New-York tribune., 1920-05-09
Drouggh hit Doubles Difficulty
OF High Art in Low Comedy,
REGRETS Rowland Blackstone

A spade flashed above the freshly
dug grave and heap Of dirt was
thrown upon the stage. Again the
spade was visible and this time an un-
naturally round skull was thrust up
ward. 1t started to roll toward the
footlights when suddenly Lionel
Brough leaped out of the grave and
started in pursuit.
Whoa, whoa, Emma" he called,
finally succeeding in stopping the NOV
ing Uranium.
Lionel Brough was a famous Eng
lish burlesque actor, and at the time
he played the grave digger in "Ham-
Lett a seng called "Whoa, Whoa,
Emma" was in popular favor. So he
devised this bit of business in order
to get an extra laugh out of the audi
ence. Needless to say he got it.
Rowland Blackstone, who has played
such parts in Shakespearean produc-
tions for the last twenty years with
=: II. Sothern, was talking on the art
finished playing Sir Toby Belch in
Twelfth Night" and was preparing to
play the grave digger in "hamlet" and
Grumio in "The Tanning of the Shrew"
Tor the second week of the E. Fl. Soth-
ern-Julia Mariowe Shakespeare season
at the Shubert Theater. 1t was he who
told the story of Lionel Brough's
method in playing the grave digger
Ihe public expects something
bizarre, eccentric from a burlesque
actor. but Brough's methods wouldn't
shit lopItim a octN
attempt no such business in my pres
entation of the role. l stick pretty
well to the text and try to get all the
humor from the reading of the lines.
Brough was the recognized English Sir
Toby Beich. In the drunken scene he
would put his two feet into the punch
bowl. l don't think they would stand
- for the waste of so much punch here"
On the road. Mr.. Blackstone, whose
is known as the champion grave dig
ger. In his playing the role in different
places he has dug no less than five
hundred graves.
"If l had really dug them" he said
laughingly, 81 should be powerful
man."
1t should not be thought from his
statement that he looks like weak
ling. In fact, he has a decidedly we'll
rounded figure, ruddy complexion and
face not unlike the late John Bun
ny's.
To play the low comedy roles in
Shakespeare it is necessary to have
thorough schooling in acting. It is
also necessary to be facile and YER
satile. Above ali, the right emphasis
must be given in playing the parts.
First, an actor must have knowledge
of the character. Then he thinks up
business" to do in playing it.
"Of course. he has tradition to guide
him, but sometimes he doesn't have all
the facilities that the old actors had"
Mr.. Blackstone said. "My father, who
was great Sir Andrew Aguecheek,
smoked pipe when he played the
role. Now, no pipes are used Sir
Andrew and Sir Toby had real. long
candles for the scene. Now we have
electric cahdles."
The comedy Of Shakespeare and the
comedy in modern plays are two very
different things, thinks Rowland Buck
stone. But he has no doubt that
Americas leading comedians, who de-
vote themselves to modern comedy,
could do very we'll in the comedy
parts of Shakespeare if they desired to
do so.
can actor with slight or no knowl-
edge of Shakespeare would be all at
sea in these parts. He would not get
the right intonation, no matter how
good q comedian he might be. 1t is err
roneous to think that a man who plays