ACTORS' SUPERSTITION.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 43, 20 February 1886, Page 4

ACTORS' SUPERSTITION.

Trifles That Give Professlonala Pause

Occasionally.

Cuiuous as actors' general superstitions are, thoso of individual mombers of tbo profession ore even more curious. If Clara Morris soos a nail on the stage floor, the flood of her impassioned speech i 8 checked, and she refusea to move a step before the offensive nail has beon removed. Fanny Davenport refuees to use any cosmetics but those of one person's rnako-this person being the son of the woman who made up her face for her debut, when eho was a child. She attributes the failure of "An American Girl"to a change of coametics. A pin on the stage with its head toward Ada Rohan will frighten that capital actress out of her wits, for she regards it as a sign of great ill-luck. She saw a pin lying in that ominous position the night of " Love on Crutohes " and to this circumstance attributed the circumstance that another actress in a subordinate part made a greater success than she did with the leading character. Agnes Booth ia superstitious about allowing a wig to bo dresßed on her bead ; Bhe thinks it brings ill-luck. Mrs Fernandez, who trainß children for the stage, belioveß only in plays with children's parts. Edwin Booth has a superstitious droad of sleeping in any oddnumbered room of a hotel. This superstition necessitates the engaging of apartments for him in the various cities where he is to play engagements at tho time his tour is laid out. Lawrence Barrett has a prejudice, strong enough to amount to a superstition, against people with too many s's in their names. People attribute this to tho fact that his real name is O'Shaughnessy, a name he boro in humble circumstances. Poor John MoCullough would never allow his dresser, when dressing bim for a new part, to slip a garment on ovor his head, no matter how great inconvenience thia whim caused.

The superßtitions of comedianß aro even more absurd than those of the tragedians named. John T. Raymond, it is said, regards a red-haired woman with horror. To meet a woman with red hair on the Btreet on the day of the production of a play he considers an omen of bad luck. Indeed ho will actually remain in the house in order not to run the risk of meeting a red-haired woman, J. K. Emmot won't pass a person on tho stairs. If he happens to be half-way up a flight and some one is coming down, he descends of the foot of the stairs again and takes a fresh start. It sometimes happens that he has to turn back several times before ho can ascend the whole flight. He has the same dread of passing people on his way down stairs. Nat. Goodwin thinks there's bad luck in meeting a grey horse in the morning. James Lewis, when studying a new part, carries an old pony shoe in his pocket. His wife once proposed to decorate the shoe, but Lewis regarded the pro* posal with bo much alarm and protested so vehemently that Mrs Lewis desisted, it is even said that Lewis never sits down to a game of poker without the pony shoe in his pocket. He found it years ago, and has ever since regarded it as a talisman. Tom! Whiffon Owes his superstition to his knowledge of music. If he haß a mußical entrance in flats he thinks the scene will prove a failure; if the music is in sharps he feels sure of success.

Managers are by no means free from superstition. For instance, Steteon believes in dreams, and is so influenced by them that be has abandoned an important enterprise on account of an unfavourable death. Gilmore considers it ill luck to havo a person pass between him and a friend. If a person chances to pass between him and a friend ho will retrace his steps for' blocks in order, with his friend by his side, to pass that person again. Thus it will be seen superstition exercises a potent influence in the theatrical profession.