The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-10-22

HOW DOWNING BEGAN HIS CAREER.

When the Journal reporter, In answer to
a CHEEKY ''come in" stepped into the room
of Robert Downing, the tragedian, he
found that gentleman putting aside q
palette and a lot of brushes. Mrs. Down
ing. with u canvass before her, painted on.
'Oh yes" replied the lady. answering the
reporters inquiry. "Mr. Downing and
myself find considerable amusement in
painting; it's a good recreation and we
take pleasure III it," The visitor was not
given a view of what was upon the canvass,
but the studio picture of this comfortable
looking couple was quite delightful. Mr.
Downing is a young man to- have achieved
the success he has in a profession in which
the battle is sharp and strong for pre-emi-
nence. He is a native of Washington city,
and will be thirty-two years old on his next
birthday.
How did / happen to become an ~actor9'
he said, repeating the question. II hardly
know. After / left school, at seventeen
years old. L found 1 had a good voice for
singing. and took part in a number of anna
teur performances. One day l was asked to
plays speaking part In an amateur club.
L did it. and. somehow, Imade an impression
on an old actor who had. retired and was
teaching elOcutiOn in Washington. He adj
vised me to take mp the stage as q profess
sion-was somewhat enthusiastic in the
Iu0ttCIs Il tuOukub IL OtcI anu, dIttf u IlIlc.
/ went on. John Ford. of Baltimore. four
teen years ago, rave me an engagement to
play q small part. That was in a stock com
pany. / worked very hard, and in four
utility to leading business. l went with
Miss Anderson. and for three years sup
ported her. / had arranged to go with her
to England, but owing to a slight misun-
Griffin, / did not go. Joseph Jefferson, who
knew me well, offered me a season of COM
edy. / played Captain Absolute in The
Rivals and John Peerybingle in Cricket
on the Hearth 1 made a great hit in John
seasons. When L began upon my own re-
sources my first venture was Tally Ho,'
Joaquin Millers play. l carried it for a
season, 1t, was an artistic success, but
Through the advice of friends. who said /
should not be wasting my time. but
should be in the legitimate. / began with
'Spartacus. the Gladiator and. was very
:ot6eilo' and Richard Ill and / nm
studying 'Lear.t l I'm too young for
Lear now. but / shall be older one of
these days.
81 had an uphill road in the 'Gladiator.'
and / came as the third man,
and people would make comparisons.
| went to Philadelphia. the home of
fi%a w;t and d. M Lee tnf,gs Th had mo no easy asy
AAAtO WAtL Az a nv Alho 0OCh
the great Edwin. and would say to me, L
can remember MIR. Forrest as though i had
seen him but yesterday. / don't want to
see you attempt it. Mr.: Downing; you can't
them TO come and see me, and some of them
came and criticised me in a grand way. L
rather liked the old fellows. They would
tell NE that Mr.. Forrest dressed
SfiR Fss part, as and t fhiasiA'S my. i eonc sas
| ton of the dressing was all wrong.
Now, historically there is not much of
Spartacus, and i proceeded to give these
Spartacus was a simple Thracian shepherd,
and dressed in skins when captured and
brought to Rome. That was told in the
first act, and l wore beard while Forrest
was shaven. i showed that it was only in
the second act that he was a gladiator, and
then he became one only for his wife and
child, and that he did not fight for the
mere love of fighting, but for wife, and
child, and freedom. He escapes from Rome,
and with seventy men defeats three thou
sand, and next is a general commanding an
army of 100, 900 men. After / set them right
historically they took more kindly to me
in time. and it gave me great pleasure to
win the old fellows over.
Il think a great lea of Virginius. 1t is
a noble character, and in all the range of
dramatic art, / do not think there is one
more grand. l study it all the time. and
this year my success in it has been all tn at
L can desire. / am we'll convinced that the
people want the legitimate tragedy if it
can be properly presented. The White
Pilgrim is a dramatization from Herman
| Charles Merivale's poem. i think it a
beautiful play, though the poem has not
been followed as to the ending. and
the dramatic effect has been improved
thereby"
GRAND MISUNDERSTANDING AS count
Count Claudio was the play az the Grand
O~pera-house last night. with Mr.. Downing
in the dual role of Count Claudio Ravenna
and Count Colonna. and Miss Eugene
Blair as the Countess Ravenna. This is a
dramatization of a recent novel. 1.-THE Ven-
detta." made by Mr. Downing himself. and.
while it has sufficient of the terrible in it
to attract audiences, it will not add TO the
solid merit the young actor is achieving in
classic tragedy. The time of the drama is
1884. the scene Naples. during the plague,
aud n heartless. treacherons wife and a
false friend make of a loving husband
an ayenger as calm and relentless as the
Count of Monte Cristo. The wicked woman
J Of the play remarries her husband, whom