The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-06

Maoready, we are told, was playing Ham
let in the United States, and during re-
hearsals had found fault 90 severely with
the actor, a local favorite, who took the
part Of the King that hs Majesty OF Den
mark determined at night to be revenged
upon h great man by reeling, when
stabbed by Hamlet, to the centre Of the
stage instead Of remaining at the back
and falling dead upon the very spot
which Macready had reserved for his
own Anal effort before he expired in Hord-
tio's arms. The plan wal carried out.
Maoreadyon his part groaned and grunted:
Die further up the stage, sir! What are
you doing down here, sir? Get up and
die elsewhere, sirl" when to the amaze
ment OF the audience the King sat bolt
upright on the stage and said: y guess,
MIR. Maoready, you have had your way
at rehearsal. but 1 am King now and l
shall die where I please
According to the author Of this book
another little incident. sometimes related
Of other tragedians, really happened to
Maoready. He depended very much In
'Virginius' upon a subordinate aotors
emphasis and delivery Of a simple e n
tence. At rehearsal he was very patient
and repeated the words as he wished them
spoken over and over again to a young
actor who In vain tried to catch the de-
sired tone. At last Macready said peev-
ishly: Surely, man. it's easy enough;
can't you speak the words as l dor NO.
sir, I can't was the actors reply, or !
might he In your position instead Of
earning only so shillings q week.
In order to leave ourselves room for his
recollections Of playwrights we pass over
most Of Bancroft's comments on his fellow
actors. though we would not overlook
what he has to tell us about Henry Irving.
In a chapter devoted to the subject Ban
croft expresses the conviction that Irv-
ing was a born leader OF men. 1He owned
that mysterious power which draws
towards its possessor the affection Of his
fellows; and he must early in his life have
learned the important truth that to be
we'll served you must first teach yourself
how to become beloved Such was his
peculiar force and magnetism that many
thought they were intimate with him who
we're never really allowed to be 80. Atten-
ton is directed to the fact that although
denied by the accidents Of life the advan-
tages Of a first class education Irving ac-
quired for himself the knowledge and the
learning which schools and colleges often
fail TO teach. Certainly in his later years
he would have graoed in manner and
aspect any position to which he might
ho-o koar BALLAD par~roft haora vt tnas
that the refinement Of his appearance
grew to be remarkable; from that point
OF view tho Church or the bench might
With pride have claimed him as a chief.
The author recalls. however. that this
personal attribute only came to Irving
toward the autumn OF his life. which 1t 30
adorned. Truth to tell. in the early part
OF his career he had but little IL any OF 1t.
In those distant days. indeed. there vas
a smack Of the country actor In his ap-
pearanoe. and II 1t is not profanity to utter
the thought. even a suggestion OF a type
immortalized by Dickens
Bancroft thinks that the disasters
which are now admitted to have darkened
Irving's managerial career were
times the result Of grave errors OF judg-
ment in the ohoice Of plays. For instance.
after the success which attended Irving's
production Of much Ado About Moth
ing and when 1t was attracting all
London, largely owing to the splendid
rendering Of Bedtries by Ellen Terry,
our author urged him to revive AS You
Like It for her, and to let her, while
still young. play Rosdlind. Bancroft
-ank n - oDth,,sf o<tool1y about ~. Ill
round cast Irving could then furnish in
his theatre: Terriss for Orlando; Forbes
Robertson for Jacques; Fernandez for
the banished Duke, and the choice Of the
sterling actors Howe and Mead for
Adam, and the old shepherd. Bancroft
was adding several other names when he
felt 1rving's glittering eye upon him, as
with his forehnger pointed to his breast
Irving jerked out: 'Good-very good
but where do | come in7's Bancroft an
swered: .Touchstonsi' and 30, he says,
he would answer again; for OF certain
comedy parts Irving was a brilliant
actor, raising them to great prominence.
The author Of this book is convinced that
had Irving been in partnership with a
capable oomrade. to whose guidance he
would sometimes have submitted, he
might have lived and died a man of for
tune instead OF, as must have been the
truth, allowing several fortunes to pass
like water through his hands, to say moth
ing OF being actually harassed by the
need OF money
A notable incident Of the English stage
during the later years Of the nineteenth
century was the success OF The Dead
Heart In which Irving had prevailed
upon Bancroft, though the latter had
retired, to collaborate with him, playing
the Able Ldtour. Our author recalls
that one night, during the hundred and
sixty nights on which THE Dead Heart"
was acted, after the loud applause which
always followed the duel between Irving
and Bancroft had been Acknowledged,
the former put his arm around his brother
actor as they walked from the sta %
together and made the remark previously
mentioned: what a big name you might
have made for yourself had you never
across the Robertson plays
Bancroft thinks that no really satisfao-
tory portrait Of Irving exists. The portrait
which Millais painted and gave to the
Garrick Club in 1884 is to our authors
mind slightly efeminate in it's beauty and
lacking in strength Of character. Sargent
onoe painted Irving when the latter was
80. and the work wal exhibited in 1883.
1T was. OF course says Bancroft, "a
clever likeness, but not a pleasant one.
The great painter shows you points in the