The sun., 1910-05-13
STAGE HANDS TURN ACTORS
BUREESOTE "TRE LOTTERY
MAN FOR rHE ACTORS FATR.


A Surprisingly Clever PerIOFmAnes. .Nhlch
was Preceded by q Parade and an
Emfugeet Hand Audience Came 10
Jeer and Remained 20 GiSgie.
There is a tradition in the theatre world
that no one ever saw a stage hand except
In shirt sleeves or jumper. That tradi-
ton was swept away yesterday afternoon
in a gale Of hysterical laughter when
the stage hands Of the Biiou Theatre
played an act of The Lottery Man
for the benefit Of the Actors Fund In q
little theatre tucked away down In the
basement Of the Seventy-frst Regiment
Armory.
Stage hands during the course Of a
long run become letter perfect In every
part Of the running play, not only in the
lines the authors wrote but in the actors
Rags-Rnd that's one reason why Willie
Collier IL 30 apt a. a gagger and Charlie
Reed and Pete Daley were famous that
business. II was up 10 Cyril Scott. star
Of The Lottery Man. to provide an
entertainment for the Fund Fair Theatre,
and the happy thought came 10 him to
give yesterday show and at the same time
lee several hundred members Of the
profession see stage hands not in shirt
sleeves oT jumpers.
win you do iti" no asked the BijOu
stage hhnds. and they answered Sure
No rehearsals were necessary. not
part had to be- studied. no stage business
learned. costumes were to be provided.
that was all.
To begin with there was a parade OF
the stage hand players in their make
up through the armory. and that settled
the matter Of attendance. The little
theatre was packed. II was said that
there was a little advance trouble about
that parade. The paraders wanted TO
be led by drums and fife. and there was
a mutter from the orchestra people that
there was nothing about parades IN their
contracts. Then stepped forth MTs. Pet-
ton I'D Harper. who weighs 22S pounds
and has no fat and Helen HCuer doe
Hickey. who looks like Jim Corbett.
They remarked that II there was no
music something would b started and
offered odds that the decision would be
with the stagehands. 80 they had music
for the parade. and 4 score Of extra stage
hands In shirt sleeves and Jumpers joined
with their Coatumed brethren, and pretty
nearly ali the Actresses and actors in
town trailed after the parade and into
the theatre.
The gigglas started just a. soon as
Paul Tomm. playing Cyril SCOTS part
entered and began jollying his gray
haired mother, Mrs.. Virgin. Steve Daunt.
Il was the members of the profession
who first began giggling when Iomm
made only a slightly exaggerated mi.
tation Of Mr.. SCOTS easy. loose jointed
swaying of tho body and waving Of the
arms. Then the audience was keen
20 discover in the stAgehand actors
the tricks, habits. faults. pecuhArties
Of the originals. and not . one escaped
the mimics-th way one actor lights
cigarette, the way one actress amoOths
down her bodice with a slight resting Of
the hands on hips, or another preens
her head while fiiasing with her hair
every slight adectatiOn or trick was
reproduced. only a little burle4qucd, un-
till the members Of the original company
were In mysteries.
As for Yrs PevfOH. played by kd Harper
with all the enthusiasm of his rs tatiass
pounds, gorgeous In burgundy colored
satin and jewels. when she. he. hret
discovered that he had eaten too much
| cake and felt miserAbly for her waist
line twelve inches above whore the cos
tuner had located Il and 20 plainly won
dered where the dickens a wOnans belt
was anyway. the show stopped u give
| the long wasted women spectators a
! chance 70 get back their breaths.
u wAs "a triumph for the stage hands,
and this much Of the programme is worth
preserving Mrs. Wright. Steve Daunt;
! F0rCg PeBton. Pete Woods. Jdet W1gh,
Paul Tomm: ChGufeur. Joe Pennington;
| Helen HeRsY joe Hickey: Mrs. PCg0A
! I'll Harper; LiEnc R0berts. LO,els DufiOcq.