New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-28
AN ACTORS STRUGGLES.
IRvINGS YEARS OF HARD WORK.
FIRST APPEARANCE IN LoNDON-CIIARLES DICK.
ENs'S NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. on
g,

ENsS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. on
THE STAGE.
Nearly all those who know Henry Irving or know
OF him associate his with the long list Of brill
liant creations shown on the stage OF the Lyceum.
Bat there Is a period in his of which one sell
dom never hears. 1t is period covering more
than twenty years of GRIM hard. grinding work; Of
incessant devoted study and practice Of the minuest
details Of his art. Tho results he accomplished In
this period of his l.fe led him inevitably TO the fore
most place in MIS- profession. II is undeniable that
of the most artistic work in Mr.. Irvng's
career was accomplished in the days before the
snow-covered Matthias had made his first entrance
at the inn-door. Take leap backward over thirty.
five years 20 1859. At this time Mr.. Irving had been
just three years in the procession, having appeared
for the first time at the Lyceum Theatre, Sunder-
land under the management of Z Mr.. Davis, IN
the stock company which then held that theatre
Sam Johnson a comedian wio was afterward
to join Mr.. Irv.ngs forces at the Lyceum in Lon
don ald who is travelling with him through
this country. In the summer Of 1873 Mr. irving was
making his farewell appearance" before the poo
pie of Edinburgh In the character Of Claude Mel
notte and what IL more scoring big success In
IT, He had been lured TO London by the offer or an
engagement from Augustus Harris, the elder. But
the only opening given to hin was few lines in a
play called Ivy Hail.
Mr.. Twins sick at heart. promptly went TO Mr..
Harris. asked for his re.casc and obtained 1t. But
before leaving London his wholesome taste for APP
pealiny the appreciation Of the intellectual facu-
ties Of the community prompted him TO give two
readings at the Old place Of Crosby Hall In Bish-
opsgate-st. Here. December 10 OF that year ne
read "The Lady OF Lyons" and it IL gratifying to
know that In the last scenes between Pauline and
Claude moved his audience to tears one president
observer then detected the indefinite some-
thing which lncontestabiy and instan,aneously
shows the fire of genius Cour lgeousy determined
to leave London until he should be able 70 return
+abi and pSrfcf
he Mt straight to Glasgow. and thence passed on
10 that fine old theatre the Manchester Royal.
There he remained for four years; and there he
underwent probably of the bitterest hardships
OF an actors life 1t was in Manchester that he ate
his memorable Christmas dinner with Joe Robins.
the story of which recently tod in The Tribune.
Iut what he lacked In pocket he gained in friends
and in experience. Here he met and acted with
such stars" Edwin Booth Sothern. Charles
Mathews G. V. Brooke. Miss Heath and Dion Bou-
cicau.t. Here too. he gradually won position or
respect-respect for his unfang assiduty and
scr,lpulous conscientlousness. Here also. at the
close OF his long engagement. he made his first
attempt at Hamlet" and scored an instant sue
cess which years afterwarl was 10 be duplicated
AZ the I.yceum. The company with which he was
then associated favored his project. although they
thought that the work would be beyond his strength.
bar 50 complete was his triumph with the Manches-
ter public that the performance was called for on
several nights-this too, in 4 place where cne-nlsnt
bills the rule
Leaving Manchester he strolled from place TO
place and at last after another twelve months
found himself standing on the steps Of Liverpool
theatre waiting like Micawber. for something 10
turn up" At this juncure there came an OFFER
from Boucicauit ito so to Manchester ana take
leading part in mis- new play. Hunted Down.
Irving accepted the proposition. with the s'ipIia-
ton that should he succeed. he should play tho
same part in London. The play was brilliantly sue
cessfu and in fact has more or less held the stage
ever since Irving east for the part OF Raw
don Scudamore. The man-about-town villain ana 10
this character he impaired = force ana natural
power that fingered in the memory Of al! VINO Wit
messed IT, Here he could display his faculty for de-
pc,iug the most vindictive passion merely by dint
Of facial expression. So impressed Boucicau,t
with Irvings rendering Of TIE part that he invited
Charles Reade to witness il. Mr. Reades Niag-
raent more than confirmed that OF MI BoucicaulI
and at last. through Tom Taylor. he received q
lucrative offer 10 appear in London at the ~.
James's Theatre under the management OF Mss
Herbert A delightful actress. who, after career
OF mingled disappointment and success, mas long
since retired from the stage.
Mr. Irvings engagement with Miss Herbert
opened in 1865. The first play, tried as stopgap'
was The Bellies Stratagem,' In which irving was
east for Doricourt. lie lid not like the part, be-
lieycd that he would make failure In it, and was
astorished when after his exit In the mad scene.
he received three recalls. Hunted Down was re-
vlved and here it was that Charles Dickens saw
him for the first time How deeply impressed ne
was with the actors inpersonat!on has OFTEN peeh
told. Under Miss Her5ert's management re Payei
such varied parts as Joseph Surface ana kopert
Macaire When Miss Herbert retired from man
agement, broken In health anu III poV,het,,S -, VII,
went Paris with Sotnern, ana men, IN iso,, MsS
back in London at the rambling, angular o.d queens
Theatre when at that time was regarded as 4
'hoodoo' 10y the profession ana the public; Here
ne first met Miss Ellen Terry ana ,ete, as9, le
had another success in Henry Byron pay
4 no flpNp
baser passions found perfect fol IN ine honey, nGney
Garner Charles Dick Ms, in stage box watched
Irving with grave stsady attention ana turning M;
some day come out as great acton am no lludgs
Of art" Here also, at The Queen n az, 81!
~. T Robert Redburn in Henry Byron's Lancashire
lass" which ran for nearly seven months. L was
n"w 1869 and In December H. was associated WIN
7 Toole AT ,he Gaiety Theatre In Syron's Jingle
'D,ck's Darling" Irving was the cold. austere Mr.
CheyenX and now per rsa i Creation te Here
critics insisted was figure that lived In the mem
ory and which one followed. as 1t moved with
About this time two clever Strand comedians.
David James and Thomas Thorne and Harry Nom
tague, an attractive and handsome "juyenile re-
NJ bated n disused clubhouse in the Strand ana
trans formed II into the Vaudeville Theatre. They
SpsaSS w cned "sT eve TN cast cOmpr:ed
in addition to the three partners, Irving, George
Honey. a really nne character artist Of the old
Thorne and Miss Amy Fawsitt, VINO was AFTER
ward to die in a garret In Eighth.ayIe n III ,ns
arrogance Of Digby Grand he was able 10 DrinS
out in strongest force many of tina qualities when
world Probably Digby Grand was the first char
acter that gave him firm hold OF general pup ,,c
more than a year. Then came his first season At
the Lyceum under the American manager; H. ~
Bssman his beTsrns 1nn OF the old
house. where he has remained to this day.