Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-02-04
sPARTACUs SLIPPING TEA.
An After. DINNER Cnzes with the Wash.
iugtOn Tragedian.

sPARTACUS SLIPPING TEA.
An After. Dinner Cnzes with the Walk
ingtOn Tragediaa.
ROBERT DOWNING TALKS ABOUT HnsELr AND OTHERS
HOW ACTORS OBTAIN BELIEF PROM THE MoNor-
oSY or PLAYING TIE SANE PART NIGHT AFTHE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or NOTED ACTORS.
spartacus, the gladiator. looking anything
but warlke In black frock coat and turn-dOw1
collar. sat peacefully puf1ng cigar In an up town
restaurant early the other evening. On the table
at his elbow stood unheroic silver tea service
and the general appearance OF things Indicated
that he had been dining, in company with an un-
warlike and entirely modern Individual The lat
ter was Mr.. J. II. Mack, his manager. There was
nothing OF gladiaUor1al nerceness In the greeting
which Mr.. Downing gave a STAR representative
who happened In, although the latter did think as
the Thracian's hand grasped his that he should
not like TO have that hand placed upon him save
In the way OF Kindness. The voice, too though
now modulated TO amicable and peaceful tones
was still Enthusiastically the same which made the
arena rny and threatened so terribly 70 MAKE
Rome howL Otherwise Sporfdcus was oDnterated
10 the heartily genial gentleman who sat amid
tne remnants Of the feast, slipping tea and pufnne
cigar.
II never drink liquors OF any kind" Mr.. Down.
log said In answer to the reporters suggestion
that tea was hardly the beverage the world ex-
pected gladiator to drink. II don't know the
taste Of beer wine, or whisky. I never feel the
Don't you get pretty well exhausted in playing
Ine Gladiator twice day, as you 90 when you
Tspe ne one Knows the
IL Is on man To play that part except those VINO
have tried 1t. People say they Can understand
resort to stimuiants TO keep myself up ON NATL
nee days ] usually take nap between perform
anees That puts me In better shape than any
aside from the mere physical WEAKNESS that
results from the exertion required in eacn per-
Inc same you g. in pe1 Srecsey the
way night after night?' TIE STAR representative
BOW ACTORS PREVENT MosoroNY.
Snow there Is q mistake which is generally
made about the work OF actors" Mr.. Downing
said as he folded his arms before him ON the table
and leaned forward persuastvely. st Is usual to
hear people talk OF and wonder over the way In
s1 IN
same manner at each performance. Even ex-
perienced dramatic critics make this mist axe.
Actors don't do anything OF the kind. To people
in the audience VINO see a performance only once
or twice a season. with an interval OF months be-
tween II may seem that everything Is done e 60
the cast watching the performance night AFTER
night, month IN and month out, know that even
the greatest actors hardly ever act a part In ex-
actly the same way two nights In succession.
"rHKRs Is JEFFERSON IN ZIP VAN wINKLE,'
for instance. He has been playing the part for
years, but at almost every performance he makes
some little change in the dialogue or business OF
course these changes are frequently slight that
Jefferson says ne makes them TO break the TERRI
BILE monotony and relieve the strain Of saying and
doing the same thing over and over again. He
quently given the credit OF doing-that is make
the representation identically the same year after
year"
apo other actors who play one part great deal
ind It necessary to relieve the strain In similar
manner"
ayes; think all OF them do 1t. know Fechter
and Mccullough did. and so does Booth, Barrett
and Mary Anderson. There was Fechter, one OF
the best actors we ever had, who never made a
thing. Yet he was making variations In his
favorte roles all the time In self-defense."
"But how about yourself?' tine reporter asked.
BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE,
81 have been playing Spartacus for two years
now" the young Iragedian answered, shaving ap-
peared In 1t over 400 times, and long ago found
IL necessary to make little changes from night to
night, In order to relieve the growing monOtony.
The main trouble with me is before the perform
and scenes have TO go through before the nnal
curtain, II seems to me then like days instead OF
minutes. before the end. But as soon as buckle
The work OF the moment Nils my mind, so that
there Is no possibility Of getting tired"
MI. Downing Threw himself Ddck In his chair
and pulled refectively away at his cigar for mo-
menf. Then he continued:
"A1 this goes to prove, doesn't II, that the
feeling which makes us yell 'chestnuts' Is more
than q mere within? 1t Is deep-seated away
down In our natures. Constant repetition Is Just
as wearisome to the mind as I: is to the body We
get dead tired OF hearing or seeing the same thing
day after day and year after year."
"You don't get tired OF seeing the same old
friends day after day, do you Robert" Manager
Mack asked Quizzically.
SWELL they're not the same old things They
are changing all the time, and II they do repeat
the same old stories occasionally they dress them
up little Inherently each time"
ACTOR AND MANAGER.
SNOW, there's something worth noting,y the
actor continued, after pause, glancing good
natufedly at his manager. Joe and have been
together two years and have never had quarrel
In that time. I think that Is unprecedented in
theatrical annals Actors and managers are
usually the bpst OF enemies"
Mr.. Downing and Mr. Mack have extended their
original contract 10 ten years, and the prospects
are they Will be together eight years more Mr..
Mack thinks OF buying some suburban property
near Washington, so that he can be near his star
during the summer vacation. They will go TO
San Francisco In the spring, starting across the
country from Portland, Me. AS they have already
this season Travelled from ST. Paul 10 New Orleans
they will have covered a vast amount Of territory
before their tour ends. IL Is possible that Mr.
Downing may 20 to London In the summer and
play short engagement at the Princess Theater