The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-08-29
PLAYING TWO PARTS.
INSTANCES IN WHICH AN ACTOR HAS
BEEN TWO MEN AT once.

Make These Quick Changes.
To be able to play two parts in the
same piece-to portray, perhaps two
characters of totally different oaIiber-
is not an undertaking which many ac-
tors care to attempt. 1t is only tho ex-
perienced artist who may attempt the
feat with IMMUNITY, and even then.
though he may appear to the audience
to achieve his end without an effort
there are many moro difficulties in his
path than meet the eye of tho habitual
thouter goer.
Not only must the actor be possessed
of no small amount of histrionio talent.
but he must often call i'll the aid of an
understudy, whose duty it is to gull the
onloOker into the belief that their favor
lite is performing the impossible feat of
being in two places ut one and the same
time. For in nearly every play of such a
character it is well nigh impossible for
the author so to arrange his piece that
tho actor may never be called upon to
be on the stage with his double.
Any one who has been to SEQ ''The
Prisoner of Zenda" performed at the st.
James theater, must have marveled at
the lightning celebrity with which Mr..
George Alexander, a moment before the
drunken king of Ruritania, suddenly,
as by some act of witchcraft, reappcared
us Rudolf Rassendyll, clad III the orti-
nary costume Of the English tourist.
Then, to every ones surprise, the supine
body of the king was carried in so that
to all appearances Mr.. Alexander was
gazing upon his own person. In reality,
of course, it was merely lightning
change. and the understudy had to be
requisitioned to supply the person of the
king.
a more famous case Of double imper-
sonation, however, is that of 1.-The Cor
sican Brothers," the first play perhaps
Ill 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
Remand in the forest of Fontainebleau,
appears 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 tho avenger of his
brothers. death. He meets Chateau
Remand and demands satisfaction. Re.
maud is worsted and falls to the ground.
Then suddenly the ghost of Louis ap-
pears, and, to personato tho 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 filed his place. taking good
care not to face tho audience when il
was necessary for him to confront the
ghost Hence the lightning change from
mortal to spirit and the resultant be-
wilderment Of tic beholders.
Neither is the "Corsican Brothers"
tho only play i'll which Irving has con-
trived to take double part and yet
nonplus the audience by the adroitness
of his metamorphosis.
Those who arc familiar with the
Lyons Mall will doubtless remem-
her the most telling scene in tho play.
Hero Dubosc, the murderer, is in an
attic, gazing down upon tho prcpara-
tions being made for the execution of
the innocent Lesurques-whose likeness
to the real murderer has brought him
to such Il terrible pass-an expression
of horrible glee upon his face, clapping
his hands rs he sees tho apparently
doomed man step forward to his death.
But his oxultation is premature. Lee
surqucs is reprieved, and the crowd
suddenly catches sight of the villainous
face Of the real murderer at the attic
window. The door of the room is bat
tered i'll. Behind it stands Dubosc. The
wretch is dragged from his refuge, and
as they do so Irving Lesurques coolly
walks ill upon the scene of turmoil
The door Of tho attic is made to open
inward, thus shutting Irving Dubosc
from view of the auditorium. I'm Il mo-
ment he slips through trap. His
double" takes his place, to he hustled
unceremoniously by the crowd of "su.
pers, whose duty it is also to conceal
the mans face III case the fraud should
be discovered. Irving Lcsurqucs can
hen como on in his new role.
But an actor has been known to play
two parts without the assistance OF Il
dummy.
In certain play it was the duty of
tho hero TO leap out of the window of
his room and to enter from door on the
opposite sido of the stage clad in differ
ent clothes, though otherwise the same.
This, however, was juggling pure
and simple. The actor dropped into his
second dress i'll much the same way as
an American fireman is rcputed to
jump into his uniform. The costume