File:Theatrical and circus life; (1893) (14766165665).jpg

Identifier: theatricalcircus00je (find matches)
Title: Theatrical and circus life;
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Jennings, John Joseph, 1853-1909. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Theater Circus
Publisher: Chicago, Laird & Lee
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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rang out of bed, exclaim-ing, A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!and he expired with the dying words of Octavian, * Farewell, Flo Floranthe ! upon his lips. This was on May 15, 1833, and he was buried in Rich-mond churchyard. Instances of the same appallingkind might be multiplied, but it is not the purpose ofthe writer to cover the stage with gloom, or to causedeath to masquerade any more than is absolutely nec-essary before the foot-lights, More interest will befelt, and the heart will be lighter and the appetitebetter, if we turn to the ludicrous incidents that havecaused audiences ready to shed tears over a tragedy, toturn from the lachrymose attitude to one which mightbe represented as laughter holding both his sides. Sol Smith tells a funny story about his earliest ex-periences on the stage ; how he stole in through theback door before the performance, and hid in what hethought was a chest, but which turned out to be thecoffin used in the play that evening, and when it was
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(148) PIN UP MT SKIRTS. NOT DOWN IN THE BILL. 149 carried out on the stage young Smith was so terrifiedthat he pushed up the lid and bounded out, to the sur-prise of both actors and audience. N. M. Ludlow,who was Smiths partner in the theatrical business, re-lates a somewhat similar incident about himself. The awkward position of a masher who gets intothe ■ wings by some hook or crook is often extremelylaughable. I saw a serio-comic vocalist — as thesongstresses of the variety stage are named — astonisha well-dressed and admiring gentleman who was loung-ing around at his leisure, — having in some mysteriousmanner passed the stage door-keeper,—by handinghim a pin and remarking, Pin up my skirts. Themans eye-glass was knocked out of place by the im-pertinence of the demand, but he took the pin andobeyed the ladys command, and this, too, notwith-standing a second female in tights, was near by, whocould have done the job a thousand times better. Itwas the sweet singers little jo

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