Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-23
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
WALTER LEWIS. THE CHILD WONDER
IN MONTE CRIsTO."
Feats of Quick Study-Glimpses of Stage
Life Before and Behind the
Curtain.

company, appeared in st. Louis recently.
Master Waiter is a remarkably bright bov.
and the people who have seen him act.
particularly the ladies, votehim one of the
handsomest, cutest and cleverest bows of
his age to be found anywhere. He is one
of the youngest children who have tried
speaking parts, and is certainly the only
child who ever appeared in the part of
Nolrtier in Monte Cristo,' which taxes
the strength Of able and experienced
actors. But Master Walter takes the part
and makes hit in it.
The feat becomes wonderful when his
age is considered. He is only years old.
and, off the stage, is prattling youngst,r
in kits. Yet he goes on in one of Noir-
tiers most trying scenes, that in the see
ond act, where he accuses N'iIlefort of i'm
prisoning Edmund Dantes and declares
! that he must be released from the Chateau
DIFF One of the oldest sights imaginable
| Is TO see the little fellow in costume. with
the bandage over his eye and with his
stick III his hand, stalk on the stage, and.
! heard all over the theater, speak his lines
| lie pronounceS every word distinctly, and.
| although he gives a childish twist to some
| big words, which makes the performance
all the more enjoyable, every word can be
understood. The emphasis is exactly
| right, too, and there is not a bit of the
parrot-like way of speaking which charac-
terlzes most childish performances. He
| looks fierce, stamps his foot, points his
| finger and tiourisheS his stick exactly as
the full-grown actor does, and the people
fairly shout with laughter and approval.
He has the cutest little bow, placing his
hand on his heart and almost touch
ing the floor with his forehead
when the audience call him out before
the curtain, and he invariably gets recall
after recall. Master Walter has not been
drilled much, but has only picked up his
lines and business by watching the play at
matinees. He can repeat nearly the whole
play only by watching it.
The way in which Master Walter hap
pened to show that he could act is ro-
mantle, says the Post Dispatch When the
company was at Grand Rapids, Mich. sew
eral weeks ago. Walter and a little COM
panion were playing on the bank of the
canal and Walter fell in. His companion
ran into the Clarendon Hotel and told the
clerk, Thomas }. Casey, about the accident,
and Mr.. Casey ran out and plunged into
the canal and caught Walter in his arms
just as he was going down for the last
time. Mr.. Lewis gave Mr.. Casey bene-
! fit performance for his brave act and
Walter appeared at the benefit as Noir-
tier. He made such a hit with the
audience that he has been playing the
part for one act ever since He is a
manly little fellow, with pleasant manner
and with bright frank face. He SAYS he
likes to act and expects to become big
actor. He also says he doesn't know how
he learned to act, but il Just came to him
and he is not bit frightened by going on
the stage. His father and mother are
| proud of him and will give him chance
to appear in some childs part at an early
day, but they do not want to force him.
The only time he tried appearing before
| the footlightS was in Chicago last summer,
when, in the absence of a little girl who
| filled the part regularly, he took the part
of the Mustard Seed in the big production
of Midsummer Nights Dream" at Nc
| Nicker's Theater.
| HI-AlS Vt SOlNh SlIDN.
A recent feat of "quick study" in comic
opera has recalled several such efforts.
Many actors in the days of stock COM
panies studied leading parts from night to
night, and | know of one actor who studied
and played the part of Iago, which con-
sists of 762 lines, in twenty hours. He had
played many of the smaller parts in the
tragedy, and that is always of very great
assistance in such cases. Frank Roche,
popular and talented leading actor de
cade ago, is said to have committed to
memory the whole of the part of Brutus
in Julius Cesar" in three hours. He
had, of course, acted other parts in the
| play many times. John +. KelIard, who
has recently done some excellent work as
Prince Saviani in Rose Coghlan's play,
"Jocelyn," accomplished a remarkable feat
in the way of "quick study" last October.
E. ]. Henley, then playing in "Midsum-
mer Nights Dream" was taken suddenly
ill. An liberated tooth caused his face
and neck to swell to an enormous size late
in the afternoon, and his appearance that
evening was out of the question. At 5:45
Mr.. kellard took printed book of the
play on Broadway from Mr. Lyons, the
stage manager, and consented to 20 to
Newark and get through somehow. He
marked the part on the elevated train,
studied the first act on the ferryboat, the
second on the train, and the third in the
dressing room. He played the whole part
} without any rehearsal except "run
through" of the famous quarrel scene, and
gave and took every cue. He cut some
twenty-five lines altogether, but these
were parenthetical phrases, which did not
in the slightest affect the value of the
dialogue. But the strain was too much
| for him. Between the second and third
acts he was taken i'll. He managed to get
through with his performance, but for a
week afterward he was in a condition bor-
dering on nervous prostration.
HACKETT AS FALsTAFF.
Hackett's first appearance with Falstaff
was made at Philadelphia in 1882, the
| Hotspur of the occasion being no less
parsonage than Charles Kean The fol-
lowing year he journeyed to England and
appeared during May at the Haymarket
in Henry ", Part l." with every token
of success. His Falstaff was frequently
seen in London afterward; at Drury-Lane
in 1910, at Convent Garden in 1S45, and
again at the Haymarket in 1851. Hackett
played the Fat Knight with consummate
truth and humor. Stimulated by perfect
appreciation of the difficulties of the char
acter, for which he professed great admira-
tion, the American comedian made its in
depreciation the study of life time, and
with executive ability equal to his pow
ers of conception, the result was I'M
qualified triumph. On the occasion of his
second visit to England several critics fell
foul of his impersonation, starting with
| certain premises that in Hackett's mind
conveyed a false ideal of the character. By
way of counterblast he published "Fal.
staff; Shakespearean Tract" in which he
vindicated his attitude toward the part by
copious citations from the text, and COZ
cluded thus: Shakespeare has invested
that philosophic compound of vice and
sensuality with no amiable or tolerable
quality to gloss over his moral deformity
except surprisingly brilliant and charm
ing wit, and a spontaneous and irresistible
flow of humor."
MANSFIELD IN RICHARD THIRD.
Richard NJ Minsfield has ended his season
at the Globe Theater, London; given
farewell dinner to Irving, Wyndham and
the leading London professionals, and sailed