Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-06-11
WATERBURY, EVENING DEMocRAT SATURDAY. JUNE Il 1904

acting was the cause of the summary
dismissal of an actors services as told
of a member of Richard AIansfields
Richard III'' company. The company
had assembled for rehearsal and the
actor manager had not yet appeared on
the scene. During the wait young
actor, whose powers of mimicry were
unusual amused the few who stood
near him with a few lines of the stars
part, eleverly burlesquing that digni-
fed parsonage. He was ending with
the well known Mansfieldian bow,
when the grace of it was interrupted
by the resonant tones of the star as he
was. approaching the box entrance to
the stage, by way sof the side aisles,
his figure yet invisible. "Clever-ex-
ceedingly clever exclaimed the star,
$50 cleverly acted that more than one
of us would be superduous in the COM
pany."
III:
Theatrical enthusiasts who chance
to visit the Worlds fair at st Louis
will be interested in the character por-
trait of old Charles Macklin in the
/ Irish section. This is the replica of
the painting by De Wilde now in the
National gallery at Dublin. 1t is fit
ting that this portrait of the sturdy
actor-dramatist in his creation of Sir
Pertinax MacSycophant in 1.-THE Man
of the World should find resting
place in the. Hibernian CAPITOL for
the play first saw the light in that city
Mnder the title of "The True Born
Scotchman) in 1866. 1t was brought
out in London at Covent garden in
May, 1881, with Macklin in his original
character. He was then 80, remark
able age at which to play such a try
| ing character, and it was at that time
| that the portrait by De Wilde was
painted. In the wide range of dra-
matte literature no more clear-cut, I'M
compromising and repellant portrait
ure of a pushful Scot has, ever been
drawn than in Macklin's Sir Pertinax.
1t was not so much an individual en-
/ tity as the arraignment of nation.
One arrives at no parallel in literature
generally until one lands at the indis-
criminate yituperation of IT, W.
! Crosslands 'sUnspeakable Sect" The
character of Sir Pertinax was not
among those that the world was dis
posed to willingly let die. AS an act
! ing role the seal was impressed upon
it by George Frederick Cooke, who
played the part in America. Within
recent memory it has been ably acted
in England by Samuel Phelps. The
DR. Johnson of the stage, Charles
| Macklin, was in many ways remark
able man. Rugged, forceful, cantanlz-
erous, he had immense staying, power
and lived to be centenarian. In
stage annals he occupies niche as the
/ player to redeem Shylock from the in
| aptitudes of the low comedy merchant
and as the first to play Macbeth in APP
propriate Scottish costume. 1t will
4 hardly be believed that before his
time Garrick and others garbed the
! Thane in the famboyant attire of a
( Hanoyerian military officer.
Il.
It is not generally known that lar
Perdicaris, the prisoner of Raisuli,
/ the bandit of Morocco, who is held for
large ransom, was an actor here
twenty-five years ago. He then claim
ed to Abe an American of Greek de
scent, a linguist, an artist, a drama
fist and traveller, a man with no vo-
\ cation, but with many avocations-
in other words, a dilettante, or a man
of ability, but of no earnestness OF
i purpose. In October, 1879. he was