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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ement of the stage. If the prompterturns out the foot-lights or a row of border-lights,swift disaster is sure to come on the theatre. Thiswas never known to fail in her experience. Booth will never go on the stage, no matter howlate or hurried he may be, without first pacing threetime across the green-room, mumbling over not thefirst, but the very last speech of the piece he is to playthat night. Then he walks ou, sure of his triumph.If he should fail in his formula, the audience would becold and unappreciative. It has been his custom tohave Desdemonas couch set in the second entrance onthe stage, left in the last scene of Othello. Ac-cording to the old style, the couch should be set in thecentre door, behind curtains, exactly in front of theaudience. Booth believes in signs, however, and STAGE CHARMS AND OMENS. 131 should he consent to have Desdemona slumber in anyother place than U. E. L. he would lose his charm inthe character of Iago. Frank Chanfrau believes in the efficacy of old
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CHANFEAU. clothes. He has only one suit in Kit, and his successis unvarying in that piece. He hates dogs on thestage, believes in cats, knows birds are bad luck, isconvinced that a house decorated in a prevailing hue 132 BTAGE CHAEMfl \M) OMENS, of decided blue is sure of ill-fortune, and shudders at the mere mention of the Macbeth music. He has steered clear of all these evil influences during his career, and has been uniformly successful. Oliver Doud Byron has a special claim in additionto the regular superstitions of his class. II bat acertain tattoo mark of India ink on his right forearm.Wlun ho rolls up his sleeves lor bis terrible com-in the last, act of Across the (oqtinent, hemust uncover that mark without looking at it, or hisfetich is not complete, and the charm of his prosperitywill be broken. Charles Thome believes his success lies in tin; factthat he always steps on the stage in the first scenewith his right toot foremost, and keeps it in advanceuntil he has delivered his

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