St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-15
F0Y AS A REAS0NER.
He Deplores the Abuse Of the
Modern American
Drama j.
10
BY HIGH-CLAss ACTORS
Who Affect the English Ac-
cent, and Strut and Pose
and Blow,
AND SAY HYAR FOR HERE.
Most Society Stars Are Imita-
tors and Wholly I'm
natural. 10 enf
1E4F
BY HIGH-cLAss ACTORS
AND SAY HYAR FOR HERE i

Judging only from the grotesque-
ness he displays on the stage and the
eccentricity which clothes his speech
and action, the general public be-
lieyes that Eddie Foy, the comedian,
is a clown of modern build, who new
err permits a serious thought to enter
his mind. Those who are intimately
acquainted with him know to the
contrary. While he deplores the cir
cumstances which stood in the way
of an early education, he has never
theIess, by much reading OF high
class literature and contact with
smart men, acquired an education
that is far superior to the ordinary.
He is a thinker and a reaSoner, ana
he wears a level head on his Shout
ders in spite of the general idea that
he spends his time thinking up gro
tesque humor and odd and absurd
figures of speech. 1t would strike
the most of people as unworthy
of belief to say that Eddie
F'oy fairly reVelS in the works of
Shakespeare, still there is not a
scene or a passage in any Of the plays
of the immortal bard with which he
is not thoroughly familiar. He
studies them and asks himself the
why and wherefore of each speech,
and often when alone recites from
the plays, and seeks to convince
himself how this speech should be
delivered and that one accentuated,
Once at a benefit he enacted the
role of Cassius, and the many theat-
rical people in the audience were
surprised at his conception OF the
role. Had he burlesqued it, the per
Torrance would have ended in a
laugh. AS it was, F'oy's brother
Thespians conceived better ipin-
ion of him.
Foy's appreciation Of the absurd
strut and speech of many of the
popular high-priced interpreters OF
modern drama is very keen.
Their appearance on the stage is
pleasing to the eye" he said to me
last night; their clothes are fault
less in cut and fit; their makeup
couldn't be better But the major
ity of them are unnatural. They fol
low the old and absurd custom of
BREAKING THEIR SPEECH
at critical points. For INSTANCE
Lionel Montmorency and Arthur
Kildare are quarreling in the center
of the stage. They are quiet about
it, the scene is intensely thrilling.
It is your turn now, says Lionel
angrily, then walking clear over to
the door he turns and finishes, but
mine will come 1t could not be
more unnatural. Why should this
man, who is kissing out his defiance
break his speech in two and walk
clear across the stage before he
finishes? Would you do it if you
were quarreling? Not at all. You
would finish your speech, then walk
to the door, Possibly at the door
you might turn and do little pan
tomime, expressive of contempt Oh
| lofty disdain, but you would never
| follow the method of the everyday
soubrette, work up to the last line
| and finish it just as you reach your
| exit.
81 claim that actors on the stage
| must be themselves, and act witt
faithfulness to nature. They should
not stand and puff and blow like g
furnace and gradually, by absurd
/ methods, develop their faces into
| b1oated passion. 1t is all unnatural
! When playing in modern American
| drama, why should Herbert Kelley
! 'hyar' for here and vars fol
| years.? It is because Kelley is al
| imitator of Willard, who is a grear
| actor because he acts naturally an(
| initiates no one. Let me show yol
| how Kelley acts in every one of his
serious characters"
Foy stood in the center Of the room
and clasped his hands behind him
while he gazed off into space.
''It was many vars ago." he said
| then suddenly thrust his hand il
| front Of him and bent his gaze on hi:
finger nail, that first I saw her, ant
seeing was but to love her deadly
But" then he thrust his hands il
his trousers pockets and spread hi!
| legs apart, "'tis past now, an(
I-I-I-have quite forgotten her, Y
know. Kelley follows in that OLE
| groove, that groove of imitation. H
| never acts naturally, never betray.
originality, and yet they call him {
great actor and pay him a high sal
| airy. His style
! PLEASES THE LADIES.
but it bofes the intelligent man VIII
| has some idea of the way man shoul