The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-04

! Cabin il another that will never die, for II
has got in it the germ Of immortality, the
great human thrill"
Asked concerning his preferences as to
certain parts, MIR. Lackaye answered
quickly, shifting the miniature to another
| arm.
Il like character parts, rather than those
termed in the profession straight or lead
ing parts. for this reason: There are many
leading parts which are very interest ing
at first, but you soon reach their limitations.
No matter how hard you may work to get
some new facet on them, you do not suo-
coed. and when the piece runs long time,
playing in a rut as you have to do, your
work gets mechanical.
take a part like lspenpal; there is no
end to the study you can put on it, no end
of the new readings. The makeup, for
which l have been 80 complimented, Is
really the simplest part of it all, for the
pictures OF Du Maurier were a gift. All
I had to do was to turn my curves into
angles, make straight lines for the eye
brows, for the beard, for the lines Of the
face, and the effect Is like changing from
convex mirror to a concave.
"When l played it ten years ago I had
a certain conception Of the character as
I had seemed to read 1t. ! made him a
more serious person. really lurid mono
chrome. With my added experience. when
l came to play the character again I was
nasty humor that laughs only at others
misfortunes, and this time have made that
the uppermost quality.
1T is the character part that is the test
OF an actors mentality and achievement
Often the character hangs right on knife
edge; accent it with wrong word, wrong
expression, and it is spoiled How often
you see man or woman play part which
is absolutely true to their own conceptions
but is absolutely wrong when sub ected to
the test of tie authors meaning and the
public demand.
"For instance, we will take the character
of Trilby he Sc f, which should not be
difficult part to interpret and play, but
has always been made so.
The whole Interpretation Of the story
is found in the knowledge that Triov
was a good fellow, that is, that she was
not dissolute girl, as so many of her COM
panions in the Latin Quarter were. but that
she was sincere, loving, true, and that
fact explained the devotion of three men
so widely opposed in temperament as
Tdfy. the Laird and Little Bilee. If she
comes on and utters one word in tough
way, with a guardsman's accent, 4 say,
fellers'-that sort Of thing-the entire
meaning of the piece is lost, for the audience
realizes that such a person could not in
spire such wonderful affection, and i'm
mediately the spirit of the drama changes.
Take the part Of Rip, as played by Mr..
Jefferson. OF course, after a while. like
every character part which is played too
many times, it tecame less play than
personal performance, but even so. what
complexities. what fine shades of meaning
what new thoughts Jefferson for many
years put into his work."
Mr.. Lackaye and Mr.. jefferson were great
friends So Mr.. Lackaye was led to talk
of Mr. Jefferson He told this anecdote:
Personally l do not believe in the curtain
cali, although ono has to bow to precedent.
Either your speech is hopeles5ly bad, in
which case you destroy whatever good
impression you may have made, or it is
of the canned variety. one you keep with
you, take out, dress little and offer again
and again.
"Of the two think the canned speech is
little more hopeless than the other. In
various conversations had with jefferson
he seemed to incline to the canned sort.
His reason was that you got used to 1t; 1t