Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-26

not going to preach to you. / get a good
deal OF fun out of life, even if | am a lee
Tie bit past fifty and play under my own
hair. anu my own name. But l will tell
you, my young friends, the hard work that
according to my theory, is necessary to
success on the stage, no matter how well
equipped you are by nature and education
Nature did very little for me- l am the
llrst of my family on the stage, and 1 got
llGm my father who was a mechanic up in
Connecticut very little except the ability
&c work and the determination to stick to
it. His name was Crane, and when. as a
boy. made up my mind that l wanted to
De an actor, decided that l would still be
crane. I've never had stage name.
so L started in with TO capital, no fine
clothes. no special education and no influ-
cree l didn't even have an opportunity
but L Thought one would come If 1 waited
long enough.
working for Nothing a Week.
l had been with the Holman Opera Com
pany good many weeks, at nothing a
week, and L mean it, when my first oppor-
tGnity came 1t was in Williamsport Pa,
IN lS3 ] vas sitting in the first entrance
watching the stage, as l had watched it
night in and right out, studying every bit
OF business, every change of costume, think
ing which role 1 should like to play best,
WAeh the stage manager told me Ben Hol-
man was i'll. The opera was "Somnambula
ar English version, and young Holman had
been singing Allessjo, the basso, a good
comedy part.
Il can do it, said, without a moments
hesitauon- They all looked at me in as
tcn:shment. some in amusenr lt-
oh. pshaw." said the elder Holman,
you'd have to be rehearsed and you'd
have to learn the music. We've got to have
somebody ow'
..Well, | can do IT now" I answered .I
don't want any rehearsal and know the
music
That was true, too. / had learned every
part in the piece sitting there in the frs.
entrance watching the company And l got
every laugh. and never missed a word or a
note. The next night Ben Holman was cast
Tor Caspar in Der Freischutz" the heay-
lest basso part 1 know Of 1 sang it right
! through, and the next night sang Devils
hoof. Ben heard what was going on and
ha made an effort and came to the theater
to take his own part. but the exertion killed
him. He died not long afterward. His ill
ness gave me my opportunity.
l was with the Holmans for seven years,
and when / wasn't at the theater L was
with them at their lodgings. / never left
them. and kept right on trying to learn
every part in every piece in their repertoire.
studying until toward morning instead of
skyiarkinG after the performance was over
But all the time L realized that 1 would
never make musician. i didn't know the
notes. wanted to be an actor. So left
the Holmans and went to Groves Theater
and played there in legitimate comedy /
d:dn get but $50 week, but l was salts
| fled. | was learning something all the time
| and L was sitting up until 3 o'clock, plenty
OF mornings. studying the old English COM
GILES, putting ice water on my eyes to keep
them open and pegging away at my book
| so could be perfect at rehearsals next day.
| Not much "glamor' about that, eh?
Watching for an Opportunity.
I was taking every chance that came my
| way and waiting for more. 1 was studying
| all the comedy parts in the range Of old
English comedy with the hope and on the
| chance, that might some day have an op-
| pcrtunity to play them. 1 remember learn
! ing letter perfect seven parts in q single