The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-02
BRIGHT HELEN BARRY.
A Very Pleasant Chat With a
News" Representative.
WON'T HAVE WEAK ACTORS.
what the Leading Lady in "a Nights
FroIic" Had To say About the Play and
Its Reception In New England During
This Tour.

Miss Helen Barry VIII entertain IfoVl'
dence theatre goers for three nights and
one afternoon commencing tonight at the
Providence Opera House. The title OF
the play in which she will be seen, "A
Nights Frolic,n should not lead one "a
think that it is made up Of a tumble OF
horse play 1t is far from it. Amusing
certainly, and all the time, but never
coarse | met Miss Barry yesterday at
the Narragansett Hotel, and in answer TO
question whether the audiences
throughout the New England circuit had
been pleased with her play and company,
and she produced a few of the criticisms
passed on her
1t is hardly fair she said, as she
leaned back in large easy chair and
smiled sweetly, TO ask me to answer
that Here is what the critics have said
and you can Judge from these what our
farce comedy has done in the way of
pleasing the people"
AS glanced over the pile of clippings a
smile arose and | said
There seems to be but one opinion,
Miss Barry Has no one said anything
but praise Tor your Nights Frolic p"
None Ii seems to take right hold
wherever we have produced it, During
my Boston engagement Mr.. -, who,
the Hub and is a writer of plays, sent his
card to me at the hotel. When he was
seated he turned TO me and said Miss
Barry, / have called TO thank you for the
pleasant evening ! enjoyed in listening to
you and your company last night. must
say that the first act Is funny; the second
act is very funny; and the third act is
funnier still. "
Il notice that you carry some of the best
names OF the profession in your cast "
Yes, | have always contended tnat il is
better to have them all good. Ii costs lots
of money to do this, but the return is
greater than to have play contain only
one character of any Importance, and the
others made up OF poor material"
Are the characters all distinctiye?"
"Most decidedly so. | carry no dead
wood. When an author submits play
TO me, and expects any consideration or IT.
he knows it must contain parts that can
all be made To work with perfect har-
mony, ana yet retain a distinctiyeness
that allows for first class acting. just at
present" Miss Barry went on, II am at
loggerheads with IA prominent playwright
on account of that very thing. lie has
written "A play for me that suits in every
particular with the exception of two of
the characters. | said 10 him when he
re "a il over These two men must have
more distinctive work 10 do. / might Just
as well carry around two dummies as
these. They must be made TO hold the au
dience just ms much as any of the others,
and until you change them so that they
will do SO 1 cannot accept the play"
Il notice they speak of the excellent
stage setting of your piece. Do you carry
much in the way of scenery"
Everything. We strip the stage of all
local fxings, and put in our own scenery.
You know in the second act we show the
commodore's cabin or "den," as he calls
it, The old fellow tries to have every
thing as near like what he was wont To
find IL when he was in active service. We
have been exact in every little detail, and
our chief desire is 10 make everything APP
pear natural and not stacy. We carry
our own stage furniture, and | have had
rugs made for my play that | could not
buy in any city. one OF the ornaments in
the commodore's den. was bought in an
old curiosity shop in New York, and my
agent was month finding it at that"
There seem to be more failures in
theatrical ventures this year than usual
Miss Barry. Is it from lack of interest Oh
the part OF the public"
Certainly not. 1t is the fault of mana
gers in most cases. Poor plays some
times, but oftener tried pieces that have
met with success in the past seasons, and
are sent on the road this year with one or
two good actors and the balance of the
company made up of the poorest and
cheapest that can be got together"
"Have you played TO any remarkably
large houses lately 2"
my tour has been successful beyond
expectation. The public has been so ac-
customed TO my serious work that | was
doubtful whether they would take to the
radical change. l was agreeably disap-
pointed, however, for everywhere the
piece pleased. In regard to big houses
have a little story to tell You. | was
booked for Portland, Me-, short time
ago. When We arrived in the city | went
direct to the theatre, as is my custom
where | have never been before. You
would have laughed most heartily had
YOU seen the expression of horror on my
face when | walked on the stage and faced
the auditorium. There before me was "a
hall that would seat fully 5000 people.
The idea of playing to rows of empty
benches made me almost sick, for surely,
! thought, they can never fill this house.
Well. | was weary woman that night
when | began To dress for my part,
but the WEAKNESS was all gone the
moment the curtain rose, for there was
not an empty seat in the house, and we all
played with a spirit that made me happy
woman"
"You have never been to Providence
before, Miss Barry" said.
mo. This is my first visit to your city.
] am quite pleased with what little of it
that | have seen, though, and am only
sorry that my stay mere VIII De so snort
that | will not be able TO become better
acquainted"
Do you produce any of your pieces on
this tour?"
"Oh, no. | am booked for the balance
Of the season in a Nights frolic,' and
shall touch nothing else before next Fall. 7"
| took my departure shortly after this
and left Miss Barry with some Providence
ladies who had called TO bid her welcome.
Miss Barry does not overestimate her
play. 1t is written by that bright Ameri-
can author, Augustus Thomas, and is pro-
duced under the direction of +. G.. Pres
colt. one of the successful managers Of
first-class attractions.
"A Nights Frolic " is n perfect crescen-
do OF merriment from start To finish. The
last OF the three acts is the liveliest, and
the fever heat Of fun is sustained without
diminution until the curtain closes and
ends il. Every one of the nine characters
in the cast il strongly presented, in fact a
weak part anywhere would destroy the
effect of the whole Miss Barry Is of
course the leading spirit of the play, and
her vivacious example infects every mem
ber OF the company. Her assumption of
male attire adds TO the novelty and inter
est of her assumption.