The times., 1899-03-12


the role, and SO it reverted to me. Ny
reasons for doing the characterization as
conily and calmly as possible were many.
Primarily, sang froid appears to be the
essential mark OF the man, and then my
friends always look to me for work of that
sort, this reserve seemed most effective
and il took me away from the melodra-
matics that had been in vogue SO long.
Still l endeavor TO give considerable vim
and spirit TO Dumont in certain of his
scenes and never subdue him as l did
Billings in Too Much Johnson.
do l consider the quiet of the Secret
Service agent natural? Most emphatically
do. 1t might not be real with ninety
nine persons cut of n hundred and. indeed.
/ think the public idea that anything strong
Is false very unreasonable one. In every
day life folk lose their tempers and speak
at the tops of their voices in a manner
that would be condemned as being sonsa-
uonai were it done on the stage. Still.
l contend that the hundredth individual
would he just such one as the bogus Cap
tain Ihorne and that his excitement would
never transcend the bounds laid down in
the inpersonation. II you think moment
ycu may recall a half dozen such person.
ages OF your acquaintance.
-! am now finishing the drawing of a
character that could not be played in any
ether way than that which signalizes the
va AS'-a ANiihtA 4AlSS lIdl nave DeeH gwen
the Federal spy. This is in my dramatiza-
lion Of \. Conan Doyle's Sherlock
Holmes stories. / have tried TO sketch
the detective as just such a one as DR..
Doyle intended he should be- OF course
1t has been necessary TO make some
changes and 10 infuse single plot. but
these have inteTfeTed with the hero as lit
lie as was possible. Dr. Watson has been
retained as the man to whom the naturally
secretiVe Holmes may tell his findings.
Ny greatest difficulty has been in pro-
viding the keen sleuth with a love story
Audiences Will not sit through a perform
ance for the mere sake of seeing mysteries
unraveled, and al the same time Holmes is
not the sort of fellow who would take
much stock in women. He might have been
eventually won over. but then those who
had read the tales would remember that
no such thing had happened up to the
time of his death, and so this step was
impracticable. Finally l have put ro-
nance in his past life and resurrected it
for the final curtain. People familiar with
Dr. Doyie's work will know that he was
killed bsfore the affair was consummated
and others viii go homo happy. / prefer to
end my pieces in suggestion-''
a call boy knocked at the door Mr.
Gillette laid down the novel he had been
reading and Captain Thorne pocketed a
portion of the ar1nory laying near. Good
@-ASAhf Ns.AN iii l4eis " ib-4l
In the lobby of the Regent Times man
came across Sidney Drew the other morn
ing. i have just returned from an ex-
tended experience in London quoth the
actor, and ! am quite willing to confess
that in ny opinion England is the only
country in the world for players. British
audiences seem more intelligent than those
one sees over here. and furthermore, they
treat a Thespian like an artist and not
as though he were the commonest OF
tradesmen. London assemblages appreci-
ate good work above bufoOnry and Lon
don managers are almost invariably gen
uemen and scholarly fellows. With two
exceptions, every director in the metrop-
oils appears in mis- productions and the re-
suit IS that something higher is held out
than the idea Of making all the money
possible.
An evidence OF the difference between
owners OF theatres in the two nations
comes to my mind now. While abroad
my wife and l failed to secure an expect
ed booking one week, and spent il in sec
ing everything that vas going on. Sir
Henry Irving was doing a tremendous
business at the Lyceum, but remembered
having met him at my club when he vas
over here, and so, while l had no thought
taat he would remember me, / wrote. beg
ging him for two stalls and inclosing a
stamped envelope for their passage, as is
the custom In reply l received an ex-
tremeiy kind letter from the star, telling
me how glad he was to oblige me and in
closing box. A few days after / reach
ed New York my wife took a fancy that
she would like to witness a production at
one OF the Broadway houses, and so. as
its manager had once been mine, l made
bold TO request from him the courtesy Sir
Henry had vouchsafed me without the ask
ing. A week passed and then there came
TO hand packet containing only an order
for one orchestra seat. Isn't that an ex-
ample?
My trip abroad was rather long one
by the way. Originally Mrs. Drew and |
visited London to fill engagements in the
halls and there met with a considerable
degree Of success. We found that the
English did have a sense of humor and
that they laughed in the intended places
We had been in Great Britain some time
when both of US were asked TO appear at
benefit given at the Drury Lane H
Beerbohm Tree and many other celebrities
were in the bill. while my wife and my
self were the only players from the vau-
deyilles. BY hook OF crook we managed
10 make great hit, and it bore after
fruit. ] was Immediately engaged for the
leading role in George r. Slmmes piece
My Innocent Boy and worked in the
farce for eleven months. l am under con-
tract 10 return within half a year for an
other big production So you see 1 have
reason TO be personally partial to Eng
land, besides which reiterate the state
nent that il is the only place in the
world for an actor"
When Richard F. Carroll. who is at pres
ent with The Three Dragons" was here
last summer he made several remarks on
the cleanliness of comic opera that have.
become nightly interesting since. A
Times man had been conversing with the
comedian regarding the present moral con-
ditiOn Of the stage, and Mr.. Carroll said:
One thing is certain concerning the eX-
isting state, and that is that musical pro-
ductions will never be tainted by the in
PRODUCTION of suggestive lines or unpleas-
ant bits of business. Why il is / cannot
explain. hut despite the fact that such
presentations always call for a greater or
less display Of the female form divine, the
public has invariably resented in opera
the very things it has been pleased to ac-
cept in the drama or in farce. Perhaps
the reason Of this may be in the fact that
there is no necessity for filth in efforts of
the sort. melody and wholesome mrth
taking away the prurient desire for de-
grading speeches or actions. Possibly the
constant succession of songs and choruses
foTbids the giving of time in which such
matters can be well worked up The
brightness and beauty of efforts as they
are now staged may even make dirt of any
kind seem uDbearably revolving. At any
rate such material has never crept into
comic opera. and probably never Will"
Since Mr.. Carroll made these remarks
La Belle Helene" The Telephone Girl"