Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-09

whirlpool, when he stopped and spoke to
me with manner so simple and courtesy
so profound that felt queen. Whoeould
Withstand such heights and depths?
SAVING SCENE.
In "Othello''we find especially this union
of passion and dignity-hOw it is revealed
in his panther-like walkl In "Hamlet"
how sweetly he plays the scholar, in spite of
our feeling that his reserve power is too
great for the role. In the "Gladiator" all
that is grand in man as human tortured
animal is grandest in him.
It is always question how much an actor
should think and how much feel-presence
of mind is great necessity on the stage.
A great scene is often ruined if, in the
height of passion, when the actor feels most
he cannot also think. One night while Sal
vini was playing the dagger scene in ''Mac-
beth" he felt his cloak slipping to the
ground. If he had picked it up it would
have broken into his acting in a common
place manner; if he had let it lie where it
fell it would have attracted attention to it
self as bright spot on the stage. Without
moments hesitation he conceived a piece
OF action to cover the accident. He shiv-
cred as it fell to his feet as from the touch
of an unseen presence; then, glancing ner-
vously around, crouch1ng lower and lower,
he suddenly in terror caught it up, wrap
ping it around him, stood trembling, while
the house applauded and thought he was
playing better than ever.
Fechter had a wonderful power of making
the most of an accident. He once acted in
q play where the grand effect was vessel
sweeping across the stage in full sail
with the hero standing in the prov. The
sea in those days was an old blue and green
streaked canvas, with lot of little boys
bobbing up and down under it to make the
waves. The canvas was very rotten and as
the vessel came in full sight all of sudden
little head bobbed through hole and was
seen alone on the waste of waters. The
scene would have been turned into the
rankest comedy, but Fechter, with a cry,
stood up and shrieked "Man overboard!''
leaning over the vessels side, seized the boy
and tore him through the canvas, held him
aloft in a tableau so splendid that the audi
ence forgot the absurdity and the scene was
saved.
SALvINI AS oTHELLo.
Salvini's most criticised work is his
death in "Othello." The last act is yery
exciting and sometimes actors forget their
words when carried away by emotion. A
provincial actor gave away to such an ex-
tent that in the last speeches he could only
command the sound and not the sense-a
thing which often happens to clever actors,
when instead of stopping they fill in with
word OF similar length and accent, but
sometimes very amusing in the eombina-
ton. He found himself unstrung, knowing
that he did not recollect the words or the
lines about shedding tears as fast as the
Arabian tree his medicinal gum," and
GGoIo 81
the Venetian trees their Abyssinian gums"
Salvini was a pupil of the great actor
Gustave Modena, who also instructed
of his life. Salvini's repertoire contains
more than 200 roles.
In the same city and not far away lives
Rossi-ih his youth the favorte stage lover
OF Italy-the greatest Romeo. He is also
packed with trophies of his triumphs-
crowns of gold, laurel wreaths, daggerS and
jewels, for his greatest tours have been in
Russia and South America, where they love |
to throw gold at their favorites. He always |
SAY, aivery inch keeng"-the only words |
be knows, and with which he used to astonish |
his American audiences, suddenly bursting |
out with them in his italian Lear.
Rstori was the daughter of strolling |
player. When quite young wealthy Ital- |
ian noble, the Marquis dell Colo, fell in |
love with her, married her and took her |
away from the stage. She had great beauty |
and wit, and such voice! After number |
Of years she appeared with amateurs in a
charity performance in Rome. and acted so |
that all the public clamored for |