Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-10

to hold the people by showing them the
burning much rs it actually happened IN
the market place of RCuen.''
Mr.. Wise was stage manager for john T.
FORD for six years, and was connected IN
the same capacity with SalVia the elder
and with Rossis, the Italian tragedian,
whom he esteems as the greatest actor he
ever saw. He also performed like service
with Salvini the younger and with many
other prominent stars.
X * X
One of the most remarkable women on
the stage, and one who has sprung into
great success and high favor in New York
oity during the last few years. is May Rob-
son, now playing in THE Messenger Boy"
Miss Robsons greatest hits have been
made In the startling portrayal of plain,
odd and even grotesque women characters
Most of them are old; all of them have
been ugly. OFF the stage Miss Robson is a
pretty young woman of regular features
and attractive personality. l. has seemed
remarkable that one still in the prime or
her youth and gifted with her good looks
should be willing to sacrifice these for
stage effects, but Miss Robson's ambition
to succeed on the stage has evidently been
a most sincere one, for she has steadfastly
put aside whatever desire she may have
had for qualification of her personal pride
regarding her good looks in order to as
cend to the grea test heights of her art. AS
result she is now recognized as the great
est portrayer of eccentric women'S char
acterS on the American stage today.
How do / get ideas for my makeups?
From types that l have seen in the street
cars that look as unlike me as possible.
II the woman's face is anything like mine
l never use it My face to me is merely a
nat piece of canvas" she continued. When
get before a mirror my thought is to get
the grotesque effect that want, and L
have some sketch that serves me as a
basis In spite of what persons do usually
never put on my makeup until the night
of the play. Even at the last dress re-
hearsal L have no more idea of what am
going to look like on the first night than
you have. l simply couldn't do anything
before the mirror at home. 1 must have
the atmosphere and surroundings of the
theater.
a character makeup. and l have funny
times with mine, because with almost all
parts 1t should turn up and mine turns
down. It's thin, too and sometimes | want
1t rat, and L resort to all sorts of eXpedi-
ents.
Il get 1T to turn up by using sticking
plaster. L take long, narrow strip, which
split in two half way up. The upper part
L paste on my forehead between the eyes
and that brings the two split parts either
side of my nose. Each one of these is
stuck to the nostril so that it is caught
up, and then to prevent the skin of the
nose sticking out above the bridge there is
strip of plaster fiat over that It's a
sort Of check-rein arrangement, you see.
or course L can't wiggle my nose once it is
done up, and as all the company know that
they do their best to make me laugh when
ever they have the chance. They haven't
succeeded yet, but they've come pretty
! near it sometimes
I've come to the conclusion that my face
is India rubber, anyway In one play where
L was cast for the part of a little negro
girl L wore wood in my nose to make il
thick and fiat. l tried first building it out
with putty, but L wouldn't have that be-
cause 1t still didn't alter the profile which
L consider most important 10 do. So after
experimenting l got the property man to
make two little round wooden discs with
holes through them. They We're about the
size OF my thumb nail and | simply stuck
them in either nostril, which distended
i them until they were thick and fiat. Once
the discs were in they didn't trouble me at
all and | had the effect l wanted"
In private life Miss Robson certainly sug-
gests none Of the roles she plays and it
chagrins her, and when people meet her for
the first time socially they always say:
How can you make yourself look so?'
If they'd only say L do it WELL she said
quantity. but they don't. They always
Sroan about disfiguring myself