
and will give it job syI-
THE audience laughed, but the
laugh died away. Then 1t came again,
and increased until 1t wound up with
perfect storm Of appreciative ap-
plause. After that they laughed at
everything L said"
Mr.. Knowles relates another expert
ence which was less pleasing. At the
South London Varieties, on the occa-
sion of a benefit rendered to the late
Charles Godfrey he made his first ap-
pearance. The audience received his
introductory efforts with a storm of
Kisses, howls and claimants lang
widge.'
Mr.. Knowles tried to get even, re-
turning to their remarks Others more
stinging and unpleasant. Finally the
uproar reached such pitch that the
manager requested him to withdraw.
A year later he returned to the same
theater and was we'll received, but
these two experiences illustrate the fact
that the choice Of theater for the
initial performance has much to do
with the success or failure of Ameri-
can vaudeville artists in England.