OUTSIDE LONDON THEATRES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 69

OUTSIDE LONDON THEATRES.

Now that it 'has become the fashion for the frequenters of the pit and gallery at the various theatres to wait "two by two" in long ranks for some time before the doors are opened, an opportunity has been afforded to the practical man of business — in an bumble way — to earn a modest sum. On a cold, wet night, when", perohance the 3>atient crowd ia waiting in. a dark alley, with nothing but .bare, discoloured walls to look at, a very little amusement will go a long way, and those mysterious people, who live nobody apparently knows how, iiave not been slow to adapt themselves to the modern situation, and help to enliven the wearisome but orderly wait which, the civilisation of to-day has ordained should take the placd of the "rush" of the bad old times. Those who are playgoers of any standing (speaking metaphorically as well as literally) will soon be familiar with these humble fiervants, and allow ifliat many possess an Amount of talent whioh causes the spectator or auditor to wonder if the performers have fallen from former high estate, _ either through misfortune or (alas !) their own fault. Of course there are, in addition, " those who seek to refresh the mind amd body by volubly selling, or attempting to fcell, newspapers, fruit, and sweetmeats (the. Jatter arranged neatly in packets in a lhawker's "baskeC, or o<n a wooden tray, and 'displayed under the searching rays of a well-worn bicycle lamp) ; bufc the orange woman is fast disappearing, and probably will soon 'be numbered with the times that »re gone. Others, again, wait on 1 the queue, silent. And motionless, but with the tragedy of life stamped large on their faces, as in the case o£ the young man -wiho, with frayed but neat clothes, old but clean boots, and with white lin«en collar, but an unmistakable victim of that ourse of this climate, consumption, etands, matchboxes in hand, asking for nothing, proffering nothing, "jut in his mute beseeching a far more pathetic Bight than his more noisy andi far less re-fined-looking brethren. It must, however, Jie readily confessed that there is more comedy than tragedy in these attendants ot the queue. Thei-e is, for example, the amusing, if somewhat seedy-looking, character who gives extremely gopd imitations of wellknown aotore *nd public men; while wbea

his ''turn -s over, a strong man or a contortionist luay take his place as a candidate for public favour. Music, of course, occupies a promine-nt part in the programme, varying from the decayed solo singer to the ambitious party with mandoline, guitar, ooncei-iina, and cornet. Sometimes, too, these attendants will wait umtil the theatre is emptying, and a little while ago nervous ladies who had been witnessing a well-known play a-t one of the- West End houses were startled at disreputable and decidiedly dirty-looking hawkers rushing up to them on leaving with the ory "Kiss me, dear love, good-night ! the title of a song which played a somewhat important part in the piece. It should, however, in justice, be added that the design of these street criers was strictly honourable, their only desire being to sell a copy oil "the words and music" of the above-mentioned song. Such are some of the servants of the queue, and if they appear somewhat importunate now and again in their appeals, it should be remembered febat the humble penny will satisfy their wants, and that, no anatter what they .do, .tne'ir living is a most paieoarious one. Sadder, too, is the knowledge that too many of them have "failed in life," and in spite of our vaunted civilisation, that sentence is still the daily death-knell of thousands.