SOME GREEN-ROOM YARNS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1424, 15 June 1899, Page 24

SOME GREEN-ROOM YARNS.

r jlv-p.”) THE GENTLEMAN EXTEA'S STORY. A young gentleman extra, who was with Mr Tree at the Haymarket, ere Her Majesty’s was built, had more money than brains, but was ambitious. Happening to mention in the dressing-room his desire to play parts, and that, although he had been with Mr Tree two years, he had had no chance, an old actor said (with a wink at the others):“ Why not ask the gov’nor to give you parts?” “By Jove, so I will!” he replied, and running downstairs at once, he laid his grievance before Mr Tree and asked for parts. “ I don’t think you have had enough experience to play parts with me,” replied Mr Tree. “ But I want to play parts!” "Then you should go into the provinces and gain your ex?erienee there,” said Mr Tree. But don’t know how to begin, or set about it,” pleaded the extra. “Well, there is a very excellent Shakesperian actor called Mr Benson,” said Mr Tree. " If you like. I will write to him, and he may engage you?” “ Thanks, awfully. T wish vou would!” gratefully replied the youth.' Back rushed the joyful extra gentleman to the dressing-room. " By Jove, you fellows! Tree’s going to write to a Johnny in tjie provinces called Benson, and I’m going with him!” he shouted excitedly. r You are a silly fool!” quoth the old hand. " You’ll miss the guv’nor’s American tour and the opening of his new theatre!” " By Jove, I never thought of that!” and- off he ran downstairs. Meeting Mr Tree he panted: " I say, guv’nor, don’t write to Mr Benson—don’t write But the answer was: “My boy, I’ve wired! I’ve wired!” NOT AS SHAKESPEARE WROTE IT. Some years ago (writes an actor-gossip) an old actor familiarly known as Jimmy Davis, was asked by Mr Wybert Rousbey whether he could, at two days’ notice, take up the part of “ Polonius ” in “ Hamlet, the play Mr Rousbey had selected for his benefit performance. He said after a moment’s thought, that he would .get it up. Now Jimmy was of rather a careless disposition, and his make-up for various parts bore a strange similarity. When the night came, Jimmy went to the theatre, and then, and not till then, proceeded to hunt up his dress. The tights

and trunks and gown were there, but that was all. Finding a modern velvet cloak lying about, he pinned it to his shoulders, and tied a striped silk scarf round his middle. Wearing his own hair, and with a dab of white crape hair on his chin, that waggled at every step he took, and at every word he spoke, Jimmy s makeup was complete. He descended to the property-room, to find the wand-LPolonius carries. The property man said he should have come for it earlier, as there wasn t one ready. But Jimmy spied a pantomime beadle’s-staff, and decided to make this do. Telling the man to jump on the brass ball at its end, he took up the impromptu wand, and was equipped. Somehow or other, he very well until he came to the speech: “Wilt thou walk out into the air, my lord “ Aye, into my grave,” replied Hamlet. “ That,” said Jimmy, to the.consternation of the melancholy Dane, / that would he walking out into the air with a vengeance, my lord!’ and walked off. When the curtain fell, Mr Rousbey asked his Polonius why he had not spoken the speech as written by the immortal W illiam. “ Didn’t he write it ” queried tlie artless Jimmy. “ No, sir, he did not!” retorted the beneficiare. “ Then he ought to have done it,” concluded the unabashed perverter of the Bard; “it would have made a splendid low comedy wheeze for Polonius !” ANOTHER STORY OF BEERBOHM TREE. While “Jim the Penman” was having a most successful run in London, Mr Tree, who played the role of Baron Hartfeld, receive!! a very pressing invitation from Oxford to play “ lago ” in a matinee representation of “ Othello.” He did not wish to refuse, and he went. When the curtain fell on the last act of “ Othello,” Tree, had just time to gather up his things, throw his ulster over the picturesque garb of “ lago,” and dash off to the station. 'Just in time for the train, Tree tumbled into an empty compartment, which he promptly arranged to serve as a dressingroom. “Hartfehl’s” get-up was in his bag, but before proceeding to don it he cleaned all traces of the dusky “ lago ” from his face. Barely was this accomplished when the train stopped, and the guard, rendered attentive by the tip, came to see how his donor was getting on. In the corner of the carriage sat Tree—an upright, pleasanb-faeed, cleanshaven gentleman once more ! The guard gazed wildly round the carriage as though expecting to find some trace of the villain “lago,” and then he remembered the tip and withdrew. The train was a fast one, and the next stop was for the collection of tickets prior to the arrival at Paddjngton. Dp came the guard, smiling again and reassured. Horrors! The sometime Christian had turned into a Jew! Worse still, the ticket had been mislaid, and was not forthcoming. In vain Tree poured forth excuses. “ Off with that nose, or to the policestation you go,” shouted the guard, and his hand approached the offending member. Now, a scuffle and a visit to the police-station would have been most inopportune at that hour, for the “ Baron ” was due at the Haymarket. Persuasions and entreaties were wasted on that guard, but silver proved omnipotent. " Only leave me and my nose alone, and I’ll give you all that I have,” said Tree, as he empted a goodly heap of silver out of his ulster pocket. The guard promptly annexed the cash, and Tree saved his nose, and, what was more important, his reputation for punctuality, but at a cost in coin and mental strain that he would not care to repeat.