The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-19

W.
or tho American player, there Is no doubt
that as a character actor Mr.. Thompson
has no superior and probably no peer on
the stage of this country. Even in Eng
land 1t would be difficult TO find man
who so thoroughly disgniscs his person
ality In variety Of parts as this man,
who, still young, has reached the pinnacle
in his particular line Of work.
1t is his complete self effacement on the
stage which has won fame for Thompson.
There are performers who contend that 1t
is to their advantage TO keep the audience
constantly reminded that they are looking
at the star. The argument Is that 1t Is
thereby made easier to impress the aim of
the characterization upon the observer.
With this view Thompson has no sympathy
or patience. His effort is constantly to
make the auditor forget that there is such
a man as he in existence and to let him
600 only the character sought to be por-
trayed. 1t must be said that he has sue
ceeded in this marvelously, with the re-
suit that Mr.. Thompson, during tho last
few years, has enjoyed no rests of any
length, so eagerly are his services sought
by the prominent managers.
Thompson will return next season to
the stock company Of the Empire theater.
New York, of which he was member
some years ago and in which his greatest
triumphs were achieved. AS the Empire
Is the best organization Of the kind in this
country and as Mr.. Thompson's parts are
usually short ones 1t will be seen that
Manager Charles Frohman must value
him very highly to pay him an enormous
salary for 80 little work. When Thomp-
son played Svengali, after Wilton Lackaye
had created the role, the beauty and finesse
of his work were conspicuously discernibls.
Lackaye got very much more out of the
part and pleased the masses better, but
Thompson played the character with the
subtlety which Du Mauricr evidently in
tended should attach to it, He knew full
well that his Interpretation would not
evoke the plaudits Of the unthinking,
which he also realized might be won by q
little rougher work, but no persisted in
the thoughtful conception Of the role
which he had mapped out for himself
without any reference to the effect, and all
because he felt that he was right. This
evidenced a degree of coDscientiousness
under trying circumstances which was
highly crcditable to Mr.. Thompson S arts
tic sense.
Thompson was for long time mem
Der of Augustin Daly's company and
afterward had considerable experience in
various organizations until he Joined
Charles Frohman's stock company, where
he played Major Burleigh in ''The Girl
Left Behind Me" and the villain in Da-
yid Belasco's fated and short lived COM
edy drama "The Younger Son." In the
latter piece he had only one short scene
as despicable villain, and yet the ap-
plause which greeted bis work was greater
than that accorded any other member of
the really excellent cast. He was afterward
doing characters with "The Great Dia-
mond Robbery, under the Polar Star"
and other dramas, or rather melodramas,
which were hardly worthy his magnificent
abilities. But in no one of the many rep
resentations in which he has participated
has he ever scored failure, remarkable
record when one considers the hundreds
of characters of widely varying nature
which he has cssayed.