The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-03-06
In New York
BY PAUL HARRISON

New York-During a perform ance of Eugene O'Neilps "Ah, Viii derness" the other evening, an unhappy customer in one of the front rows was seized by a fit Of sneezing.
 And it happened just as young Elisha Cook, Jr., was sitting alone on the stage doing his melancholy Soliloquy. ". so you thought you were in love, did you?" said MT Cook to himself.
 "Kat-choo-o-oo.' interrupted the man in the audience, for the third time.
 ". thought you knew all about love; and all about girls. Well-'
 "Kat-choo."
 q ought to kick you right in the pants.'
 The audience went into hyster- ics, and the sneezer fled. Young MT Cook got pretty red, though he'd only been reciting his regular lines.
 Audience Joins In
 That's only one of many in- stances in which the lines of a play seemed especially appropr1- ate. Last season there was a show called They All Come to Mos cow" which was so utterly bad that some of the critics nominated it for all ten of the years worst tx, frI ono of the cast had to dash in and loudly ask the rest of the perform CTS: Say, does anybody know what this is all about?"-refer- ring, of course, to some develop ment in the alleged story. But when he recited that line, few of snicker, "No!" And everybody reached for his hat.
 Some time before that there was another theatrical atrocity titled Beyond Evil" and the audience booed and hissed through most of it. There was one point, though, where it was applauded. That was when one of the actresses held up bottle of stage poison and dramatically declared: "I'm going to end it all.'
 A couple of chivalrous sailors almost ruined performance Of the Ziegfeld Follies several years ago-the one in which there was an "amateur night sketch. with @ stooge planted in the balcony to hurl pennies and insulting re- marks at the performers. Edna Leedom came on, and the sailors, who were sitting near the stooge, liked her. Give this dame a chance, or we'll sock you,' they yelled at the hired heckler. He was scared, but continued to make his nasty cracks; had to, because Miss Leedom had crooks to make back at him.
 The sailors got up, barged
 over, and were ready to heave
 the Uuivering stOOge off the
 balcony when battalion or
 ushers and police intervened. Bringing the House Down
 Through one fault or another, something often goes wrong with props or scenery. At a pre- miere early this season one or the doors of an interior set refused 10 stay shut. And, worse luck, IL happened to be the door to an on stage dressing room, put there TOT a quick change of one of the ac- tors. Other players in the act nao terrible time-edged up to IT, rubbed their shoulders against IL, nudged it with their feet. toyeo with the knob, and finally begai, improvising exits so they cou'u close it from behind. It was no use; the door kept swinging open But an appreciative audience gave the actors fine hand for tneir ingenuity. .x
 And then there was the play in which the leading lady had to bring out a handkerchief ana oap her eyes. The handkerchief was essential to the sense of some sue ceeding lines - and one evenlns she discovered she'd left 1t Tn ner dressing room. After several pau, full moments while she stoou there terrified and speeches.. four big masculine handkerchiefs cane flying from both sides Of the wings.
 During an edition of Mir Car rolls "Vanities" some years ago. a piece of scenery = part of a building-started to topple on W. e. Fields, the comic dentist. The audience gasped and Fields push. ed the wall back just in time. "Ill tell you. folks" he ad Hbbed, "they're certainly not putting up these houses as strong as they used to-" It drew such good laugh that the incident was kept | in the show.
 any form of amusement. which Is ax,,auefva re mntrId ha ha r6lv xviae