GLOVER AND HIS ERIENDS".

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1909, 18 November 1913, Page 7

GLOVER AND HIS ERIENDS".

A NEW BOOK OP AMUSING STORIES. 'Miimuy Giorcr and His Friends" is ■tlio title of tho second volumo of reminiscences of stageland aiid J3ohcwia wriiten by 51r. J. M. Glover,, musical director of Drury Lane Theairo. .Mr. (ilorcr's experience has been varied— "chemist's .assistant, cWAoy, organist, entertainment pianist, newspaper reporter, oomposyr uf music, dint-tor of theatres, proprietor of travelling tliiir.fcrical troupes, Mayor of a county borough, os-oiiicio J.l', for two .years, Poor toff guardian, and overseer." Abovo all, lie has been a. i»an-al>out-town, and lie is full of stories about interesting personages of the theatres and tho West End for a generation past. His book («ays die London "Daily Mail") begins iiowliojx) and ends nowiiore. It makes no more ciill upon./connected reading than a dictionary. Its Ivrcezy character is best indicated by the' repetition of a few stories taken almost at random fi'Bin pages that- are crowded with them. Dan Lenfl, . The author, while fully admitting tho fun of Dan Le.no, insists that his Idea of humour, so far as Drury Lane pantomime was concerned, was contributory firiher than original. "Augustus SaN ris used to say .in effect, 'Leno,, I pay, you a huge salsry—£6Q a week—go' oil. and ■ Ito' funny.' Arthur Coliiiis'ts idea was; 'Leno, I pay .you four times what Harris paid you. ' 1 cannot afford to allow you to do what you like. You must- do what- 1 want in your own inimitabks Way. The.ro is ilio idea; you decorate it.'

"In 'Mother Gooses' Le.no actually refused to came oil in. the fuuny inarketcart entranco devised fur him, and even walked out of tho theatre two Says before lioxing Night, and left, stranded a £lo,fl(JG production and 500 artists, . ■ all this ill his temper because ho could not have his way, AVhen, :malgro lui, 1 ho did what lio was told and ma do tlio | famous gcose-cart ontainec that ti:aa. [ designed and carefully thought out/fur... lit®, tho entire pan.tdmim.is Stopped Tor r tho longest- laugh that; Jms ever been hoard iu a theatre, atid everybody .. shouted, 'How marvellous! -How superb! 1 Bow doos Dim think 'of these lunny, ideas?'" At Sandringham. Oil tho eventful visit to Sandringham 1 tho company wore mot at tho station ' by royal omnibuses emblazoned, with tho : royal monogram. Dan l.eno was. tlio ' last to enter. Ho looked at the com--1 pany of comcdians, and tlien, turning 1 to tlio D'iiko of Rio, asked: "Night [\ charges, your Grace?" ' Many stories of tho into King Edward aro given. If tho King, when Princo of Wales, wanted a. box, and tho royal box was taken "it was put nicely to ther party who had booked 'it they, could see their way to Obliging His Koyal Highness, and the result was, of -.pourse, in variably in tho ■,affirmhtivc,i: ■ Tho Prince, .however, was vor.v reluctant to liavo this dono, and always wished the party obliging should bo as liftlo inconvenienced as possible, so much so that ho has frequently said: 'Why did you disturb anybody on my account ?. I could have oomo hero another evening. .Please see they aro thanked in my. name.'" Tho Princo was very annoyed if tlio audioneo were kept waiting for tho play because of his late arrival. Wlior.evor : he saw a benefit announced for . Eomo woil-known artist or somo poor player who had fallen on bad times, lio immediately put hi? name down for stalls or ' ! boxes to n substantial amount. Spmo i times lie was outspoken: "A charming ■ play, but tell Mr. —— lie was too long on tlio stage. I- got tired of him.". That was the messago sent through an' acting manager, Tlio King and the Bandmaster. Once "one of our most oelebrated bandmasters" was told off to supply the necessary musio on board tlio royal, \ yacht during Cowos Regatta. Ho had liis letters addressed ''Sir. —c.o. H.M. Yacht Victoria and Albert., Cowos." The King saw one of the envelopes, and that put him in an itntne--■disto tamper. . "Toil Mr, " ho' : said, '"it is very good of him to turn, liis Majesty's yacht into a post officii. . or house of call far his correspondence I" ■ Hut so'mo time afterwards tho bandmaster was awarded tho M.V.O. Sir .Herbert Tree made his first ap«.-pear-mee on a music-hall stag© soon af«j , ter being it party to tho prosecution ■ qf most of tho music-halls of London! . for tho illegal performance Of stags] plays. A litt-16 nervous about how thej variety artists would, recoivo him, lib® : nsked Lady Tree to accompany lnm to tho rehearsal. "Suddenly one of a semi-dressed, por-»i spiring duet of acrobats in practising slippers and a scrtii-soile.d sweater, cau- ■ tiously approaches His Majesty ; s l :■ Knight, strikes him a good-humoured^! weH-in'teiitioiiSd, but iiiconvoniencinjjj' blow on tho back, and says: . " ' 'Ullo, 'Erbcrt, 'ow aro yor? to see you on tho 'alls.' ' ; ' s : "A sublime- pause, a long state of astonishment, a confused look, and a, triumphant smile, and 'Erbert turn's ■round niecha-n.icnlly and says: 'I'm very, well, thank you—you know my. wifo, Maud ? Two Whacks I Tho Two Whacks—Maud.!' Sir Hsrnry Irving. Mr. Glover declares that Sir Henry; trying never could bear criticism. "Irving invited liis pet penmen (to tho Beefsteak Club or behind tho' scenes), and oiicou.r-aged thorn in every Way ]}o.s* sihle to deal sympathetically with his various ventures. But to suggest that: . tlioy blackmailed him in return would hove been cowardly, and to say that ho paid so, now that ho is dead and cannot bo -called to witness, -is worse." .'-'Xavio.r 'Lorotix wroto a. beautiful Butto for 'Dante' at Dntry Lnno, what) tii'iio a panorama passed with iilustraled Bcc.nor.y on tho Road to Hades. 'K!i, " what do I do, Loveday, eh?' growled Irving, while (he stage procession of miles . of landscape unrolled itsclf-i 'Suind here on tlio stage, eh P Looking at- it, ehf Doing nothing, eh!' Saying iiolhi-ng, ohP r '1 thmk. so,' piped Lovedav, tho stage managor. 'J think not,' said Mr. Irving. 'Cut tho d— thing out.' And 'thus Art; -oiiqc more fell it victim tO .Effect." Sir Augustus Harris. : Sir Augustus Harris generally had [ three people round him t-o do anv oiwv ' man's work, and ho loved to parado his theatrical irajxirtnnce, particularly on the. Continent. ''1 remember his once becoming enraged with the depreciatory,' iifiiicisms of Covent- (>arden Ojp.e.r'a written by its then musical oritio in 'Tlio Times'; s.o he complained to Mr. lluckle,; the editor, and 'The Timer wroto back for ii list, of all the seats whinli had boon.; sent to them during tho season, adding' 'Wo will send cheque.' Harris did as ' requestcil, and tvlien ,h'o received thochequo shouted with joy: 'Now wo'vo not their bad notices and their good money bpth.l' "

"If. H. l'nrnie's one lulmpuition to oaoh nnd every chorus girl, oil' n first night whb, 'lou loojc the prettiest girl on tlio stag)} to-iiiplit, but doii't say [ sftid so, or tlio others will bo jealous,' and So life always had a sineew chorus Irerfd'njvaitoe on .all liis proiiiioVes.'-' Mr. Glover inakos n ear.cfu'l study of tho ballet-girl. Of all tlio rank jinii file, lio says, tlieso ladies of tho bnlloi, us t'He.y insist oil hoinjj called, lead tho most domesticated lives, and am most thoroughly sineoro iii flieir hnhils, friendships, and business vocations. A ballot-girl iij Seldom s»n nt a Kmart West End ics.tauranti Sho seldom rises .above h.or Lockharf'e, her "Popular'! Cafe, or her sfcoak-and-onions at home.. . The ballot girl and iliachorus girl nevor ..ails-.