Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-08-26
AMERICAN ACTORS ABROAD.
What Mr. Raymond Says of His
Trip.
A Pleasant Time, Although His
Play Was Not a Success-Rea-
sons for the Failure Of
~COIOneI Sellers
Success of the Other American
Players.

Success of the Other American
Players.
" Well, this is eruel-to come to
interview man whose enterprise has
resulted in a failure, concerning all
the horrible details of his misfortune,
said John T. Raymond to a Tribune
reporter who called upon him at his
pleasant apartments at No 16 East
Twenty-third street, yesterday.
However, sit down, and / will en-
deavor to bear up and be happy and
talk to you just the same as if had
returned to America with my pockets
full of English guineas."
How did like London? Well, /
liked it very, very much indeed, and
would have liked to remain there a
little longer, had business been good.
They received us cordially and treat
ed us splendidly-as Individuals
but, to be frank with you, they
couldn't stand our play. The fact is,
they couldn't understand it. OF
course, the character of Colonel Sell
lers was plain enough, the people were
pleased with it and laughed at it. The
colonels speculation" took enor
mously They were universal in their
application and the people could ap-
preciate them but all the localisms
OF the play fell fiat, | can tell you.
When the stove fell down, in the
third act, it all went for nothing
The audience didn't see anything
funny in that. The English people,
however, don't know what a wood
stove is. They call CRATE stove
On the other hand, the trial scene.
which we would consider rather ordi-
nary, was one Of the few redeeming
features OF the play in the eyes of the
Londoners. They were almost
willing to regard that much of it as a
success"
How long did you play in Lon
DOM"
"Only three weeks. That was
enough. We did not attempt to take
the play out of London. There was
one thing that was bad for us at the
start; We opened in very bad sea.
son. The people were out Of town, as
they are here in the summer time.
Ny manager, Mr.. Hollingshead,
thought, however, that he could OBJ
tain sufficient audiences despite all
that, and maybe we might, had our
play taken We opened soon after
cur arrival at the daiety theater. Sara
Bernhardt had Immediately preceded
us at the theater She made an i'm
mense success in London, as she will
here, when she comes over. But al
though We are not successful, We had
a splendid time in Lonaon-off the
stage, Every courtesy was extended
to us by the English actors the clubs
were thrown open to us, and every
thing was done that could be done to
make us happy, A number Of the
actors gave US a breakfast at the Saw
age club, which was very enjoyable
afaig, and WHICH was attended by
many Americans, aud Englishmen
well known on this side. Among them
were our minister to England, Mr..
Lowell, William j. Florence, Mckee
Rankin, and w. Il. Sheridan. Edwin
Booth was invited, but was in Scot
land at the time and was unable to be
present,
THE London newspapers we're kind
to me personally and also to the mem.
bers of the company, but they con.
demned the play IN unmeasured terms
with the single exception of the part
of Colonel Sellers, which was we'll
spoken Of. However, as the papers
said, that one character was not strong
enough to carry the play. In this
mornings Tribune is an extract from
The Saturday Review in which YOU
will see that idea expressed. The
people really wanted to like the play.
but they couldn't. 1t didn't suit
them. The first night of it was per-
feet ovation. All of the leading actors,
literary people-and especially the
critics-attended In full force, One
night the prince and princess Of Wales
occupied one of the boxes, with their
suite, and his royal highness even sent
for Colonel Sellers to come into the
box, whore the colonel was congratu-
lated upon his character. Then there
was the duke aud duchess Of Con-
ngught and-well, ever so many more
"How are the other American ac-
tors in England doing now How is
Mckee Rankin doing?"
"Splendidly. Both he and his
company have made great hit
They are playing the 'Dapitos' to
crowded houses right along"
"And Haverly's minstrels ?"
Having an enormous success. Ev-
erybody goes to hear them and they
are the talk of London. Their good
fortune is simply astonishing. One
would scarcely expect it--notwith-
standing the excellence of the compa-
ny-for the English do not generally
take liking to that kind of perform
ance. j. l.. Toole's Upper Crust is
one Of the successes of the season, too.
Dion Boucicault's Marriage is a la
mentable failure-even worse than
our play ,Yas-apd that is saying
great deal
What are your plans for the en-
suing season ?"
well, ! cannot tell myself, as YETI
am to have conference with my
manager regarding that tomorrow
We will begin a tour, however, | be-
lieve, about September H. / expect
to be in the city here part of the sea-
son, but do not know yet just when.
| brought two new nlavs ovar with