/ P s 655 ZalZ-fg-. PRICE 15 CENTS. DE WITT'S ACTING- PLAYS. (Nniiiber 204.) A. DRAWING-ROOM CAR SO;tfE INCIDENTS OF A RAILWAY JOURNEY. ^ A COMEDIETTA, U OiNE ACT. ADAPTED PROM THE FRENCH OP EUGENE VERCONSIN. First performed at the Vaudeville Theatre, Paris, October 21st, 1864. TO WHICH ABE ADDED, description ot the Costumes— Synopsia of the Piece -Cast ol the Characters —Entrances and Exits— Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the whole of the Stage Business. ^1 1 u - iJ r k : ROBERT M. DE WITT, PUBLISHER L/5^'^ ■^*>* 33 Rose Street. Tvnw I ^° ^ COMPLETE DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF DE WITT'S ACTING ^^*^ ') PLAYS, AND DE WITT'S ETHIOPIAN AND COMIC DRAMAS, cftitaining JtX!.dJ>T. I Plot, Costume, Scenery, Time of Representation, and every other informa- <• tion, mailed free and post-paid. Class P 5 fe 3 5 Book .7 3 V4-S ?, Cofiyright N" COPYRIGHT DEPOSm DRAWING-EOOM CAR. SOME INCIDENTS OP A RAILWAY JOURNEY. A PETITE COMEDY, m O^E ACT. ADAPTED PROM THE FRENCH OF / EUGENE YEECONSIN, FIRST PERFORMED AT THE VAUDEVILLE THEATRE, AT PARIS, OCTOBER 21, 1864. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, A DESCRIPTION OP THE COSTUMES — CAST OP THE CHARACTERS — EN- TRANCES AND EXITS — RELATIVE POSITIONS OF THE PER- FORMERS ON THE STAGE — AND THE "WHOLE OF THE STAGE BUSINESS. NEW YORK; ROBERT M. DE WITT, PUBLISHER, No. 33 Rose Street. (between DUANE and FRANKFORT STREETS.) COPYBIOHT, 1876, BY ROBEBT M. De WlTT. A DKA WING-ROOM CAB, CHARACTERS. ^ ALady ^^^ ^ , kJO . The Conductor of the Train. A Gentleman Traveller > }/• TIME IN PLAYING-THIRTY MINIITES. C08TUME8— MODERN. TIME— THE PRESENT. SCENE.— The interior of a compartment of a Pullman car. This is represented by four arm-chairs placed as in the following diagram. On Chair No. 1 (first to right) an open newspaper ; on Chair No. 4 Traveller's bag, coat and hat, and travelling rug. Chair No. 3. Chair No. 4. ■ % Chair No. 1. Chair No. 2. % PROPERTIES. Placard, on which is printed " This is ye Pullman Car" ; two travelling bags ; rug ; dagger paper-knife ; guide book ; cigarette paper ; tobacco pouch ; match safe, etc. ; small packet of photographs ; newspaper ; bell, whistle, etc. STAGE DIRECTIONS. R. means Right of Stage, facing the Audience ; L. Left ; C. Centre ; R. C. Right of Centre ; L. C. Left of Centre. D. F. Door in the Flat, or Scene running across the back of the Stage ; C. D. F. Centre Door in the Flat ; R. D. F. Right Door in the Flat ; L. D. F. Left Door in the Flat ; R. D. Right Door ; L. D. Left Door ; 1 E. First Entrance ; 2 E. Second Entrance ; U. E. Upper Entrance ; 1, 2 or 3 G. First, Second or Third Groove. R. R. C. C. L.C. X,. The reader is supposed to be upon the Stage, facing the Audience. TMP92-007461 A DRA¥IIG-ROOM CAE. SCENE. — TJie interior of a compartment of a Pullman car. ^ Tliis is represented by four arm-chairs placed as in the preceding diagram. On chair No. 1 {first to right), an open neicspaper ; on chair No. 4, Traveller's bag, coat and hat, and travelling rug. Enter Traveller ; he explains this scene in the following PROLOG UK Traveller. Ladies and Gentlemen : The littfe play we are about to have the honor of performing before you is entitled " A Drawmg- Room Car ; or, Some Incidents of a Railway Journey." The scene we present to you is supposed to represent the interior of a Pullman car compartment, {looks round at the chairs behind him) We at first in- tended to have gotten up this scene with extraordinary magnificence. Takinc^ a hint from that famous theatrical manager, Mr. Vincent Crum- mies we should have presented before you, like his real Pump and Tubs, a real Pullman car, with a real locomotive attached. To this end we ad- dressed a very polite note to the management of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, and we have received from them a most courteous and aracious reply ; only it has been suggested that their smallest Pull- man'car would be somewhat unwieldy in even the largest drawing-room. And they remark that the smoke and steam from the locomotive mi'^ht be rather objectionable. They also sug:^est the possibility of an explosion which they feel in the present financial condition of affairs, would be'an entirely unwarrantable expense. They do not mention the lives of this cxoodly assembly, but place it altogether on economical grounds ; but I have observed these Railroad gentlemen generally look at that sort of thing from this point of view. So we have been obliged, reluctantly, to give up this grand idea. Sad ! very sad ! Think how beautifully it would have looked in Capi- tal bills for the shop windows -separate lines— Real Pump— I mean Pulhuan— Splendid Locomotive !-Great Attraction! And we felt en- tirely confident that the artistic capabilities of this Corps Dramatique would have been fully equal to a large wood-cut of the scene for the posters— showing the full depth of the stage, with the Pullman and locomotive in the middle. But all these grand anticipations had to be abandoned We reflected, however, that in the present period of un- usual antiquarian interests how could we do better than to get up a scene a la 1620— like the good old Colonial Times. We have now, therefore, the honor to present to you the interior of a Pullman car as 4 A DRAWING-ROOM CAR. Shakespeare {here a placard on wldcli is printed " This is ye Pull- man Car," is displayed at hack) would certainly have represented it. {points to placard.) " But pardon, gentles, all, The flat, upraised spirit that hath dared On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts ; Think, when we talk of engines, that you see them With their revolving wheels pounding the bending rail ; {noise of hell, wldstle, and escaping steam is Jieard here) Hear the train rattle — {a slight pause and noise of moving train Jieard )* Still be kind, And eke out our performance with your mind," I am supposed to have come on during the night from Portsmouth, and to have taken this car at Boston ; it has been ferried round New York by the new arrangement, and is now fast approaching Philadelphia. I am at this moment asleep — permit me to be so. {he hoios to the audi- ence, seats himself in the front chair on the left of stage {No. 2), tcraps the travelling rug around him and goes to sleep. The noise of the train, which has continued, slowly stops, the engine hell is heard, and noise of feet. A door is heard to open, after which, voice of Conduc- tor.) Voice op Conductor. Philadelphia ! Five minutes rest here. Trav. {asleep, wakes up). No! If your honor please, we don't rest here, {opens his eyes, sits up and looks round hewildered ) Oh, I thought I was still in court, {looks at loatch) What o'clock is it ? Five in the morning ! Why, I've slept nearly all night. I didn't even know when my neighbor went out. {sees neicspaper on opposite chair) Ah, he has left his newspaper, {takes it up) Not a very trouhlesome sort of fellow — he only opened his mouth to stuff it full of cake, {turns pa- per, crumbs fall out) Oh, this paper was his lunch basket. Voice of Cond. Philadelphia ! Five minutes for refreshments ! Trav. {lays doicn paper). Hum ! I'll go and try to find something to eat. {rises, and leaves his things on his chair, l. c, No. 2) Conduc- tor ! Conductor ! Where's the refreshment room ^ Voice of Cond. This way, sir ! [Exit Traveller. Lady enters, with three or four hundles, hags, etc., stops, looks round the car. Lady (solus). On the whole — I think I'll take tliis instead of the ladies' car. That's very crowded, and I'll have no place to put my bun- dles — and the " ladies " are not apt to be very accommodating to each other. But here. What chair shall I take 7 [looks at Traveller's) That one isn't backwards, and is more out of the way of people going in and out than t/ds. {points to another ; while talking she j)uts Tu\- yeljjEr's luggage on front chair, right, No. 1) To an old traveller all these little matters are easily arranged, [sits in Traveller's chair) There ! that's all right. (Traveller heard outside) Somebody's com- * For the benefit of amateurs the editor would suggest that the train noise is readily simulated by aid of an iron dumb-bell rolled on loose iron on top of a stone. The escaping steam, by sugar (granulated) or coarse sand poured from one stiff paper bag to another. A DRAWING-ROOM CAR. 5 ing ! I must go to sleep, {wraps herself, covering her face and feigns to sleep ^ Trav ( enters, stamping his feet). Ah, now I feel better ! {comes down front) Oh ! Why, ni}' seat is taken — and my traps are moved ! Par- don, madam ! Why, she's asleep ! She has gone to sleep very quickly, considering she has been here only five minutes. Ah, well ! it's not quite polite to make a lady change her seat— I must take another chair. {sits with his hack to Lady, on chair No. 3, second one right.) Lady {aside, showing her face). I said these little matters would come out all right, {re-covers her face— jmuse. 'Y^xnki.l^b. restless.) Trav. I was better off in my own place ! and I'm not likely to find another chair with so good a back — that one was comfortable as could be ; and this is a perfect back of torture ! Yes ! Ladies are certainly very inconsiderate — they know their power and abuse it — the charming egotists. Now, if my neiglibor was only young — and pretty. But she Avouldn't bundle herself up so if she was young — {gapes) and pretty. (Traveller ^otf.S'