New-York tribune., 1911-04-23
Oh That Syncopated Monday Morning Vaudeville Rehearsal

middle. groups Of tired looking men and
women, who appeared to he playing my
role of onlooker and looked already sick Of
1t. OF on one side a trim little woman was
/ feeding a cageful of trained rats across
| the stage, on the opposite side, the car
| penters were fitting snow clad peak be-
! hind a mountain of canvas ice.
a bedraSgled looking girl drifted down
the stage with the grace Of an April sun
BEAM leaned over the black footlishts and
dropped her check into the orchestra
! leaders open palm.
Number one. Vat iss it?"
Song and dance. Special to open
change. The Old Rag clog, change, buck
and wing. 'Salamander Sarah to close
Play the special for the drum Was
there ever such talk outside the confining
walls Of Bloomingdalc? But. miracle Of
miracles, the leader seemed to understand,
. Tor crash went the orchestra. and the girl
struck out her foot ever and anon and
the drummer rolled a reveile or crashed
his cymbals. The girl seemed to he talk
ing or singing, hut too low to be heard.
After minute she stopped the orchestra,
started them again, murmuring the while.
with the leader watching intently. Sud
denly she went over and spoke TO the
drummers. kneellDg across the footlights;
then she rose to her feet. announced
Guess you've got it," and drfted out
into the sunlight among whose beams she
belonged.
Then 1t was that I made q discovery.
vaudeville act is not rehcarsed: 1t Is the
orchestra that is rehearsed. And il takes
about two minutes and three seconds 10
rehearsc a twenty minute song and dance
act. This was confirmed when "A man and
womdn stepped mp to the rail. dropped
over their check, handed down about
twenty-five pounds of music and bowed
soodby so quickly that, even though |
hustled down TO the first row when they
started, ! was still too late to catch a
word. ! began 10 have the faint glim-
merings Of deep respect for the Teu-
tonic intellect that led that orchestra
big. bury man with stoge elevated
from the near side Of his mouth strobe
into the centre OF the stage Say. bo,"
he called TO a passing stage hand, shoot
us chair. Without turning from the
straight line in which he was moving the
boy sent n cane seated chair whirlin,
down stage. The big man caught 1t
deftly, swung 1t into the centre, near the
leader. dropped in his brass check and
began.
say, you trap-drummer over there I've
got one package of falls in this act that'U
Keep you rattling until your wrists are
sore. Prepare every time / tilt the chair
on the table and keep il up, growing
stronger and stronger. till / take the
Brodie; then, Props II help you out on the
glass crash. Hey. you, Props. come to re-
hearsai' Props, the nervous property
man. shuilled into line; there was talk OF
Kick, fall, crash. rise. bow. fall crash.
double crash. seconds conference on
exits everyone nodded comprehension and
INC big man gave way To the little trim
lady with the trained rats
There isn't anything you can do Tor me- !
Mr.. George. except when tho biggest rat
pounds tho bass drum, in time with YOU |
the drummer might put in tiny pound |
II yon think he can sneak It over. n |
YOU can't. all right but II YOU do don't |
bunsle y
Where tho moosicr"
haven't any Give me the Hot Time |
IN the old Town You've cot that Here's |
the music plot. You cant miss IT,
Just A. she was finishing q brilliantly |
soWnsd woman swept across the stage from |