The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-03-08


in a review of Mr.. Nausfeld's Julius
Caesar" have apparently drawn some at
tention to the matter OF preparation
needed for the adequate portrayal of
character on the stage. few observa-
tioRs on the subject have been made TO
The Times by letter. and many more
have come orally. They are all to the
effect that complete preparation is not
60 rare as critics suggest. This may be
true. Critics are often wrong. and per
haps the fault lies with their premises
rathe~ than with the course Of their
reasoning. Yet il may serve a good pur-
pose 10 indicate what complete prepara-
tion means for great actor like Mr..
Mansfield. particularly after a perform
ance like that offered at the National
.Theater during the past week.
In the first place. Mir. Mansfield has
approached this production with schoi-
ar's mind. He has had more than the
average school and college training. He
has extended and confirmed this by years
OF close study along special lines He
has learned and now speaks luently
French. Italian. German. and English
So, no doubt, ne has read essays on the
works Of Shakespeare in all four Ian
guages and has become acquainted with
the literature OF all four.
A mind thus re-enforced by learning
has great advantage in the study of
anything literary Half the obscure ref
erences explain themselves. Delicate
shadinEs in the choice or words are
doubly appreciated. Well established
types of national character are the bet
ter understood. References to local Gus
toms. colloquialisms. dialects. and pc
culiar sentence constructions all fiji
their proper station in defining charac-
ter or expressing thought as truly as
they give color TO the work for the aver
age reader.
But this is all only the beginning Of
Mr. MansheId's advantage. He is not
only scholarly, but extraordinarily in
dustriOEs. With an undertaking like
his Henry vim mind he studies the play
so thoroughly that his explanatory notes
on its text AFFORD the young reader more
clear Information than all the other
comment in the English language. Who
that saw his edition" Of Henry Y" was
not impressed by the thorOughness win
which this actor had studied every
phrase and by the extended and ac-
curate knowledge his study had pro-
cured Furthermore. when plays are
written by actor playwright is the
case with Julius Caesar Of oOurse-he
also has the actors viewpoint and the
actors special knowledge OF situation.
action and climax Finally. his study OF
the play-im Mr. Mans1ield's case il is
carried on oEIt of doorE-continues day
after day for months Again and again
each scene is studied. Again and again
no frr
and proven. Again and again the actor
thrusts himself into each character TO
see the play from every point OF view.
In ali this he has the further adj
vantage or the most helpful associations.
The play must be mounted. These DAYS
the astute manager accomplishes this
with a fun purse aud the help Of arch
aeology. So when Mr. Mansfield turns
his attention 10 Julius Caesar" or the
Merchant OF Venice" there follow long
consultations with men whose knowI-
edge OF English history or the history
OF Venice is thoroughly expert In the
case OF Julius Caesar the archae-
ologist was Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema.
who had in his turn applied himself as
painter with equal advant ges 10 the
study OF ancient Rome.
Aptitude. application. and association
thus all contribute to give an actor like
Mr.. Mansfield a great elevation over his
patrons when he Studies a work which
ranks high as literature and deals with
past age How many OF these advan-
tages are shared by the critics. There
is sometimes aptitude. More rarely there
is application, and almost never there
IS the same kind OF association. The
average critic is not college taught His
extra study is conducted, accordingly.
a. notable disadvantage He is not
often free 10 devote his whole summer
10 reading so that here also he is at
n disadvantage. and his associations are
nearly always those % his own craft
OF those OF the theater Viewing the
matter with every purpose TO be fair
then. the inference seems entirely JUS
+tifable that all professional and
othcrwise-should go slow in condemn
ing any such venture as Mr.. Mansheld's
Julius Caesar"
or the acting OF course, every thea
terEoer feels at entire liberty to say
what nc plcasCs- The same man who
processes loudly that he doesn't know
anything about art. but can always tell
when a picture pleases him. knows in
timately All that can be taught about
acting
Nearly always his single requirement
is naturalness. Every actor knows and
every critic who knows anything at all
must know also that naturalncss alone
would never suffice TO make play.
There is no single classic drama in the
entire field OF literature which could
thus be enacted successfully. What in
The world would ever become OF THE
quality Of mercy II 81 were spoken
naturally? But this Is not all. by
great deaf. There is no single drama.
worthy OF tho name. which is not classic
which could be any the better enacted
naturally. Half tho import OF the text
would be lost. all emphasis would Dis
appear. and every play in the world