The San Francisco call., 1908-09-20


nate for me-" she said with bit of
laugh, FOR I love to play drunken
roles Strange. isn't ii, that a woman
OF my age should not have recovered
from such a desperately dissipated no
tion-
But on my word Of honor. I'm on
the water wagon To think of the
hundreds and thousands of miles 1
have ridden upon that prosaic and
numbering sort of q vehicle, without
ever once losing my place Yet re-
member one kind reviewer who, refer
ring TO my Aunt Rosa, in Zaza,' said
that no sooner did I arrive on the
stage than the whole theater reeked
with nay whisky soaked breath. I sup
pose he intended that for a compli-
ment- 1t pleases me to think he did,
because otherwise-wen. it would be
an awful thing to cons7nplatat
And never. even once, have you
fallen of that water wagon2" 1 asked.
Well, IL you put It that way, tn
have TO answer yes And this is how
it happened:
1T was in The Auctioneer.' and
you know that Mr.. Warfield and 1 had
a Scene on the stairs where we were
supposed TO drink champagne. What
ever the concoction was that we swal-
lowed, IL gave out Then they tried
some white wine. or. cider or something
whatever it was. and 1 told Mr.. War
field IL was making me ILL., The next
night when the bottle was brought on
the cork few out with q suspiciously
realistic popi 1t was the real thing,
and I'll admit that before the season
Of The Auctioneer' was over 1 had ac-
quired a very expensive taste for
champagne. But otherwise am for
temperance and eetotahsm-bar-ing
that acquired taste for champagne.
IT is a mistaken notion that some
realists on the stage have that close
contact with the sort of. person you
are impersonating is necessary for a
correct conception of the character.
do not remember in the course OF my
whole long life to have encountered the
prototype Of any Of these drunken
women 1 have played.
There was Mrs. Murphy in Chin
ME Fadden, for instance 1t is no
boast for me TO speak Of that role as
the best thing in the piece. For me
TO say otherwise would be to disagree
with every critic who ever wrote about
the play, and that would surely be in
5udicious- So We viii assume that the
critics. for once. being unanimous.
were right. and that Mrs. Murphy was
the star part in Townsend's S brief lived
play. I never saw a Mrs Murphy in
my life; but I dare say Mrs. Murphy,
II she does exist under that or some
other name, acts as I acted
I was forced TO differ with this
statement somewhat, because. strangely
enough-and all who saw Mrs Bates
portrayal of Mrs. Murphy viii agree
with me-the character stops just short
of vuigarity. She seems TO know in
stinctivelE how far to go before the role
becomes offensive. To that sensitive
line she goes; then backs away before
alarmed It is fash from the mir
ror which Mrs. Bates holds up to na-
ture: but just a fiash-vivid and true
not forced nor insistent-
It was while playing .Chimmie Fad
dem that David Belasco saw Mrs. Bates
AT that time he was fixing up an
Americanized version OF ~Zaza'' for
Mrs. Leslie Carter. Townsend had
suggested that ~Chimmie Fadden'' be
rewritten and the character of Mrs
Murphy brought into greater speaking
prominence. He had not expected that /
the subordinate role of a minor char
acter would have expanded until il /
eclipsed the role Of the title character,
Chimmie. But Mrs Bates said No i
you have just enough of Mrs Murphy I
as the play stands. Any more would /
render vulgar the whole comedy. Leave I
II as II Is. 90 HQ6l bel1SCO offered 3
her the role OF Aunt Rosa in .'Zaza''
Mrs. Bates accepted and has been with
Belasco ever since.
You know" she continued. that in
the French Aunt Rosa isn't Aunt Rosa
at all She is the girls mother Be
lasco was too wise TO foist such re-
puisive situation on the American pub
lie He was too keen TO attempt a
literal rendering of the role, for he
knew that the American notions OF
morality and the decencies OF life
would not tolerate the presentation OF
such depravity as that exhibited in a
mother who urges her own daughter
TO evil So Belasco made the role
over and called II Aunt Rosa, and the
is close enough in all con-
science as il stands
Il contracted to play. Aunt Rosa for
so weeks and have been with Belasco
II wears do not expect 10 play under
any other manager for the rest OF mys