New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-19

/ conversation Of the "house as II goes
out" Giving the crowd the triple o,
one might call it, and as the last of
the audience slowly makes its way to
the sidewalk there's a concerted rush
! of the three inside. The manager-the
boss-the man whose money is at
stake-is waiting just inside the lobby
| for the report.
ave got EN-" says the company
manager.
Looks as though you'd hit" says
the house manager.
"It's a cinch," says the press agent.
At any rate, let's hope that's what
they always report. No matter, though,
what the word they carry. Carry
| some word they do, and not until they
do does the manager think to move.
Then leisurely he starts 10 make his
way back stage, too. Not by the
| alleyway to the stage door, though.
There is no need now, for the house
is quite empty, save for the ushers,
who are making a hurried trip be-
tween the rows of seats to recover the
fans, the glasses, the umbrellas, the
but what people lose in theatre is
something else again.
There's a little door behind one OF
the boxes leading back stage, and
toward it the manager is making his
way, for, though the curtain has been
down a good fifteen minutes now, don't
imagine any of the good people who
have been working their hardest to
entertain you during the evening and
to "put it over" have even given
thought to getting ready to go to
their homes. Not on an opening night.
Maybe every other night of the run,
no matter if il last year, there will
be those in the company-the quick
dressers-who are ready for the street
ten minutes after the last curtain. But
not on opening night.
Like as not the leading woman, who
has scored the triumph Of her life, is
in tears. ooh, was Just terrible"
she walls. 81 was never so awful in
my life"
"Indeed and you weren't" croons
the author. "You were wonderful.
You saved the whole play" Maybe he
thinks it and maybe he doesn't. Suf-
fee that he says it.
"Did you see the way | got 'em
there in the second act ?" demands the
juvenile of no one in particular and
every one in general, in consequence
of which, of course, no one pays the
slightest attention to him.
Congratulations, folks!" booms the
manager, as he energies through the
little door under the box.
Now, IL the aforementioned triple
o had been altogether favorable, there
is reason, and a-plenty, for his words,
but, no matter what the report may
have been, the manager says the same
thing, anyway-while they are closing
up the opening. It's being done this
year, and always has been done.
Then the group that has surrounded
the weeping leading woman make way,
and the manager walks over 20 her
and whispers something nice in her
ear and she stops weeping and smiles
a little and says: "Do you really think
so?" And then she darts into her
dressing room and the leading man
dsshes into his and the juvenile beats
il for his ard The rest of them just
disappear.
Then the manager turns 70 the au-
thor and says, George But it's
about time this really gets down TO
real opening. So just the little knot
of interested folks back stage at the
Harris Theatre Tuesday night disin-
tegrated, each going his or her way.
The two Selwyns-Arch and Edgar
and Crosby Gaige turned to Little
Miss Cowl, and said, in one cnthusi-
astic chorus: Jane, you've got it,"
"Do you really think SOP asked
Miss Cowl, her interest instantly
aroused. what do the papers say?'
Don't know yet" said one OF the
managers. Hes gone after them now"
Be it known right here that by hes"
they meant the press agent.
He-this is still about the press
agent--had followed back stage quite
unobtrusivcly, and, quite unobtrusive-
ly, he had remained unobtrusivc. So,
no one apparently caring whether he
was there or not, he had gone where
he knew he was expected to go, soon
or or later-downtown for the papers.
even though he knew IL would be q