The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-12-31
WHAT ROBSON SAID.
He Severely Censured the Grand
Opera House Here.
IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED.
None OF the Fine Dresses Were Worn
by His Company Saturday Night
som sthing About His Play.

by His Company saturday Right
something About His Play.
Besides being one Of the very best
actors and managers America has seen,
Mr.. Robson is a very pleasant gentleman.
All really great actors are. AS in every
other line Of life it il only the little peo-
pie who have that abnormal enlargement
of the seat of intellect that begets bad
manners and insolence.
BY his own confession he viii be Sc
years of age IN May and his oldest child
is daughter who has reached her thirty
third year. He is remarkably
preserved and animated man for that
age and would hardly be taken for more
than 40. He Is a very exacting man and
there was a serious threat at one time
Saturday that if certain things were not
done towards the heating OF the Grand
the performance would not be allowed
to take place, contract or no contract.
While MI Robson has little desire for
money his art has brought him a suth
cheney of It and he is able to carry with
him d nurse for his child and a valet for
himself
Mr. Robson made complaint to Mana
ger Crawford about the opera house and
then said the same things again to a
JOURNAL reporter.
Topeka is good town and there is
no reason why it would not sup port a
good theater if It was run right" said
1Ir. Robson d" his house IS IN terrible
shape. Most of Dir. Crawford's houses
are | realize that theater property is
the hardest property on earth to
keep up. It must be attended
to constantly. Not only the scenery
must be freshened, but the house itself
must be kept looking like a new pin.
The stage must be clean I on can't ex-
pect people to wear their best clothes on
a stage like this. The dresses for this one
piece=ssLeap u ear""alone cost 81, 100,
but they have not even been unpacked
I told the ladies they need not wear
them in these dressing rooms and on this
stage. When a fine dress gets dirty
once it is gone. 1t can't be washed. The
dresses that should have been worn ia
the production tonight are still IN their
trunks The audience loses by that sort
of thing and the people soon find it out.
There is another thing about this
stage. it Is very poorly lighted What
can people in the back part of the house
tell about mans expression OF face.
Mr. Jones would look just as well
this stage as Mr. Coquelin. All a mans
expression is lost here 1 think the
theater Is too big. I had rather play in
a much smaller theater anywhere for
less money and have the entire audience
get the expression and inflexion than to
play to more money in larger house
and have to work harder to make the
audience get the work.
Il wouldn't give a cent to see an actor
unless l could see him at his best. I re-
member 1 spoke about Miss Bernhardts
excellence to COquelin once, and he told
me I had never seen her at her best.
saw Miss Bernhardt and told her I would
come to see her on a certain night. and
asked her if she would not act for me
She said she would, and / went. | never
saw such acting. Although l had seen
her play before, l was willing to admit
D.
told me afterwards that she had done ID
expressly for me, and L thought it a very
pretty courtesy from one mem Der o
the profession to another. 4 could not
do that every night she said. 1t would
soon Kill mel What a glorious thing i'd |
must be when person IN any profession |
reaches that point atwhich he can be great
without doing his best. You are always !
hearing said Coquelin, tof people who
are coming" Bernhart has arrived"
I thought 50 too and it is very nice
thing to be.
ssThe French have a school of acting |
In America every man is a school unto |
himself You can easily say of a grea /
American actor that he is not good ac- |
tor and nobody can be really sure yor
aud say Coquelin is not good actor Il
whole populace would immediately {, II
you he was and tell you why
There are no separate schools of
painting, or literature, why should there
be Of acting? In America the man who
pleases is the great actor. Il doesn't make
any difference whether he has the art or
not"
Stuart Robson was we'll pleased with
his audience at the Grand Saturday night
and it certainly was we'll pleased with
him.
1t was the first time Robson had ever
presented Leap Year IN Topeka, but
the Topeka people knew Robson and the !
- - onlllta .-zaIl aLLad