MR GROSSMITH ON TOUR

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6807, 21 March 1890, Page 1

MR GROSSMITH ON TOUR

(Pall Mall Gazette.!

The London squares are never very likely spots to be selected by au explorer in search of the beautiful, nor can it be said that Dorset square— especially in January — forms any exception to tfie general rule. There is a melancholy mist hanging round the damp, leafless branches of the trees, an air of hopeless gloom enfolding the grimy railings which encircle the combination of gravel and grass called by courtesy a gardeD, and an anything but picturesque look about the house fronts, which, as if in compliment to the fashionable epidemic, develop a characteristic series of feverish symptoms on their stucco faces. Perhaps these facts, among others, acted as a direct inducement to Mr George Grossmith to take up his abode at the South-west corner of this sombre quadrangle. It is more than possible that he felt the necessity — in a truly Tapleyan spirit — of tempering the full force of his unflagging vivacity by surrounding himself with a certain amount of solid metropolitan dulness. This idea occurred to me very forcibly ths other afternoon (writes a representative) as I crossed the Grossmithian threshold and inquired as to the whereabouts of "Koko." The change was wonderful. The chill atmosphere of the outer world vanished with the closing of the front door, and the warm glow of many fires convinced me that the little man who hopped about the Savoy boards so long and so successfully is — at any rate within the walls of his own mansion — a lover of that advertiser's catch phrase — a " comfortable home." THE PEOFITB OF " PATTEB." " What about my tour ?" says " GeeGee," as he knocks his pince-nez from the bridge of his nose, gives his right eyebrow a business-like hitch, and plants himself on the hearthrug with his hands behind his back and his legs wide apart. "Wall, as you know, I have just finished my first round. lam now ' home for the holidays/ but next week I start off again, beginning at Wolverhauipton." " You have been very successful, I believe. " Yea, certainly. There has been a good deal of exaggeration, though, in the reports a-j to the financial results of my tonr. The sums which I have Eeen mentioned iu some quarters positively made my mouth water. Still I must own that I was astonished at the way I was treated by the provincial public. You see, many of the halls I visited wouldn't hold more than or so— Stamford, Baaingstoke, and Boston, for instance. Then again, my agent, Mr Vert, arranged in many cases for a fixed fee, which naturally was not so much as my ' shares ' came to. Of course this was done when the success of the tour was a matter of speculation. I was offered to one town in Yorkshire for twenty-five guineas. This was refused. I went there subsequently on sharing terms, and we took over £60. The Clifton receipts were for two nights ; and at Southsea the two performances resulted in .£165. 1 sin rather proudof Southampton, for my' house' wasA'obetterthanthelastSims Reeves concert in the same hall. Some people hare said that I was safe enough to do well on my first visit, but not a second time. All I can say is, that I have done no less than five ' turns 3 at Brighton, and the last one was better than aay of the others." "not too much voice, but just voice ENOUGH." " And how do you find your voice holds out, Mr Grossmith?" "Ah, I know I've only got a small voice, but I find it quite sufficient; for my purposes. On several occasions during my recent tour I have sung and Bpoke to as many as fifteen hundred people for two hours, and never once been told to * speak up.' " And the little man looks solemnly triumphant as he announces this proof of the penetrating quality of his tones. " I am going to the Free Trade Hall at Manchester on my next round, and that holds about three ! thousand. No! I don't want any more voice ; I think it would only get in my way f I hud it." SOCIETY SKETCHES IN THE PROVINCES. " And do you find that provincial audiences appreciate the intricacies of your society 6atire?" "Oh, dear, yes! It seems strange, but even in the depths of the country they catch at every point. At Aldershot, for instance — one or my poor 'houses/ by the way — Tommy Atkins in the back eeat roared with laughter at my little ' digs/ just as muck aa a member of the Eoyal family did in the front row. I have always tried to make my sketches elastic and full of variety, eo as not to give my audience too much of the same thing. My custom now is to give three sketches in each programme, each one differing as far as possible from the other in style and scope. Talking of my programmes reminds me of an incident at Malvern the other day which amused me very much. "When I arrived in the town I was met by the local agent, who approached me with a ! solemn but confidential look on his face. ' I have ventured, sir/ he said, •to omit a portion of your syllabus, which I thought the inhabitants of the place would consider objectionable/ I stared at the man in amazement until he enlightened me on the point, and then I burst out laughing. What do you think wa3 the objectionable item ? Why, my well-known pathetic bailad, Keep the Baby Warm, Mother !' " THE GROSSMITHZAN PIANO. " And do you always use the same piano ?" " Oh, yes. Bricsmead'a send it round for me. Very nice of them, isn't it ? I couldn't get on at all if the piano were always being changed. However, once my platform companion had to gc into hospital, for it was dropped from a considerable height in the process oi unloading. I never knew till then that a piano would actually rebound into the ai: again when it had fallen. Mine did. Trj it yourself — with someone else's piano. Or another occasion I really and truly broke one of the hammers. I was very proud oi that, for I believe that Eubinatein is the only other man who has accomplished the feat. One local agent was very angrj with me for bringing my own piano. H< informed me that he always supplied th( pianos for entertainments himself. ] finally nonplussed him by asking him if he thought he was entitled to supply mj evening clothes as well as ths instrument One was just &3 much a part of my para phernalia as the other, I told him. Anothei piano-supplier didn't say anything to mi on the subject, but calmly stuck hiß owi label on my Brinamead, ' Kindly lent b] Mr Blank, Meat street.' This elegan legend caught my eye when I was half-wai way through my first sketch, and Icouldn'l resist the temptation of pulling it off an< throwing it aside, though the audienc roared with laughter at my strange con duct."