The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in UtahLindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Religion
The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in Utah
Lindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Latter Day Saints; Theater -- Utah -- History
first entrance on a large tray carried by a waiter. Then she was taken
from the tray into somebody's arms and tossed from one nurse to
another throughout the farce, until finally, as it ends, she is lodged
safely in the arms of Mr. Jones, her distracted father. To her credit,
be it recorded, she never whimpered or made any outcry or showed any
signs of alarm, but played her first part bravely, though perhaps
unconsciously; winning the admiration and love of the entire company.
It was a lucky accident that Maude was in the theatre that evening,
for her mother was not in the habit of bringing her to the theatre
when she had any one at home to take care of her, but this evening was
the "nurse's evening out," and "Maudie" had to be toted to the theatre
and carefully put to sleep before mamma could "make up" and go through
her part. Here she was safely stowed away in a safe and quiet corner
of the green room, where she had been blissfully reposing all through
the first play, and was now rather rudely awakened to fill the
distressing emergency.
It will be readily seen from this narration that Maude Adams was
virtually "born to the stage," her mother studying assiduously and
playing parts both before and after Maude's birth, often taking Maudie
with her, both to rehearsals and performances, so that she became a
familiar little object in the theatre before she could walk or talk,
and long before she could ever essay a speaking part she was the pet
of the Green Room.
We had a Green Room in the Salt Lake Theatre in those days, and a very
capacious and comfortable one, too. Such a commodious and luxurious
adjunct is scarcely known in the theatres today. Here the actors could
retire between the acts or during the scenes they were not engaged in,
and study over their lines, or if already easy in their parts, pass
the time in reading or social chat. It was the prompter's business to
send the "call boy" to the Green Room and all dressing rooms to "call
the act," a few minutes before he was ready to "ring up." The act
being called, each actor was required to be at his entrance on time;
if he should be late and make a "stage wait," the stage manager might
reprimand him, and impose a fine. Fines were also imposed for being
tardy at rehearsals. There was seldom any occasion for the enforcement
of this penalty, except in the case of "Jim" Hardie. "Jim" was a
notorious laggard, and often kept the company waiting for him. On one
occasion the company had been waiting his arrival for fifteen or
twenty minutes, when he strode in very hurriedly and taking the centre
of the stage, took off his hat and wiping the perspiration from his
brow, began an apology to the stage manager for being late. He had
only just begun to talk when a general laugh broke the gravity of the
occasion. Jim had just come from the barber's where he had his head
shaved, and his entire scalp down to the hat line was as smooth as a
billiard ball.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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