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Mi55 Clipper’sAnecdotes, Personalities and Continents,CONCUNIKOSTAGE FOLK and Sometimes OTHEBSBT JQ8EPHINB OBO.The English actor of eminence Invariably has his eye fixed upon the ever possible honor of knighthood, and naturally because of the several notable precedents so honored by the king. The American actor has not this Incentive, and apropot of this are some lines In a letter written William Winter by the late Richard Mansfield. This eminent critic and writer Is working on his book of the life and art of Mr. Mansfield, the collection of data and all necessary biographical material for which he began many years ago. In one of his latest letters, showing his appreciation of the fact and the honor paid him by the one who would be the principal factor In the work, be wrote:I am tremendously excited ahout your writing the life of R. M. It Is better than being knighted.*Among English actors In America—those who have not been heralded stars—Wallace Ersklnc has had more appreciative remarks made concerning his fine work than any other. It has so often been said that In the production of plays where the English character of high degree Is to be portrayed, that It Is seldom well done by the American, and that the characterisation lacks the Illusion of reality—the personification of lords and ladles of English life usually suffering at the hands of the American player. English actors themselves do not always come up to the standard of refinement demanded In their representations of. tlic real nobility and gentry.. One of the greatest of playwrights, In watching Wallace Ersklne's work, said: “Of all English speaking actors, he Is the most realistically natural player of parts depleting the high bred personage—he carries tile essence of It In himself. And during Ills long residence and professional work In this country he hns not deteriorated In tlila quality.Among the many stories of his recent tour In South America, during which he played the parts created by Nat Goodwin and other stars, he relates one happening at a Buenos Aires performance, In which an Important scene In Raffles was Irretrievably spoiled by an over-zealous stage hand.Those recalling the Intensely drnmntic scene in wlileh the gcntleman-thlef, Raffles, who Is about to be enptured, escapes by going Into his bedroom, where he Is followed by Ills pursuers, lie quickly rc-appears upon the scene emerging from tbe big grnnd-fntlier clock, which Is supposed to he In working order, recording the passing time.The man to whose hands the business of the hands of the clock had been delegated at this performance, did not realize the rapidity with which he was revolving them around tlic face of the clock, clipping the time off at the rate of aliout an hour a minute. The audience was Boon aware of the laughable situation, and expressed It In occasional laughs, the cause for which was sought liy the manager, standing at the back row. Quickly observant, he saw the clock hands moving at a ludicrous rate, then rushing hack he pushed tlic stage hand aside and assumed ttie charge of the property lilmself. A moment later, Instead of tlic dramatic silence the scene called for, there wns a roar of laughter which mnde the cold perspiration start from his every pore, for he felt that the cause wns something concerned with what he wns doing. When Ersklnc, as Raffles, came out of tlic clock to make his dramatic esenpc, he too was met by the loudly cxpvessed merriment of the audience, which had absolutely destroyed one of his most Important scenes. The renson thereof was not discovered till the drop of the curtain, when one of the players explained that the clock hands, on censing their rapid revolutions by the stage Unnd, began slowly to move in the opposite direction when acting nt the Instance of the manager, thus presenting the unusual sight of a clock working backwards.Mr. Ersklne relate* an incident of Kyrle Bellew’s Australian tour where, being short' cc of people In hi* production -of Hamlet, the itar preaged into service his personal dresser, o'carefully rehearsing him In the few neces-■ary line* of the imall part he had to play.The man waa a cockney, ipeaktng the ftdialect with the usual droppings and Inser- kitlons of his h’4 In places where they did not Itbelong. The amusing “break-up” of both • la players and audience occurred in tbe scene v!where Hamlet, hearing a step, calls out, wWho goes there?” the reply to his demand dbeing In Shakespearean phrase, “ ’Tls I, my lord; the early village cock has thrice done -salutation to the morn.” f]The young cockney, who could better dress Ihis star than address any of the Immortal “Hamlet lines, confusedly answered:“ ’Tls hi melord, the hearty village cock, and rushed from the scene.*The middle and lower classes of English audiences are warmly expressive of their like or dislike of a player or character on the stage. If they like an actor they get as nearly over the footlights as possible in this one-sided theatrical Intimacy which they set up with a favorite. They often get so far as to address him familiarly and very audibly by his name during perforroancca If anything particularly pleases them, for instance, “That's right ’Arry,” was an cxclamntlon of approval once sung out to the late Henry a Irving.On one occasion, while playing In the English provinces where he was popular, Wallace Ersklne was Interrupted In a very serluus scene by a holder of a seat In the pit, who had Just returned to It after going out for a drink. Needless to say, his scene was ruined by tlic startling, though well meant, Information which the young man had acquired while outside.Wally 1 Wnlly 1 he called through the megaphone made of Ills hands; O, Wally— your 'otel's afire 1And It was. While Ersklne was nervously getting through his Important role, tremendously Important papers and other valuables were being consumed by fire a short distance from the theatre at which he was playing.*
Newspaper Details
New York Clipper
New York, New York, US
Sat, Aug 21, 1909
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Carolyn M.
USA 05 May 2025
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