Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-19
ACTING AS JAPANESE SEE 1T.
The Art as the Greatest Artist Of Tia
People Understand 1t.


People Understand It..
From the London Times.
The greatest Japanese actor Of modern
times Is Ichikawa Danjuro. and he Is usu-
ally regarded as one Of the greatest orna.
ments that the Japanese stage has ever pos
sessed A new play. in which he takes the
leading part, has lately been produced in
the principal theater in Toxic. and has ex-
cited intense interest throughout the cotn.
try. r.. -.
A correspondent who recently had an tn
terview with him communicates to a Yoko-
hama Journal some interesting remarks
Of the great actor on the art Of acting In
reply to an expression Of surprise at his
power in personating q villain whose acts
were abhorrent to him, Danjuro answered
that a distinction must be made between
Danjuro at home and Danjuro on the stage.
IAN actor can. think play his part prop.
erly only by putting his whole soul into the
character he personates, and. therefore.
when on the stage. 80 far aU from lack-r
ing in sympathy with the villain, as You,
suppose, that probably 1 become as great a
villain as he ever aspired to be-" In ref
erence to a remark on the time that must
be spent in studying an entirely new play.
he said that in Japan dress rehearsals were
unknown. I'VE generally assemble perhaps
q dozen times in a room at the rear OF the
theater, and there recite our respective
parts in the order in which they are spoken
on the stage. and that Is about all the re-
hearsal we have" and even at these. 1t ap-
pears, he Is seldom or never present. He
said that his practice had always been to
devote his time mostly to studying the times
and circumstances associated with the play,
and particularly in obtaining an insight
into the inner feelings of the characters
he Is to represent. Il find when l have
naturally. and hence for me a single peru
sal Of a play Is often sufficient" This
sometimes leads to his sentences not being
in the exact form Of the author, and COM
plants have been made of this However,
the habit or falling. as perhaps some would
term 1t, Is so deeply engrafted in me that
I cannot change 1t now either to suit au-
thors or those Of my fellow professionals
who are hear. at times put out by my
not strictly adhering to the wording of
speech
He was amused to be told that there was
some resemblance between his features and
those Of Mr.. Irving. and he said he heard
this for the first time. He observed that he
was able to personate characters of all
ranks. callings or ages, and Of both sexes,
with the single exception of a wrestler.
which is a part he has never been able to
play. Speaking of the part Of a young lady
as an interlude. he said IT am attempting
too much, You must have observed how
fatigued I am. In representing the young
lady the skin on my face has to be stretch
GU W utHHOSt HTllt Oh ltS eiaStlClty TO
hide the wrinkles. My face has to be treat
ed in the same way as a dyer stretches a
piece Of silk which he sets out in the sun
to dry The receptions we have to resort
to in our art have become very much more
difficult to perfect since the introduction Of
gas, electric light, and above ALL the opera
glass. Still. young lady is a young lady,
| and can submit myself to this ordeal and
act and dance as a damsel would, but to
mimic the gambos Of a lion has proved too
much for me. 1t Is not a dance to be at
tempted by a person much over thirty. and,
being now fifty-six, I mean to abide by the
announcement made at the beginning, that
this will be the last public exhibition
shall make Of q dance Of this kind"