The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-06-18

the American public with more conf
dence, feeling they would now better I'M
derstand the plays in which he acted. In
fact when he went from New York to
Philadelphia, on the first evening after
performance of rOthello,' the very
friends who tried to dissuade hsn from
acting thus, after the great scene in the
first act, went onto the stage to congrat-
ulate him, land, an unheard of thing
anon g Americans, - added Salvini, they
actually kissed me-.
A curious feature in these performances
was that the two prompters-one Italian
and one American-did not understand
each other. 1t needed all Salvini's pres
ence of mind, and his great knowledge of
the stage, to avoid mistakes.
"In these performances, - Salvini said,
81 adopted a method quite my own.
took advantage of the good musical ear /
am so fortunate as to possess and which
enables me to notice every smallest in
Election OF voice in others, and thus
guides me to modulate mine, which is
very flexible. to the same tone. Thus
the contrast of the two languages, which
otherwise would have been apparent, was
avoided, and am convinced that is the
real secret reason why | succeeded in this
curious experiment of playing with actors
speaking another language, while others
of my compatriots, like Ross1 and Ristori
have failed.''
Since that first time Salvini has always
acted in this way in the United States,
and while other foreign actors who have
gone with native companies have had but
moderate successes, he has brought back
honors and fortune. The great tragedian
Ernesto Rossi, that charming actress
Eleanora Duse, that skillful performer
Giovanni Emanuel, all among the best
living Italian actors, have not been able
to do as much, the reason being that the
Italian colony in the United States is not
numerous enough to fill a theatre and
pay all its expenses, and Americans are
not all familiar enough with Italian to
understand every phrase. There is
another thing, too, the Italian companies
who go abroad are rarely composed OF
first-class actors, who are able by gesture
and play of feature to express the thought
of the playwriter better even than words.
as Salvini can. These observations were
made by Salvini, and we cannot do other
wise than agree with them.
Salvini does not care to talk of his tri-
umphs, and he does not like to declaim
pieces of tragedies in drawing rooms. 81
need, " he said, costumes, the stage and
an applauding public to inspire me-
There was an evening in 1892, at the house
of Vittorio Corcos, Florentine artist.
when Salyini, after repeated requests, al
last consented to recite some lines Of Sam
son, but before he became himself he
broke off several times and had to begin
again. 1t IS true that afterwards his act
ing and delivery were so powerful that
the little audience were in ecstasy at the
transformation his face underwent when
he threw himself into the part, and said
the lines.
GAS to my life,'' he said, sswhat can |
tell you about it that everybody does not
know? 1t has been an artists life, de-
void, in one sense, of adventures, and
full of hard work. Besides, it would be
carrying coal to Newcastle. All there is
TO tell ] have told in my autobiography,
now publishing in the Century Nagasine.''
AS VISITOR NOT as ARTIST.
'sAnd now last question I said
thanking you for your kind and court
eous reception, and the patience with
which you have answered me; must tell
our American friends that absolutely and
positively, you VIII not play to them
when you come over this time?r
We'll, he said, with his open, sweet
smile, and that bright, quick twinkle OF