The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-05-17
PR0VOKES LAUGHTER.
"A Wise Guy" at Ksith's New
Theatre Amuses Big Audiences.
A Pleasant Chat With Nh. Hayes, One q
The Bright Performers.


that they are doing this week. when
Edmund Hayes and Emily Lytton are
enacting George NJ. Cohan's best farce,
"A Wise Guy" People who are known
To their friends To be ordinarily little
given to laughter who generally pre-
serve dignlhed and even austere de-
meanor under the most ludicrous cir
cumstnaces, persons who are famous
for being impervious to the effects Of
the ridiculous and funny, individuals
who seldom see the point of even
witty joke, lean back I'm their seats and
fairly roar with laughter until the tears
run down their cheeks and their sides
ache; and the man who is reputed to
be " as sober as a deacon" loses his
reputation altogether.
This led the writer TO ask Mr.. Hayes
how ii seems to be the provoking cause
of such hilarity.
"Seems?' repeated the comedian.
We'll, it's hard To describe II. You
know. IL doesn't matter whether your
part Is a serious one or Of a low COM
edy role. If your audience is with you.
you easily forget yourself, you seem
acter itself; and after it's all over, re-
ally you can hardly recall what your
sensations were at the time. The more
your audience is with you. the closer
the evident bond of sympathy between
them and you, the more your own iden-
tity is lost. OF course. there is nat
ural feeling OF satisfaction when you
get your first laugh and gradually as
this first one is followed by others. ana
they become heartier, you become so
lost to your surroundings that, as |
said, it's pretty hard 10 look back and
say how you felt. The fact is. probably
you didn't feel at all You didn't stop
To think about the audience at ALL You
were the man himself and not at all
your own self for the time. and that's
all there is TO IL. IL il should happen.
however, that something YOU did that
generally had brought laughter failed
once TO do so, that would probably
bring you back 10 yourself very sudden
ly and with a good hard thud and
then your feelings certainly wouldn't
be altogether lovely, at least"
rs il hard work To make people
laugh?" inquired the writer
Yes, indeed. il is, and great deal
more so than most people imagine. !
never played parts that might bring
tears TO the cheek unless IL was the
tears developed by laughter: but ac-
tors in that line tell me that it's very
much easier TO make people laugh than
cry. You look increiulous. Well. ask
any experienced legitimate actor: and
you'll find they all agree on that point
You see, although we know that
vaudeville audiences go TO the theatre
10 be amused. yet any audience is
naturally predisposed To be serious;
ana. that being SO. IL Is not so very
difficult for a competent actor possess
ing some magnetism and sentiment TO
appeal TO it's heart feeling. OF course
there are many kinds OF laughter which
one hears i'm vaudeville audiences and
we know that often things that are
rather silly and common slap-stick
work will cause them to laugh. | hold.
however. that your real hearty genuine
hilarious laughter, the kind that breaks
over all bounds of reserve and is loud
and long, can only be provoked by an
appeal TO the head, which is really more
difficult than an appeal TO the heart
with ninety out of a hundred peo-
pie.
Then. there is the undeniable fact
that there is a silly idea, fashionable
il is true but none the less foolish, that
il isn't just the thing TO display your
emotions, whether serious or other
wise. i'm public; and you know that So
called polite society DEGREES that il is
vulgar 60 laugh out loud. Ladies can
hide their tears behind opera glasses;
and tears in the eyes of any one are not
often noticed by your neghbors in the
audience. Laughter. OF course. is no
ticed at once. So this feeling that one
mustn't give way 10 hilarious laughter
operates against the comedian: and he
has To work harder than you may sup
pose To overcome IL. Without speaking
in any sense egotistically, but leaving
myself out of ii altogether. don't hes
itate TO say that the triumph OF an
laughter is greater than of him who
secures tears as the tribute to his eff
forts"
lis your work equally hard i'm this
respect under all conditions?"
"Oh, no. OF course not" replied Mr.
Hayes. "Of course the first laughs
come hardest; and the oftener they
cen4e-a44a- -Aeaft4--t- thet.-rr1vv-
easier is the work of the comedian. for
the audience has been put i'm the right
mood and sort OF sweeps along with the
tide. And yet one never knows what
minute the tension will break and the
audience fall back into it's normal. seri-
Gus or passive state: and that keeps the
actor constantly strained up 10 his best
even though actually each individual
laugh comes easier than It's predecessor
Then there Is great difference in du-
diences, and even In the same city, the
same lines or business or situations sell
dom produce precisely the same effect
on two different audiences so that one
can never feel at all sure of himself un-
I'll Il is all over. OF course. some
comedians are naturally funnier than
others. but the best OF them will tel
you that they work hard enough TO
richly earn every dollar they get. and
the mental and physical strain is some
thing that those who haven't been
through IL little dream Of"
What do you think of Providence
audiences"
"Well. | had been told that they were
very cold; but so far as we are con-
cerned. We find them very responsive
indeed. and among the most enjoyable
10 play 10 that we have met any
where. fancy that they may be rather
cold toward the average vaudeville
Joke. especially If It's shell has been
broken against their ears before: but
their responsiveness to the comedian
as DISTINGUISHED from the joker. Is real.
~ noteworthy. And. do you know. that
is highly complimentary 10 them; and
7 say this with no Intention Co rcgeci
upon the .jokers' whose task Is often
Ia dfHif.tlf gua fu1nnN grurr ~ fua ID Ia