The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-09-03
MAYO AT REHEARSAL
HOW THE FAMOUS ACTOR TRAINED
THE MEMBERS or HIS COMPANY.


His Tonansss For 'sPudd'nhsad wilsoo.'
Ambitious Attempts - Manager which
Failed His Besetting Penchant Fur Al.
guine Was His worst Fault.
"The late Frank Mayo, whose sudden
death on train near Omaha was such
q painful shock to the whole dramatic
profession, was one Of the most severe
and at the same time most just man.
ayers that 1t has ever been my pleasure
to act under,' 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 part should be played and in
sisted on the actor playing it in that
way il it took so rehearsals to perfect
the role according to Mr.. Mayo's ideas.
Mr.. Davenport created the role Of
Judge Driscoll in "Pudd 'nhead Will
son." Mayo's 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, ef-
fectively and naturally. I 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
q part, but when this was done he de.
manded q reason for everything.
"This was one Of his peculiar traits.
If member of the company made q
gesture or a pause or emphasized a
word ina new or original manner, Mr..
Mayo would say, Now, why do you do
thatp' He would get to the bottom Of
the idea. and, if 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. usually boxed about one minute
and explained 10. 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 q
parry and then stop to say, Now, you
see, do this because, etc.
"But to come back to 'Pudd 'nhead
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. know it
needs cutting down, but can't do it.
1t is almost as much to me az 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.
tions 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 us. The same treat.
ment was accorded Mr.. Mayo's Nor.
deck, his adaptation of The Three
Guardsmen' and several other classical
efforts. But he rose superior to all these
setbacks. It 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. It
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 ST.
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 little
French chalet, which he bought at the
Centennial exposition in this city. He
used it for study, and there he would
sit until 8 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-.
tion behind his daughter chair. Final
ly she would make 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
i