The Forgotten Ghost

At the Cape Playhouse there are two star dressing rooms on the main floor either side of the stage. I occupy both for The Two and Only. One is where I dress and relax and the other is where the “boys” (which is what we call my wooden co-stars) spend their time when they are not on stage performing. Because my entrance is stage left I dress in the stage left room. That is Gertrude Lawrence’s dressing room; her pictures are displayed all around. The boys occupy the room that is adorned with pictures of David Belasco.

I have been very reverent to Gertie, bidding her good day and good bye every time I enter and leave the theatre. She is the ghostly presence that seems to dominate the space. The ghost light I have previously written about is decorated with parts of her old costumes. However, until now I have not been as reverent to Mr. Belasco. That has changed as of tonight.

There is a noise that has been coming from under the stage left section of the deck, which has affected the performance and bothered people sitting down front. Evans says it has happened during other shows but rarely more than one performance during a two week run. It has happened during my show four times now.

I realized tonight that it is the ghost of David Belasco who is jealous of the attention I have been giving to Gertie. In fact I have been ignoring him all together until now and he is disrupting my show to express his displeasure. After the show tonight I had a talk with him and admitted my error. I am including a snap shot of David’s picture that hangs on the wall in the room. You can tell from this snap shot that this is not a man who should be taken lightly. I believe the noise is his way of getting equal specter respect.

So here is what you should know about David Belasco. He was born in San Francisco. He worked his way up from script copy boy to writer, producer and director of many productions. He became known as the “bishop of Broadway” because he loved to dress in dramatic black outfits. Today he would probably be known as a “goth”. He brought new lighting techniques to the theatre, and is credited with the creation of some stage craft we take for granted today. He was a detailed director who would make notes for props down to the smallest of items in his scripts. He lit the dressing rooms of his stars with the same lighting that was on stage so the actors could see how their makeup would read. He was married for 50 years to the same lady, but was known to have almost invented the “casting couch” as a way of hiring actresses. He built and designed several theatres in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and a there is theatre named after him in New York to this day. He died at the age or 77, which is the double digit of my lucky number.

The Cape Playhouse is all about tradition and legacy. David Belasco needs to be remembered by every actor who dares to perform on that stage. I momentarily forgot to acknowledge him. We all stand on the shoulders of every artist that every stood upon a stage. There may not be time to write about all of them, but David Belasco needs to be remembered for his invaluable contributions. Thanks David, now can you cut the noise from stage left so my audiences can hear the show.
As you were,
Jay