The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-06

Comedian Crane Talks About Real Men
on the Stage.

notably the bustling broker in The Henri
eta the breezy westerner in 1.-The sena-
tor" the American abroad in ION Proba-
tion," the honest countryman I'm Brother
john" the Yankee minister plenipotentiary
I'm Europe In The American Minister" the
stanch. upright and uncorruptible Southerner
in Tho Governor of Kentucky" the over
affectionate parent i'm "His WIfe's Father" I"
and again broker in "A Fool OF Fortune" "
For half an hour in bis dressing room no spoke
interestingly about the American porsonases
In plays. DO you know" said he, II tried
TO think the other day of half dozen truly
strong types Of American men and womS'
that had seen on the stage, and l do not
thin: succeeded. At first glance you will
say | have no memory, but have. just look
back yourself and see IL you can remember
several good types that were not caricatures
When you come right down 10 IT, strong Ame-
rican tyres have been scarce, and it IL hard to
understand why am speaking about charac-
tcrs true 10 life that have been placed by the
skill of the author ON the stage in such n
manner that two-thirds OF the audience will
mentally note, Il have seen just such man,
or 'So-and-so is exactly like that. few
years ago, at Mr.. Thompsons invitation 1
witnessed performance of The Old Home
ste ad.' Seated near me were three old gentle
mon who bore evidences of being well
Az every reference to 'galluses, the CIRCUS or
farm life th6y nudged one another and
laughed so heartily that il was pleasure to
note their happiness. These were three men
who had undoubtedly spent the early portions
of their lives on a farm. What they saw
brought up pleasant memories. The farm
was real and Joshua WhitcOmb was an old
friend. II is the truthfulness Of its charac-
tors that makes This Old Homestead one of
tte most successful plays of the decade. Now,
. l do not consider Dayy Crockett trus type
of American character. 1t was successful for
stage purposes, I'll admit, but was drawn
from the Imagination of the poet The young
people had read of just such men as Crockett,
and so had their elders They admired the
heroism Of The man and accepted the ideal.
Bardwell Slote, in The Mighty Dollar Yves
not a true type, but the caricature of a sport
ing politician. Colonel Mulberry Sellers was
type which strongly exemplihed John Il.
Raymond's own personality. His tompera-
ment fitted the character, and il was accepted.
character always becomes stronger If it re
minds the people OF types they have seen
read about During the height of Harrgans
success he used TO draw che most fashionable
audiences. Many of these people had never
come in contact with the dramatist's comic
Irishman, but they were familiar with him
through the newspapers and accepted Harri-
gan's picture genuine. Nick Van AL
styne in The Henrietta, was a strong typs
OF man that existed. When Bronson Howard
arranged for the production of the play in Eng
land told him he made mistake in having
an Englishman play this part. The people
will know. | told him, that he Is not famil
lar with Wall street, that hs is depicting a
man no does not know, and as n nscquence
his work will not carry conviction. Get an
American TO play the part, said, and even
il he IL not as good an actor the English
man you have selected, the LONDON thcater
goers will know that he is familiar with
what he is talking about Mr.. Howard did
not make any change and the result proved
that 1 was right in my premises"
II is curious fact that Mr.. Crane, in all
his career, has acted I'm only two roles for
which he did not deem il necessary 10 wear n
wig. He was asked how much makeup
aided in portraying types of character. "A
goo malSe-up," Mr.. Crans replied, (which in
itself will bring cut many points In mans
character that otherwise would be left TO the
imagination, is great aid You will some
times fin an actor who is al artist in make
up, but whose acting i.s not at all good.
Other men not 40 clever at makeup are ex-
tremely strong actors. Give me the strong
actor every time for, makeup or 70 make
mp, he will by the force of his ability produce
the required effe e,ts and carry home convic-
tion. An actor must make his audience feel
that he believes i'm what he is doing, for if he
doesn't, is IL reasonable to think that the peo-
pie will take him for something that he
plainly shows he is not?' recurring to some
OF the American characters that have been
conspicuous on the stage, Mr.. Crane said:
"To my mind, there was more of the ideal
than the real In the Sheriff of In Mizzoura,'
and think that shore Acres presents man
more or less idealized by the dramatist Now,
Hoyt takes very familiar types and carica-
lures them. He does his work slxilfully, and
therein lies his great success Pardon me for
talking about characters have played. Han
nibsl Rivers in THE Senator was "A good type
OF the nervous. persevering man with n
hobby. To he sure, lots of people had not seen
this man, but he was taken from life and ac-
ccpted. 'Hiswifes Father owed its.succcss to
the fact that,some one out of every group of
people who witnessed the play reco snized in
the doting father man he or she had either
seen or heard about consider William Lee
in The Governor of Kentucky was a good,
strong type of Americas, and Enthusiastically
real. "A Fool of Fortune will win favor, be-
cause many people will.rccognize in Cunning
ham n familiar figure. There Is some com
plant from the public that the American
gentleman is rarely shown on the stage. We
might say that the real English gentleman, or
the real French gentleman, is rarely seen ON
the boards Dramatists like to deal with
types, and they find the man of the people
more pliable in their hands, and more easily
recognized. Amy good actor should be good
of character. There Is n great
difference in what is cl 'imcd to be character
work Mr.. Tree. Mr.. Willard and Mr. Mans
field present types that are carefully studied
out and intcllgently produced.' They are
character actors. On the other hand. the man
who presents type of man which he mskes
broadly farcical and cxtravagantly ludicrous
is not a character actor; he Is n farce come6i
an. IL Is great h4lp TO an actor to have n
character 10 portray with which he Is in sym
pathy. part which embodies some Of his
,..,f orao,,-,sttca and aorne of his ocxn tco