The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-05
SOME TOPICS. OF STAGELAND,
WHY rs THJfRE NOT 4 CRITICS
REHEARSAL or NEW PLAYS,
David beissco q Experience With the Hates
Band. nd Richard Mansnrld's-On
1nlng That They do Better In
France A Wlreless.Teiegr sphy Exhibit

France "A wireiess.Teiegraphy Eshlbi
'Boysstoys! just once more, BOYS, max
thoae shotitsin quicker tempo, please. Ono
morel Only oncei Now!" 1t was the mellow
voice Of David Beasco, and it's information
were pleading. A remarkable actor /,
private hfe.-has such a public man an,
prvacy!-he wins more work from his com
pany than promise OF salaries advanced
The hour was 6tj on bleary. rainy morn
ing on "Wednesday last. A thea rical re
porter semi-stupefed by tho seducine
phantasmagona that had trapped his eve,
and ears since 10 o clock the night previous
propped up his remaining eyelid and wat chez
the restless. autocratic. kindly stage man
ager. No pleasing blasphemy escaped
those lips. nor did he throw himself upon
the linen -draped seats Of his theatre and
weep Historically. When things looked
hopeless he took of his necktie, and then
Will Furst at his chair in the orchestra
signalled his men TO play the Fate mott.
That necktie has peculiar meaning
for thoss who work with him On, it is
an ornament Of Iliin pretension; of. /,
IL a symbol Of wrath. IL signifies tha,
d. B. has reached the ou,niost picket Of
his patience. Ware storms. However,
they never come; he Is the most kind.
hearted OF men. His auxiliary forces
know this. and they labor with the de-
votfon OF dogs at rehearsals One en-
trance Of the cohorts Of the War Minister
IN The Darling Of the Gods" did not please
the critical taste OF the author-manaeer
He tried the episcd, a dozen times. He
did not bully; ne begged. !, had to 20
smoothly after such painstaking. Not
alone rhythmic movements were reheareed,
hut vocal intonations-this tickled the
fancy OF The SUNS reporter-had to have
the exact tiDb'e. the just intensity. Is
u any wonder, then-the miraculous finish
OF tho evenings performance
But the horrors of that final rehear sal
that wholly unnecessary last trial of a
play which had achieved success In Wash
fngton and Baltimore At least, 70 il seemed
r. some OF us Before an hour had passed
In the empty, sad and darkened auditorium.
the few stray spectators realized that a
year could not. would not, be sufficient
time to attain the perfection that blazed
In the brain of Belasco, a hopeless IDEAL
He Is rirtuoso. this man. and instead Of
killing himself before the footliphts with
human beings as his material he should
have mastered some instrument, the piano,
the violin. the orchestra-the svnthesis
OF instrumental then he might have
composed his dreams The stage. with
lis mixed humanity, with stupidity ruling
the majority. must be an exasperatng,
ineluctable medium for an artist.
Perhaps the principals at this trying
ordeal were to be pitied most. In WASH
ington the rehearsings had been severe
sometimes fourteen hours at a stretch.
They were all letter perfect, cue perfect;
yet the music CUES had to be mastered by a
new band. and the scenery tried on a new
stage. Patience was a virtue practised
on that night. and with beautiful results
Even the often-berated Germans of the
orchestra sat resignedly in the seats of the
musical for eight weary hours-and with
out beerl Cot im HimmeU The heavy
stage machinery was set moving, the switch
board of the light man became a spot for
the display Of genuine virtuosity-how
often was Louis, Louis, just a deeper
shade OF green!' called aloud-and the
carpenters and shifters never stopped
for a moment. And in the midst Of This
chaos Of costumes. binding spurts of lights,
numbering furniture and enCumbering prop
critics, David Belasco walked and watched
ana begged and suggested. He never
the endurance & his forces
Blanche Bates, who was far from we'll,
stood the strain until o'clock then she
went home. She had worked hard since
The curtain was taken up at 10 O'Clock
She never showed the - rain az { he prdn ,es
Nor did George Arliss: nor did i.ouart
Haines. though the latter suffered from a
bad cold. The veteran Charles Wa!cot
aided Mr.. Belasco in his task of coaching"
the chorus as If he were a man of 20. In
the gloom of the orchestra sat Geniiro Veto.
the quaint Japanese writer who designed
the native costumes for Nine Frci.inpcr.
Altogether the impression of this long re-
h"ar>il was one of "A General drilling his
army previous to terrible battle. The
victory won IN the evening is now theat-
rical history.
And TO cap this climax Of labor the in
dofat able Bela-co went home at : in the
morning and returned at | o'clock in the |
afternoon, when he gave his scenery a pre-
liminary canter of only four hours But |
the theatrical reporter fed al 1870. nuttering
hoar>ely, a. he squeezed through the narrow !
stage door. Kara is dead Kora il dead. "
and after coffee drlftei into the land of |
Belasco nightmares.
There L. a popular impressions hat Richard |
Mansfield i, a harsh-tempered. disagree |
able tyrant with his people, that he mutt |
lates few stage hands before the curtain |
"iing- up every evening, and that after |
the performance he goes home and beats |
tie cook Nothing could be further from
tho truth, Mr.. Mansfield does not exactly |
iced upon infant mush; nor does he cry for |
the SCOT hing 'astorla. But he il gentle
man and not a ruffian. Like all sensitive |
men and artists who have to earn living
among provoking people, he il quick To re- |
4 nj mpertinences, quicker to detect oxtor-
I .Ors. lie loves children a. he loves himself, |
a ne plays he piano for recreation He |
Ia, q self i,,,l, |