Pauline Frederick : on and off the stage (1940)

" Madame X " Again -— London 145 drama but recently razed, where " Madame X " was to be presented. On the night before her opening as she left from the dress rehearsal, she saw lines of people formed outside the entrances marked " Gallery " and " Pit." She had become accustomed to this " queueing " system while in Australia but was astonished to see the people standing at an hour that was approaching midnight. She inquired the meaning of it. " For your opening tomorrow," she was told. " Tomorrow! " she exclaimed. " But surely they are not going to wait in line all night! " " Of course, they always do for a popular opening," she was told casually. " But — that's terrible! " she cried, and was so visibly affected that these dear people should endure all the cold of a March night just to see her perform, that at first friends thought she was going to break down. They tried to change the conversation to something else but when Pauline had something on her mind it stayed there until she was ready to release it. " Can't I send them over coffee and doughnuts? " she pleaded, but the idea was strongly vetoed. " Well then, tea and biscuits — or whatever they eat here," she pleaded again, thinking that perhaps the American love of coffee would not be appreciated. (Nor would the doughnuts!) Again the idea was firmly vetoed. Pauline was strongly tempted to take the law into her own hands and send over some sort of refreshment and only a fear that perhaps the English reserve would not understand, deterred her. She retired to bed so as to be ready for the ordeal of her first opening night in London, but as she snuggled under the warm covers she could not help thinking of those long lines of people waiting in the cold. She determined that tomorrow