The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-04
first in 1888. The old Bowery- Theatre. was

burned down after the piece was acted orig.
inally. and II was not until its revival in 1889
that Mr.. Proctor acted in 1t. But he stuck
then. In this dramatic form of Robert NJ.
Birds novel Mr.. Proctor became known 10
rlnygoers from: ono end OF tho country to thu
other. When in 1884, lie finally gave up act.
ing in the piece he was Gs years old. On the
last tour made through tho country a Wild
West show and n variety company werc car.
ricd along TO add interest to this long-livcd
drama. MIR. Proctor was 80 years old at the time
OF his death, and next to Charles CouldOck was
the Oldest living actor in this country. But Mr..
Proctor was an American by birth, while Mr..
Couldock is an Englishman. His parents, who
came of good New England stock, proposed TO
make n preacher of him, but after he had boon
through tho village school he went TO Boston
to go into business. He liked that no more than
preaching, SO when he was IL years old he
made his first appearance as an actor. He had
not studied especially, and his only prepare.
ton came from his appearances as nm anna
i1s' at ono of the small theatres in Boston:
lie was a handsome fellow. and even then Of
s"GFR ntiI q sho pa' t RhS'lbS before his. death. indeed,
he always held his six feet of height splenGid;;
ly, erect. lie had a fine, musical voice, and
cess through the country. He played in melo.
drama, but at hat time IT was a part OF ali
actors duty to be a tragedian as well, and he
frequently acted in tn. heavy roles Of the old
repertoire. When he was engaged to come 10
New York Mr.; Proctor was a member of u com-
nick OF the Woods" went around the coun.
try with Mr.. Proctor after it had been played
in New York quite in the way he might have
Como starring In 1t II he were q popular young
actor nowadays, He did. not contne himself
wholly to.the melodrama, but play ed in tragedy
and managed theatres in Boston and San Fran
cisco, He played with the elder Booth. was
highly popular as Macbeth, ,rirofn'vs, Jack
Cad. kino Lear, and RieheLies, and in ls5s
He was, there for 100 nights. AfterwarL he
travelled through. the provinces, and in Gias.
soS i mss Henri fpyInR irving Mas on They ef s ass'd ms sGget Ssn
who had played Roland Forester. in Nick OF
the Woods, The acquaintance between the
tinued friendly, and whenever Irving went to
Boston he always sought out old Mr.. Proctor:
he rotarned 70 Boston and acted there. '0 Then he
went to the West again, retired for two years from
the stage to advance the sale OF a patent he had
half century Of stage life. After that he acted
but rarely. He opened 9 school Of acting, ap-
capable actors. His first wife, ;who was a sis
ter Of William Warren, the actor. died many
who Is an actress, survive. To the present
generation Of aeatreRoers he Is scarcely
h tps Q but IN + feS 9ggctu1 x day o of tho Ss t sturdy ID.
table figures OF the American stage.
Eleonora Duse is to act in Germany and Aus.
tria during the autumn and will then go to
South America for an extended season. The
Italians have recently been complaining that
sho was too seldom seen in her own country,
and she will act in Naples and the other large
cities of Italy before sailing for South America
as the heroine of Gabriel d'Annunzio's play,
The City OF Death" One remarkable story
has it that she will play Hamlet during the
winter.
Germany sees on the average more of Shake.
speare than We do in tho United states, and IL
not on the average SO well acted as they are In
this country, the productions are much more
careful. Now Possart is to give a Shakespeare
festival next summer at Munich, when sixty
performances Of Shakespeareau plays will be
given. Beerbohm' Tree is going to Berlin this
winter TO act Hamlet and Fdista1. he viii
play in English.
Retane is to act in Berlin and Dresden while
on her way to Russia, and she has lately
appear in Germany by saying that she was very
glad to have the opportunity OF acting there.
..lne Sign of the Cross win soon be acted in
Cissie Lotus will make another attempt 'to
be an actress when she appears in THE Kings
CCoufItT Theatre In London. Arthur pfnero s. now tny
comedy viii be produced there later. =.
arrears w: !; Gu To have : neI Sa piay : " .fniin fortune iSDt Te , f.
preceding drama was. The story of the play as
we'll as the de elopmen of IL seems to he very old
fashioned. IL. A. Jones has called his new play
for Charles Wyndham The Liars, and not
The Trifers." 1t is a play of London society
life.
Somebody has discovered that kissing and
applause in theatres began some time during
the seventeenth century. As the m~ediaval
plays in France were organized by the Church.
applause was forbidden. and in 1880, when AS
par" by Fontenclle, was produced, Kissing was
heard for the first time. The claque is said to have
come into existence in France as early as the
eighteenth century, when the number or come.
dians increased. and actors felt more and
more the need of applause; In order 20 make
it certain, the claque was hired. There was q
rebellion against the claque almost as soon as
III" custom: was first introduced, and its con.
domination has been constant ever since. But
the institution still survives in France.
Antoine is still at the task of trying to make
his Theatre Libre scheme PERMANENT. lie has
just commenced another season and revived
two OF the organizations successful efforts OF
past seasons. He will continue to give the
plays of foreign writers, and no more than
Luguc-Poc will he consent TO limit the roper
tore To the works or French authors.
Mounet-Sully has just built a palace In
southern France near his birthplace, where b,
will live after his resignation from the Thea
tire EranCaia,