The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-07
THE INTERVIEWER
He Sees Mr.. Wilton Lackaye and
AfterwRrd MIR. RnIph Herr.

lie sees Mr. Wilton LRckaye and I
AfterwRrd MIR. RnIph Herr.
The Interviewer found Mr. Wilton Lack /
aye in his dresslng-room during the In |
terval between the first and second acts /
OF THE Battle" Just as a sort Of open
ing FOR the conversation. he was asked
TO give the correct pronunciation Of his
name
"Oh, you ought not 20 start out with
that That's an old one They all ask
me that. Wen. 10 tell the truth, its a
sort OF case OF Webster says one thing
and Worcester says another. AS for me,
I generally say Lackay-not I4aCk-eye. as
some persons insist on calling me.
"Oh. well. what does it matter how
trey pronounce nay name, Just 90 7 sue
coed IN pleasing the public? And I can
tell you that II IS not nearly as easy a
job as Il looks from the other side OF the
foouights. Lots Of people come TO me
and ask me why I don't play more sym
pathetic roles: why I always stick 20 the
parts OF Svengan. BIN Sykes. Jean Val
jean. Haggleton. and tho others that
have played But have lost that sense
OF comparison that the outsider has All
parts that are types are sympathetic
parts 20 me. I don't mean by this that
7 have any sympathy for the character.
but 7 Try 90 portray him as ! think he
exists; for - he does not exist he cannot
be a type. I have been criticised for
OVERRIDING the part OK Haggleton. for
putting too much force into IL. But II
YOU have ever seen bankers who see
them. leaving their grasp. you would
know that they become as violent as the
most rahid anarchist.
Has The Battle been as much OF a
success as had expected It TO be- Well
yes and no Financially Il has taken
well. but great many OF the people
that come 20 see Il fail 10 grasp H.
The musical comedy IS responsible FOR
the deReneratlng public taste. The thea
tergoer IS coming TO the conclusion that
he prefers the plays that he does not
have TO exercise his brain 10 understand
and the consequence IS that when a real
dramatic production strikes him Il goes
over his head"
Mr.. Ralph Herr was discovered remov-
ing his makeup after a matinee He
volunteered a few words on the vaude-
Vile life as compared TO the legitimate"
"Of course" said he. zone has TO work
a great deal less time in vaudeville than
Re has 10 in the other lines OF the pro-
feSsiou But the work IS twice a day.
and YOU have absolutely no afternoon
time 20 yourself for the little time that
your act takes is sufficient TO break up
the entire afternoon. Then, too. you
very often strike places where they give
| performances on Sunday, and that means
l Art-o rr-ra IN ia
mate you have all but two afternoons in
/ the week of. So. you see. II makes quite
! a difference. more so than the ordinary
/ person would imagine.
"Of course, I am only, as you might
/ say. taking a flyer in vaudeville, because
/ my vehicle in which I had hoped 70 star
| this year has been laid of FOR a while,
/ and It is doubtful II I viii go back 10 H.
/ 7 am tired Of musical comedy. and am
/ negotiating at present for the American
| rights OF a play which has made a big
/ hit in London. IL Is called Don" and is
/ Just a straight comedy. But that IS what
/ wish 10 get back into. You know I
came over here IN Mrs. Patrick Camp
bells company and then played the bad
brother in Maxine ElliOtt's Her own
/ Way for two years. From that drift
ed into musical comedy, and have been
! Inere ever since. BuL nope ANAL Win
/ Don I will be able 70 get out Of the rut.
I expect 10 give it for three or four per-
| Torrance at the New Theater and then
I go on the road. This is really the only
plan that 1 have for the future, and I am
basing my hopes upon II.
When tell you that am an English
man. born IN Paris, and an American by
adoption, you viii see what a cosmopoli-
tan temperament have. I study all my
/ representations carefully for a long time
before I dare give them 10 the public.
And then you have no idea what inau-
ence the people Of different places have
upon the way you have to arrange your
monologue Some refined piece Will carry
well IN one city. where II will not do sc
at all IN another. For instance, I am
billed next week in a certain city not
very far from here and l would not dare
TO give my Old Dandy there. because
know from sad experience that things OF
that nature do not go well there. I viii
have TO ring in something less subtle
Well. hope TO see you again-possibly
when I bring Don down this way. Good
day"