National Republican., 1882-12-29
Old soLoN sH1NGLT.n
A Pleasant Talk with John II. Owens--H
will Star I'm New Play Next Year.

Pleasant Talk with John II. Owens-H
will Star in New Play Next Year.
While rushing through the Office of the lie
land yesterday Tribune reporter ran across
the actor, John L. Owens, who is at present
playing with the Esmeralda" party at Me-
Vicker's. The two had brief but very pleas
ant chat, and Mr.. Owens said "Y You know
got tired of playing Solon Shingle, and that
inevitable bar1 of apple sarse,' that was al
ways falling out of the hind end of the wagon"
But your Caleb Plummer in Dot was
always IA taking character" said the reporter.
Eyes, know that" said Mr.. Owens, but
you know that an actor gets tired of playing
tears. am naturally of jolly nature my
self, and | like to see people laugh. When |
get before an audience | look at them, and |
think that they ought to be amused, and I
like to see an audience happy. 1t does me
good to see them laugh. Dot brings tears.
| know it is pathetic. and | think it is the
most beautiful thing Dickens ever wrote. |
read it every Christmas. 1t Is sermon of
the purest kind to me- You know it so home
like. But the play brings tears. The first
thing I'd know while playing Caleb was that
the tears would roll down my checks. Then
I'd remember myself, and I'd say to myself
Here, John, what are you doing 1t is for
the audience to do the crying you're forget
ting yourself;' and then it spoiled my make
up
IL should think that you would begin to
take it easy now"
81 don't know. like to act. I am of
sort of restless nature"
"You still retain your home in Baltimore?"
eyes, sir; / do. / see that some of the
papers have said recently that my farm near
Baltimore WAS worth @1O,000. As it is assessed
at $4,000, ! think that was just trihe under
its actual value, as assessors values are gen
orally much below what property is really
WORTH
hat ia ,rt1
al have 235 acres OF land almost within
| the Baltimore city limits, 40 acres of which
are laid out in lots, and are reached by horse
and steam cars One day am reported to be
worth million, and the next day / am re-
| ported to he q bcggar / still get very
decent income from my Academy of Music in
Charleston, S. G., and by being patient | might
| find some crackers and cheese to eat while
loaiing around"
| "Wil you star it again?"
81 shall have a new play, which is now in
| the stocks, after the first of June next, when
my engagement closes with the Madison
Square company by mutual contract with Mr..
| Dan Frohmann."
what is the nature of the new play? ?'
"lt will give me an opportunity for robust
acting and for humor and pathos. The scene
is laid in New England and the west?"
"fhen it is purely an American playW
| Yes, sir"
"What is its title ~
1T has not been christened yet"
"Who is the builder of the play?"
"The person writing it does not wish his
name made public, although he is n we'll
known individual. He wants to wake up
some morning and find himself famous. He
wants to be in position so that on the night
of its first representation he can sit in the
trout row and hiss the play if he doesn't think
it is good. This matter of playwriting is a
queer lot. What actors think will be an ex-
celent play will fall fiat upon an audience
and be pronounced failure. Then another
play will be torn to pieces and the actors will
say, There's nothing in this, it has no plot,
there is no construction about it at all The
curtain goes UP and the applause is great. 1t
takes, and the actors say, It's mighty good
play-very good indeed You have heard Of
the story of the fatality of actors laughing at
rehearsals."
"You have been asked to play again in
Dot"
"Ycs, have. There has been an offer
made to me to guarantee me certain sum If
| would consent to play Caleb Plummer.'
The management promised to engage people
especially suited to the characters, but |
couldn't accept of it,"
"Why not? Would not the play succeed
again"
'' Dot might be too quiet for the people.
But it might he a success offset 10 tho
rot that is now being hawked about the coun-
try in the shape of melodramas, such as The
Lights o. London and The Romany Rye
are examples of it. 1t would be like .owcl
found in dung heap if it was IL success.
The taste is now running to InelOdIama, with
a little of the variety and the spicy element
in it. Variety is the spice of life, and that Is
the reason, suppose, chat the people want
the spice. | suppose il is Il good deal as John
Philip Kemble once said when young Ros-
cius took London by storm. Kembe was the
man of men then, but his theater was empty,
while the people crowded to see the dramatic
prodigy. They will finally come back to their
roast beef said Kemble. This syllabub was
better for the drama in the end Give the people
taste for the variety show as long as they
want it. You know the story of the good old
Capt. Reese, of the Mantelpece.' He was a
good old sea dog, so he gave his sailors, in
stead of the usual fare of salt pork, hard
crackers, and rum, chickens and fine food ju t
as much as they could eat. But the men pro-
tested, and said that they wanted something
else besides the hollow beef which they had
been eating, as they couldn't stand it to go
aloft on. 1t wouldn't stay their stomachs. A
change was Indispensable. The drama would
2 come out all the better i'll the end"
, In conclusion Mr.. Owens said that Mr..
Frohmann had asked him to continue his en-
gagemcnt with the Madison Square company
after the first of June next, but he had writ
: ten letter peremptorily declining, but at the
same time thanking him for the pleasant and
agreeable relations which had existed be-
l tween him and Mr.. FrOhmann and the COM
1 pany since its organization. The letter alb
solved him from everything else, and after
the first of June he would be free man.