Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-01-29
PLAYING TWO PARTS.
INSTANCES W WHICH AN ACTOR HAs
 BEEN TWO MEN AT ONCE.

she Prisoner of zendn.s '.coraican Broth.
 CTS" and tue "Lyons Mail" Are Plays ss.
 Which It Is Necessary For the sta@ aS
 ssAie Thrse Quick Changes.
 To be able to play two parts in the same piece-to portray, perhaps two characters of totally different oaliher-- is not an undertaking which many ac- tors care to attempt. It is only the ex- perienced artist who may attempt the feat with impunity, and oven then, though he may appear to the audience to achieve his end without an effort. there arc many moro difficulties in hia path than meet the eye of the habitual theater goer.
 Not only must the actor be possessed of no small amount of histrionio talent but he must often call in the aid of m undelstudy, whose duty it is to gull tha enlooker into tho belief that their favor ite is performing the impossible feat of being in two places at one and the san1a time. For in nearly every play of such character it is we'll nigh impossible for the author so to arrange his piece thay the actor may never be called upon ts be on the stage with his double.
 Any one who has been to sec 'Ths Prisoner of zenda" performed at the sk. James theater. must have marveled at the lightning ceierity with which Mr. George Alexander, moment before tho drunken king of Ruritania, suddenly, AS by sumo act of witcheraft reappeared as Rudolf Rassendyll, clad in the ordi- nary costume of the English tourist. Then, to every one's surprise. the supina body of the king was carried in so that to all appearances Mir, Alexander waa gazing upon his own person. In reality, of course, it was merely a lightning Uhange, and tho understudy had to be requisitioned to supply the person of the king.
 A more famous case of double imper. sonation, however, is that of ''The Cor sioan Brothers" the first play perhaps in which Sir Henry Irving gave us q taste of his wonderful talent.
 In the first act.-to give slight ra- sume of tho play-the ghost of Louis, killed in duel by certain Chateau Renaud i'll the forest of Fontaineblean. appears to Fabien, his brother The ste. 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 rho is once more before us, who has constituted himself tho avenger of his brGthers death. He meets Chateaa Renaud and demands satisfaction Ra. maud is worsted and falls to the ground. Then suddenly the ghost of Louis ap- pears, and, to personate the spirit of the dead man, Irving had had to fly to the wings, make his way below ths stage and take his stand upon the trap, which conveyed him upward to the gaze of tho thrilled spectators.
 How was it done? Tho audience was amazed Yet tho explanation ia com. paratively simple: Irving stepped be. hind property tree. His double" instantly filled his place, taking good care not to face the audience when it was necessary for him to confront tho ghost Hence the lightning change from mortal to spirit and the resultant be. wilderment of tEe beholders.
 Neither is the "Corsiean BrothersH She only play i'll which Irving has con- trived to take double part and yet nonplus tho audience by tho adroitnesu of his metamorphosis.
 Those who are familiar with Che Lyons Mail' will doubtless remem. Dor tho most telling scene in the play. Here Dubosc, the murderer, is in an attic, gazing down upon the prepara- kions being made for the execution 0s tho innocent Lesurques-wh likeness to the real murderer has brought him to such terrible pass-an expression of horrible glee upon his face, clappinq his hands as ho secs the apparently doomed man step forward to his death.
 But his exultation is premature. Le- surques 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 in Behind it stands Dubosc The wretch is dragged from his refuge, and IS they do so Irving Lesurques cooily walks in upon the sc6no Of iGrrnlail.. U
 The door of the attic is made to open inward, thus shutting Irving Duboso from view of the auditorium. II mo- ment he slips through a trap. His "double' takes his place, to be hustled unceremoniously by the crowd of "su- pers, whose duty it is also to conceal the man s face in case the fraud should be discovered. Irving Lesurques can hen come on i'll his now yole.
 But an actor has been known to play two parts without the assistance of dummy.
 In certain play it was the duty of the hero to leap out of the window of his room and to enter from door on the opposite side of the stage clad in differ. ent clothes, though otherwise the same.
 This, however, VAS juggling pure and simple Tho actor dropped into his second dress i'll much the same way as an American hreman is reputed to jump into his uniform. The costume consisted of but one piece with patent fastening down tho back, and as he leaped through the window frame ee leaped into his clothes, which, so to speak, shut behind him and left him re- l. "A T