The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-10
A PLAYER OF sHAKEsPEARE.

Mr.. Frederick warde Talks OF the Play
and the Actor.
Several members of the Warde company,
including Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Warde,
Mrs. ID. p. Bowers and Mr.. Arthur +.
Warde, are at the Rainier hotel. Mr.. Fred
erick Warde said, yesterday afternoon,
I've are now closing our tour in the North
west, and shall 60 from here directly to the
East We have been all through Califor-
mia, and we expect to end the season at
Chicago in about six weeks.
al feel fairly well at home here in Sc
attic, for have been coming here annu-
ally for six or seven years now. 1 bring no
new plays with me now. except that have
Henry WILL which have revived with
considerable success. had not been play
ing it for some time, and indeed, it is
rarely put on the stage. 1t is one of the
plays which is not successful unless
strongly cast and exceptionally well pre-
scented. So as matter of fact, although
Henry VIII is a classic, it is novelty,
for comparatively few theater goers have
seen it.
s.In San Francisco gave for a week a
fine new play, The Lions Mouth by
Henry Guy Carleton. 1t is strong piece,
but it needs some additional touches, as /
found after playing it week. You know
no amount of rehearsing will test play
like q week before q real audience. We dis
covered one or two obscure passages, and
after the season closes shall go over the
work with Carleton and revise it for pro-
duction next season. There will be no
radical changes in it.
sour season closes early, because we find
that as rule a serious play-the heavier
pieces-do not draw well after the first of
June People who go to the theater after
that are likely to prefer the hghtest of
light opera or comedy.
''As regards myself. / have found this
difference between the Eastern and the
Western cities: In the East the manager
always asks, What have you that is new?
Give us your very latest play In
the West the managers always prefer
to have me appear in Richard Ill., 'Vir-
ginius.' or some other of the roles in which
l have played and had a reputation for
years. / am told that the same experience
holds good with all companies. The East
Graves novelty; the West clings to the
standard plays.
with Barrett dead and Booth in retire
ment, there are few players of Shake
speare's tragedies left on the American
stage Thomas Keene and myself are all.
Booth in his speech as reported in the pa
pers indicated that he might return to the
stage in year. and sincerely hope that
he will; but his friends seem doubtful of
IT, Louis James. who has played classic
parts, has taken position in a spectacular
piece. The Soudan.' Next year Joseph
Haworth, who has been successful in
Paul Kauvar,' will appear as Iago and
Hamlet--and that will be an accession TO
our ranks; but he gives the interpretive
parts rather than the robust. in which
have found my best success.
ssThe reason that the classic tragedies
are presented by SO few companies nova
DAYS is that success in other lines is much
surer and quicker. A man who has the
ability TO play classic part can make
money much more certainly and rapidly
in a modern piece. The public is shy and
will not go to hear q new Hamlet or
Richard ILL., The man wishing to bring
out those plays must make up his mind to
play to empty seats at first, 10 win a repu-
tasion slowly. and draw good houses only
after year or two of waiting until he is
known. That patience is the result of
more courage than the average man pos
sesses.
..rhe world moves quickly, and we are
all in a hurry"