Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-10-03
>t@rie- u the stage.

TIE New York Tlsaes dsxos-s over q
page o. tie life and rsooll>ensss Of
John Gilbert. ~ho las bee1 City yeArs
- 4rtor. 4 teE 81 the cd Ran .
stones are here gTver-
J. " W.ll-rk xAs playing boa
Cesar he Bazan, ore u hls greatest
eAar2eters. aud wss gust beginning his
b~si scene. when . vsry seedy looking
old gentleman. ~ho had . ses; bear the
stage, rose, and wIth mach ado, bat
toning MS threadbare coat about hin,
Vas on the point Of leaving the theater,
when Wsllack, half annoyed and half
amused at the stir which the old fellow
wss making, stepped TO the footlights
and addressing him said: Don't be
In hurry; the performance is not over
vet"
To which the old gentleman, not at
all Disconnected, in q broad Scotch &C
cent. replied: - ken that vera weel,
but I've had q can stan OF" and
then, amid shouts of laughter, marched
ont of the theater.
Frequently since his first night be-
fore London audience Mr.. Gilbert has
had such violent attacks Of stage fright
| tuht Ic HAS lOI sCNCIhl uOhCuto OVCu
unable to speak his lines. To this day
he never goes on the stage in q new
character or on an opening night with
out fear and trembling. Nearly every
ether prominent actor in this and other
countries has had the same experience.
Devrient, the eminent German TRACE
dian. was particularly subject to stage
| fright; the great Macready was irritable
and nervous as an old maid when on the
stage, and could not be talked to or
even looked at on first night. while our
own Lawrence Barrett, when behind the
scenes, is so much occupied with the
work he has in hand that he can hardly
be brought to recognize his best friends.
The unfortunate being who CHANGED
to cut Edwin Forrest out of a scene, as
the theatrical phrase has it, would,
during the remainder of the great mans
engagement, find his life burden. Mr..
Gilbert is not alone in believing that
Forrest was not only truly wonderful
actor, but a bully and coward. 1t is
u matter of record that on one occasion,
in the fremont Theater, he tormented
little fellow one.third his size almost
to madness, but when the young man at
last turned upon him with Roman
sword from "the property-room, "swear.
ing to take his life, he fled to his dress
ing-room in the widest alarm, and did
not come out again until the danger, if
there was any, was passed.
The elder Booth, as Mr.. Gilbert re
members him. was one Of the most
gentle and good.tempered of men. I'm
like many great actors, he always had q
kind word for the most insignificant
members of the companies with which
he played, and he was ever ready to ex.
cuse their blunders. An incident will
illustrate the latter trait in his charac-
ter. He was playing "Sir Edward
Mortimer" in the "Iron Chest'-one Of
his greatest parts-to an immense au.
dience, and was just on the point of
making the most effective speech which
he had in the play, when by mistake
of one of the minor characters, he was
obliged to make sense of the scene-to
slur it over and go on without deliver.
ing the speech in question. When the
curtain fell. the young man who had
made the mistake stood in fear and
trembling, fully expecting that the
lightest punishment which would come
to him would be an instantaneous dis
missal from the theater. He said sim
| ply, You were not very clear in that
scene. Try to do better another time"
That was the end of the matter.
While Mr.. Gilbert was stage manager
| OF the fremont Theater one of the stock
company, q sensitive young man, dur.
ing rehearsal became so frightened
and confused by Forests bullying di-
rections and abuse that he forgot his
lines. When the rehearsal was over,
Forrest went to Mr.. Gilbert and com.
planned bitterly of the young man;
asked why in the name of hades he
could not have better support.
"Mr. Smith knows his part we'll and
can play it WE'LL" replied Gilbert, cool
"Knows his part, sir; knows his part |!
Damn it, sir, he can't remember line
of it," Numbered Forrest.
| You frightened it out of his head"
~ brighten him? How, sir, howe"
"By abusing and badgering him."
answered Gilbert, his blood getting
warmer. eff you had not interfered
with him there would have been no
trouble. Let him alone and he will
play the part tonight as we'll as it can
be played" This proved to be the
case, and from that time forward Mr..
Forrest had no more complaints to make
to Stage Manager Gilbert.
In money matters Edwin Forrest is
said to have been close and grasping to
u degree which thoroughly disguised
the warm-hearted, open-handed men
and women who were his associates on
the stage. At the end of one short en-
gagement at the fremont Theater his
share of the receipts amounted to
81 900; and though the managers lost
by their contract with him, and for the
moment were unable to pay the stock
company. he exacted the prompt Ply.
ment of the last penny which was his
due. The money was handed over to
him, few odd dollars being in rolls of
twenty -tive-cent pieces, and he left the
box. office. Half an hour afterward he
returned with one of these rolls. and,
taking piece of silver from it, said to
the treasurer, in his own peculiarly