[1] Alexander had just succeeded Terriss as our leading young man.
[2] Wenman had a rolling bass voice of which he was very proud. He was a
valuable actor, yet somehow never interesting. Young Norman
Forbes-Robertson played Sir Andrew Ague-Cheek with us on our second
American tour.
[3] Once when Allen was rehearsing the supers in the Church Scene in
"Much Ado about Nothing," we overheard him "show the sense" in
Shakespeare like this:
"This 'Ero, let me tell you, is a perfect lady, a nice, innercent young
thing, and when the feller she's engaged to calls 'er an 'approved
wanton,' you naturally claps yer 'ands to yer swords. A wanton is a kind
of--well, you know--she ain't what she ought to be!"
Allen would then proceed to read the part of Claudio: "... not to knit
my soul to an approved wanton."
Seven or eight times the supers clapped their "'ands to their swords"
without giving Allen satisfaction.
"No, no, no, that's not a bit like it, not a bit! If any of your sisters
was 'ere and you 'eard me call 'er ---- ----, would yer stand gapin' at
me as if this was a bloomin' tea party?"