MONKEY RUNS AMOK.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 86, 10 April 1912, Page 7

MONKEY RUNS AMOK.

CHAOS IN THEATRE

BOMBARDS STAGE HANDS WITH ELECTRIC GLOBES.

A monkey got loose in the Theatre Royal at Melbourne one day last week and caused quite a sensation.

On the arrival' of Mr J. F. Russell, tho stage manager /of the Ashc-Bray-ton Company, it was intimated that a monkey was required for Kismet. The description given was 'that lie must be "cheeky, yet of exemplary conduct when required." Various people put in ,an appearance at the theatre Royal with monkeys, and among them- a dark-complexioned gentleman 1 bearing an unusually large-sized rhonkoy in his arms.'ln the back-ground was a well-worn barrel organ. "I have brought da monk," he said. "It ees a good monk." The monkey grinned amiably, then pulled off the hat of the stage manager just to get acquainted as it were,* and an adjournment was made to the stage. The monkey was placed on a table for a moment, when, without any warning beyond a chapter of triumph, it caught hold of a rope dangling from the "flies," and swung itself aloft. One of the stage hands was despatched to the "flies" to disengage 'the rope, but the agile monkey perceived the intention, and swung himself on to one of the rows of electric lights, or "battens," as they are called, which provi.de from above the stage the lighting of the scene - . For the next few minutes pandemonium reigned up above. The .monkey made a descent on the electric globes, as soon as it was found they exploded easily, and the popping as he threw himself against them resembled the discharge of a miniature battery. Altogether 63 globes were smashed before he tired of the spbrt. The monkey, now thoroughly warmed up to his work, tore and chewed a good deal of canvas before he" decided to seek amusement in another quarter. He climbed to the proscenium top and thei jumping to another batten commenced t) dislodge the electric globes and hurl them at a sideboard upon which was a quantity of mugs, glasses, and churchwarden pipes used in the play. Many of these were destroyed before they could be removed. Meanwhile a couple of men had reached what is known as the "grid," and a net was lowered over the monkey to envelop him, but tho agile animal eluded every effort to catch him. He spent a couple of hours scampering about in the dusty regions aibove the stage, but ultimately coolly lowered himself by a rope, and was captured in one of tho dress circle boxes, having perpetrated £ls worth of damage.