AT THE OPERA, THE THEATER, AND OTHER PUBLIC GATHERINGS
Excepting a religious ceremonial, there is no occasion where greater
dignity of manner is required of ladies and gentlemen both, than in
occupying a box at the opera. For a gentleman especially no other
etiquette is so exacting.
In walking about in the foyer of the opera house, a gentleman leaves his
coat in the box--or in his orchestra chair--but he always wears his high
hat. The "collapsible" hat is for use in the seats rather than in the
boxes, but it can be worn perfectly well by a guest in the latter if he
hasn't a "silk" one. A gentleman must always be in full dress, tail coat,
white waistcoat, white tie and white gloves whether he is seated in the
orchestra or a box. He wears white gloves nowhere else except at a ball,
or when usher at a wedding.
As people usually dine with their hostess before the opera, they arrive
together; the gentlemen assist the ladies to lay off their wraps, one of
the gentlemen (whichever is nearest) draws back the curtain dividing the
ante-room from the box, and the ladies enter, followed by the gentlemen,
the last of whom closes the curtain again. If there are two ladies besides
the hostess, the latter places her most distinguished or older guest in
the corner nearest the stage. The seat furthest from the stage is always
her own. The older guest takes her seat first, then the hostess takes her
place, whereupon the third lady goes forward in the center to the front of
the box, and stands until one of the gentlemen places a chair for her
between the other two. (The chairs are arranged in three rows, of one on
either side with an aisle left between.)
One of the duties of the gentlemen is to see that the curtains at the back
of the box remain tightly closed, as the light from the ante-room shining
in the faces of others in the audience across the house is very
disagreeable to them.
A gentleman never sits in the front row of a box, even though he is for a
time alone in it.
=AS TO VISITING=
It is the custom for a gentleman who is a guest in one box to pay visits
to friends in other boxes during the entr'actes. He must visit none but
ladies of his acquaintance and must never enter a box in which he knows
only the gentlemen, and expect to be introduced to the ladies. If Arthur
Norman, for instance, wishes to present a gentleman to Mrs. Gilding in her
box at the opera, he must first ask her if he may bring his friend James
Dawson. (He would on no account speak of him as Mr. Dawson unless he is an
elderly person.) A lady's box at the opera is actually her house, and only
those who are acceptable as visitors in her house should ask to be
admitted.
But it is quite correct for a gentleman to go into a stranger's box to
speak to a lady who is a friend of his, just as he would go to see her if
she were staying in a stranger's house. But he should not go into the box
of one he does not know, to speak to a lady with whom he has only a slight
acquaintance, since visits are not paid quite so casually to ladies who
are themselves visitors. Upon a gentleman's entering a box it is
obligatory for whoever is sitting behind the lady to whom the arriving
gentleman's visit is addressed, to relinquish his chair. Another point of
etiquette is that a gentleman must never leave the ladies of his own box
alone. Occasionally it happens that the gentlemen in Mrs. Gilding's box,
for instance, have all relinquished their places to visitors and have
themselves gone to Mrs. Worldly's or Mrs. Jones' or Mrs. Town's boxes.
Mrs. Gilding's guests must, from the vantage point of the Worldly, Jones
or Town boxes, keep a watchful eye on their hostess and instantly return
to her support when they see her visitors about to leave, even though the
ladies whom they are momentarily visiting be left to themselves. It is of
course the duty of the other gentlemen who came to the opera with Mrs.
Worldly, Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Town to hurry to them.
A gentleman must never stay in any box that he does not belong in, after
the lowering of the lights for the curtain. Nor, in spite of cartoons to
the contrary, does good taste permit conversation during the performance
or during the overture. Box holders arriving late or leaving before the
final curtain do so as quietly as possible and always without speaking.
=A "BRILLIANT OPERA NIGHT"=
A "brilliant opera night," which one often hears spoken of (meaning merely
that all the boxes are occupied, and that the ladies are more elaborately
dressed than usual) is generally a night when a leader of fashion such as
Mrs. Worldly, Mrs. Gilding, or Mrs. Toplofty, is giving a ball; and most
of the holders of the parterre boxes are in ball dresses, with an unusual
display of jewels. Or a house will be particularly "brilliant" if a very
great singer is appearing in a new rôle, or if a personage be present, as
when Marshal Joffre went to the Metropolitan.
=AFTER THE PERFORMANCE=
One gentleman, at least, must wait in the carriage lobby until all the
ladies in his party have driven away. _Never_ under any circumstances may
"the last" gentleman leave a lady standing alone on the sidewalk. It is
the duty of the hostess to take all unattended ladies home who have not a
private conveyance of their own, but the obligation does not extend to
married couples or odd men. But if a married lady or widow has ordered her
own car to come for her, the odd gentleman waits with her until it
appears. It is then considerate for her to offer him a "lift," but it is
equally proper for her to thank him for waiting and drive off alone.
=AT THE THEATER=
New Yorkers of highest fashion almost never occupy a box at the theater.
At the opera the world of fashion is to be seen in the parterre boxes (not
the first tier), and in boxes at some of the horse shows and at many
public charity balls and entertainments, but those in boxes at the theater
are usually "strangers" or "outsiders."
No one can dispute that the best theater seats are those in the center of
the orchestra. A box in these days of hatlessness has nothing to recommend
it except that the people can sit in a group and gentlemen can go out
between the acts easily, but these advantages hardly make up for the
disadvantage to four or at least three out of the six box occupants who
see scarcely a slice of the stage.
=WILL YOU DINE AND GO TO THE PLAY?=
There is no more popular or agreeable way of entertaining people than to
ask them to "dine and go to the play." The majority do not even prefer to
have "opera" substituted for "play," because those who care for serious
music are a minority compared with those who like the theater.
If a bachelor gives a small theater party he usually takes his guests to
dine at the Fitz-Cherry or some other fashionable and "amusing"
restaurant, but a married couple living in their own house are more likely
to dine at home, unless they belong to a type prevalent in New York which
is "restaurant mad." The Gildings, in spite of the fact that their own
chef is the best there is, are much more apt to dine in a restaurant
before going to a play--or if they don't dine in a restaurant, they go to
one for supper afterwards. But the Normans, if they ask people to dine and
go to the theater, invariably dine at home.
A theater party can of course be of any size, but six or eight is the
usual number, and the invitations are telephoned: "Will Mr. and Mrs.
Lovejoy dine with Mr. and Mrs. Norman at seven-thirty on Tuesday and go to
the play?"
Or "Will Mr. and Mrs. Oldname dine with Mr. Clubwin Doe on Saturday at the
Toit d'Or and go to the play?"
When Mr. and Mrs. Oldname "accept with pleasure" a second message is
given: "Dinner will be at 7.30."
Mrs. Norman's guests go to her house. Mr. Doe's guests meet him in the
foyer of the Toit d'Or. But the guests at both dinners are taken to the
theater by their host. If a dinner is given by a hostess who has no car of
her own, a guest will sometimes ask: "Don't you want me to have the car
come back for us?" The hostess can either say to an intimate friend "Why,
yes, thank you very much," or to a more formal acquaintance, "No, thank
you just the same--I have ordered taxis." Or she can accept. There is no
rule beyond her own feelings in the matter.
Mr. Doe takes his guests to the theater in taxis. The Normans, if only the
Lovejoys are dining with them, go in Mrs. Norman's little town car, but if
there are to be six or eight, the ladies go in her car and the gentlemen
follow in a taxi. (Unless Mrs. Worldly or Mrs. Gilding are in the party
and order their cars back.)
=TICKETS BOUGHT IN ADVANCE=
Before inviting anyone to go to a particular play, a hostess must be sure
that good tickets are to be had. She should also try to get seats for a
play that is new; since it is dull to take people to something they have
already seen. This is not difficult in cities where new plays come to town
every week, but in New York, where the same ones run for a year or more,
it is often a choice between an old good one or a new one that is poor. If
intimate friends are coming, a hostess usually asks them what they want to
see and tries to get tickets accordingly.
It is really unnecessary to add that one must never ask people to go to a
place of public amusement and then stand in line to get seats at the time
of the performance.
=GOING DOWN THE AISLE OF A THEATER=
The host, or whichever gentleman has the tickets, (if there is no host,
the hostess usually hands them to one of the, gentlemen before leaving her
house), goes down the aisle first and gives the checks to the usher, and
the others follow in the order in which they are to sit and which the
hostess must direct. It is necessary that each knows who follows whom,
particularly if a theater party arrives after the curtain has gone up. If
the hostess "forgets," the guests always ask before trooping down the
aisle "How do you want us to sit?" For nothing is more awkward and stupid
than to block the aisle at the row where their seats are, while their
hostess "sorts them"; and worse yet, in her effort to be polite, sends the
ladies to their seats first and then lets the gentlemen stumble across
them to their own places. Going down the aisle is not a question of
precedence, but a question of seating. The one who is to sit eighth from
the aisle, whether a lady or a gentleman, goes first, then the seventh,
then the sixth, and if the gentleman with the checks is fifth, he goes in
his turn and the fourth follows him.
If a gentleman and his wife go to the theater alone, the question as to
who goes down the aisle first depends on where the usher is. If the usher
takes the checks at the head of the aisle, she follows the usher.
Otherwise the gentleman goes first with the checks. When their places are
shown him, he stands aside for his wife to take her place first and then
he takes his. A lady never sits in the aisle seat if she is with a
gentleman.
=GOOD MANNERS AT THE THEATER=
In passing across people who are seated, always face the stage and press
as close to the backs of the seats you are facing as you can. Remember
also not to drag anything across the heads of those sitting in front of
you. At the moving pictures, especially when it is dark and difficult to
see, a coat on an arm passing behind a chair can literally devastate the
hair-dressing of a lady occupying it.
If you are obliged to cross in front of some one who gets up to let you
pass, say "Thank you," or "Thank you very much" or "I am very sorry." Do
_not_ say "Pardon _me_!" or "Beg pardon!" Though you can say "I beg your
pardon." That, however, would be more properly the expression to use if
you brushed your coat over their heads, or spilled water over them, or did
something to them for which you should actually _beg_ their pardon. But
"Beg pardon," which is an abbreviation, is one of the phrases never said
in best society.
Gentlemen who want to go out after every act should always be sure to get
aisle seats. There are no greater theater pests than those who come back
after the curtain has gone up and temporarily snuff out the view of
everyone behind, as well as annoy those who are obliged to stand up and
let them by.
Between the acts nearly all gentlemen go out and smoke at least once, but
those wedged in far from the aisle, who file out every time the curtain
drops are utterly lacking in consideration for others. If there are five
acts, they should at most go out for two entr'actes and even then be
careful to come back before the curtain goes up.
=VERY INCONSIDERATE TO GIGGLE AND TALK=
Nothing shows less consideration for others than to whisper and rattle
programmes and giggle and even make audible remarks throughout a
performance. Very young people love to go to the theater in droves called
theater parties and absolutely ruin the evening for others who happen to
sit in front of them. If Mary and Johnny and Susy and Tommy want to talk
and giggle, why not arrange chairs in rows for them in a drawing-room,
turn on a phonograph as an accompaniment and let them sit there and
chatter!
If those behind you insist on talking it is never good policy to turn
around and glare. If you are young they pay no attention, and if you are
older--most young people think an angry older person the funniest sight
on earth! The small boy throws a snowball at an elderly gentleman for no
other reason! The only thing you can do is to say amiably: "I'm sorry, but
I can't hear anything while you talk." If they still persist, you can ask
an usher to call the manager.
The sentimental may as well realize that every word said above a whisper
is easily heard by those sitting directly in front, and those who tell
family or other private affairs might do well to remember this also.
As a matter of fact, comparatively few people are ever anything but well
behaved. Those who arrive late and stand long, leisurely removing their
wraps, and who insist on laughing and talking are rarely encountered; most
people take their seats as quietly and quickly as they possibly can, and
are quite as much interested in the play and therefore as attentive and
quiet as you are. A very annoying person at the "movies" is one who reads
every "caption" out loud.
=PROPER THEATER CLOTHES=
At the evening performance in New York a lady wears a dinner dress; a
gentleman a dinner coat, often called a Tuxedo. Full dress is not correct,
but those going afterwards to a ball can perfectly well go to the theater
first if they do not make themselves conspicuous. A lady in a ball dress
and many jewels should avoid elaborate hair ornamentation and must keep
her wrap, or at least a sufficiently opaque scarf, about her shoulders to
avoid attracting people's attention. A gentleman in full dress is not
conspicuous.
And on the subject of theater dress it might be tentatively remarked that
prinking and "making up" in public are all part of an age which can not
see fun in a farce without bedroom scenes and actors in pajamas, and
actresses running about in negligés with their hair down. An audience
which night after night watches people dressing and undressing probably
gets into an unconscious habit of dressing or prinking itself. In other
days it was always thought that so much as to adjust a hat-pin or glance
in a glass was lack of breeding. Every well brought up young woman was
taught that she must finish dressing in her bedchamber. But to-day young
women in theaters, restaurants, and other public places, are continually
studying their reflection in little mirrors and patting their hair and
powdering their noses and fixing this or adjusting that in a way that in
Mrs. Oldname's girlhood would have absolutely barred them from good
society; nor can Mrs. Worldly or Mrs. Oldname be imagined "preening" and
"prinking" anywhere. They dress as carefully and as beautifully as
possible, but when they turn away from the mirrors in their dressing rooms
they never look in a glass or "take note of their appearance" until they
dress again. And it must be granted that Lucy Gilding, Constance Style,
Celia Lovejoy, Mary Smartlington and the other well-bred members of the
younger set do not put finishing touches on their faces in public--as yet!
=THE COURTESY OF SENDING TICKETS EARLY=
Most people are at times "obliged" to take tickets for various charity
entertainments--balls, theatricals, concerts or pageants--to which, if
they do not care to go themselves, they give away their tickets. Those who
intend giving tickets should remember that a message, "Can you use two
tickets for the Russian ballet to-night?" sent at seven o'clock that same
evening, after the Lovejoys have settled themselves for an evening at home
(Celia having decided not to curl her hair and Donald having that morning
sent his only dinner coat to be re-faced) can not give the same pleasure
that their earlier offer would have given. An opera box sent on the
morning of the opera is worse, since to find four music-loving people to
fill it on such short notice at the height of the season is an undertaking
that few care to attempt.
=A BIG THEATER PARTY=
A big theater party is one of the favorite entertainments given for a
débutante. If fifty or more are to be asked, invitations are sometimes
engraved.
Mrs. Toplofty
requests the pleasure of
[_Name of guest is written on this line._]
company at the theater and a small dance afterward
in honor of her great-niece
Miss Millicent Gilding
on Tuesday the sixth of January
at half past eight o'clock
R.s.v.p.
But--and usually--the "general utility" invitation (see page 118) is
filled in, as follows:
[HW: To meet Miss Millicent Gilding]
Mrs. Toplofty
requests the pleasure of
[HW: Miss Rosalie Gray's]
company at [HW: the Theater and at a dance]
on [HW: Tuesday the sixth of January]
at [HW: 8:15]
R.s.v.p.
Or notes in either wording above are written by hand.
All those who accept have a ticket sent them. Each ticket sent a débutante
is accompanied by a visiting card on which is written:
"Be in the lobby of the Comedy Theater at 8.15. Order your motor
to come for you at 010 Fifth Avenue at 1 A.M."
On the evening of the theater party, Mrs. Toplofty herself stands in the
lobby to receive the guests. As soon as any who are to sit next to each
other have arrived, they are sent into the theater; each gives her (or
his) ticket to an usher and sits in the place alloted to her (or him). It
is well for the hostess to have a seat plan for her own use in case
thoughtless young people mix their tickets all up and hand them to an
usher in a bunch! And yet--if they do mix themselves to their own
satisfaction, she would better "leave them" than attempt to disturb a plan
that may have had more method in it than madness.
When the last young girl has arrived, Mrs. Toplofty goes into the theater
herself (she does not bother to wait for any boys), and in this one
instance she very likely sits in a stage box so as to "keep her eye on
them," and with her she has two or three of her own friends.
After the theater, big motor busses drive them all either to the house of
the hostess or to a hotel for supper and to dance. If they go to a hotel,
a small ballroom must be engaged and the dance is a private one; it would
be considered out of place to take a lot of very young people to a public
cabaret.
Carelessly chaperoned young girls are sometimes, it is true, seen in very
questionable places because some of the so-called dancing restaurants are
perfectly fit and proper for them to go to; many other places however, are
not, and for the sake of general appearances it is safer to make it a rule
that no very young girl should go anywhere after the theater except to a
private house or a private dance or ball.
Older people, on the other hand, very often go for a supper to one of the
cabarets for which New York is famous (or infamous?), or perhaps go to
watch a vaudeville performance at midnight, or dance, or do both together.
Others, if they are among the great majority of "quiet" people, go home
after the theater, especially if they have dined with their hostess (or
host) before the play.
=DON'T BE LATE=
When you are dining before going to the opera or theater you must arrive
on the stroke of the hour for which you are asked; it is one occasion when
it is inexcusable to be late.
In accepting an invitation for lunch or dinner after which you are going
to a game, or any sort of performance, you must not be late! Nothing is
more unfair to others who are keen about whatever it is you are going to
see, than to make them miss the beginning of a performance through your
thoughtless selfishness.
For this reason box-holders who are music-lovers do not ask guests who
have the "late habit" to dine before the opera, because experience has
taught them they will miss the overture and most of the first act if they
do. Those, on the other hand, who care nothing for music and go to the
opera to see people and be seen, seldom go until most if not all of the
first act is over. But these in turn might give music-loving guests their
choice of going alone in time for the overture and waiting for them in the
box at the opera, or having the pleasure of dining with their hostess but
missing most of the first part.
=AT GAMES, THE CIRCUS OR ELSEWHERE=
Considerate and polite behavior by each member of an audience is the same
everywhere. At outdoor games, or at the circus, it is not necessary to
stop talking. In fact, a good deal of noise is not out of the way in
"rooting" at a match, and a circus band does not demand silence in order
to appreciate its cheerful blare. One very great annoyance in open air
gatherings is cigar smoke when blown directly in one's face, or worse yet
the smoke from a smouldering cigar. It is almost worthy of a study in air
currents to discover why with plenty of space all around, a tiny column of
smoke will make straight for the nostrils of the very one most nauseated
by it!
The only other annoyance met with at ball games or parades or wherever
people occupy seats on the grandstand, is when some few in front get
excited and insist on standing up. If those in front stand--those behind
naturally have to! Generally people call out "down in front." If they
won't stay "down," then all those behind have to stay "up." Also umbrellas
and parasols entirely blot out the view of those behind.