Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-27
DRAMATIC GOSSIP.
0bscurity in Which Edwin Forests
Widow Lived in Late Years.
A FORTUNATE FAILURE.
The Solitary Novelty Of Last Week, Physical
Appearance and an Actors Success Crusade
Against False Ouotations-Tishts With
Psds for Bathing Purposes.
ecisl Correspondence of The Evening star.

| NEW YORK, June n, 1891.
| NONE OF THE OBITUARIES OF EDWIN
~ FORESTS wife has contained the remark
| able fact that she declined to be a deadhead.
One Of the trials of theater manager is that of
resisting and repelling those remote "pro-
| fessionals," the have-beens, the would-bes and
the other sorts. who ask for ''the usual courte-
ses." He is ready enough to give seats to per-
sons from whom he can expect ample re-
ciproca favors, but he is not Hospitality in
ciined toward those who can make no return
Not many months ago Henry C. Jarrett stood
in the lobby Of Broadway theater. He is the
Jarrett who made, but didn't keep, big for
tune ont of The Black Crook" Now he is a
salaried aid to presen.-tlay manager. As he
stood in the entrance way he recognized Mrs.
Forrest in the incoming throng for the matinee
She was an old acquaintance. He made his
way to her and offered to seat her in proscen-
ium, box. To his surprise she declined the
service.
Thank you. no, Mr.. Jarrett" she said; 81
am sorry anybody has recognized me-"
=, With That she fneed about aud quilted the
theater. The lady had not been 80 minded
against publicity ut the time when, having inst
triumphed in the divorce suit brought by her
savagely Jealous husband. Tragedian Forrest.
she went starring, but Of late years she had
lived in Staten Island obscurity, making
frequent matinee visits to our theaters un-
theatrical folks and to othors that her death did
not get into print until week after its occur
renee.
AsoLrTARY NOVELTY WHICH FAILED.
One single and solitary novelty is all that the
whole New York city stage has yielded this
week. and it was fortunate failurs-fortunate,
that is to say, for the good interests of the
drama There is no use in naming names in
the matter, because unpleasantness should be
avoided in this hot weather. but the curious
fact is that a doctor OF divinity was concerned
in the public exploitation of dar-
ling Of deviltry. That astounding state
ment must be explained, however, lest
1t convey the impression that good and
evil are commonly involved with each other in
this town. The doctor of divinity is the capt.
salist and silent partner in the management of
certain theater, which is now sublet to sum
mer company. and the darling of deviltry is O
transitory feature in this entertainment. So it
would be hardly fair to put upon the good man
the sin of the bad woman. What is she? Well,
a few years ago she was an English barmaid.
Her beauty struck q Snowman as being valu-
able for his business and she became
his assistant IN feats Of jugglery. Just
now, under his tutelage, she is a Turk
lsh odalesque or harem beauty, and Is set
forth on public view as the genuine oriental
article. She is doing one of those dances which
consist OF waggling and rotating the shoulders
and hips in a counterfeit presentment of ami
NAL passion. You may have seen snch a per-
formance by a slim, 1.-the woman and deemed
1t pleasant sight, but in this case the creature
was plump to the verge OF fatness, her face was
nodded in type of wholly sensual beauty, and
her contortions gave an expression Of bestial
indecency. She had meant to appear in
gauzy Turkish trousers, through which
her limbs would be plainly visible in actual
and no ,narely sirpulutaI ok b,,t
management dared no. let her do that and SO
the pantaloons are opaque and the exposed
parts consist of feet and ankles only. Even
when thus modified her exploit is rejected by q
respectable Broadway assemblase. The men
sit abashed and it il the women who show
their curiosity by rising from their seats to
catch q view Of the naked tootsey-wootsey;
but disgust is visible in all faces alike and the
"odalesque" finishes her act without applause
save from the ushers.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND SUCCESS
How much does physical appearance affect an
actors chances of success? Nearly every one
would at once say ii is sure to have decided
influence upon theatrical career; in fact, this
was the almost unanimous agreement in COM
pany OF critical theater goers made up Of men
whose business it is to study the stage and its
people from all sides.
"iiow much has it affected Edwin Booths
career, asked well-known first nighter. Now
Booth has always been q handsome man, to
De sure, In the eyes Of intellectual people,
They have appre .iated the dark. melan-
have noticed that his figure was extremely
graceful. But the majority regard him as
a man OF only average good looks. The
crowd cannot see that he is exceptional in a
physical sense. Now, with all classes his success
the highest eminence possible in his genera
ton. Yet how much can be said to be due to
his personal appearance? How about Irving?
Is it not fact that his appearance should have
deferred rather than aided him in becoming
a popular favorite? Now that he has
acquired the confidence that great pros
perity lends to a man, lie. too ia fine
looking in an intellectual way, but what was ne
when young fellow struggling for start?
The fact is physical appearance has almost
nothing to do with the success OF really great
| actors like the two have named. Go over to
London and look at the actors there. think
Edward Terry wonld acknowledge himself to
be decidedly plain man. Beerbohm Tree,
while he has strong, mobile countenance
could put clothes on. George Alexander,
who now has his own theater and
stars himself in his productions, is lantern
jawed and not q sturdy, heroic figure by any
means. Wilson Barrett has gained goodly
share Of fame withou. any surplus amount Of
beauty. E. S. Willard is merely nice looking,
being small in figure, and his excellence Of
feature consisting chiefly Of pair OF luminous
eyes that are capable OF intense fire and feel
ing. Study for yourselves these individual
cases that have cited and others that
l don't think of at this moment, and you Will
find that physical beauty allied to merely
average art will for time appear to raise that
art above the average and help its owner to a
position that rs plain man he could never
have attained. but given an actor of spiritual
characteristics that overtOp his bodily recon-
mendations. man in whom actually biazes the
fire Of histrionism u man who can do his work
in o new and surprising way. and he will
not miss good looks il he lack them, but can
make you forget that he is fat or thin, short or
tall symme trical or malformed. believe that
| with very few exceptions the greatest actors of
their times have been men Of very slight pre-
tensions to beauty. At the present moment it
| Is positively So"
CRUSADE AGAINST FALSE QUOTATION.
A dramatic critic, with more practical turn
| OF mind than most of his fe!low-workers in
that particular line possess, has spent a good
part Of the week trying to organize d crusade
against false quotation. He has provided him
| self with a scrap book containing a singularly
powerful appeal to the dramatic writer's to do
something positive in reformation OF an abuse
His book has clippings of the critical
articles from the leading New York daily
journals concerning new plays produced here
In NJ al