Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-10-04
PLAYING TWO PARTS.
iNsTANcrS IN WHICH AN ACTOR HAS
 BEEN TWO MEN AT oNek.

4se Prisoner of zends, "Coasicaa Rrotl,.
 arsn and the "1,yons Mall" Ars Plsya in
 u"hioIs It Is Necessary For the Star to
 Make These Quick Changes.
 To be able to play ewo parts in the same pieae--to portray, perhaps tive characters Of totally different ealiher-- is not all undertaking which many ae- tOrs care n attempt Ii Is only the ex perieneed artist N a may attempt fhe feat win ifnpuHity. and even then though he may appear 10 the aatlieno. to achieve his end without an efYon there arc many more difficulties ill his path than meet the eye of the habitual sAcater goer.
 Not only must the actor De possessed of no small amount of hist1ionic talent but he must often call in the aid of au nndeFstudy. whose duty it is 10 gull tue onlGoker into the telief that their fayer- ite is performing the impossible feat et being in two places at one and the same time. For in Dearly every play of such a character 1t k Well nigh impossible for the author go to arrange his piece that the actor may never be called upon to be on tie stage with his double
 Any one who has been to see 9Tha Prisoner Of zenda performed at the St. James theafer. muEt have marxelod at tho lightning celerity with which Mr George Alexander, 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 tue king was carried i'll Sc that to all appearances Mr Alexander was gazing upon lis oYn person. Iii reality, of course, it was merely q lightning change, and the understndy had to be Ieq1isifioned 10 supply the person of tic king.
 A more famous ea'e of double imper- sonation, however. if that of "The Cor. sican Brothers, tB- first play perhaps in whiea ifeasv Irving gave us a taste ef AIs : 55l.H5Httd talent.
 In the fiIsi aet-tt give a slight fe- sune If the play-tbe ghost of l.ouis, tilled in t.uel ly certain Chateau ltenaud in tha ferest If Fontaiuebseau, appears to izahta, h.s brother The see. end act takes 0s to Paris aud through varied incident to Che death of Louis Here Irving Was Louis
 In the thifd aet, however. il ts fabien who is once n4are before us. Wto has constituted himself the ayeager ef his brothers aaaill lie meeFs Chateau Remand aHd demands satisfaction. Re. naud k sNe1sted aiea falls 10 tAe ground Then suddenly the ghost Of Leals ap- rears. aid, 10 pefsouate the spirit of the desa Aan, i1yHe had Lad 70 fly to the wings. malst hia WEY He3eW tie stage and take Lis stand upon the t1ap, which conveyed him upward to tne gaze of the tm3i.ad spectators
 Ila5s~7y4A.i cone: The audience was Si1a1ed. Yaf.tbe explanation is com paraiyolY si4 pie: Irving stepped De. hlnd | *fro9fy9<s - tree Hie deuble' iaStMtlv Hied bs place taking good sse net ie Ia. ,Ye audicnce Wten 1t was eeecxsa1v for jim to confront the ghost. Heuee the li9Itping change from amfAl to spirit and ''ie resultant De. wildeEment af tie boaoldefs
 Neither Is tue "Cdslcan irethef3 the only play in whicl Irving has con- tiiyrl 10 take douiie part and yet narplus iIae audience tS the adroitness of iiis nespsaagphosis.
 Those sAi ilo aie farliliar with the "l.vous Mai" will douhtless renein- ter the fndst teliing scene ill tlfe play. Here Dut9se. the murderer, is in an attic, paxiue dewa npon tha prepara- tions Icing made for tie execution ot .he ipnoceGt Lesnrqu ues-whose likeness to the real murderer has brought him 10 such igffihle pasSan expression If horrible gite upon hls face, elapping his hands as ht sees the apparently doomed man step olgatd to pis death.
 But his exultation is premg-aTe. l.e suFques is repriegea, and tie crowd suddenly catches sia 1t '! the villainous face of the real murderer Ut the attic window. The door of the room k bat tered in. Behind it stands Datese. The Sfetch is d,agaetl from his refuge, and .ss they ao 90 Ifyin2lcsurques enolly walks in upon the seems of turmoil
 The door of the attic is made to open inward, ,hus shuttinA Irving pubose from view of the andit lium. In q mo anent he slips through a tlap His ''double takes bis place, to be hustled alneremoniously by tle crowd of "su. teIs. whose duty it is also to conceal the innn 5 face iu case the fraud kAould be discovered. IrvingLesurqnss ean hen come oa in his new goie,
 But an setor has been known to play two parts without tbo assistance Of q dammy
 In certain play II was the duty of the hero to leap out ot the window of his room and to enter ftum dool on tue opposite side of the sta9o clad in differ, .ur clothes. though otherwise the same.
 This. however, was juggling pure