Life — March 6, 1902 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

«LIFE: Unjustified Stellarism. ‘T is only natural that every actor and actress should wish to bea star. The chasm that separates riches and poverty is a mere ditch compared with that which yawns between the full-fledged star and the common, or garden, actor. In thatimportant matter— vanity—the star is catered toand the other fellow more often snubbed. In personal comfort the star is provided for, and the other has to fight for what he gets and often goes without. The star, he rides in chaises, and the other, ar or walks, ery actor knows he should be a star. There is no real harm in his knowing it, if it does not interfere with his doing everything in his power to fit himself for stellar honors, and if only he defers becoming a star in the bill-board sense until other persons, and a good many of them, share his knowledge of his own abilities, Two very important things the would-be star and his financial backers should make sure of—experience and fitness. The failures the public sees most often are young persons who might be fitted for stardom by experience, but who have not that necessary as: Mary Andersons are not born e: nute, and there be those who say that a few years of preliminary training would not have spoiled the crude artof * Our Mary.” Of the other kind—those who have experience, but who by natural qualifications are not fitted for the eminence of the star—we Lave fewer examples. ‘The Syndicate has a way of manufacturing stars out of actors who have gained a certain cheap vogue, but this is a mere trick of bill-boards and press-agents, of dollars and fooling a gullible public, which public, by the way, is becoming acquainted with the trick and is not so willing as formerly to believe an actor a star simply because the advertisements and free advance notices that he is, The real verdict in this matter rests with the critics, not only with honest and thoughtful pro- fessional critics, but with thoss experienced theatre-goers who make up their minds for themselves and are not led into judgment by the hysterical applause and admiration of the matinée girl, nor The Question of he—rides in a stree THE REAL BASIS OP KOMANTIC MELODRAMA. by the cheerful idiot who voices his opinion during the progress of the play. ° . . HERE is nothing in the work of Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon, Jointly or severally, to entitle them to the position of stars. ‘They were both fairly competent members of the Lyceum stock. company. Even there they did not achieve such successes as to warrant them in the beliefthat they were qualified to shine above their fellows. In certain dignified parts requiring neither great facility nor strong emotion, Mr. Kelcey was acceptable. He was a gentlemanly actor without much power of expression. Miss Shannon was agreeable in ingenue roles, but even these were marred by personal peculiarities of manner and intonation, As they appear in “Her Lord and Master,” Mr. Kelcey does not seem to have grown in tempera- ment, and Miss Shannon does not seem to have overcome her faults or increased in power. To both of them, however, the years have been kind, and Miss Shannon is to-day quite as girlish as when she was at the Lyceum, ‘The supporting cast in the play is competent, Mr. Morton Selten being especially effective as an English nobleman, with an admiration for the institutions of America, particularly its slang. The play is by Miss Martha Morton, and is a modernized version of “ The Taming of theShrew,” the Katharine being an American girl, and the Petruchio an English viscount. As a dramatic com- position it has its entertaining moments, but it is notlikely to drive Shakespeare's version of the story from the stage. Metcalfe. MI88 SHANNON IN “eR LORD AND Master. LIFE'S CONFIDENTIAL GUIDE TO THE THEATRES. Academy of Music.—Oulda’a “ Under Two Flags,” dramatized by Paul Potter, Spectacular and exciting. Bijou.—" The Climbers." Amusing play of New York soctety life, Broadway.—"The Beauty and the Beast.” As gorgeous and amusing as ever. Criterion.—" Da Barry,” with Mrs. Leslie Carter as the heroine, pressive wud interesting. Daty's.—" Notre Dame." Notice later. Empire—Stock company tn “The Twin Sister." Notice later, Garrick.—Last week but one of Charies Hawtrey's long engugement in “A Message from Mara." Very Interesting comedy with 8 moral, Herald Square.—Lulo Glaser tn the title réie of “Dolly Varden.” Amus- ing light opera well presented, Knickerbocker.—" The Toreador.” Comic opera of the conventional type. Lyceum.—Last weeks of this theatre and Annie Russell tn The Giri and the Jadge.” An excellent Iittle play well performed. Manhattan.—Mr. Herbert Ketcey and Miss EMe Shannon tn “ Her Lord and Master.” See above. Madison Square.—Willlam Collier tn “ On the Quiet." Amusing nonsense. Republic.—Henrietta Crosman tn “As You Like It." Notice later, Saroy.—“The Way of the World.” Fairly amusing soclety play, Victoria Primrose and Dockstader’s negro minstrels, Wallacks —“A Gentleman of France.” Strenuous drama- tization of the novel. Good of Its kind, Weber and Fields's Music Halt.—Vaudeville and bur- lesque. The managers are clever artists and expert at making the public pay to see them. comicbooks.com