Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-08-12
MAYO AT REHEARSAL
HOW THE FAMOUS ACTOR TRAINED
THE MEMBERS OF HIS COMPANY.

His Fondness For 'sPudd'nhead Wilson,
Ambitious Attempts as a Manager Which
Failed-His Besetting Penchant Tor Ar
guing Was His Worst Fault.
''The late Frank Mayo, whose sudden
death on train near Omaha was such
a painful shock to the whole dramatic
profession, was one of the most severe
and at the same time most just man.
ayers that it has ever been my pleasure
to act undcx,' said Henry Davenport,
son of E. L. Davenport, the tragedian,
and one of the managers of the Girard
Avenue theater of this city. ''He knew
how a part should be played and in
sisted on the actor playing it in that
way if it took so rehearsals to perfect
the role according to Mr.. Mayo's ideas. !"
MI. Davenport created the role Of
Judge Driscoll in "Pudd 'nhead Will
son. Mayors last success, and played it
during the New York run of the pro-
duction. During the rehearsals previ-
Gus to the first production OF 'Pudd'n-
head Wilson, continued Mr.. Daven-
port, "Mr. Mayo acted every role in the
play for the purpose Of showing the
members of the company how he wanted
it played. He took Infinite pains to
see that every line was perfectly read.
every accent properly placed and every
bit of business brought out clearly, eff
fectively and naturally. would not
have it understood that in this matter
Mr.. Mayo was martinez or one who
assumed to know it all. No one admired
originality more than he. He liked to
see an actor give his own conception of
a part, but when this was done he de-
manded a reason for everything.
"This was one Of his peculiar traits.
If member of the company made a
gesture or a pause or emphasized a
word in a new or original manner, Mr..
Mayo would say, Now, why do you do
that?' He would get to the bottom OF
the idea, and, if a good reason was ad-
vanced for it, it found ready acceptance.
He was this way in everything. I re-
member that he taught me fencing
when was mere boy, and in return
I taught him what I knew about box
ing. I usually boxed about one minute
and explained Is. would make lead
or counter or guard, and Mr.. Mayo
would say: Stop, now. Why do you do
that?' And when he was teaching me
fencing he would make thrust or a
parry and then stop to say, Now, you
see, do this because, etc.
70 oo,,,o hoo1- 10 nh 4
Wilson Mr.. Mayo loved that play as
he loved his children. remember some
time before the play was produced he
became convinced that it needed prun-
ing. Something had to be cut out, but
he hadn't the heart to do it. So he
went to my brother-in-law and said !:
Here is this play Of mine. I know it
needs cutting down, but I can't do it.
It is almost as much to me as one Of
my children. have gone over line aft
er line and said: I can't cut this out,
nor this, nor this. can't cut anything
out. So want some disinterested per-
son to do it for me- And when the play
was produced, though he alone was re-
sponsible for the dramatization, he gave
all the credit for the success to Mark
Twain in an address he made before the
curtain the first night That was his
nature.
Its great success was very crafty
ing to Mr.. Mayo, and he deserved it.
He wasted several fortunes in the effort
to give the public first class produc-
lions of the classical drama, which they
would not receive. Mayo's famous
Forty was one of the best equipped
companies for the production Of Shakes
peare and other standard plays that
ever left New York. We carried every
thing, even suppers, but the people
would have none of u.s. The same treat
ment was accorded Mr.. Mayors Nor
deck his adaptation Of THE Three
Guardsmen' and several other classical
efforts. But he rose superior to all these
setbacks. 1t was hard that his life
should end just as he was once more on
the road to fortune.
"Mr. Mayo's county seat at Canton,
Pa, adjoined that. of my father. 1t
was at his home that the noble man was
seen at his best-and his worst. His
worst consisted Of penchant for argu-
ing. Mr.. Mayo loved to argue, and he
would never let up until you acknowl-
edged yourself convinced or fell into 81
lence in admiration Of his earnestness,
his sincerity and his marvellous COM
mand of language and voice. Mr.. Mayo
had on the grounds Of his estate a little
French chalet, which he bought at the
Centennial exposition in this city. He
| used it for study, and there he would
sit until o'clock at night, when he
| would suddenly remember that he ought
to have supper and proceed slowly to
the house. Most always he would find
Mrs. Mayo, my mother, his daughter,
now Mrs. Elverson, and myself engaged
in game of whist. Mr.. Mayo would
enter the room slowly and take posi-
ton behind his daughters chair. Final
ly she would make a play which her
father didn't think was good, and he
would break in with, Now, Nellie,
why did you play that card?' The game
would end soon after that, for Mr.. Mayo
would insist upon arguing the point
with Nellie and kill the interest in the
game at once.
"Mr. Mayo once told me that he had
discovered the secret Of true elocution.
You must emphasize only those words
which could be left out Of a sentence
without destroying the sense, he argued.
Thus, in the sentence, Get thee behind
me, satan, he maintained that thee
and me- were the words that stress
should be laid upon Manifestly that
was wrong though up to certain point
his theory was correct. But didn't at
tempt to argue the point with him.
When acting, he was always trying new
readings of lines, and we never knew
when he was going to spring new en-
phasis upon us. He was lovable friend,
an efficient manager and brilliant
actor. To work with him was a pleas
''-Philadelphia North American.
WE'RE THEY MARRIED.?
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