The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-29
FORMS OF STAGE NERVOUSNESS
ACTORS BOTHERED BY FEAR OF
WISHAPS ON THE STAGE.

Herbert kclcey's Drcad OF humping INTO
the Furniture-F1nncy's shaking knees
Nervousness That Attacks Great
Singrrs-Lill Lehm INNS Swimmins
POol-Wm Power as Nerve Remedy.
" Mionel Barrymore, a young actor of
srlendid physique and uncommon muscu-
lar strength, is just now in a sanitarium
and the doctors do not lnow when he will
be able TO resume his professional duties.
Mr.. barrymore Is in good health so far az
his muscles are concerned. 1t is only his
nerves that are sick. They are 50 sick
that for a second time during a few months
he has been compelled to retire from the
stage. " w.
Mr.. Barrymore was acting in the West
In a rlay called The Other Girl when
he was attacked by tue malady. which
compelled him to give up work, He ia
perfectly well until the time comes to go to
the theatre. Then his will power fails
completely. Try as he may, he cannot
bring himself to start for the theatre. His
doctors think that lie may after a rest Of
some weeks recover entirely Lis nervous
control.
1Only a form of nerves" a doctor told
THE sun reporter. -and not an unusual case
DIV any I1le(tilS' L iCih'iih1ci J'SAS
ago when Herbert Kelley had exactly the
same sort of experience. He got the idea
into his head that he would certainly bump
into the furniture the moment he went on
the sta ge. 1t was amusing to us in the
secret to see how gingerly he approached
the chairs aud tables. OF course. he never
struck them. 1t was only a part of his
ner vous delnSion TO think he would.
Kelley never gave mp and for that
reas o he recovered after a short time.
II he had broken down and stopped acting,
Il might nave taken months to get him
back 10 condition
Jameson Lee Finney, who used 10 be
q patient OF mine. got over another very
lad attack of nerves in just the same way.
lie had played for a long time tue same
Jart in The Christian got overworked
and nervous about it and suffered the in
evitabie nervous breakdown. His par
ticular white rat took the form of a fear
that as coon as he stepped before the public
his knees were going to give way and he
was going to sink TO the floor. While he
was standing in the wings awaiting the
cue for his entrance lie would fairly tremble
with fear that such wo Id be his fate. Z.
HE had the courage to keep on acting,
though. He never missed a performance, al
though tn" agony of apprehension would set
in ats O'Clock and grow stea ills worse. The
cure was made easier by the knowledge
that he did not fail to the stage, however
he might fear it.. If he had given up and
refused TO 90 on, it might have taken
months for lin TO get well"
While actors are subject to various forms
OF ~eryousneSs in their case it Il much less
serious than 18th singers. They show
in their work the effect of their emotions
to such Il marked degree that in more than
one case a career has ended preTnatureiy
merely on account of nerves,
Lilli Lehman, who j. nov u and Only the
other day created "A profound impression
IN Paris by her singing in q concert per-
fornance OF "Don Giovanni became d
, vegetarian mone than ten wears ago. She
deGioed that meat made her nervous and
that she needed less to eat and more eX-
ercise. To meet this last contingency she
had a pool dug in the grounds OF her home
near Berlin and there she swims every day
when the warm weather comes. The
treatment in her case seems to nave met
with success, as she Is to-Cav les, nervous
than many women younger than she.
Emma Eanes l. another singer who SUI
fers 80 greatly from nervousness that she
never allows anybody TO speak to her during
a performance. Even her husband IL not
allowed to come into her dressing room
from the time she goes 10 the theatre
two hours before the performance usually
until the curtain has fallen for the last
time. She follows the example of Nine
lehman and tries by diet TO overcome
this nervous weakness.
Nine. Sembrich has often been heard to
cay that she will be compelled to retire
from the stage long before her time, not be-
cause her voice has failed, but hecause of
her nervousness, which at times become
90 uncomfortable that 1t Is torture for her
to sing, II was this suffering that led Jean