The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10
TOLD OF STUART ROBSON.
A FEW "REMINISCENCES BY ONE
OF HIS FELLOW ACTORS.
His Geniality and Kindness OF Heart Which
Could Not He Disturbed-His Rebuko
to . Careless Actor and His Joke
Under Reversal Stock speech.

| Few men on the American stage nave
been more universally beloved by their fell
low actors than Stuart Robson" said one Of
the late actors associates a few days ago.
1T IL not surprising to those who knew
him we'll that there were no public services
In this city last week after his death. The
burial was conducted very much, perhaps,
AZ he would have had it had the details
been Of his own arranging.
III there was anything to regret in the
simplicity OF his funeral it was that the pub
lie that knew him only from it's side Of
the footlights had no opportunity of learn
ing how afectionately he was regarded
by those who were associated with him
on the other.
"There Is no business or profession where
there Is 30 much mutual knocking as in the
theatrical Generous az with his money
Is the actor with his adverse criticism.
'Trelawney Of the Wells gave fine glimpse
of that But Of the several hundred actors
and actresses whom have heard discuss
Stuart Robson not one has had anything to
say about him that was not to his credit.
| 1T is pretty generally conceded that
two OF the results Of acting are Feasibility
and an inclination to display temper. Some
of the men who are regarded by the theatre
going public as most lovable characters are
so cordially hated by the people who are
| obliged TO work for them that the wonder
| of it is that the crimes Of the day are not
monopolized by the forty-dollar and fifty
| dollar week actors who have been humili-
| ated by their stars.
-Ony once did see Stuart Robson lose
| his temper We were rehearsing some
| changes in the play oliver Goldsmith
| in Memphis. prominent actor associated
| with the company had thoughtlessly and
! needlessly annoyed him by interruption
, and unsteady performance. Not word
would the 'Guv'nor,' az we called him, say,
not word would he let his manager say,
! although the actor gave an example OF
poor discipline to the rest Of the company.
But when we began rehearsing this
morning in Memphis K started his
tomfoolery. The Guv'nor stood it for
while, then. growing red in the face, he
slammed the prompt book OH the table and
said The rehearsal is off. I'm tired OF this
damned business. You have gone far
enough, k. won't stand your I'M
grateful tricks any more and he walked
of the stage.
"That was all. 1t doesn't sound very
strong, but his voice was breaking with
rage, and those who heard knew that it
was the accumulated anger of months.
Half an hour later K received letter
of apology. The Guv'nor was sorry he had
lost his temper. He should not have spoken
as he did he realized it and hoped K
would forgive him. And let me say that
from that time on this actor caused the
Guv'nor no more trouble, and none in New
10 io Lose tbap no
under equally trying circumstances,
| saw him exhibit the utmost good nature.
The Gadfly, produced at Wallack' Theatre
several years ago, was a disastrous failure.
During the two weeks it ran, the audiences
kept growing less and less until Robson
got in the habit of asking before the curtain
went UP il he was out there yeti?
at was bad enough to have the critics
roast the play 1t was bad enough to be
losing thousands of dollars on the pro-
duction, but it seemed to me to be rub
bling it in when well-known actor formerly
associated with Robson came to his dress
ing room one night and after watching him
make up as the boy in the first act, say:
Rob, you're fool to play part like
this. Why don't you try Hamlet''
"The Guv'nor purs"d up his lips in the
familiar BERTHE style and said, with a
slight laugh. BY Cad l will if they get me
mad
oh. he can't help that lac said, when
this Jobs comforter had left the dress
ing room. He's always doing that After
had lost $40 900 on Bill Nye's play, IT ,e
Cadi," he came around one night and old
me that on the night of its first production
he sat beside one of the best-known critics
,l lafn kn rtoi
I'D had told him that he was sure the play
was going to be a failure. Now that was
a helpful, friendly suggestion to a critic.
wasn't it,?
1.-THE Saturday night when The Gadhy'
had its last production, he was in very
j0cular mood.
Think Of it said he as he stood in the
wings preparatory to going on. Think Of
it, 1t has cost me sl.OO every time played
this part THE loss for the three weeks
was s2O, 900 Talk about your pnbic-spirted
citizens. Where do come in? Who're is
NV monument? And look how calm and
Indifferent thosa fourteen of the lost, strayed
or stolen are out there over the honor that
ia about to be conferred upon me. You'd
think from the way they sit that they didn't
know it costs me almost 500 apiece to en-
terrain them. Look at that fine sample of
respectability over there. with the red
whiskers and Edam cheese head-think of
spending 500 to entertain him.
IAN through the entr'acts he was in
the liveliest Of moods. L have coed mind
to make speech he said, after the first
act.
He assumed a mock threatening atti-
tude. Yes, sir, I've a good mind to go
out and tell them that they don't know
ANYTHING about art-a la Mansfield. What
the public wants Is "a talking TO.
AT the end Of the next act he came in
and said: I've relented-they look too
innocent
sThe idea of Stuart Robson playing
Hamlet will strike most people as very
ludicro,ls, and yet frequently, when he
was telling some story OF Forrest or Booth
or his most intimate friend. Lawrence
Barrett, he read the lines with absolutely
none of the exaggerated intonatons that
made his stage work 30 funny, and fire.
quently with great deal of beauty: People
often asked about his voice-f he didn't
lisp of tho stage and if there wasn't a
break in it? 1t would surprise many to
know that in his ordinary conversation his
voice was rather deep than otherwise and
that when it broke 1t was nearly always,
so it seemed TO me, a conscious break, for
the accentuation of the point of some funny |
story that he was telling.
-He early learned the value OF his voice |
and l think it rather hurt him little that, |
in all the criticisms Of the 'Gadfy' nothing |
was said about the fact that it was diff |