New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-05
Even When the Cas-,
Is on. the Crowd
Back Stage Makes
Merry-Unwrit.
ten Com e dy
Funnier than
the Lines

Ivy don't We go up3" inquired stage h,s
anxiously.
Waiting for the audience, Jack" sooth.a
the stage manager, worthy purpose, yesr
Jack was Gained, and the stage mana,.,
asked me If / wanted to look through a peen
hole at the audience. l did, and tiptoed ov.,-
to the crevice.
"Oh, you don't need to step so softly hs.
yelled at the top OF his lungs to prove il; they,
can't hear anything out there. Full houser
up to the hilt."
He did Highland Fling right then and
there.
you see" he explained ingenuously we
like it full 1t means our little game is working
out We started out on ten cents. you remem..
Der, and there were dark days last year You'd:
better get on the other side; you can see bet.
ter"
But won't be In your way"
mo; impossibleT
And on my word, believe he meant II. He
made an ntruding reporter feel that Il she
had wanted coffee and rolls the play would
stop, the audience file out, and all the actors
run to bring the tray. And that is hospitality.
a different sort from that polite stare your
best friend gives you when you breeze IN dur
ing Office hours. ~
And another thing: nobody around the Band.
box Theatre seems to have any ".empera.
ment' Is it not startling for playecs to be
without that particular traditional property,
But no; these are regular people, with good
dispositions and even tempers. The manager
has no beetle brows or awful oaths; the lead.
ing lady does not hiss at the ingenue off the
stage because she has been beaten 10 hand"
The hero does not stalk moodily around in
fierce silence cursing the vile fate that thrust
him into this better world But they shake
hands, you know, and pat each other on the =
head, and seem to like the whole arrangement
so we'll It makes an outsider envious.
Robert Strange was introduced.
Il can't take off my hat" he apologized re.
ferring 10 large, black cylinder on his head
Worse than a woman about this hat. Is II on ,
straight" he ssked solicitously.
Miss Enright insisted that l have chair
right there where would block the exit and
entrance ncdlly. IuoHcu SdndHuJ
of to bring me one, and came back with his
cheerful smile and chair in his arms With a .
dramatic flourish he placed the seat and put ne ,
On it, when suddenly the thing slipped and
down we went, with the most sickening crash |
have ever heard 1t sounded through the quiet
of the dialogue the stage, like the fall Of
Rome and rose white and scared 10 the mar.
row.
"Avaunt, reporter" I expected to hear. but
"Oh, you poor thing did it hurt" was what
really did hear.
And then everybody laughed as though max
ing disturbance during the play was the
greatest joke in the world. My heart began to -
beat again.
You have such fun back here" declared
I'VE always have fun" said Mr.. Moeller
that's just the way we run the Bandbox. We
all love it and enjoy it. We take our art SER.
ously,' yes, but seriousness does not mean so
lemnity, does it7"
No; it doesn't And II crowd OF talented
purposeful people want to romp and skip why
let them, for at least they are putting spiri, and
enthusiasm into their work. and. as Literature
has 1t, while there's enthusiasm there's
much"