Chapter I: Front Matter

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BEHIND THE FOOTLIGHTS

* * * * * *

_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._

MEXICO AS I SAW IT. _Third Edition._

THROUGH FINLAND IN CARTS. _Third Edition._

A WINTER JAUNT TO NORWAY. _Second Edition._

THE OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY. _Out of print._

DANISH VERSUS ENGLISH BUTTER MAKING. _Reprint from “Fortnightly.”_

WILTON, Q.C. _Second Edition._

A GIRL’S RIDE IN ICELAND. _Third Edition._

GEORGE HARLEY, F.R.S.; or, the Life of a London Physician. _Second
Edition._

* * * * * *

_From a Sketch by Percy Anderson._

MISS CONSTANCE COLLIER AS PALLAS ATHENE IN “ULYSSES.”

_Frontispiece._]

BEHIND THE FOOTLIGHTS

by

MRS. ALEC-TWEEDIE

Author of “Mexico as I Saw It,” “George Harley, F.R.S.,” etc.

With Twenty Illustrations

New York Dodd Mead and Company 1904

Printed by Hazell, Watson and Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury, England.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

_THE GLAMOUR OF THE STAGE_
PAGE
Girlish Dreams of Success—Golden Glitter—Overcrowding—Few
Successful—Weedon Grossmith—Beerbohm Tree—How Mrs.
Tree made Thousands for the War Fund—The Stage Door
Reached—Glamour Fades—The Divorce Court and the
Theatre—Childish Enthusiasm—Old Scotch Body’s Horror—Love
Letters—Temptations—Emotions—How Women began to Act under
Charles I.—Influence of the Theatre for Good or Ill 1

CHAPTER II

_CRADLED IN THE THEATRE_

Three Great Aristocracies—Born on the Stage—Inherited
Talent—Interview with Mrs. Kendal—Her Opinions and
Warning to Youthful Aspirants—Usual Salary—Starving in
the Attempt to Live—No Dress Rehearsal—Overdressing—A
Peep at Harley Street—Voice and Expression—American
Friends—Mrs. Kendal’s Marriage—Forbes Robertson’s
Romance—Why he Deserted Art for the Stage—Fine
Elocutionist—Bad Enunciation and Noisy Music—Ellen
Terry—Gillette—Expressionless Faces—Long Runs—Charles
Warner—Abuse of Success 21

CHAPTER III

_THEATRICAL FOLK_

Miss Winifred Emery—Amusing Criticism—An Actress’s
Home Life—Cyril Maude’s first Theatrical Venture—First
Performance—A Luncheon Party—A Bride as Leading Lady—No
Games, no Holidays—A Party at the Haymarket—Miss Ellaline
Terriss and her First Appearance—Seymour Hicks—Ben
Webster and Montagu Williams—The Sothern Family—Edward
Sothern as a Fisherman—A Terrible Moment—Almost
a Panic—Asleep as Dundreary—Frohman at Daly’s
Theatre—English and American Alliance—Mummers 46

CHAPTER IV

_PLAYS AND PLAYWRIGHTS_

Interview with Ibsen—His Appearance—His Home—Plays
Without Plots—His Writing-table—His Fetiches—Old
at Seventy—A Real Tragedy and Comedy—Ibsen’s First
Book—Winter in Norway—An Epilogue—Arthur Wing
Pinero—Educated for the Law—As Caricaturist—An
Entertaining Luncheon—How Pinero writes his Plays—A Hard
Worker—First Night of _Letty_ 74

CHAPTER V

_THE ARMY AND THE STAGE_

Captain Robert Marshall—From the Ranks to the Stage—£10
for a Play—How Copyright is Retained—I. Zangwill as
Actor—Copyright Performance—Three First Plays (Pinero,
Grundy, Sims)—Cyril Maude at the Opera—_Mice and
Men_—Sir Francis Burnand, _Punch_, Sir John Tenniel,
and a Cartoon—Brandon Thomas and _Charley’s Aunt_—How
that Play was Written—The Gaekwar of Baroda—Changes in
London—Frederick Fenn at Clement’s Inn—James Welch on
Audiences 92

CHAPTER VI

_DESIGNING THE DRESSES_

Sarah Bernhardt’s Dresses and Wigs—A Great Musician’s
Hair—Expenses of Mounting—Percy Anderson—_Ulysses_—_The
Eternal City_—A Dress Parade—Armour—Over-elaboration—An
Understudy—Miss Fay Davis—A London Fog—The Difficulties
of an Engagement 111

CHAPTER VII

_SUPPER ON THE STAGE_

Reception on the St. James’s Stage—An Indian Prince—His
Comments—The Audience—George Alexander’s Youth—How
he missed a Fortune—How he learns a Part—A Scenic
Garden—Love of the Country—Actors’ Pursuits—Strain
of Theatrical Life—Life and Death—Fads—Mr. Maude’s
Dressing-room—Sketches on Distempered Walls—Arthur
Bourchier and his Dresser—John Hare—Early and late
Theatres—A Solitary Dinner—An Hour’s Make-up—A Forgetful
Actor—_Bonne Camaraderie_—Theatrical Salaries—Treasury
Day—Thriftlessness—The Advent of Stalls—The Bancrofts—The
Haymarket Photographs—A Dress Rehearsal 125

CHAPTER VIII

_MADAME SARAH BERNHARDT_

Sarah Bernhardt and her Tomb—The Actress’s Holiday—Love
of her Son—Sarah Bernhardt Shrimping—Why she left the
Comédie Française—Life in Paris—A French Claque—Three
Ominous Raps—Strike of the Orchestra—Parisian
Theatre Customs—Programmes—Late Comers—The _Matinée_
Hat—Advertisement Drop Scene—First Night of _Hamlet_—
Madame Bernhardt’s own Reading of _Hamlet_—Yorick’s
Skull—Dr. Horace Howard Furness—A Great Shakesperian
Library 151

CHAPTER IX

_AN HISTORICAL FIRST NIGHT_

An Interesting Dinner—Peace in the Transvaal—Beerbohm
Tree as a Seer—How he cajoled Ellen Terry and Mrs.
Kendal to Act—First-nighters on Camp-stools—Different
Styles of Mrs. Kendal and Miss Terry—The Fun of the
Thing—Bows of the Dead—Falstaff’s Discomfort—Amusing
Incidents—Nervousness behind the Curtain—An Author’s
Feelings 173

CHAPTER X

_OPERA COMIC_

How W. S. Gilbert loves a Joke—A Brilliant
Companion—Operas Reproduced without an Altered
Line—Many Professions—A Lovely Home—Sir Arthur
Sullivan’s Gift—A Rehearsal of _Pinafore_—Breaking
up Crowds—Punctuality—Soldier or no
Soldier—_Iolanthe_—Gilbert as an Actor—Gilbert as
Audience—The Japanese Anthem—Amusement 186

CHAPTER XI

_THE FIRST PANTOMIME REHEARSAL_

Origin of Pantomime—Drury Lane in Darkness—One
Thousand Persons—Rehearsing the Chorus—The
Ballet—Dressing-rooms—Children on the Stage—Size of
“The Lane”—A Trap-door—The Property-room—Made on the
Premises—Wardrobe-woman—Dan Leno at Rehearsal—Herbert
Campbell—A Fortnight Later—A Chat with the Principal
Girl—Miss Madge Lessing 200

CHAPTER XII

_SIR HENRY IRVING AND STAGE LIGHTING_

Sir Henry Irving’s Position—Miss Geneviève Ward’s
Dress—Reformations in Lighting—The most Costly Play ever
Produced—Strong Individuality—Character Parts—Irving
earned his Living at Thirteen—Actors and Applause—A
Pathetic Story—No Shakespeare Traditions—Imitation is not
Acting—Irving’s Appearance—His Generosity—The First Night
of _Dante_—First Night of _Faust_—Two Terriss Stories—Sir
Charles Wyndham 222

CHAPTER XIII

_WHY A NOVELIST BECOMES A DRAMATIST_

Novels and Plays—_Little Lord Fauntleroy_ and his
Origin—Mr. Hall Caine—Preference for Books to Plays—John
Oliver Hobbes—J. M. Barrie’s Diffidence—Anthony Hope—A
London Bachelor—A Pretty Wedding—A Tidy Author—A First
Night—Dramatic Critics—How Notices are Written—The
Critics Criticised—Distribution of Paper—“Stalls
Full”—Black Monday—Do Royalty pay for their Seats?—Wild
Pursuit of the Owner of the Royal Box—The Queen at the
Opera 240

CHAPTER XIV

_SCENE-PAINTING AND CHOOSING A PLAY_

Novelist—Dramatist—Scene-painter—An Amateur Scenic
Artist—Weedon Grossmith to the Rescue—Mrs. Tree’s
Children—Mr. Grossmith’s Start on the Stage—A
Romantic Marriage—How a Scene is built up—English and
American Theatres Compared—Choosing a Play—Theatrical
Syndicate—Three Hundred and Fifteen Plays at the
Haymarket 263

CHAPTER XV

_THEATRICAL DRESSING-ROOMS_

A Star’s Dressing-room—Long Flights of Stairs—Miss Ward
at the Haymarket—A Wimple—An Awkward Predicament—How
an Actress Dresses—Herbert Waring—An Actress’s
Dressing-table—A Girl’s Photographs of Herself—A
Greasepaint Box—Eyelashes—White Hands—Mrs. Langtry’s
Dressing-room—Clara Morris on Make-up—Mrs. Tree as
Author—“Resting”—Mary Anderson on the Stage—An Author’s
Opinion—Actors in Society 275

CHAPTER XVI

_HOW DOES A MAN GET ON THE STAGE?_

A Voice Trial—How it is Done—Anxious Faces—Singing into
Cimmerian Darkness—A Call to Rehearsal—The Ecstasy
of an Engagement—Proof Copy; Private—Arrival of the
Principals—Chorus on the Stage—Rehearsing Twelve Hours a
Day for Nine Weeks without Pay 292

CHAPTER XVII

_A GIRL IN THE PROVINCES_

Why Women go on the Stage—How to prevent it—Miss
Florence St. John—Provincial Company—Theatrical Basket—A
Fit-up Tour—A Theatre Tour—Répertoire Tour—Strange
Landladies—Bills—The Longed-for Joint—Second-hand
Clothes—Buying a Part—Why Men Deteriorate—Oceans of
Tea—E. S. Willard—Why he Prefers America—A Hunt for
Rooms—A Kindly Clergyman—A Drunken Landlady—How the Dog
Saved an Awkward Predicament 302

CHAPTER XVIII

_PERILS OF THE STAGE_

Easy to Make a Reputation—Difficult to Keep
One—The Theatrical Agent—The Butler’s Letter—Mrs.
Siddons’ Warning—Theatrical Aspirants—The Bogus
Manager—The Actress of the Police Court—Ten Years
of Success—Temptations—Late Hours—An Actress’s
Advertisement—A Wicked Agreement—Rules Behind the
Scenes—Edward Terry—Success a Bubble 325