Evening star., 1914-08-16

@What made Edwin Booths Hamlet wonderful
piece of work was Booths own brooding melancholy
1t part of his personality projected into, and
becoming part CT, the character. And Booths per
sonaity made his Hamlet great.
@Over threequarters of the great achieved
by actors and actresses have from mediocre plays
The players personality overcame the handicap of
poor play and spelled Sarou wrote parts, not
much plays, to fit Sarah Bernhardts personality
and it would seem that Shakespeare wrote big parts
would roles be better word ?-and then wrote plays
around them You see it's the player, not the play,
that counts-and the players personality!
Suppose, for instance, that actor tremen@
dousy versatile that first having disguised his identity
by of wig and whiskers and grease paint, he ap
peared the stage altogether different person
from the his audience knew-altogether different
mind you. In an instant great wave of disappoint
ment would sweep over his audience Mentally they
would be commenting thus, Dear me, here came
to old friend and total stranger out
the stage! How Disappointing
@Have l made it pain9 If ever l act Shylock for
instance persons will Warfeld play it,
to see Shylock can't speak with authority concerning
the playgong public of the world but do know that in
America-and suppose the obtains in other
trespersons go to the theater to certain player
and not play
@Isnt personality the dominant note in all things
lating art? The you go into of the big
picture galleries of the world can't you pick Corot
a Rembrandt, Verneer, Bottcelli, Vereshchagin?
1t is the painters personality that he shows his
There may be landscapes without end, Madonnas
without number, battle by the score; but you
pick unerrngy any Of the master painters by his
wors-because his work shows his personality And the
with the actor!"
He shifted from his Turk position, and leaned back
his clasped hands behind his head. Then the icono-
clast took whack at another venerated image!
u hear often, he mused, 3of the and
on the stage who say they never have had chance;
that if they had opportunity, just once they would
make Others look to their laurels. You hear the same
don't you, in other walks of life,-the who
had chance, and if they had, what they'd do? Now
the stage everyone has chance and want to stick
pin right in here and prick that bubble of falacy
which holds that favorsm has all to do with
on the stage. Don't you think that if
has been on the stage for number of years op
portuntes have come with the years? They must, alb
solutely must get their opportunity time, and
great talent will show itself matter what difficulties
hedge it about. And talent asserts itself the
stage you can't stop it; for it is bound the
heights for which it was intended Managers far from
bettlng and hndering it, searching for the
woman who has it-searching, too, with magnifylng
glass. little part in mediocre play, if the actor
actress has talent, will shine out like automobile
headlight dark road. The and women of the
stage have opportunities plenty to show the stuff of
which they're made,-they get their chance they
call it. But not everyone sees the chance when comes
while others don't take advantage of the little parts
that oftentimes chokeful of opportunity
3Again let go to the painters to illustrate point.
painting, for example, landscape, has little brook
in it; unmportant, perhaps, but part of the scheme.
Yet that little, unmportant brook may be painted
exqusitey that catches eye at once and fascnates
with its wondrous beauty that it takes i'm
portance all its own!
@Now for little, unmportant brook in landscape,
substitute little part in play, and you get my idea
perfectly"
HE back to the Turk position again. and held to
- his ankles as he continued: