The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-24
TO MAKE UP" AS A HAG
Eva Vincent Tells the Uninitisted
How II is Done.
Actress Experiences In Getting Suita-
BILE Attire for . Cha racter Part.

At the recC 10 production Of Alfriend and
Whecler's molodrama New York" mt tho
American thcnter i'm New York city the
hit OF the piece was made by Eva Vincent.
who played the role OF Nance, one Of tho
smallest In the play. While her acting was
unquestionably very fine in n part which
held out llttlc OF promise, her makeup had
great deal to do with her success Nance
Is an elderly woman who has a daughter
of great beauty. This child becomes in.
volvcd In ap cntangling alliance and final.
ly kills tho man who has deceived her as
to his private life The mother is very
coarse and entirely unlike her daughter.
The latter deSpises her parent, and IL must
he admitted that 10 Is not to be wondered
at. The contrast between the delicate. re
fined looking girl and her coarse, disrepu.
table mother, who, however still loves her
child was striking as 10 was represented
on the stage OF the American theater
An actor usually has no compunction
about making himself up 10 look as re
pulslve as possible but it is seldom that
an actress Is willing to mar whatever
beauty OF face or figure nature may have
endowed her with. This fact 10 is more
than anything else that makes the get-ur
OF Nance notable. Inasmuch as women
are notOriOusly behind the men i'm the
matter of makeup, n might be interesting
20 know how one actress who Is an excep.
tion 10 the general rule, manages 10 SC
thoroughly disguise her identity under the
mask OF grease paint and 10 hear her views
ms 10 tho Importance Of living up To the
character 10 be assumed. even To tho point
of disflgurcmcnt, with the consequent dan.
ger OF loss of sympathy of the audience.
1t was with this idea that j asked Mrs
Vincent for an expression of her opinion
in this connection
To begin backward, said Mrs. Vim
cent, II wish 10 say that anybody who i
unwilling TO dishgurc himself or herself |
when the exigencies OF the part require ID |
would better give up all idea OF going on |
the stage. The makeup is To q theatrical |
role what the novelist deyotes chapters &c |
In the way of description of the peculiari. |
tics OF appearance, etc III an explanation |
OF all the traits OF each character 60 be rep |
resented on the stage could be printed on |
the programme, we actresses might all look |
our prcttiost all the time If nature had been
good TO us. But as this manifestly can.
not he done, tho only resource is make. up,
which, by tho way, involves great deal
more care and study than the average out
slider would think. If / am 10 create
character In play which has been drama
tized from u novel, my first step is 20 get
copy OF tho story and attempt 70 obtain
not only the authors $ idea of the particular
person whom 1 am TO body forth, but
the atmosphere Of the whole which fre.
quently is an important factor in deciding
Il PLAYER as TO the details Of makeup. Then,
too, by this course one is enabled TO ascer.
tain whether or not modification of the
makeup Is necessary as the play progresses.
by makeup, rs contemplated here, do.