Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-05

When he went into q play In which
firearms were rudely discharged II
was regarded as a daring departure.
almost a vandalism But this actor, not
content with being both subtle and ro-
bust Economically impressive as well as
gracefully humorous, went on to scale
the dangerous heights OF versatility. To
he a versatile actor Is to roll the stone
of Sisyphus up the hill Of popularity. he
"a constantly threatened with ADVERSE
comparison with standards he has him
self created, and In many melancholy IN
stances his greatness is not recognized
,nti, his biographers, unrestrained by the
Jealous skepticism that surrounds the
living ioin In volumes OF epitaph. In
deed Fayersham himself Is not univer-
sarv recognized as the really great ACTOR
that ne Is. The Renaissance of that
charming but not very consequence
NAV Lord and Lady Algy, hangs
ahou, him. as the traditions OF Prince
varl'. hung about Richard Mansnelo
long after that actor had progressed tar
oevond tho dainty German comedy ooth
In ambition and In achievement. FaVe1-
sbam.s production Of an English version
~ =, Gran GaIesto marked him as Sc
r,cus player of great intensity as well as
a literary explorer of courageous loeaiS'
Put there was in this play of convention
q, a+.,ra and domestic problems the re-
,,inder Of the Old successes In society
drama and his present remained linked
,o b,s clever but less dignifed past. IN
uorod he charmed by his reading OF
h,ank verse and his self-efracement he
oava a portrayal whose majestic terror
hos not been eaualed since the days wnen
,e,,onera mental giants trod the boards. II
vas 4 creation worthy to rank with Sai-
v,hi's Lear.
=, a11,a Faun" Faversham destroys the
serious shade which was beginning 10
lathcr about his anne. and out OF ma
ter.al as hght as that in Queen Mab's
cboro1 creates himself vehicle. For
80 delightful, performance Is dependent
entirely on the resourcefulness of the
s,ar. The story CT the play Is so romp-
tngly collegiate In its IDEAS ana tnei
method of development that without the
buoyant personality of the faun 1t would
have been hopelessly artificial But the
actor disdains ordinary limitations. AS II
he were the very creature he dePlcts.
He goes through the part on dptoe or
animation that never relaxes, more clas-
sic In his poses than the classic dancers
who confine themselves to this one phase
of art, as graceful as Mordkin himself
As a personal achievement Faversham's
''Faun'' Is an extraordinary revelation of
an art whose resources seem inexhaust-
iole.
Mrs. Fisk is player Of such uncom-
promising Intellectually that she dis
- cSrVNn
her work Her position Is lofty and Sc
cure. She is herself critic, not merely
of art, but of social systems, to whose
defects she has most courageously drawn
attention in some of her stage offerings.
Few players command admiration such
as she has won by sheer force Of mental
power Her characterizations are crys-
tallized to the chemical compactness and
polished to the brilliancy Of the diamond.
Conventional appeals to tho sympathies
have scant place in her offerings. She
is logical first and emotional only to the
degree that her audiences choose TO find
the character she has analysed a sub
ject for sympathy IN their own magma
ton. Personally she never for a moment
condescends to appeal for your kind
applause Yet applause is invariably
q tribute commanded.
The humanity OF Becky Sharp Is at
tested by the fact that no two people
have precisely the same impression of
the character as described by Thackeray.
Mrs. Fisk discards all ideas OF charitable
extenuation. and makes her a consist
ent adventures with no CLINT OF genuine
IN hap
Her self-sacrifice in order to unite Amelia
to her lover is made with q defiant sneer,
which robs It of all nobility. Mrs. Fisk's
Beck Sharp is remorseless In its con-
sistency. 1t develops a single phase
of the character to a degree of per-
lection that makes it more satisfactory
stage display than any effort to reveal
the novel heroine In all her complexities
of moods and motives could possibly be-
come
Richard earle, in Jumping Jupiter"
shifts the responsibility from the stage
TO the auditorium. In order to enjoy
the absolute nonsense which he has
gathered from all sources and various
historic periods, 1t Is necessary to be
good audience. A Richard earle show Is
not for the captiOus.
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
SILENT ROI-ES-Silent characters nave
always been interesting in plays where
the other actors speak Theater-goers
sttll remember the shouts Of laughter
which greeted the Lone Fisherman In
"Evangeiine" whenever he unfolded his
battered old camp stool and betook him
self to nshing.
The silent burglar is one OF the amusing
points IN the comedy Seven Days" He
IN arst on the stage at the rise of the cur
tain, and looks on and shares In all the
action Of the piece unseen and unheard
10y the actors therein. until an instant be-
fore the final curtain falls.
Such characters as these, mute either
from ehoice or from actual bodily infirm-
ity, have been part Of the stock In trade
Of dramatists from the earliest beginning
OF the drama. and many stories are re-
lated Of them
Every schoofboy who remembers his
Greek grammar WIN recall the anecdote
Of the actor who applied to the Athenian
comic poet, Aristophanes. then engaged In
composing his undy1ng satire OF Socrates
and his philosophy, The Clouds" The
story saws that the mountebank asked
the poet for his patronage and an oppor.
tunity to appear In his drama
Upon what Quahdcatonr' asked the
poet.
II can stand upon one leg longer than
any man In Athens"
Eyes, by Zeusi But goose can stand
SO, even longer" was the reply. From