The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-30
ONLY A FLYER.
MI. Crsssey Has Not Taken vaude-
Vile Permanently.
The Success Of His Brief Experiment Has
Been Very Gratifying.

uenEnting heltn audiences tnlS week
with his artistic portrayal of rural COM
edy. You see. the old Homestead
company laid off for the holidays; and
just took a flyer I'm vaudeville, so
to speak. as we open again In the
old Homestead at the Boston Theatre
next Monday.
Yes, 1 like IL very much; and pre-
sumo j would remain I'm vaudeville IL
IL offered sufficient temptations in
pecuniary sense. was rather skepti-
cal regarding the experiment when
wrote the sketch. for you never can
tell Just what Will suit a vaudeville
audience; and 1 assure you i am very
much encouraged and really happily
disappointed, by the reception that has
been given TO our act"
Mr.. Cressy, who, like Denman
Thompson, is a product Of the New
Hampshire farm, thoroughly typical
yankee, i'm private life seems so much
like his stage characters that his sHc-
cess IL all the more readily understood.
Indeed, his mannerisms. his speech his
quaint comparisons and the very ex-
pressions of his face are precisely those
OF ICY Prime" or Farmer Gould" the
only difference being the spectacles
and grey hair OF the stage characters.
He says his endeavor has been to make
the latter I'm every detail true TO life;
and IL would seem that all he had TO
do was to add the appearance or age
to his own interesting and magnetic
personality.
well. / was originally a drummer
for a wholesale house." he said, in re-
ply to a question; and my father said
I spoiled a good drummer to make
poor actor. The way i got into 1t was
this. My brother and l were natural
musicians, playing a number OF instru-
ments; and when we took part as
musical mokes.' in an entertainment
up i'm Concord for the benefit of the
yellow fever sufferers in Florida, the
manager OF a company saw US and at
once offered US a position. l fancied
/ would like the stage, i'm fact i was
somewhat stage struck and so 1 ac-
cepted giving up a good salary for a
mighty small one-all for the sake or
art you know. i might say, L began
by working for nothing; and l only
got four weeks full salary at that. /
got my wife, though; and she says
she had worse luck than j, as she has
never been able to lose me since. we
travelled the thorny path for while,
/ can assure you; and / remember one
time we were playing with Herbert
Cawthorne and Susie Forester. who
are here this week with us, in The
Little Nugget When We landed In a
country town one morning., the boys
followed us up the street and one OF
them seeing my little wife shouted
Here comes the little nugget Just
then another caught sight of mount
ainous Susie Forester and yelled Gee!
but here comes the big nugget. The
first time i played in Providence was
with Harry Crandall, in the Busy
Day
II remember the summer after
was married, / took my wife up home
mi A.
| interested to see an actor woman.
so you're an actor woman, be yer he
said. We'll, / never could understano
how YOU actor women could stick on
| them horses backs.
eft was the year before the Worlds
Fair that / Joined the old Homestead
| company taking the place OF an actor
| who had died suddenly, as 'Cy Prime.
| n part for which / would hardly have
| dared to ask: and since then / have
| played IL steadily. Yes, 1t is repro
| auction of an old fellow up in New
| Hampshire, a study from life; and ir
| that respect II differs from the char
l acter in my present sketch, for in thai
| case / have not copied any indivldua
| I can think of. but have simply trieo
| to make the character just what seems
| to me would personally be under th'
| same conditions at that age.
| YES / am quite pleased with oul
| reception in Providence, for you know
| this city has the reputation or Deint
| decidedly undemonstrative. Its peopl'
| know a good thing when they see III
| and appreciate it at its true worth
| They are intelligently discriminatin'
| TO a degree: but they do not manifes
| their satisfaction and appreciation IL
the same demonstrative of enthusiastic
| way that people in good many othe
| cities do And. as matter or fact
| Won know what goes in one cit.
| doesn't always go In others: and thi
| applies not only to acts as a Whole pu
TO individual lines or situations in them
What would tickle Providence aud
fence most TO death might be receives
without a smile in another CITY, an
| vice versa That's one of our woes
Inst imagine yourself in a compan
telling a funny story. one that youv
| heard people nearly burst their but
tons off laughing at, and when yo
| get through there is not a smile 10 re
ward you. How would you feel
Mighty cheap. wouldn't you? We
| that's Just the way IL AFFECTS an actor
| and / tell you it's mighty discourae
ing. Did you ever notice the iact, ,0'
that two men can tell precisely IN
same story. and one will be greeted b
| unroarious laughter and the other d
| the silence of the tomb: one man ca
make YOU laugh with something tha
: really isn't funny at ALL and anotht
can tell something that really Is funn
| i'm itself and yet not arouse even
| smile. II depends a great deal upo
the magnetism or personality OF tf
! individuals; and 1t is precisely the san
on and off the stage.
"By the way, 7 believe | can clail
TO be the only licensed marine engine'
who is an actor. have steal
launch up there. over which l putt'
n good deal: and when my englne'
| went back on me one day. i took II
necessary examinations, passed al
| was regularly licensed as marine ei
, | gineer. Speaking of my summer hon
reminds me of an amusing incidel
when | was building IL. ! was bour
| to have plenty of piazzas and hr
| places. and then I thought II ] hs
, | any money left when i had built theI
, would build the house around theI
| I had eight OF the real genuine articl
! | of 'rubes' at work Cn the roof shin
r ling. one day One Of them had on
pair OF overhaus big enough TO tai
| two other men i'm with him and th'
} | leave considerable To flap In the win
, | especially behind. The fellow behii
, | him thought he'd be funny, and Gle
: erly caught up the slack Of the 9th
, | faiioxy's overhaulS and nailed II to q