UNREHEARSED.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 50, 27 February 1909, Page 16

UNREHEARSED.

AMUSING STORIES OF THEATBE MISHAPS. It Is no unusual thing to see the pathos pathos or comedy by an accident or'mieta'ko occurring on the stage during a performance. The severe winter of 1805 was the cause of an amusing scene of this kind, which was greatly enjoyed by the audience at the London Adelphi Theatre at the time. Mr Fulton, who played the stern father of the hero in "The Fatal Bard," had been suffering from a cold in the head. In the second act he was supposed to be killed in his office In the city, and he had to lie perfectly still on the stage for some considerable time previous to the dropping of tho curtain. The audience were, therefore, not a little surprised to see the corpse move its head, and then give way to a violent fit oE sneezing! But stage corpses often play curious tricks. At an English provincial theatre not so lone ago the villain of the play hnd met his death, and the curtain was lowered, but hung three feet above the stage. All efforts to lower it completely proved unavailing until the corpse arose and dragged down the cnrtaln, saying—"No rest even In the g-r-ave. ,, A TOUCH OF REALISM. Unexpected interruptions to the steady course of the play often come from the audience. Fanny Kemble was on one occasion playing Juliet at a Philadelphia Theatre. She had Just given the lines— "What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, has been his timeless end," v/hen a tall, lean, gaunt, sandy-haired inert! thrust down his hat on his head with a convulsive effort, crying out in a voice of thunder at the same time, "Keep him up, Ju Hot; I'll run and fetch the stomach pump." gone one night to hear Fechter in a melodrama of a tragic cast. In one part of the play Fechter had to count out money. He was very deliberate, and said slowly: "One, two, three, four, five," and so on. The interest of the piny was hanging on the tragedian's having enough money, and paying it over to the villain. He keot slowly counting, and the audience grew more restless and anxious for him to finish. At last a witty sou of Erin in the topmost gallery got quite exhausted, and yelled out —"I ear, Mr Fechter. give him n cheque." !t unexpected repiy •e'ame , " In answer to the query of Shakespeare's song: "Tell mc, where Is fancy bred?" A baker in the gallery, thinking the question was addressed to him, or that the opportunity for advertlsin 2 lii» shop was too good to be lost, roared out nt the pitch of his voice—"The best fancy bread Iβ to be had at Ljnch's shop in Ex-chequer-street, the best In Dublin—dlvil a better anywhere else." MORE IKISH WIT. The humour of the Irishman was also In evidence on another occasion, when "The Green Bushes" was being played, and towards the end of which the heroine was supposed to commit suicide by jumping Into the river. When, however, «he reached tbc usnal eminence of rock, she found, to her dismay that no mattress had been placed In the "river" for her to Jump on, so down alie came on the bare boards with a hard, resounding thud. Her confusion was intense, but It was Increased when a voice from the gallery sang out In a thick brogue: "Och, be jabers, the wather'e frozen!" This remark set the house in a roar. One night, In a Lancashire town, where Mr Robert Buchanan's play of "Sophia" was being played, an absurd incident occurred. In the course of the play Tom Jones had to say to Sophia: "I have nothing left to offer you, not even the hope of better days to come!" But in saying so he reckoned without hU landlady. That very realistic and emotional person was among the audience, and her lodger's pathos was too much for her. "Never heed lad," she sang out at tho top of a very shrill voice, "thee hath gotten a real good sooper waiting at home! Thee bring t" wench wi" thee!" The landlady's speech was the "hit" of the evening. READY-WITTED ACTORS. Often an awkward hitch In a play has been saved from ridicule and turned to amusing account by the ready wit of one or other of the players. Arthur Roberts on one occasion saved the situation in a very neat manner. It was at the Royalty Theatre, Glasgow, and the burlesque of "Two Lovely Black-Eyed Susan" was in course of presentation, when Captain Crosstree, entering under the influence of "lemonade and soda," staggered against the "Ship Inn" and overturned that fixture. Amid yells of laughter, the drop was lowered, but the merriment was heightened when the witty Arthur, who played tho part mentioned, came before the footlights and remarked: "You see, we always bring down the house when we come to Glasgow." Another well known comedian crace displayed remarkable presence of mind at an awkward moment. He was alone on the stage, and was supposed to be expecting anxiously the arrival of a friend. "He comes!" he exclaimed, looking off on the left. "Joy! I had been waiting him most Impatiently!" At this cue his friend entered on the right. Someone had blundered, but who? There was no time for hesitation, and the veteran player's ready wit came to his aid. "Sly dog," he said, jocosely, to the newly arrived, "you thought to take mc by surprise; but I saw you in the looking-glass yonder!" This also "brought down the house," though the audience hnd been on the point of hissing the very palpable blunder whichthey had witnessed. SAVING THE) SITUATION. A predicament of another kind confronted a theatrical manager In a certain Scottish town some time ago. The theatre was a portable one, and the gas bill for the preceding month was much overdue. Accord lngly, one night a man appeared to cut off the gwa supply if the bill were not paid on the spot. The doorkeeper remonstrated with the fM man, pointing out that, as the manager

was on the boards at the time and could' not possibly leave the stage for an hour, the gas men might call again. "Na!"- said the latter stubbornly, "Am gaun tae cut it aft noo!" "Hold hard!" said the doorkeeper; "I'll go and tell the boss." Disguising himself in a huge red cfoak and a big felt hat, and, with a sword at his side, he walked on the stage with the words: "Behold, my lord! the man stands at the castle gate, awaiting to be remunerated for the glimmers; and if not instantly paid, darkness threatens us!" The manager, taking in the situation, exclaimed dramatically: "Go; I follow thee!" The money was paid.—English Exchange.