The Washington herald., 1914-03-15
ny JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

When this week, at the Belasco Thea
ter, we take farewell of the fine. familiar
figure Of Sir Johnston Forbcs-Rooertson
who has represented for decade AL
that we believe tc be the highest and
best in things theatrical, We shall lose
one who brings TO mind the words Oh
Garrick: AN actor and a gentleman
it's precisely the same thing.
For nearly forty years now FORBES
Robertson's remarkable personality has
pnzzled playgoers, In that 1t is at once so
prominent and yet SO unobtrusfve, fof
his is the charm OF noole-rindeo sum
.plicity portrayed in a voice which rams
like a velvet flute note on the quiet even
ing air. For nearly forty years MS ART
has been the most satisfying which the
stage mas known, because OF its COM
biped human and classical quality, and
no one will feel any disposition TO deny
that he has well deserved George Ber-
nard Shaw's description OF him as tne
greatest classic actor on the English
stage" for he has touched nothing that
he has not adorned; he has attained
heights where he has been without
peer; In every circumstance he has made
others think nobly of his art, and so It
happens that the leading literary and
dramatic writers OF two continents have
been. spendthrifts of their eulogy since
he began his farewell to the stage last
June in London. and So will continue to
eulogize until June, 1915, when the last
curtain will have fallen and Forbes
Robertsons public career as an actor VIII
n have come to an end.
As is well known, Forbes-Robertson
started out to be an artist, and before he
was twenty-one made money as painter
of pictures His father, Mr.. John FORBES
Robertson, was a distinguished art critic
and journalist, and, at his home near
the British Museum on Sunday after
Moons a remarkable company OF the most
brilliant representatives Of art. science,
and literature would gather, and here
the son, who was to achieve such fame
as an actor, was brought up. Painting
pictures was thought to be too precarious
a profession for a lad who was one OF a
family of eleven, so he turned to the
stage for a livelihood, having decided TO
devote himself to which, 1t was very
fortunate, that he came under the in
fiuence of so great an artist as Samuel
Phelps-a splendid master with that rare
capacity for imparting his knowledge to
others. a gift which does not always
accompany genius. y
Forbes-Robertson made his first ap-
pearance in 1874 at the Princess Theater
in oxford street, London.
In those days" he says, 'the great
place was the Prince Of Wales Theater
in Tottenham Court-road under the man.
agement of the Bancrofts. the pioneers
Of SO much that was helpful in the drama
and of a great deal in the way Of COM
pleteness, care, and detail in presenting
plays.
The old Haymarket was still going on,
but the company was getting old These
were the two established theaters at that
time. and there were also Shakespearean
n
very much being done besides. In fact
there was nothing in London at that time
TO approach Charles Calvert's ambitious
revivals of Shakespeare in Manchester.
You could not then see such productions
as these in London; you had to go to
Manchester for them-just as you had to
go there for The great orchestral con-
certs by Halle"
Forbes Robertson remained for some
time with the Bancrofts at the Prince or
Wales, but he soon became the leading
man in London. successfully at the Hay
market. and with John Hare at the Gar
rick, where he appeared in several OF
Pinero's plays such as THE Profiigate'
and Diplomacy later with Henry lrv-
ing at the Lyceum in a score of notable
roles which challenged comparison with
the characterizations Of Irving himself.
There was no keeping back this young
actor with the beautiful aesthetic face
which Rosetti himself had delighted to
paint, and the wonderful tiute-like voice
which made an irresistible appeal to his
every auditor.
Henry Irving commissioned him TO paint
the beautiful church scene for his pro-
duction of Much Ado About Nothing"
and later leased him the Lyceum Theater
in which to produce his Incompatible
Hamlet" his wonderfully poetical
Romeo" and his conscience-haunted
Macbeth. while subsequent produc-
tions at other theaters included schol-
arly presentation OF ''Othello," The
Merchant of Venice" Michael and HIS
Lost Angel For the Crown" Mice
and Men," THE Light That Failed"
The Sacrament Of Judas" THE Devils
Disciple" Caesar and Cleopatra" and
last The Passing of the Third Floor
Back" which ran an entire season in
New York. and in which Forbes-Robert-
son was last seen in this city.
Speaking of his permanent retirement
from the stage during his London en-
ter OF DTury Lane (where he was honored
ny the King ere its close with a title).
Forbes Robertson said:
Il shall retire to London, 20 my house
in Bedford Square. and there l intend
to see great deal more Of my lovely
daughters than circumstances have al
lowed me to do in the last few years.
Five or six leading publishers in Lon
don have asked me to write my memoirs,
with a plea that 1 begin the work i'm
mediately. 1 doubt very much IL L shall
do that, preferring rather 10 wait a few
years until obtain a better perspective.
There are matters OF which i should like
to write which ! cannot touch now.
Shall 1 compile the acting versions 1
have made of Shakespeare's plays? Yes,
that would be interesting, but although 1
have appeared in many, many Shakes
pearian productions / have personally
produced only>ive. These are Romeo
and Juliet Macbeth Hamlet 'OtheI-
To- and Merchant OF Venice' 1 have
made an acting version also of AS You
Like 1t PERHAPS the compilation OF
these versions at some time IN the future
might be very Interesting.
But for years'l have longed to return
10 my first love-painting. have con-
tinued to keep my interest IN painting
and manage even now to do some work.
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