New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-29
An AUTHOR ON THE TRAIL


When Jimmie the Carrier was being
hearsed last year in Boston, Israel Zangwill. the
playwright then visiting in the Hub" met a
friend one day. who said: II suppose you are
busy every day at the rehearsals of your play?'
II never go them" replied Zangwill. Does
an author watch the composition of his type?"
Like many Of Mr.. Zangwilrs epigrams this
remark had more of cleverness than truth ABOUT
It. AS Charming Pollock dramatizer OF THE
Bishops Carria ge,' said last week on his return
from a trip with that play: Actors are ami
mate, types aren't. An intonation, an accent,
NAV make all the difference in the world. The
playwright should not leave his play alone even
after the rehearsals over" The other day
Augustus Thomas actually took actors place
in the cast of 1.-The Embassy BALI up In Con-
necticut to try a new version Of the part he had
in mind but for which there not time TO
write out the dialogue and have it committed
before the performance. OF course, MT fhoInes
wouldn't do this in New-York. That's why 1.-The
Embassy BALI Is being tried out on the road.
When years ago at the old Union Square The
atre THE Bankers Daughter" was put on and
instantly hailed by critics and public. Bronson
Howard was still not content, and he worked
over that play for six months, changing 1t here,
STRENGTHENING it there, though all the Tune II
was hacking the theatre and. so far as the box
Mr. Pollock. who is just starting In as Gram
+;s+ evidently intends to follow the example of
Mr. Howard rather than that of Mr.. Zangwili-
Starting in with the initial performance OF Inc
Rtshop's Carriage at Rochester, he tra1led the
n,av to Chicago sitting In the theatre eacn
night with pad and pencil. and Gaining re-
hearsal the next day to make the changes he
had noted
lone evening 1 sat with Murray carson .he
STAGE manager" he said on his return. and DE-
hated for three-quarters of an hour whether we
should end a certain sentence with theh OF
,ataoo, whom the debate was said to
Mr.. Carson, And fifty amateurs week SEND
r1avs into every managers office and wonder
why they are not accep'eu' ~ - ~ '' -
70 them to write plays
,..ner illustration of the impossibility of
.ou;,a how a play will go till it's on the stage.
=, the need for constant work, was furnished by
= certain passage we worked over three days
Nance says to Dorgan Here are my rings my
,o,s You can have them. but you
can't have me any more; thars done. ana
Dorgan replies. What are you dom, hddin
a The scene was serious one. yet this re-
nIv aroused a laugh in the audience whlch
kiIIed IT, We thought the word kiddin was 10
blame so the next night it was changed 10
.,,,axinr game Of but the same laugh arose,
and aRa
that nsrbaps Radcnfre's accent of the word
.do;u.' was to blame. The third night he sub
o,d,nated this word. and put back the word
r,aaiu'' There no sound OF merriment,
and the scene has gone as intended ever since
IN such little details the success OF scene.
even an acG may depend
again. IN the last act as wrote 1t. Latimer
makes love to Nance seriously. strenuously-
Arthur Bryan plays Latirnsr, Mabel TaliaferTo
nlavs Nance The scene did not go at all;
something was the matter. decided Miss Ia
iteferro was too small. too dainty, 10 be made
love to strenuously. L rewrote the scene en-
tirely I had Latirner accidentally tread on her
gown as she was eayeing the room, thus detain-
ing her. When he discovers that he has her
prisoner still standing on her gown. he makes
love 10 her In what Is bound TO be somewhat
whimsical fashion Now the scane carries with
the audience.
Another change that had to be made was in
the already referred to- when Nance says.
You can't have any more; that's done We
found the audience took this to mean that she
had actually been Durssns mistress. and wo
had to change the ssntAncs to the much weaker
onA We can't b pals any mora ~ tbs end