The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-10-08
PLAYING TWO PAu1>
INSTANCES IN WHICH AN ACTOR HAS
BEEN TWO MEN At ONCE.

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BEEN TWO MEN At ONCE.
1fe "Prisoner of Zenda," 'Corsican Broth
ers" and the 'Lyons Mail" Are Plays in
Which It Is Necessary For the Star to
Make These Quick Changes.
To be able to play two parts in the
same piece-to portray, perhaps two
characters of totally different caiiber-
IS not an undertaking which many &C.
tors care to attempt. 1t is only the ex-
perlenced artist who may attempt the
feat with IMMUNITY, and even then,
though he may appear to the audience
to achieve his end without an effort,
there are many more difficulties in his
path than meet the eye of the habitual
theater goer.
Not only must the actor be possessed
of no small amount of histrionic talent,
but be must often call in the aid of an
understudy, whose duty it is to gull the
onlooker into the belief that their favor
lite is performing the impossible feat of
being in two places at one and the same
time. For in nearly every play of such a
character it is we'll nigh impossible for
the author SO to arrange his piece that
the actor may never be called upon to
be on the stage with his double.
Any one who has been to see ''The
Prisoner OF Zenda' performed at the st.
James theater, must have marveled at
the lightning celebrity with which Mr..
George Alexander, q moment before the
drunken king Of Ruritania, suddenly,
as by some act of witchcraft, reappeared
as Rudolf Rassendyll, clad in the ordi-
nary costume of the English tourist.
Then, to every ones surprise, the supine
body of the king was carried in so that
to all appearances Mr.. Alexander was
gazing upon his w person. In reality,
Ut course, it was merely a lightning
change. and the understudy had to be
requisitioned to supply the person of the
king.
A more famous case of double imper-
sonation, however, is that of 1.-The Cor
sican Brothers" the first play perhaps
in which Sir Henry Irving gave us a
taste of his wonderful talent.
In the first act-to give a slight re-
sumo Of the play-the ghost of Louis,
killed in a duel by a certain Chateau
Renaud in the forest of Fontainebleau,
appears to Fabien, his brother. The Sec
ond act takes US to Paris, and through
varied incident to the death Of Louis
Here Irving was Louis.
In the third act, however, it is Fabien
who is one more before US, who has
constituted himself the avenger of his
brothers. death. He meets Chateau
Renaud and demands satisfaction. Re.
maud is worsted and falls to the ground.
Then suddenly the ghost of Louis ap-
pears, and, to personate the spirit of
the dead man, Irving had had to fly tc
the wings, make his way below the
stage and take his stand upon the trap,
which conveyed him upward to the
gaze of the thrilled spectators.
How was it done! The audience was
amazed. Yet the explanation is com
paratively simple: Irving stepped be-
hind a property" tree. His double"
instantly filled his place. taking good
care not to face the audience when it
was necessary for him to confront the
ghost. Hence the lightning change from
mortal to spirit and the resultant be-
wilderIlent Ct tie bekolders.
Neither is the "Corsican Brothers,
tie chi" play in which Irving has COD
trived 10 take a double part ana yet
nonplus the audience by the adroitness
CT his 4cetamorphosis.
Those who are familiar with tie
LYONS Mail" will doubtless remem-
Der the most telling scene in the play.
Here Dubosc, the murderer, is in an
attic, gazing down upon the prepara-
tons being made for the execution Of
the innocent Lesurques-whose Likeness
to the real murderer has brought him
to such a terrible pass-an expression
of horrible glee upon his face, clapping
his hands as he sees the appaieutly
doo,ned man step forward to his death.
But his exultaticn is premature. La-
surqnes is reprieyed, and the crowd
suddenly catches sight of the villainous
face Of the real murderer at the attic
window. The door of the room is bat
tered in. Behind it stands Dubosc. The
wretch is dragged from his refuge. and
AS they 10 so Irving-Lesurques coolly
walks in upon the sceEe of turmoil.
The door Of the attic ia made to open
inward, thus shutting Irving Dubosc
frc,n view of the auditorium. In q mo.
ment he slips through a trap. His
double takes his place, to be hustled
unceremoniously by the crowd of ''su-
pers," whose duty it is also to conceal
the mans face in case the fraud should
be discovered. Irving-Lesurques can
hen come on in his new role.
But an actor has been known to play