The Washington times., 1905-10-14

hess made this nrst appearance Il ldli-
ure- 1t is even said that two OF his fell
johnson and Mr.. Mead-had TO inter
eede with the discouraged manager to
prevent his summary dismissal a
pleasant interest attaches to this story
from the fact that both Johnson and
Mead were permanently engaged by Mr.
irving during the period of his suhse-
quent successes In London
Not long ago Mr.. Irving referred. with
his usual dry humor. to the fact ina
lie had been unanimously damned oy all
the critics who had deigned to notice MS
performance. Like Keats. who was au-
vtsed by the disgruntled critics OF his
first volume of poems 10 go PACK 10 ms
Pallipots, Mr. Irving was clamorously
Informed that he had better oisappsar I
from the mimic stage to seek tne ONCE
desk from which he had emerged.
Stuck to the Stage.
Like Keats, again. he refused to be
discouraged He remained at Sunder-
land throughout the autumn. playing
small parts and next year Joined the
Theater Royal Edinburgh. Here'
though stin cast for minor parts, he
profited by his association with such
artists as Helen F'aucit. Blackstone.
Matthews, Toole, Phelps. Webster and
others. representing the best traditions
OF the Old English school OF acting. VINO
visited Edinburgh from time TO time.
BY 1859 he had risen so far in his probes
sion that he received a call from tne
Princess Theater In London. At a fare
well benefit given TO him in EdinpurSh
he played Claude Melnotte 10 an enthusl-
His first London engagement was Of
fered him by Augustus Harris In looS.
At the Princess Th-ater- once more
! he met with disappointment His man
aEer did not even put his name in tne
advertisements. and the few parts IN
which he is incidentally mentioned IN
contemporary criticisms We're SO small
praise. His first metropolitan appear
ance was made on OCTOBER ., ieoS III
an insignificant character In an after
piece called THE Two Poets
Return to Provinces.
Some dramatic readings which he es-
saved at about this period were favor
ably mentioned in stage papers. but
failed to draw remrnerative audiences
Disheartened by these rebuffs, Irving
was glad to return to the Provinces. ac-
cept,nx an engagement first at Glas-
gov. and. In 1860, at the Theater Royal.
Manchester. In the latter city he re-
malned five years. earning what would
seem very small wages to the hurnblest
actors in these days. but esteemed IN
his calling as conscientious ana stuoi-
Gus and promising. -.
1t was here. on May Il, ioo1' ina ne
played Hamlet On the occasion VI MS
benefit.
1t was his first real success. The criti-
cal tide turned in his favor There were
some among his auditors VINO recognized
that here was the material for a great
Shakespearean acton. and who expressed
that opinion in print SO. encouraeeo'
he repeated the performance twice our
ing the season both times repeating ms
good his title TO more important parts
than had hitherto been intrusted 10 hiil-
On July 30. 1866. he scored anolner sis
nal success in the part of Rawdon Scuo-
amore. the remorseless villain OF
Roucicault's Hunted Down, there and
Then produced for the first time
He turned to excellent account the
very mannerlsms which in other parts
had prejudiced an unaccustomeo auol-
ence against him He even enhanced the
weird horror of the part by aecentuaIllg
those tdiosyncrasies of voice ana gesture
which always made him a unique per-
sonality on the stage WHAT IN some
roles had seemed mere eccentrlcity now
shone out as an integral part OF the
strange and uncanny role which ne as
eumed be had gained the opportunity
of merging masterful identity in the
equally masterful identity ne portrayed
Led to London.
This success led to London engage
ment. On October Of the same year he
acted Doricourt In "The Bellies Strata
gem" at the St. James Theater- The
good impression he made as Mrs Cow
ley's rather priggish hero was deepened
when. In November, he repeated his per-
formance OF Scuda-slore' In Hunted
Down" the first appearance OF that play
In London
But the young provincial actor. who
had thus gained a foothold In London
was not yet regarded there as the COM
ing man. destined to take the vacant
leadership on the English stage. He
simply drifted into the line of the heavy
man of his company. and for some years
was chiefly associated with tne iraol,
Joseph Surface, Bill Sykes. and Robert
Macaire Even his performance or
Petruchio In the Tanning OF the Shrew
1868, when he first acted with Ellen
Terry did not permanently divert his
steps from the evil ways which mama
gers continued to map out for him on
the boards.
But he made a decided innovation in
the manner OF representing stage scoun-
drelism, which was warmly welcomed by
critics and public. He discarded the
fierce mustaches. the beetling eyebrows.
the sepulchral voice which hitherto had
marked the evildoer as with a brand.
He made UP with absolute hdeiity 70 the
natural requirements of the part, what
ever they were. In acting a gentleman
ly villain he was a gentleman in SEEM
ing; IL a scoundrel at heart In acting
q ruffian he did not make him too pre-
ternatu-ally ruffianly. He did not, in
short. wear placard saying, 81 am
villain"
His Chance Comes.
On April l6, 1870. came the turning
point in Mr. Irying's career. He had
transferred his services to the Vaude
Vile Theater, where he created" the
part Of Digby Grant. the pretentious
humbug in Albery's Two Roses" Then
the actor began 10 be talked about in
earnest He had been notably success
full In an artistic sense once or twice be-
fore. Irving's Digby Grant was Lon
don topic He sustained IL for three hun
dred consecutive nights. an extraOrdi-
nary run In those days.
II was this success which landed Mr.
Irving in the Lyceum Theater in 1871
Col. Henry l.. Bateman, veteran
k--,~-s~an manager. of a speculative
turn. best known to fame as the father
of ''the Bateman girls Kate and Ellen.
had leased this historic house with a
sDecial view to exploring other and
Younger Bateman girls. who were eager
III laf SfS n 81 mo