St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-15

enact these roles. Many of these
young society actors start out we'll and
look very promising, but almost in
xariably they drop into the groove, af-
feet the English accent, learn to blow
and puff like blast furnace, intently
regard their finger nails, put their
hands in side pockets, without which
they would be uncomfortable, and
break their speeches in that most alb
surd and unnatural manner. What do
you suppose Herbert Kelley would say
if he could hear me talking now? He
would thrust his hands in his pockets,
spread his legs apart and say, 'Ah, well,
what do 1 kyar for the utterances of a
meah buffoon?
'It would go, too. l am commonly
regarded as clown pantonimist,
burlesquer and the people would laugh.
And yet will say for myself that when
I am on the stage I am myself. When
I initiate anybody it is in the way of
burlesque, but what little humor I may
LIpossess is my own. 1t isn't copied.
UWhat gals me is the absurd strut, the
unnatural posing seen on
the rmodern stage. Suppose I should
criticise Lawrence Barrett, people
would laugh and say, The very idea of
Foy, the clown attempting to criticise
such a naaneas Barrett. And yet why
shouldn' t I, If possess the powers of
reasoning and the ability to under
stand? Lawrence Barrett was a bad
actor and bad reader. His enuncIa-
ton was miserably indistinct. He
chewed and garbled his words in such
a way that it is very easy to initiate.
He was certainly an intelligent man,
and he did vast amount of good for
the stage. His conceptions of several
roles were most intelligent and keen,
but his enuncia ton spoiled his per-
Torrance 1t is the strained and un-
natural enunciation that spoils the per-
Torrance of half or more of Americas
so-called leading actors of today. L ad-
mire Willard for the very reason that
HE IS NATURAL,
he is original, he affects nothing and
INDUCES in no absurd stage struttlnS.
and putting. 1t is not necessary Tor
him to give an imitation of wind ma
chine in order to depict PASSION ana ne
never startles the birds from their
nests over the gridiron in betraylng to
his audience that he is angry. He acts
as the ordinary man would act IN prl-
va te life under the circumstances.
seThe average actor of today IS
slave to mannerisms and mannerlsmS
are offensive. If the audience sees you
act naturally, does it not go away with
a more pleasant impression OF you
than if they were conscious that you
were initiating some one, had lntruoeo
q foreign accent into. an American
drama, or had resorted to rantlng'
putting, strutting and ridiculous posing
in the Interpretation of the role you
were enacting?
ssSome of these actors, when accused
of these mistakes, fall behind the eA-
cuse that the stage manager required
them to play the character that way.
If that's the case the stage manager
ought to be discharged, but III nine
cases out of ten where such men as
Kelley, Drew, Wheatcroft and others
of their kind are concerned, the stage
manager has nothing to do with IL, ana
ne certainly never instructs any Oh
these so-called American actors to al
feet an English accent.
Il ''Do you ever see anything unnatural
in the comedy of Nat Goodwin? In
the semi-comedy role of the Missouri
sheriff. wherein he, presents some clean
acting that is not comedy, do YOU see
him strut and blow and distort his
features? Do you hear anything from
his lips but pure, clean American con-
Versa ton? Never, for Nat Goodwin is
himself; he is natural; he is an artist,
and he knows nothing Of imitation.
People attempt to initiate him, but he.
initiates nobody.
, at is no wonder to me that many of
these modern American dramas are
J failures. When people see American
drama they are displeased when they
see the hero initiating an Englishman
and saying 'heah or hyar' for here and
'kyah' for care
No matter whether Foy be clown or
burlesquef, it will doubtless be con-
ceded that his ideas on the subjects he
has touched upon in this interview are
clear and intelligent.