Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-25
As lyon Yonson." Grand Theater All
Next Week.

E$SSSSSSScSSSSSccSSSsSSS
pany of Mrs. Bernard Beere. who made
q spectacular failure when she came
over from London In 1923. He pro
ceeded with her to Australia and had
been there before we met him. That
year had been passed in stock In Los
Angeles. We explained to him our
fear that his English stamp was too
strong for the role of the 1rish-Ameri-
can, type indigenous to our large
cities and not to be caught by any
actor who had not made study of IL
in the life
II am not a bad actor, gentlemen.
replied McVicars. with neither excess
sive modesty nor the other thing. Il
should be If ! could not make my ac-
cent suit the character | undertake.
Let me know what the author wants
and what you want. l can play the
role II 1t be within my scope. I've
acted II roles in Shakespeare, six IN
1bsen and more than 600 In modern
plays. l wish trial in the cast, and
know how to do as I'm told.
Hes either a real actor or very
bad onel" muttered Mr.. Brady. |
agreed with him. We handed McNic-
ars the role. He came to the second
rehearsal letter perfect and asked not
fewer than 500 questions of us and Mr..
Rroadhurst We sent him to a mass
meeting in Tammany hall to study
general types on the platform; tins
was In the height of the Hughes Hearst
campaign. He returned to tell us he
had seen a score of men, any one or
whom might be a HorTigan. So. with
the spirit and will to work on. 1t was
an easy matter perfecting him. He
accepted every suggestion made TO him,
submitted for our opinion every bit
OF business" and pantomime that sug-
gested Itself to him as possibly APP
propriate, and, as is generally known.
stirred critics and public to enthusi-
asm on the first night.
TERMED A "CREATION."
As is always so, there were writer's
who spoke of the new actors 'crea-
ton" The creation was Mr. Broad
bursts. He knew what he wanted as
author, but needed a medium to de-
velop It. That medium was Mr.. Brady
and / as stage managers
Now. in McVicars we had a good
exemplar of the actor who obevs.
other actors there are in plenty who
do the same thing, of course; but not
many of the good ones do so willingly
or graciously. and nearly all of them
when they get results like McVicars
got. deny having obeyed at all, but.
au contraire, tell how they OVERRIDE
author and stage director and in
sisted on putting forward their own
creation"
We got this sort OF plffle from a
dozen well known high salaried play
ers we rehearsed in the part after Nc
Wears untimely death The protest
of one against our discipline symbol
ICES the attitude of most of them.
"That may be Broadhurst's idea" he
| said, but | do not agree with him. |
prefer my conception of the character"
That Broadhurst could possibly have a
clear idea of his own about the role
never. seemingly. occurred to the actor,
! who withdrew with the lofty observa
ton that, as a man who had ALWAYS
been given free rein for his creations,
he could not chance a failure.
| The actor in plays-in plays--who
says that he creates" anything is
either liar or fool. The actor in
specially prepared vehicles is of a diff
ferent case, but to consider him is to
get away from our premise that the
play is the first consideration.