New-York tribune., 1886-05-02
THE LEADING MAN.
SOME OF HIS TRAITS As SHOWN ON TIE
NEW-YORK STAGE.

good leading man is IN envlable position. LOT ne
is well started on the road which leads to success
and its attendant dollars, or as he would bc apt 10
term them. "ducats" The leading man Is the lhoi
of the feminine theatre 'goer. and when contraS'eu
with him all the dashing wckedness of the heavy
man and the champagny appearance OF the llgnt
comedian are poweress. To the leading man iali
all the heroic situations; he is the protector OF
innocence and virtue, the detcctor of crime. the
avenger of Justice ard the punishcr of guilt. In his
month put tho authors most stirring speeches;
and noble sentiments are his average utterance.
lie is generally well dressed, and if Ivy any chance
he appears less gorgcously clad than usual, the
author manages to let 1t be understood that he has
beeL rich and is in only temporarily reduced CIR
cumstanccs, or that fortune proportlonatey
adjusted to his manly beauty and sterling honesty,
awaits him at the end of the play. An individual
round whom such atmosphere OF romance Is
carefully dfused is naturally the one to touch the
heart of "a woman. And when woman goes TO the
theatrc-except at matinee times she takes at
least man with hcr Therefore the managers
best bait catches two fish at one haul, and ne ls
fortunate. Sometimes a theatre may be carried Tor
a season or two almost entirely on the popularity
achieved by one actor: perhaps the best instance
of this was furnished by the first two years OF the
appearance of the late II. }. Montague in this city
And though Rignold. dld not prove attractive Tor
more than one season. the long run and great
pecuniary SUCCESS of Henry the Fifth at Booths
was mainly due to the charm exercised By his
splendid physique and beautiful blond wig.
on the stage the leading MAJ is apt to be con
mOnpace and, not inrequcntly, rather disc'-
chanting person. ALAS for feminine romance he Is
generally married. and sometimes has made more
than one plunge into the troubled sea of matri
mony The fact of his marriage is often not
paraded, and even at times pains are taken 10
conceal the fact from public knowledge. In the
matter of age, the leading man has an advantage
or perhaps DISADVANTAGE that few of his admirers
suspect. Several popular actors who are to-day
enactng ardent young lovers, and with the aid OF
makeup" looking them satisfactorily. were
favorites before She war Their own children
are possibly of the age of the character they thenl-
selves are, representing. SGrcat is the power OF
"mlkc-upw Wigs hide the bald heads OF many
grease paint gives any complexion and fills up tpe
ravages of smallpox, while more than one actor
correcs the errors Of nature IN the shaping oil HIS
nose by means of the plastic and artistic putty
Leading men were formerly divided into two
classcs-the city and the country. but the gradual
abolition of stock companies and the growth OF the
combination system have to considerable eN-
tent obliteratel the distinctive marks Inc
country variety has tried to initiate the city. with
more or less success-principally less. Enough
however. of he unadrlterated type OF the former
are left to make them easily and generally rccoS-
nizable. They are actors. and they want every one
70 know it. in the street rs well as on the stage
Through some inscrutable disposition of Proyi-
dence their hair is nearly always curly and dark
and il WORN sufficiently long to show It's tendency
to fall into Tinglcts. Their faces are clean ShaEeh
that" an actor who Is an actor has no business ~;
with mustachcs.r is one OF their pet aXiomS. lheir
clothes hang loosely their collars are eXnberant,
they have dislike to gloves, and their head-sear
i soft and eccentric. Their voices have been
forced down to that basso rumble which the I'M
itators of Forrest believe to lie necessity OF good
acting, and they make ordinary remarks WIN an
abruptncSs and decision which startle the listener
and recall the story of Mrs. SiddOns pctrliying the
salesman of a printed calico by asking IN tones o.
thunder, VIII it wash Z" TO them the hotel land
lord Is grasping varlct,' the head waiter is
pOmpous villain" and his satellites are miser-
able ininlons" Railroad conductors are their
natural cnenies-a fact due to repeated calls for
tickets during attempts to sleep at night for the
country leading man does not believe IN sleeping
but prefers says he prefers cigar AMI the
comfort to be derived from Il flask in the smoking
TO the minor members of the company he is gen
crally crushing. and he has no sympathy for any
man who has not been on the stage at least ten
wears lie rose from the ranks OF the Supers' ana
he does not believe there IS any othrr way TO
should tread the boards unless his father hd pecn
in the profession. lie is dcliciously UNCONSCIOUS OF
the possibility that men starting WITH SUPERIOR
intellectual and personal equipment may accom-
II,sh ol that he has done IN hall or third of the
tlmc He wants his position respected py MS
assC ciates and declines to recognize the ucmOcracy
of Art Tradition is his idol, and he would rather
he wrong in following than right IN dlsregardng H.
What good enough Tor former Renei 10
GOOD enough for him New Arcadngs are bls
abhorrcnce. aud ShakcSIcarean scholars ms aoohl-
nation. Collcy Cibber and! Tate are better thah
the original tcXt and if any one endedYols 10
point out that they were innovators IN their daY,
the leading man says thar was so long ago that
tradition" has made their changes classical
in Itnfl iitf
and an unwarranted or neglected cross OF turn Is
anathema maranatha. -, ,... -
The country leading man IS especIally bitler ana M
sour when he visits Ncw-lork: sometimes III IiIs
name j. not known to the presiding genius ol me
box Office and consequently his request Tor seats Is
declined. Then he outil0ws with a torrent ol
fcnuncatOry e'oquence, born OF reWeiHDranc,s ol
" heavy fathers of the domestic dram;. " iau
in the name of the Powers OF Darkness, ne III
0uircs - is the stage coming to when one "i us
prominent ornaments who was on 1t before you
were born, sir-yes, sir before You were porn -
told hs name is not known Not known cEiu.
when lit is that of one who has been the ,'ulnS
support of Edwin FoTIest:' and on whom tho on
man said publicly his mantle would tall.' liut II
he witnesses a metropolitan performance he is
scarcely less angry. The easy grace of man VINO
can appear gentleman IN modern dr3Wihe-
room ~ an aggravaton. d" That isn't dcfim. hal
lust loiiug about. That fellow hasn't got any
passion in him. What woud he be Ike ID
fajcopbJidge or Hotspr: That's what want to
know Ills voice would give ont before pea piaayein
two acts. | tell VOu sir. the People oi New loik
put up with more bad acting than believed c"Iid
he crd sGed into one city" And then he goes on his
way sadly and Indignantly to }9n the o "ycs,S .c.
similar company to which the lack cf apprcc
oi really great acting has consigned him. .....,..
The city Lending man Is generally comparatively
young. lie must be: 1or now actors mA 80 nun it
with the world outside their own llt e circle thlt
unless he is something like the parts n plays lne
illusion is lost Then. too. the marvellous grow
OF photography has become a great factor III tIlc
necessity for good looking and wcl-drcs>cd actors
The faVoritc'S portrait is TO he seen in many a
/. i.,.r -
tLonsanJs His natural face becomes known to
the grca, majority OF the fashionable promenader'
In cry way the actor enters far more INTO senci
life and notice than he did twenty years ago, any
social recognition has led TO the dscarllng ol
distinctive marks of Bohcmianisu. Few men are
better or quietly dressed than the prominent
New York actors, no trace OF. their ploicSs'o"
making them conspicuous.
In his private lie tho city leading man courts