The times., 1898-12-04


A charming and intelligent woman Is
Blanche Walsh, whose work in the parts
formerly done by Fanny Davenport was
much appret lated here las week. The ap-
plause following her strong act In An
tony and Cleopatra" on Tuesday night
was so enthusiastic and determined that
the actress was finally forced to bow her
acknowledgements 10 the congratulations
OF her audience. Many in the house no.
dced that she looked worried and startled
when she appeared before the curtain
and Times man took occasion to ask for
an Interpretation Of that expression upon
meeting her few days later You are
not the first person who has mentioned
the matter to me-" she remarked, and
can easily understand why nv face
should have borne signs of emotion. even
though | am sorry that it was so notice
able The fact is that my dislike for in
PERMISSION speeches or even appearances
has hardly been overcome as yet by pro-
fessional pride and the pleasure every one
must feel at being appreciated
The few steps to the foo,lights so takes
one out of the life she has striven 10 live
all through the evening that its effect in
very hurtful on future work and / believe
often fatal TO the best efforts Further
more such necessity allows the soecta-
tors to remember that they are ,atcfinS
| an representation rather than a reality
and so the charm is lost for them
Though Jerome X. Jerome has laugh
ed at the idea that people can feel The
parts they play 1 protest that in certsin
| sense feel mine. Not that l suffer a d
| endure all the emotions or any of tie
emotions drawn by the author-that
would be manifestly imposs.ble-but Il at
my sympathy for them is of the keenest
and most poignant variety. When a pc
| former ceases to be convinced By tbs
! pity and admiration and Censura she Is
/ sure to become mechanical and thus 20
| lose her power over audiences: VIII c
she is conscious of and sensitive to t e
passions of that character which she is
| temporarily making hers the most criti-
cal cannot but be interested and impress
| ed. The ability TO feel is what most peo-
pie call magnetism.
You ask whether l think the better re-
suits attained by long study or by
/ inspirat ton. That is a difficult question to
| answer, for the very simple reason that
| the mental power of an actress must have
a large share in the time consumed VIII t
| one woman can understand in a minute
| another might labor for years TO attain.
| In SO far as l am concerned, much of my
| conceptions come from Intuition-the re-
| suit of careful study of human nature
| When | am laboring on part may read
| the history of the times or look up the
| manner of dress worn then, but / make
no attempt to form the roles character
from book. Human nature does not
change-it is now precisely what it was
a thousand years ago. People then. placed
under the same conditions, would do and
say the same things that We do and say
now l don't mean that We are all alike
excepting for the changes that climat:
and bringing up may have accomplished
La Tosca put in Cleopatra's place woult
not have done as did Cleopatra. nor wouIt
Cleopatra have initiated Fedora under
similar conditions. Each of the thret
possessed a different temperament. Bu
nature in the abstract has never altered
and one may best be taught what sht
| wants to knoy by that means.
This was the essence of the eonversa
ton. By its medium Miss Walsh woulc
have impressed the visitor with her abili.
ty to act had he never seen or heard o
her before.