The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-02-18

" Love scenes,'' said an old actor in CON
vorsatlon yesterday, who in his day was n famous
Juvenile, " although they may seem So congenla
recognized by actors and actresses Of ability AS
especially hard to portray, particularly before Amer-
can audiences VINO VIII not endure them II they are
at all mawkish or gushing They require them to
he played by the actor with manly vlgorand strength
ana by tue actresses with natural earDestness and
grace The slightest impeifection, resulting from
incXperence or awkwarlness, viii mar the attempt
aud change the tender wooing into ridiculous farce.
The pout of equipoise at which the actor is required
TO maintain his delivery and movements is such nice
one that 1t requires years of experience to acquire the
necessary tact. No scenes are carefully rehearsed
as these. Ii Will doubtless seem strange to he told ~
continued the Thespian, with twinkle in his eye,
''that very few people have any Idea how to embrace
a woman gracefully and effectively. At the first
thought tw0ud appear that no
TO show fellow how TO put his arm around girl
and imprint kiss upon her lips. bullet the amateur
stage lover try II before spectators, and he will very
likely to End himself entangled Ia train OF delicate
SILK that must be neither stepped stepped over;
he will stagger under the weight of healthy female
whose arms are ciaspoi tightly about his neck aud
when she walks he win step out with tho wrong foot,
aud the gait win he anything but graceful.
so the art of love-naking and the art OF kiss
Ing, " continued tho old sager, 'hayc been care
fully studied by the leading actresses of the day. and
sa "l OF em nave nsir peenlsr methods Of meeting
about ROneo's neck with an ecstatic abandon that
was almost frantic at times and when the kiss came
1t staid a long while. Mrs. Langtry, 1t is said.
doesn Impress the spectators with the Idea that
wants to be kissed, she allows her leading man
touch her lips respectfully, and very III ease
while she is In his arms. Miss Mary Anderson is
rather difficult to kiss nicely, because she is tall
to nestle down upon MIR. nowning's broad chest.
She kisses In good straightforward way however,
AS though she isn't ashamed of 1t, and there's no
nonsense about the performance. It's In the part,
and she does 1t, without putting any very delicate
touches to 1t. Miss Catharine Lewis, whose
sprightly ways In opera boufe win for her hosts
OF male admirers In every city she visits,
has evidently given great deal of thought
to the art She wraps her about the neck of her
mock lover as IL she wanted to make them 20 twi Ice
around, and when she is sure of her grip she gives
] hungry IuT "a Tavs
Suddenly there is loud pops and the operation
Her sister, Miss Jeifreys-Lewis, is something like her,
but her methods are more subdued. A favorite bit
of business of hers is to have the lover sit IN chair
and she comes before him. She walks cautiously
around him FIRST AS though she watching for n
place to light on. with whirl she falls her knees
and bends backward his right knee, tossing her
arms about his neck and drawing his face close to
hers. For moment she looks into his eyes and then
proceeds TO business. The kiss Is long, quiet, and
dreamy, and means whole volumes.
80 MOdjeska kisses In an Intellectual fashion. She
prefers 10 be kissed rather than to kiss, and her
graceful movements make her easy person to act
with. There is no unnecessary clutching and claw
ing To hold on to her lover. She rests upon his
bosom in picturesque way that Is very pleasing TO
the eye. Lolita Just pecks at fellows face, and Is
liable to strike anywhere between the eyes and the
| chin. There Is a jump smack, and that's all.
It's the worst kind of a KISS because 1t can't be
anticipated, and the actor only realizes what 1t Is
/ when It's all over. Clara Morris's teeth have been
dlscolOred and depleted by too much medicine. and
| her month Is not an inviting Tor this reason.
There Is nothing grlish about her kisses They ara
womanly and business like. Janauschek has very
little kissing to do, but she never tarries over il
when 1t is to he done. She places her favors the
forehead In maternal sort Of way, and doesn't ap-
! pear to elicit or bestow much satisfaction Sara
JewetI, the leading lady OF the Union Square
Theatre Is said TO Desow kiss as soft as velvet,
and has become noted for the grace with which she
can pose within pair of manly arms, Her scenes
with Charles X. Thorne were always pretty, because
she was about the right relative height to his. Maud
Granger kisses are generally bestowed with heI
head reclining languldly on the shoulder of heI
lover, and a magnificent pair of arms entwininu
him. Fanny Davenport Is much too large for a mar
OF ordinary stature 10 look well with her In his arms
She generally assumes the entire responsibility o.
the kiss and it's a straight stand-up performance
Alice Oates spreads her arms out wide aud goe
straight for the objective point with WILL and tn
labia sound Is noisy and ludelicate. When the kis
Is given, a long-drawn Sigh, shake of the head
and perhaps backward kick indicate her delight
There WAS an alarming uncertainty about Soldene'
kisses which made 1t a t0ss-up whether the kisse
would have TO go on the inside or remain ont o
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