The herald., 1898-02-13

The past week will be memorable ir
the annals of the Los Angeles theatel
on account of the enormous sale for the
the engagement of the Bostonians
which extended over four nights and @
matinee, The prices were raised, but ir
spite Of this fact the demand for seats
at each performance was larger than
the management could supply. While
this is highly satisfactory result, both
for the Bostonians and for the manager
of the theater, 1t will not be accepted as
q vindication Of the musical taste Of the
public until something is done to redeem
its neglect of the fine performances given
here recently by the Italian Opera COM
pany, and other sins of omission. The cult
Of the Bostonians was really more in the
nature of society fad than anything
else. The principal members Of the COM
pany are so much liked on account of
their personal qualities that they have
friends wherever they go, and to show
them attention is considered quite the
proper thing. They are wise enough,
too, to travel under a collective title
which Is of far-reaching Importance and
IN itself attracts consideration. No mat
ter how the membership of the company
may change, the name remains the same
and their prestige is undisturbed. Their
principal soprano, Alice Nelson leaves
the organization next season, as un-
derstand, and intends to star in new
opera that is being written for her by
the composer of "The Serenade." Victor
Herbert, the libretto being contributed
by Harry B. Smith, She will be Joined
in this venture by Eugene Cowles, who
is one Of the three most popular singers
in the Bo1tonians' company.
Richard Mansfield gave very inter-
esting address recently to the graduate
club Of the University Of Chicago. In
the course of his talk he said:
Even after one has studied. or. thinks
he has studied, long at the art it is not
easy to obtain position in the profess
sion of the. actor. When I say actor,
aam not sure that you know what mean.
Everything is mixed up in this country
in regard to the definition of an actor
some include under this name the one
who dances in a vaudeville or who
amuses an audience throughout an
evening with gags and jokes, sometimes
of vulgar type.
"If you intend to study the real art of
the actor should recommend that the
first thing is the cultivation of the voice.
I trust that you will not think that /
have an idea, but do not say that have
reached 1t. The man or woman who
strives to reach that chandelier will get
up higher than the one who tries only to
touch the edge of this table. Behold in
me a horrible example.
1--WE hear all kinds Of voices on the
stage--and have heard all kinds on the
platform, also. If all those on the boards
would practice cultivation of the voice,
there would certainly be great differ
ence, and it would be an improvement
certainly If those off the stage had this
cultivation. You can see that on the
stage-the men especially-those that
take the character parts, need voice cul-
ture. For instance, if were to assume
great role of Shakespeare, would re-
quire a great volume of voice. If were
to take the part of Richard ILL., in which
the man is developed from youth to a
maturity of sin, I would need to have
the same strength and passion of voice
in the last act as in the first. Do you
known that when Edmund Kean and
others of the great men of the earlier
stage would get down into the last act
and cry, "A horse, horse! my kingdom
for a horse!' they were always very
hoarse indeed. Now, through voice cul-
ture, we have learned to be as fresh and
voiceful at the end of a play as at the
beginning.
IAN actor should be able to produce
any quality of voice, for there are few
limits to what may be required in this
line in variety of character parts. An
actor should be able to sing stave, also. |
No actor who does not know music cal
be good one. An actor should study
painting that he may see himself as 9TH
ers see him. He should study color that
he may make no mistakes in his costun-
ing and his makeup. He must remem-
ber that his duty is to please first tn
please second, and to please all the time
He must have the sympathetic quality
above all things. The actor should studv |
department. In these days we are ac-
customed to seeing our so-called actors
making their movements from their q,
bows and their knees, when they sbou,d
make them from their shoulders .na
their hips. 1t has become so that wber
they see man moving freely from these
points, they say he struts. One shou,d
study all his life the proper wav of han
Hing himself.
There have been criticisms of tha
morality OF the stage" he said, "and
perhaps some of the criticism comes
rom the fact of our private lives be-