Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-19

/ 10 me now. recall with particular pleasure melodrama of crime in high life wherewith transformed the Ryoy- hfRs so7 twa sucsesssal sessons long time ago.
 My part called in the first act for a dark stage. In this darkness I fought with an old earl, threw him heavily, and when he did not rise after the loud thud of his fall cried out:
 "'Great heavens! What have done?'
 Usually this scene impressed and moved my audience tremendously, but I remember one night in Birmingham when coster with one little witticism turned my outcry and the darkness and the old earl's tragic fall into ridi- cuie and laughter have never seen that coster, but remember his voice we'll It was a slow, dry voice, like Mark Twain's, and 1t manifested itself just after the fall of my aged and no- bIe antagonist. The old earl had drop ped heavily, and in the silent obscuri- ty had cried: Great heavens! What have l doneg when the coster spoke up:
 Strike a light, young fellow, and we'll have look.
 A brother actor famous for his pom posity and his inordinate ambition was regaling Irving with forecast of his plans for the future.
 T shall begin the season." he an- nouneed, with such and such a part, and after that shall appear as Ham, Iet.''
 "Um9' drawled Irving. "As-eh- Hamlet, did you say?"
 The other, incensed by the tone of the query, bridled up at once.
 ''Do you think, Sir Henry" he de- manded indignantly, that you are the only man who can play Hamletf"
 ''Oh, nor rejoined Irving blandly. 'But am quite sure that you are the tqnly man who can't" ss-.z- 1--s .-
 Miss Ethel Barrymore, the young American actress, tells the following story of Sir Henry Irving, in whose support she appeared when he pro- duced the play Peter the Great" It appears that at a rehearsal of the play in question at the Lyceum theater in London a wonderful climax had been reached, which was to be heightened by the effective use of the usual thun- nd Iiut, fY1ip Tho fa ter was given the order The words were spoken, and instantly a noise which resembled a succession of pistol shots was heard off the wings. What on earth are you doing, menf' shouted Sir Henry, rushing behind the scenes. Do you call that thunder? It's not a bit like it."
 "Awfully sorry, sir," responded the carpenter, but the fact is, sir, l couldn't hear you because of the storm. That was real thunder, sir?' It was at the Merivale matinee that an incident occurred to prove how Sir Henry's realism impressed his audi- f ence Among the spectators was a lady, a regular theater gocr by the way, who for the first time saw Irving In ] that beautiful little play of Doyle's Waterloo" When the curtain fell long shout of applause greeted the great actor, and in the guise of the old ] veteran Brewster he earnes before the | curtain Y But the audience was not 4 satisfied. They recalled him again and again. At last when they continued | to cheer him as the curtain fell on his fifth call, the lady in question got up and, carried away by Irving's realistic acting, shouted:
 Stop clapping! It's too much for the old soldier! It's cruel to make him bow againr'
 Irving's full name was Sir John Hen ry Brodribb Irving His first appear ance was as Orleans in ''Richelieu," :" and he scored failure. His second ef- fort was as Cleomenes in "A Winters Tale" When the time came for him to speak the most important lines set down for him he was so nervous that he could not recall a single word be had to say, but suddenly remembering