The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06
GOOD DRESSERS ON THE STAGE
AMERICAN ACTORS NOW HNOv
HOW TO WEAR CLOTHES
Though Lester WslIack Used to sa, Thu,
He Had "a Import Engiishmeu IA,
Dress-Suit Partk--J ohm Drew the De-,
or the Well-TsilOrei PLAYER Eo,.

DTess"SuAt PartS--JOhn Drew the Des,
OF the well-TailOresi Player Foil,
II is difficult TO realize that only q ia
years ago Lester wallack defended hi.
employment OF English actors ON ,ba
ground that Americans did not dress vel,
enough to act in the society plays tha, Nm,
company usually presented His nri,.
oipal complaint was that the American.
could not wear dress suits For that reason
Harry Montague, Osmund Teare, Harry
Pitt, Maurice Barrymore, Gerald Evra
kyrle Bellew and other English actor,
were imported.
Ridiculous rs such a contention Womb
he to-day there was undoubtedly Soma
truth in II at that time, The leading Amor.
can actors at the Union Squar. Theatre
which occupied a position analogous n
Wallack's, were Charles Thorne and Jane,
O'Neill. They may have been tho equal.
Of any English actors that ever came to
this country. but they could not dress a.,
modishily. The same school Of American
actors to-day cannot attire the msoya.
in a way to be acceptable 10 New York
audiences even il they are not criticised
on the road. Luckily these men appear
chiefly in costume PLAYS. which never
require an exhibition OF modern dress
1t rs probably true that some of them
might not have taken TO the road so soon
II they had paid more attention to matters
of dress. Certainly the American rtaes
Possesses few actors superior to Joseph
Haworth, who died the other day. But
Mr.. Haworth never could dress in wav
that suited him to play modern parts
Only last spring. when he acted the rtla
Of the Russian prince in Resurrection
! n og
| when the pointed waistcoat was still ds
riguer and the shirt bosom was meagrely
displayed Joseph Wheelock never be-
came a popular New York actor even at
the height Of his reputation, because, like
many actors OF that time. he could not
dress as the requirements Of the New York
theatres demanded. Others who wer.
just a. talented never held their own against
Mr.. Walack's import atoms for that reason.
But to-day II is not necessary 10 import
Engishmen nor even English clothes.
The actors are able to find their clothes
here and wear them in the right way whsa .
they get them. No American actor sss
the fashions for well-dressed men here
as lie Bargy does In Paris. and it u az
tremely improbable that any well-dressed
| New Yorker would copy his clothes from
the stage. But American actors dress
we'll; else one of the most fastidious taiors
on the Avenue would not have commended
/ o
he discussed them the other day.
John Drew Is, Of course, the best-drssssd
actor on the stage here, he said, and I
might almost say In any other country.
! have never seen an Englishman his ST.
perior. Mr.. Kendall, when he came hero
first, was an uncommonly well-dressed
man, but he never had the style with which
John Drew wears all his clothes Mr..
Kendall looked always ike well-dressed
| English gentleman, while Mr.. Drew il
smart always, not In youthful, inappro-
pirate way, but a. man Of his age should
look. And he never wears anything pro-
nounced. He Is careful to be right In tho
bic and suitable to him. but you never ses 4
anything freal.ish about John Drew's dress. 4
AThe same is true Of his neokwe'r. IL
IL always handsome and rich but never
loud. His clothes all come from London !,
and have been made for 40 many years \
by the same man that they At h,'c raw
ment that did not At him. He wasd, ~.sd
by this tailor first when he went 70 ,.sndn
| nearly fifteen years ago to act 18th the Day
] company. He has gone to him ever sinsr
| Richard Mansfield B another vsl-
dressed actor whenever he gets the eppog-
tunity to appear in modern dress His
frook coats and evening dress are par
tioularly we'll made. They como from
London. 1t Is generally IN . more sonbs
| style than that adopted by Mr.. Drew that
MI Mansfield dresses. ] have never seen
him in fact In anything but gray or black
but the cut Of his clothes is always good,
and that Is really the most important feat
Henry Miller continues to be about tA
best-dressed American actor after thess
! two. He gets all his clothes In New Yors
| and has never patronized London talon
His suits come from q Fifth avenue shop
| and he probably pays more for them thai
any other actor who has been = leading
clothes in London do not get any better,
nor, In my opinion, a. good, clothes, but
they are cheaper.
Another actor who buys an his CLOTHES
in his own country is Kyrle Bellew. Re
rarely appears In modern dress nowadaN
dressed man. although his style was b.
coming to him. So long as l can ren,sp.
trousers and coats that f{t close to the dg-
ure whatever the style happened to be. OF
course such dressing cannot be called
good form under any circumstances, u
may suit an individual, but has no place
In the fashions of the day. Fortunately
for Mr.. Bellew he is physically able TO CARY
of such q style of dressing with distinc'
! ton, which ia about the most that can ~
said In its favor.
Charles Hickman Is the most American.
looking actor I ever saw on the stage.
l were going to select a man who would
by his dress be picked out as American
above everything else, 1t would be NJ
Richman. His clothes fit him well and
suppose would be regarded as smart some
where. But they do not look distinguished.
that Is certain. In neckwear Mr. Richnsn
Is no more careful OF effect. | have seen
him wear on the stage light gray sul.
with tie OF the same neutral shade W
course the effect of this was to depT7~
both OF contrast. It is fortunate for hun
that he is to appear chiefly in plays DE-
manding fancy or antique dress, slnc"
few look better than he does In such clothea.
1T Is lucky thing for j X. HacAet'
as well that he confines himself TO COSTUME
plays, as they are called. He would never
have become a matinee idol on account
of his clothes. It is scarcely necessary
to say that all Of these actors get then
clothes made here, and Ike those worn
always by Wilton Lackaye, ] should IA,
that they come from somewhere on upper
Broadway
-Of the younger actors OF the staf3
Jameson Lee Finney IL the neareS a
proach 10 John Drew. He dresses smaT
and with care. Nearly Away he ueafs
linen and neckwear that mattel hrs suns
ana give the effect of though ard de-
liberat ion that are 30 often missing N stage
clothes. Mr.. Finney supplied Ias' ytar
all that was new in stage dressing 10
wore in the first piece Of the season con-
bination OF a gray flannel suit. green W,
straw hat, green silk socks and tan slo'r
thai was copied by the chorus m N''',