Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-05-25


H.a..l =: s s..m--M =. @'N'esS'
TIRED OF HIS PART.
Washington Star: Nobody VIII
has not been been through
the dreariness OF 1t can possibly under
stand how utterly and hopelessly
! loathesome part becomes to an actor
after he has been batting away at it,
continuously. or almost continuously.
for year or more" said well known
player the other day. II say he for
believe. from my own observation. that
actresses do not suffer so much from
what we call part soreness as actors:
they have naturally more readiness OF
| spirit. more enthusiasm. and more ten
acity than men: and these qualities
| sustain them through years of ragging
! away at one part without noticeable
depression.
II suffer atrociously from the mere
thought of the part that have played
| continuously for year. or even for six
months. learn to hate the part, to
despise the character he represents. no
matter how lovable or essentially noble
that character may be. If he is an he
| role chap begin to look upon him a
| miserable, mounting nuisance, and l.
am -holier-than-th bore, and nothing
would please me better than to see
| the too-infernaly hifalutin' chap get
the worst of 1t at the hands of the
| villain, or, for the matter Of that. at the
hands of the low comedian. l have to
absolutely keep my mind off the part.
sometimes to prevent myself from
simply checking the whole thing and
running away from the company.
Whenever 1 do think Of the part be-
tween performances, I feel an inward
sneer curling me up all over. and the
part haunts me as a thing dfsagreeable
and humiliating on nervous days when
I find II impossible to keep my mind
away from 1t.
You see, the actor playing the old
part cannot possibly fetch himself to
believe that all--yes, all Of the people
out In the front have not seen him
In the same part. not twice. but many
times He begins at length to have a
sort OF sneaking suspicion that the
same audience is furtively following.
him around over the country just td
sheer and jibe at his worn-out part.
and an imaginary idea OF this sort is
bound to Interfere seriously with a per-
formers work. Doing serious and
perhaps picturesque part for a long
time running. l can never utter the
high flown sentiments. perhaps of an
otiiet PcIio'l WllIloul HdNl1lS III III TllHd
how hopelessly and unspeakably flat
they must fall upon ears that have
heard them several. IL not many times
beforehand an actor hates to feel that
he is looking like a fiat. such Is the
vanity of the species! Have you ever
been so impressed with a powerful play
that you have made up your mind to
take it In again on the very following
night after 1t made such a hit with
you? How, waiting for the swinging
lines, you found them sort of cheap
and common, dlscounting their effect
in advance. as of course you had to,
and how the humorous lines seemed
great deal less witty and appealing on
their Second hearing .Asn they had be-
fore? This is an experience that has
been passed through by thousands OF
persons. and 1T Is my opinion that.
when one Is nightly impressed by a
fine performance of fine play, he
should never again go and see that play
performed. but carry the memory Of the
first-rate rendering through life with
him. For myself, l never saw play
done twice. even by the most compe-
tent people. and in exactly the same
way. that I was not deeply and darkly
disappointed.
"A so-called humorous part doesn't
get so badly upon an actors nerves
with incessant repetition as serious
part. I've done both. and know. The
epgrans and funny or caustic sayings
of the humorous character sound dis
mally unfunny and cheap and foolish
after while In the ears of the actor
giving utterance to them, but he is in
a sort sustained by the ripple of laugh
ter coming from the audience, all
though. after I've played funny role
for a week or so. l never cease to mar
vel that people out in front go right on
Laughing at the jokele l can't help
but believe the audience to be COM
prised of terrible pinheads for laugh
ing at the things that l am so thor
oughly used 10. But q fellow who has
to do so serious a part for long time
at stretch Is apt to develop posi-
tive. gnawing contempt for himself.
What a counterfeit and four-fiush I
am to be mounting such heap-big,
int-I-the-n oble-one sentiments every
night a fellow gets saying to HIM
self. and from that he begins to sus-
poet that all the rest OF the people in
the company with a long played piece
effects a fellow curiously. He sees that
they look Internally bored when they
are getting off his lines. and he knows
that he is outrageously bored when
they are getting off their stuff. and he
knows. too. that II they hate the
sound of his voice In that part half as
voices In their outworn parts. then
they must feel like Sinking up behind
him and hitting him with mallet. and
that doesn't make theatrical individu-
al any more enamored with his work."