The evening world. Newspaper, May 13, 1905, Page 23

| \ "In Most Cases the Comparison Is to the Disadvantage of the Latter-Day Author — There Is Too, Much Sugar and Water and Not Enough Roast Beef in the'Current Dra- matic ' Provender, Declares Mr. Lack- aye. O wey is a heap sight hardor than the way of the discov- ered tranegressor, What a difference detween the big and the small actor; what & contrast between the dazzling star and the filckering asteroid! Huddied upon the anxious seat ina dark and marrow ante-room, where fear waited on hope and ambition wilted.{m the waiting, was the nucleus of a Brady “thob” Hopping gayly over the mops of ecrub-ladies and then dn turn experiencing the ecstatic joy of rubbing elbows with the “per- tesh” in the Now York Theatre Bulld- fag elevator, I had duly arrived be- fore a door inscritjed “W. A, Brady,” nd walked unawares into the midst ef @ mixed company, such as haunta ery theatrical manager's office these istremaful apring days. They were a sorry lot, wayfarers trom that limit- wearing Corn-Belt slothea and that tell-tale look of Opera-House To- Night. 1 Ould, feel their envious. glances Pleroing my eenattive beck as I rapped on @ door which shut them H, KALAMAZOO, and Uke Wise Oshkosh! truly Broad- Placid typowritist and the High Kalamasoo,'and Ukewise Oshkosh!” é eo Cd @loomy resections on the pathos of the wmall-try were soon dis- I pelled, Rowever, in the effulgence of Mr, Lackaye’s physical and , sartorial glory, I had never believed it possible for an actor to be so hamdwome—of the stage, He made me feel like a tramp. But tne beauty of tte wubject simtified my action in bringing Mr, Lackaye, “You don't mind?” I assamed, "No, not ithe gentleman tempers justice with mercy,” consented Mr. Hit ‘modemy was charming, but hardly convincing. Justice be might ask, but mercy—well, if wo were all Wilton Lackayes we could walk into a photographer's shop without worrying or trying to “look pleasant.” \ Ladkaye may not be the most diMdent man in the world, but any-| ' way he has less cheek than he had the last time he étood for a picture, “Bee that cheek,” he remarked, pointing to 4 chubby presentment of htm whiph ‘adorned the wall, “And see this!” along one ede of his face. a It was like a defore-and-after-tak! “How, dia you do it?” T asked, may Iwas greatly impressed. Joseph Adler as a Yiddish S 0. thr ae new productions are con- Nib the theatrical season ts jeatre, a Dg for you tn "he gulped, me a Asbtbsbe Fase @ gulped, leading past afters gly an into that chamber, consecrated for the moment to tage Hypnotiom, I felt a pang for the patient pack out (here, The merciless offce-boy, while he kept the “wolves"* from one door, had flung wide of! the others to the “lion,” and given him a room to himaelt. Te ras the evidence of this crusbinequality which made my soul cry “Oh,| | Cd rd * ing demonstration. “By doing without things that I like and doing with things that I. don’t like,” he replied, “I knocked off fifteen pounds in two pa rg something out of respect for Svengall's reputation as a human epider, you knoér.,. You can judge for yourself,” and as a further proot of his sacrifice to “art” he took @ bandtn! of slack in the waist of bis trousers, Needless tp along an accomplice to “draw” bringing’a hand straight down T had to do “The Black Mask’ will be wet on at the The. Evening w orid’s rin. me Ma But all this was incidental, and was probably not intended for publica- tion. X went to see Mr, Lackaye in the hope that he might continne the ttle talk he gave atthe New Amsterdani Theatre on Monday night—a talk #0 interesting it has caused more talk than the successful revival of “Trilby” iteelf,, Mr, Lackaye rewarded me at once by coining this nice, new epigram in asfewer to my question as to his opinion of the “revival” generally: “The revival is a criticiam of the present playwright.” rd C s s “7 Mr. Lackaye, “But don't you think there is more cleverness, or at least more super- ficial cleverness, in the plays of to-day?” “Yeu, that is true; but that’s just the trouble, its wholly superficial cleverness. The modern so-called society play is all prattle and no story. It's hilt on afr (no, he didn’t say hot air) and decorated with smart say- ings. It's clever, yes; but what is it all about? I believe that people are alok, and tired of tho teacup-and-saucer play that tinkles with epigrams Ben the epigram loses its sparkle in time. A good play; an enduring play, must have something more than epigrama, It must have sometht! When something does happen we are apt to call it melodrama; but, call it what you please, the play in which something happens {@ the play the pub- Me wants, Theatregoers have been fed on sugar and water @o long that they want something more snbstantial, Playwrights are beginning to reo- omnise this, A sign of this on our aide of the water is furnished by Clyde Fitch, who put a large alice of roast beef into his last play. See what hap- O bis advantage or dicadvantage?” I asked. “In moat cases to his disadvantage, I should say,” replied al * ng happen, gozine, Saturday Evening, May 13, 190 * pened'at Monday night’s performance of ‘Trilby.’ The most marked en- thusiasm of the evening followed the closing scene of the third act, And hat wes that scene but frank melo- drama? .The audience didn't stop to ask what it was, It didn’t care, It accepted # without question, The demonstration was not so surprising when you stop to think that you sel- dom see anything happen on the stage nowadays, That is one reason why “Trilby’ has survived these ten years, It tells something, It hasa story. I was surprised in reading the novel again to find it as fascinating aa it are real gems of eanayn, It’s easy to understand why ‘Trilby’ was more than HILE Mr, Lackaye looks forward with confidence to the day of “The playwright,” sald he, “site on the fence and watehes the ‘proces- too, is on the lookout to commercialize any idea that is making money for the thing. The trouble with the play-market to-day is that it’s short on was ten years ago, Du Maurier not only wrote an intensely interesting and hu- one of ‘the six best-selling books.’ ” more solid dramatic food, he has little faith in the originality of sion go by. If something that atrikes his fancy comes along he Dounces some other fellow, Thus it is that a successful ‘Old Kentucky’ is sure tobe ideas. Most of our playwrights have written themselves out, We all have in “A Wight tr @ Foot " Weanon, Walters nd Weasou, aa 0 Prootor' Lottun jude, ne ay AT CONEY I@LAND, hylock at the American. ae Dill af the Atlantic Garden will SwaNE jo, Mr amd Mrs, Trait the, rose remain at 9 man story, with marvellously drawn chamoters, but his discursive passages ad a“ s | “ W the chofs, On it, dresses it-up in other clothes and puts {t gm parade, The manager, followed by a New Virginia and a Middle-Aged Massachusetts, The idea's vat Mecha one play ii us--one story—but mot all of us can write it Some Mr. Lackaye Feared thatSyengaliMignt Be Giventhe Laugh, —Hypnotismlis Now? So Commonly Ac-”* cepted that the Farmer’s Wife Uses It as Her Excuse for: Running Away with the Livery- Stable Man, : Playwrights make no pretense-of bes original. ‘Not at all, aay bog’ aaid, ‘I copped that ¢rom old tus.’ ‘Wiho the deuce was I asked. ‘One of the minor posts,’ he whispered. It's always ip Cetus,’ only every playwright is io) as honest as Potter. The only thing’ an author oan do when he uses an ony” Aden is to get on the safe aide of exit) clam by disarming his publie bedowe.| hand, Potter did this clevesty tm |. ‘Trilby.’ Ae originally written Here is where the playwright, gives you the laugh and chuckles T saw it first.’ He's got you on the hip.” s re) r ry 6 ” ‘T was with consMerable fear and trembling that Mr. Lackaye brought Svengali into the light of 1906. “It was an altogether different proposition from playing the part ten years ago,” he sald. “At that time the average person had hardly a bowitig! acquaintance with hypnotism, while now it is eo commonly recognized thati| the farmer’e wife who runs away with the livery stable keeper explains her, conduct when brought beck to Manistee by saying: ‘He hypnotized me,’ It. has been turned to even more bumorous uses by the vaudeville performer, who has been getting langhs these ten yoars or so by putting on weird whis- . kers, clawing the air and shrieking: ‘It is my vish!’ My greatest fear on!) Monday night was that the audience might take a humorous view of the character. One laugh would have floored me, X ehould have been down and), out, in the old days Svengali was taken se seriously that I frequently found | myself embarrassed and hamiliated in consequence, A number of people, imagined I was a monster off ap well as on the stage. Once when « wells meaning but impulsive friend dragged me across a restaurant to introdie me to a Jady she turned her head and said she ditn't care to meet me, uy? all the absurd stories told of me had been true Z-would have made a promis" ing understudy for the vil One.” ‘ “Did you notice any effect from the constant playing of the role?” “Yen, it finally got on my nerves, I became cranky, nervous, irritable,» ‘A part like Svengall would give one the ‘jams’ if he kept at it long enough, I was glad to get out of it.” i It yas now time for Mr. Lackaye to gat into ttagain. The matinesdiwar * svan close at hand, We walked out together. The “wolves” were still atthe Brady door, This time the envy in their glances was mixed edotre- tion, Who wouldn’t be a “lion?” OHARLDS D. \ A Velvety Complexion RAR OR MENT MUS. ole and a Plump Figure|@=CLOSES TO-NIGHT<=D¢ Mm ate more he ane " MADISON 8a) soca tha, Freees | <URERL, Ml . on hier greatest ig! Bie Act i a & if : o:3 ty Band 8 $3 zetz » pte Bo Boeth’s Volunteers. Asoording to the annual report of the Volunteers of America, of whom Bail- ington Booth is the leader, the con- gtogations at the 96,000 services during the year within the volmuteers’ hells and buildings reached 1,008,055 peracns. CO ) A. DIFFERENT MAN, dohn J. Doyle; of 634 Pacific Street, Brooklyn, Was Bullt Up and Cured of\Stomech Trouble by Father John’s Medicine. ‘ 1 find that Father John's Medicine has done me a great.deal of good. | had stomach trouble and o general Tun-down feeling, and since I com-|; menced'to take cine I find myself a different man. 1 have recommended the medicine to my” friends and acquaintances, (Signed) John J. Doyle, 624 Pacific ni ‘ at, Broo! ated eae ert a ie magnificent ts ise "Fou OSTOCK’S “oteate a |FEARLESS BONAVITA HiPPODROME bgt ieee Pia She Bt ht Spy. RE ett Re UE ‘Un pai oats oe oo ohh Pinte pest |g ms ANK! YRICHA By Mok Biway. Mate l1gsth ‘time L ‘To-Day, Decoration Day,|To-nt,8.16, pe ANGeELs * FANTANA METROPOLIS | Pu fih gists Bet A L NOW AR POPE . Ben Hi Next whe Tarob PAI shant of Ventoe’ ther John’s Modi- Biot jake, BOA Nar Work Bi Mat. Tay rom Ri Witear anal at! ext Wk—'Th dwell Bros, aga to Riches: Mask. aslo }foy ccilttond a it Huber’s "3" Museum * st, ARKOLT PATI Wa 20 Acts. iH carer Tee ae A tne ata Wedding, | fa. AMUSEMENTS. AMU: ENTS, ) PROCTOR’S hog 20 tale eh Henitobigemciauntar lak toby" 220, i Mat. ayer ia} fits by Matinee, Alken, Mr, Witeoa, ot Dall K a oe \ PASTOR'S aes Ht faa Catan nt Michie TODAS. OF MNP. nano LAMBRA THEA, Tth A 1296 Bt. FRE" satires WoW ON Balen, BIJOU By. 8 i WARRIELD | kcal th = Lukens, Bellman & Moore, Chas, Kenna, ¢to, Al , THAN TO-DAY AGTH 88 THERA ao,, 300, meee. TRILBY. D wig? Hackett [rs DENEY tebe renee WIL! “Bat lath 1, /Sun—-Abt, & Bve.—Conoerts renee ERE || Nexe'war thueler Brown, with staater Gabrier) A Noxt aus & WALKER. FB GOTHAM pig erie ‘ MERICAN reyi THE LIARS |; Guedes aday, | Sun Atta By.,cono ine eA eel os te ii it ae NB. i; WEST END .ceeeuve Bit 18a! Sas BROOKLYN AMUSEMENTS, 7 Bing MONTAUK, iain! MAY IRWIN = 3 RELIGIOUS NOTICES, THIRD CONVENTION. ’ | Bia. Gillett’s Dogs, pnd, | Gpaseino, itt Gordon. rt faudevitie Show we, lax, Av. 107th, MAT, TO-DAY SYA R Sarita Be EDEN TOM PAS UAE: ATLANTIC? ey wie