New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-12

"Her acting is in a mood Of per
sistent humor. which is delicate, subtle
and true" said one paper. "Her gifts"
said another, "are exceptional. She
PLAYS with such extraordinary. unfag-
ging alAority Of the spirit" And yet
again, miss Tempest was charming in
the frankness and fascination of her
humor." Still fourth reviewer was
content TO remark, Marie Tempest was
excellent"
These snatches may give the reader
an inkling of the performance of Miss
Tempest, but they fall short Of the
knowledge Of painting or book or
violin solo which a skilled critic might
convey through the printed word. Natu-
rally. we are not willing TO admit that
these deficiencies are in any way the
result OF lack of skill among dramatic
critics. The same vagueness> may be
found in the works of masters who
have undertaken TO comment on the art
Of acting.
DR.. Johnson, for instance, was as
suredly man who could make an
opinion clear and definite, and yet,
when lured by Boswell TO a discussion
of Garrick, he said: "He was the only
actor / ever saw whom | could call a
master both in tragedy and comedy, al
though | liked him best in comedy.
true conception Of character and natu-
lal expression of IL were his dlstln-
gushing excellencies."
This is hazy enough. One would
hardly care 20 write a comparison OF
the art of Garrick and Charlie Chap
lin on the basis Of the description Of
Garrick's art given by johnson.
In all truth the spectator knows the
effect which the actor produces, but ne
hasn't the least idea Of how that ef-
feet is attained Nor does the actor
know Many a player has said with
sincere belief that he achieved ms
success by feeling the emotions Of the
character which he was playing. This
was one Of the contentious of Garrick,
and II was in regard to this belief that
DR.. Johnson said: "If Garrick really
believed himself 10 be that monster,
Richard the Third, he deserved TO be
hanged every time he performed It"
We talked the other day with Mary
RYAN, who plays an eXacting emotional
role in "The House Of Glass" at the
Gambler Theatre with much skill. We
were interested TO learn the mental and
physical demands Of such a part. First
we evinced curiosity as 70 method
and Miss Ryan said that she sP..
preached the part IN an effort 10 feel
and share its emotions in order that
she might play the role up to its bes'
possibilities.
For all of the sincerity of the actress
4 crlag tohpgnut
doubt. and we marvelled that woman
could faint four times in as many acts,
all but cry her heart out in the last,
escape prison walls in the final minute
Of a play through the extraordinary
grace OF the dramatist, and relapse into
charming noTmality as soon as the
curtain fell.
II Miss Ryan actually does feel all
the emotions Of "The House Of Glass"
she is the brayest woman IN New York
in vcntuTing every night on 10 the stage
OF the Gambler we'll knowing the haras-
sing which she is 20 receive at the
hands OF the fates. We voiced little
OF this doubt. but Miss Ryan was not
20 be dissuaded from the stand that
in order 10 make others feel mood
she must take on shat emotion herself,
although ake freely admitted that many
actors prided themselves in keeping
out Of their roles.
Lacking a definite recognized tech
nique, without even an adequate Ian
guaRe Of It's own, acting remains among
the by.Car arts. The theatregoer, the
critic and even the actor himself does
not know much about acting, but he
knows what he likes. And seemingly
the highest form Of praise which may
be bestowed upon player is 10 say
that he gives the public what II wants.