Show STAGE VIANDS abe klad of food ator la the play ahen actors partake of a repast on the stage the ml Js of many in the audience ask are the viands real the answer is sometimes they are and sometimes they are not one of mr Sal vinla productions was friend fritz in which there is a typical stage breakfast the writer happened to be behind the scenes on the first night of the play in philadelphia and he overheard a conversation not intended for the ears of the audience between fritz and hancho while seated at the ta ble from the remarks it will be learned precisely what constituted the menu just taste this bisque and give me your opinion said fritz aloud the soup was tasted in silence then canezo remarked sotto voce its awful governor theres no salt in it then aloud delicious delicious to which frederick replied perfect perfect enter catherine with the fish which was a half loaf of rye bread cut in the form of a fish and garnished with lettuce and floating in a gravy of soup josephs violin was heard by the audience while the fiah was being served but not fritzs remarks when he whispered eat the fish boys 1 I cant governor said canezo rye bread agree with me the pork pie was next served but instead of pork it contained apples ahal exclaimed fritz aloud this is your favorite dish a pork pie to which replied with a jouy laugh and then governor I 1 cant eat pie im banting the rhine wine and claret were gen the glasses were always set down empty this is accounted for by the fact that salvini is too good an italian to drink a poor quality of wine and the bottles generally contain the best that can be purchased in new york said mr salvini to the writer a little later a friend of mine presented me with a bottle of port that was said to be forty years old and the company drank it before the audience which no doubt thought it to be cold tea or burnt sugar and water but the breakfast scene was played with an unusual amount of earnestness and accuracy that |