The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-05


missed his text. my lord, y he said, ''the Duke
of Richmond is takenln Upon which "tlch-
ard" with humorous gravity upon MS iaoe,
..It what this fellow says be strictly true, ana
Richmond now be held in durance vile tne pay
you see comes suddenly to end ana h9tnIng y LILY
delivered in blank verse, TO fashion wnlcn ls 70
the actor sport. But we Will not guarahtee tne
genuineness of this story: inc acsors rs l9vent
them as readily as the memOeIs Vi the oeOck
Exchange do conundTums. i,
AMONG the traits of stupidity put to the &C.
count of actors, by which droll unrehearsed
effects have been produced on the stage, there
is none that is supposed to convey greater
proof of stupidity than that which distinguished
the actor who originally represented Lord
Burghley" IN the CT1ttc. Inc names OF several
players are mentioned, each os being the hero
of this story, but the original "Lord Burghley,"
or 'burleleh,n was Irish Moody, far too acute
an eetor 70 be suspected for a fool When
sheridan selected HIM for the part, the manager
declared that Moody would be sure to commit
some ridiculous error, and ruin the effect. The
author protested that such result was impos-
stble, and according to the fashion of the times,
wager was laid, and Sheridan hurried to the
performer of the part to give HIM such instruc-
tions as should render any mistake beyond
possibility. Lord Burghley" has nothing to
say, merely to sit while, and then, as the
impressed it on his mind, Lord Burghley'
comes iorW ard, pauses near Dangle,' shakes
his head, and eXit,n The actor thoroughly un-
err. At night he came forward, did pass near
"Dangle,n shook his t''Dangle'sn) head, and went
solemnly OH Now, If this version of the story
be correct Moody must nave been instructed
by the manager so to act as to win the wager
for him; he having backed Moody on the
strength OF his stupidity. On the other hand,
If the story be really historical, the incident
must have happened at rehearsal, and Moody
have been substituted for some inefficient player
originally cast tor the character.
At this period great liberties were often taken
before this an unrehearsed stage effect occurred
which was connected with an act of imperti-
nence on the part of couple of players. Mrs.
Gritfiths' PtdtOntc Wife was dragging its slow
length along, wearying those on the stage as
well as the audience in front. At the end of
the third act the performers grew more i'm
patient than the audience, and Holland
and Powell, two respectable players, thrust
their heads out from opposite sides of the stage
when the drop was down, and earnestly ap-
pealed to the house to stop the piece by
''damning" it then and there" The thing seems
incredible, but the circumstance belongs to stage
history; but nobler plays than the above lady's
have been in peril.
Although George III once said that Lord
Thurlow might as well play Hamlet" as Cooke,
George Frederick often acted the part, out of
London. Reynolds tells us that when Cooke
was once playing this part in ireland, he was
seen sharpening his sword before the fencing
match, and gave as reason to curious inQui-
ries III and Mr.. Laertes will to night in reality
settle our little disputes" The "youDg ladyn
who took interest in "Laertes" informed him of
the peril in which he stood; and accordingly,
when the fencing match came on, the son of
''Polonius" rushed in on the heir of Denmark,
seized him IN his arms, gave him back fall,
planted his knee upon him. and looked from
the astonished George Frederick to the aston
ished audience with the proud air of a man
who had introduced new reading, and had
been remarkably successful.
Moderation or reserve were things not to be
expected, generally. from George Frederic
hp Uh ha
gentlemanly humor was upon him, or when it
otherwise suited his purpose. He on one occa-
sion consented to go down from London to play
Cato, for the benefit OF poor actor, quon-
dam friend, in country theatre. 1t was the
character which Cooke played worse than any
of those for which he was ill-suited, yet which
he ,ooutd play. The tragedy itself is not one
that is likely to be we'll handled by provincial
company; and on the occasion in question it
met with supremely i'll usage at very incompe-
tent hands. All the appointments were bad,
and what little of the text was remembered was
delivered with many variations and comic in
difference to the rules of pronunciation. Cooke
however, was good -natured and intolerant. He
swore a little, laughed good deal, and bore
with all, more or less patiently, till there was
general break down, in the senate scene, owing
to a universal forgetfulness of the text, which
the most skilful of prompters could by no
means remedy. This does not imply that
only tolerant or amused while he looked on
from the wing. The senate scene Is in the
second act, and II Is the first In which cato"
appears, as "Decius" says:-
"In Utica,
And at the head of your own little senatev
"Semproniusn and "Lucus" had tumbled
through their parts with much of that transpos-
ing of initial letters which came afterwards to
be called ''marowskying," and which often pro-
duces the most laughable effects; and Marcus
had referred to "Decius" as the "Knoman right, "
instead of "Roman knight;" and Cato" had Just
exclaimed, "Father, its time you came to q
resolve,n to which ''Lucius" replied-not quite
according to the text-''That is exactly our way
of thinking!" when Cookies land "CatosnO endu-
rance broke down. He started from his chair,
and exclaiming, with such senate Rome
itself were damned IN rushed OFF the stage, to the
great admiration of the house, who, if they did
not expect him to take his seat again, were GER
tainly not disappointed.
Our ancestors, down to time as late as our
grandfathers', certainly tolerated hoertles taken
with an audience by actors with leniency that
| is the more surprising, as the manners OF the
| times were ruder and the customs OF very ruff
| fanly character, There are still individuals
| living who may have seen Edwin. AT the close
| of his career Edwin was playing "BoWklt," IN
| the SOn-in- Ldlg at the Haymarket. In the
scene where Cranky" declines to accept him
| Edwin uttered the word "uglyW in tone OF
| surprise, and then advancing to the lamps, said,
| with great GOODNESS and infinite impudence,
iiNoW, I submit to the decision ofan enlightened
British public, which is the Ugttest fellow OF the
| fhree-I. old Cranky" or that gentleman In the
front row of the balcony boXW The gentleman
| became the object not of general pity, but OF
general and loud derision, and he retreated has
tily from the humilatlng consequences OF the
actors impertinence. ,o,-
II is said that Parsons who played Cranky
was very indignant with the freedom wnlcn