The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-10
Recollections and Reflections
of Thomas Fitch.
Copyright " homas
AMONG THE PLAYERS
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Copyright 1908 by Thomas Fitch. ]


heed him not Romans he cries and
they continue to depart; Country
men, lend me your ears" he pleads
and the people still leave Then ne
launches his final adjurations- he
either has to lie or else lose his audi
ence and he shouts: II come to bury
Caesar, not to praise him." Thus as
sured. those who Were moving away
paused and those who had gone re-
turned and then as the text shows.
Anthony gradually and adroitly turned
the tide against the assassins.
A A
My suggestion was adopted and the
innovation was success though its
adoption was not helped by satirical
remark OF Bishop that he knew of an
audience at Utica, New York. which
was in the same way switched over to
Mark Anthony's sister-Susan B. An
thony.
The boys tried to induce me to play
Mark Anthony for Edwin Adams BEN
eft. Adams was about to depart for
Australia. and, under medical advice,
was to go in a sailing vessel. Nc
Cullough urged me to take the part Of
the Roman and said to Bishop, "If he
will do so it will bring to Ned Adams
a larger audience. Don't you think
so. Charley" and Charley's answer
was, II think it will cause to be
thrown upon the stage a supply of
vegetables large enough to stock the
ship for the voyage why, he
might play Mark Anthony better than
Forrest could have done and don't you
know that his political foes would de-
light at the chance to get even for
some of his speeches. and every Demo-
crat in the gallery would come with
pockets bullying with potatoes and
parsnips to throw at him"
A A A
1 declined to encounter this posi-
bility but some years afterwards, fired
by an Arizona success as member of
local dramatic society, exaggerated re-
ports of which had reached San Fran
cisco, 1 was induced by Tom Mcguire
to play Richelfeu at Baldwin's theater
The house was packed with the elite of
San Francisco and I was called before
the curtain at the close of every act.
But it did not fool me. attributed
the large attendance to curiosity and
the applause to generosity and 1 de-
ciined to repeat the performance.
James O'NeiI said to me after the
curtain fell. DO you know that in your
action at the close of the fourth act YOU
violated all the stage traditions? When |
2icheiieu says to Baradas, Behind thee
stalks the headsman.' he always crosses |
20 right center and shakes his finger |
n the face of BaradaS? But you never |
moved, you stood like Stoughton bot |
tie on mantelpiece. Did you think |
hat it was undignified for Cardinal |
to walk down the stage, and that it |
would be more effective TO do your /
cursing at long ranger
Jimmy" said I. II knew all about |
The stage business. The Trouble was
vest and coat in the dressing room and !
put on the Cardinals robe, which COW |
ered me from neck. to feet. wore no |
and when I delivered the |
curse of Rome the strap of my panta- |
looms bursted and they fell about my |
ankles. 7 had to st8nd just there where |
they fell. If ] had attempted to go |
down front I had either to step out |
Of my pantaloons or drag them trailing |
after me. Now it would not have look |
ed well for a Lord Cardinal TO leave |
his hreeches in the middle of the stage |
as souvenir and defy Baradas sans |
culotte, would it?'
Jimmy said that under the circum |
stances my stage business was quite |
right.
A A