The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-01-01

efforts that Irving has produced have been
dae 10 he ingenuity displayed IL he .aaFa-
aSaEne-s % rs stage lights. II has often
been sad that the pictures ia The Irving
plays seem 10 have distance" Many Wis
tioEs az The LsacSasn have u1arvsled a. this
effect
When the methods 10 p-osiace this were
fsrss made use cf ;hey haa aes 4 few opra-
rents II was argued fer Instance. thai
people came 70 ses Shakespeare and rot
stage carpentry. But Z was Ss0Tg SR%a that
tbs Irv!1Eesslae movement had done Ger
the drama a hat IRE discovery &c parspeS,-
tive hal dnns fav early Greek painting. L
gave the drama Us effect % distance"
and ~atTRosp haTe.''
RIs This was net brought about wiyhou.
an Effort Suca an artist "a Halves Craven
was called n - 10 the scene painting.
Alma Taderia ard SIR Frederick Leighton
were consulted on points OF artistic stage
setting and consistency % costume, II
tae matter q incidental music Hamilton
Clarke acted as The I.yceun1's composer
for many years and occasional musical
embellishments were contributed ly S4r
Arthur sullivan, Edward German. Mat
ksazie ana Stanford.
The result il that. while both Mr.. 3ee--
hoAm Tree and Mr.. Forbes Robertson have
been snaustria1Sly following IN SIR Henry's
footsteps. neither II them has Vet become
his rival. and this simply because neither
or them Is 81 the TryingeSque dramatic
stature Even should one o. these two
brilliant actors eventually ssea into She
retired veterans shoes. To Irving VIII stll
be due The credit CT having built UP in tha
English~speaking world respect for the
theater and of having given 20 the pro-
fession OF the actor dignity which It had
never before possessed
Nowadays 1t is t,it natural - associate
the name OF SIR Henry Irving with The lons
list 81 brilliant creations shown for wears
past on the stage OF the T.yceuua. There
was. however. a period in his career OF
which one seldom hears, a period covering
over twenty years Of grim. hard. grinding.
bu, indoml,ahie. work. II WAS IN I>S5 shat
John Henry Brodriff. under the stage name
cf Henry Irving" made his tirst appear
ance on the t:pards ot the Lyceum iheate-
AT Sunderland. The boy actor, for hi was
then bat IS. took minor part in the stock
company of that theater The next season
he appeared In Edinburgh where be played
Tor two years and a half. From there he
was lured down 20 London by the offer of
an engagement from Augustus Harris. the
elder.
When he arrived a. the metropolis he
|! found his engagement was enc to speak a
line or two IN a mediocre play called Ivy
Hall" Disappointed and sick at heart, hs
secured his release and coura geously de-
iernined TO forsake London until the day
when he should be able 70 return with a
| title 10 a respectable and honorei place.
| He went hack 20 Scotland, and after n sea-
| son in Glasgow secured an engagement,
| with that fine old theater. The Manchester
| Royal.
| Here he remained for four long years
/ and here he underwent the hItterest hard
! ships Of an actors life. but It was In Man
| chester that he ate his memorable Christ
| mas dinner with Joe Robins, ana IL his
| period OF probation in the provinces
| was more protractef than usual. his r.
| ward came in the varied experiences hs
| met with ard the many friends he made
| II was IN the provinces. tor. that he grad
| ualiy won a position OF respect for his
| s.udiousness, his assiduity and his scTnpu
| lous consclcHtiousness. It was in Mar
| chester that he made his first attempt a
| Hamlet ana scored an unqualified success
paving the way for his later and NOR
| nustrious Lyceum appearance In the sam
| part
Leaving Manchester. Henry Irving wan
| dered from place 70 place through IN
| provinces, ana after a year az a strollin.
player an offe- came TO him In Liverpool
| from Bcucicault 20 take a leading part Il
| his rev play, HUNTED Down" The en-
! gagement was 10 open in Manchester. Wit
| the stipulation that If il proved a success