The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-24
LAYING TWO PARTS.
.ces IN WHICH AN ACTOR HAS
oseN TWO MEN AT ONCE.

,,,,ch IL Is Necessary for the star to
w.. These quick Changes.
~ no able to play two parts in the
~ oiece-to portray, perhaps two
famO ,oiers of totally different caliber-
nai~ an Undertaking which many ac-
ors care to attempt. lt is only the ex-
OLE 80. sd artist who may attempt the
with IMMUNITY, and even then,
&C." on he may appear TO the audience
'nO's his end without an effort,
p' az are many more difficulties in his
Nv, h than meet the eye of the habitual
wot only must the actor be possessed
80 small amount of histrionic talent,
No mist often call in the aid of an
puSe,study, whose duty it is to gull the
un,ooker into the belief that their favor
~ l. performing the impossible feat of
Soins in two places at one and the same
.;me For in nearly every play of such
'haracter it is well nigh impossible for
.ho outhor so to arrange his piece that
.ho actor may never be called upon to
30 on the stage with his double.
Anv one who has been to see 1.-THE
prisoner of Zenda" performed at the st.
LANES theater, must have marveled at
,ho lightning celebrity with which Mr..
George Alexander, moment before the
Srunken king of Ruritania, suddenly,
os nv 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
IN all appearances Mr.. Alexander was
gazing upon his own person. In reality,
If course, it was merely lightning
change, and the understudy had to be
reouisitioned to supply the person of the
king.
A more famous case of double imper-
sonation, however, is that Of "The Cor
. sican Brothers," the first play perhaps
in which Sir Henry Irving gave US
taste of his wonderful talent.
In the first act-to give slight re-
sumo Of the play-the ghost of Louis,
killed in duel by certain Chateau
| Renaud in the forest of Fontainebleau,
| anpears 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 once 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 APP
pears, and, to personate the spirit Of
the dead man, Irving had had to fly to
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 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-
wilderment of tie beholders.
Neither is the "Corsican Brothers"
the only play in which Irving has con-
trived to take double part ana yet
nonplus the audience by the adroitness
of his metamorphosis.
Those who are familiar with the
Lyons Mail" will doubtless remem-
Der the most telling scene i'll 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 terrible pass-an expression
Of horrible glee upon his face, clapping
his hands as he sees the apparently
doomed man step forward TO his death.
But his exultation is premature. Lee
surques is repTieved, and the crowd
suddenly catches sight OF the villainUus
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 do 80 Irving Lesurques coolly
walks in upon the scene OF turmoil
The door of the attic is made TO open
inward, thus shutting Irving 'Dubosc
from view of the auditorium. In mo-
ment he slips through 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 cal
hen come Oh in his new role.
But an actor has been known to play
two parts without the assistance OF
dummy
In q certain play it was the duty O
the hero to leap out of the window O
his room and to enter from door on tn'
opposite side of the stage clad in differ
ent clothes, though otherwise the same
This, however. was juggling pur
and simple. The actor dropped into hi
second dress in much the same way q
an American fireman is reputed U
jump into his uniform. The costum
consisted of bat one piece with paten
fastening down the back, and as d
leaned through the window frame