The San Francisco call., 1903-12-06

wandering round with a polished frown
and my hands in my pockets all day.
Then when 1 played Mephisto here
while ago l went around making cut
ting, sarcastic remarks"
''Impossiblei" I cried. But do you
know there is quite an opposite the
ory from yours? Miss Constance
Crawley of the 'Everyman' company
told me of Beerbohm Trees expert
ence-or rather his wife's. Mrs. Tree
said that when her husband was play
ing saints on the stage he was sinful
off. Then again. that when he was
playing the villain he was perfectly
lovely at home-'angelic' was the
word. / believe"
That is not my experience" the
actor said thoughtfully.
You would be almost a holy ter
ror' at home just now if it were.
wouldn't you?" I laughed. Serious
", though. how comes it that you are
playing do or die heroes?"
Well 1 had never had melodra-
matte experience for one thing Mr..
MayaI began, unconscfously throwing
out his chest. Then again. they pay
excellent salaries here"
You IKE II!
Sometimes. This week have
quite a little opportunity of character
ization in The Counterfeiters.' It's
not a bad thing. You've seen 'Sher-
lock Holmes?' Not such far cry
from that"
But, Mr.. Mayall, after Eilert Low
borg, Mercutio. Mephisto and such
like
''Oh. we'll" and for few moments
Mr.. MayaH talked mot for publica-
ton" He ended up with: Ashton
Stevens paid me a compliment 1 val
ued most highly when he said 1
would play thousand colorless parts
without condescension or shirking.
OF course, one does get many and
many a bad part and has to swallow
ones pride to play them"
Still, it's due to the audience to
do your best I remarked. Morgan
didn't swallow much of his when he
played in The White Heather'-do
you remember? And that Romeo of
his! You had many good people
down at the Grand Opera-house in
your day, by the way"
Joseph Haworth one of the finest,
Mayall heartily subscribed. He was
one Of the most unselfish men 1 ever
met, kindness itself, and such Ham
let. 1 enjoyed thoroughly my expert
ence with him"
What parts do you like best your
self?"
Deep down in my SOUL" and this
was in the actors deepest, warmest
note-and I know of no finer voice
going than the Mayall organ-"I
would like to have remained in trag-
edy."
And why not?"
Hardly pays these days. And
then" the would-be tragedian mod
estIy paused, well, If 1 could con-
vince myself that 1 could be 1 should
want to be. But as"
"As you can't convince yourself
you could be, you don't want to be"
THANK YOU" he laughed, exactly.
1 personally peveled in the part Of Ma
rio in La Tosca.' That's not saying at
all that I played it well, though. Mer-
cutio I'm very fond of, and Eilert Low
borg. But it quite frequently happens
that we don't play well what we like
best. And vice versa. Here's a very
small instance. This week / have to
adopt three DISCUSSES, and I'd never
done anything like one Of these parts,
an Italian peddler. was nervous about
it, didn't want TO do it, but-well, it
isn't failure. Now, suppose you will
make all sorts of fun of me for this on
Sunday-and you" to the artist.
Heaven forbidi" 1 said. Conscience
is too valuable commodity to be made
fun of even in disguise"
The artist answered by passing over
his sketch.
Mr.. Mayall threw up his hands when
he saw it, with that characteristic lit
tie pout on his classic features. Then
he made the following unique request:
"Oh, can't you take something off those
shoulders? It makes me look So"
"Chesty?" supplied the artist
Really
Really. they are quite broad, Mr..
Mayall," 1 protested. What is your
chest measure?-as a defense"
But he would not say. 1 might have
been asking an ingenue her age, or
prima donna her weight. 1 ventured
again: Were you always-that way?"
mo, I used to be a puny little wisp
of chap until IA and thereabouts. NY
father sent me to school in Maine then
that was the only place for education,
he thought-and determined to get
good body there" listen, little chap Of
the galleries. so I went to the GYM
nasium regularly, and well-don't put
this down. won an all-round cham
pionship in athletics before 1 left there.
I've bunch Of medals at home"
Your voice, too?"
Yes, / earned that, also. It was
very bad and weak when 1 began. One
thing, you know, seems strange to me.
We train horses, dogs and cattle to
be strong and fine and stop at our
selves. Mostly it's laziness, 1 think"
"Do you do much now in the way of
training?"
Every morning, mostly, and some
times evenings. feer'-and Mr. May
all shrugged his fine shoulders uncom-