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Mayo At Rehearsal

Mayo At Rehearsal image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
August
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"The late Frank Mayo, whose snelden death on a train ncr.r Omaha was such a painful sbrx; to tl 3 whole dramatic profession, was one of the most severe and at the sarao time most just managers that it has ever been my piéasure to act uuder, " said Henry Davonport, on of E." L. Davenport, the tragedian, , and ono of the managers of the Girard Avenue theater of th'is city. "He knew how a part shonld be played and insisted on the actor playing it in that way if it took 50 reheársals to perfect the role according to Mr. Mayo's ideas. " Mr. Davenport created the role of Judge Driscoll in "Pudd'nhead Wilson," Mayo's last success, and played it during the New Vork run of the production. "During the rehearsals previ - ous to the flrst productiou of 'Pudd'nhead Wilson,' " cóntinued Mr. Davenport, "Mr. Mayo actedevery role in the play for the pui-pose of .showing the meuibers of the cornpany how he wanted it played. He took infinite pains to see that eveiy line was perfectly read, every accent properly placed and every bit of business broüght out clearly, effectively and naturally. I would not have it understoed that in this matter Mr. Mayo was a raartinet or one who assumed tokuow ifc all. No one adre ired originality more than he. He liked to ee an actor give his own cencsption of apart, but v.hru this was dono he dexnancled a reason for everything. "This was one of his peculiar traits. lí a meinbcr of the company mude a gesture or a pause or emphasized a ■word in a new or original rnanner, Mr. Mayo would say, 'Now, why do you do that?' He would get to the bottom of the idea, and, if a good reason was adTanced for it. it found ready aceeptance. Be was this way iu everything. I remem ber that he taught me fencing when I was a mere boy, and in return I taught him what I knew about boxing. I usuaïly bosed about one minute and explained 15. I would make a lead ■or a counter or a guard, and Mr. Mayo would say: 'Stop, now. Why do you do that?' And when he was teaching me fencing he would make a thrust or a parry and then stop to say, 'Kow, you ■ see, I do this because, ' etc. "But to come back to 'Pudd'nhead Wilson. ' Mr. Mayo loved that play as he loved hischildren. I reinember some time beforo the play was produced he became convinced that it needed pruning. Something had to be cut out, but he hadn't the heai't to do it. So he -went to my brother-in-law and said: 'Here is this play of mine. I know it needs cutting down, but I can't do it, It is almost ns much lo res as one of my children. I have gone ever line after line and said: 'I can't cut this out, nor this, nor ihis. I cau't cut anything out. So I want sonie disinterested person todo it forme, ' And when the play was produce;!, though he alone was re.sponsible fcr the dramatization, lic gave all the credit for the success to Mark 'Twain in an addresa he made before the curtain the first night. That was his nature, "lts great success was very gratifying to Mr. Mayo, and he deserved it. He wasted several fort unes in the effort to give the pu,blio first class productions of the clussical drama, which they would uot reeeive. jMayo's famous 'Forty' was one of the best equipped companies for the production cf Shakespeare aud other Standard plays that ever left New Yorl:. Wo oarried everything, even suppers, but the peopie would have none of U3. The same treatment was accorded Mr. Míiyo's 'Nordeck,' his adaptation of 'The Three Guardsnien' and several other classical efforts. But he rose superior to all these setbacks. It was hard that his life should end just as he was once more on the road to fortune. "Mr. Mayo's county seat at Cantón, Pa., adjoined that of my father. It was at his home that the noble man was seen at his best - and his worst. His worst consisted of a penchant for arguiug. Mr. Mayo loved to argüe, and he would never let up until you acknowledged yourself convinced or feil into silence in admiration of his earnestness, his sincerity and his marvelons command of language and voice. Mr. Mayo had on the grounds of his estáte a little French chalet, which he bor.ght at the Centennial exposition in this city. He used it for a study, and there he would eit until 9 o'clock at night, when he would suddeniy romember that he ought to have Slipper and proceed slowly to the house. Most always lie would find Mrs. Mayo, niy raother, his daughter, now Mrs. JElverson, and myself eugaged in a game of whist. Mr. Mayo would enter the room slowly and take a positiou behind hisdaughter'schair. Final - ly she would make a play which her father didn't think was good, and he Would break in with, 'Now, Nellie, why did you play thatcard?' The game would end soon afterthat, forMr. Mayo would insist upon arguing the point with Nellie aud kill the interest in the game at once. "Mr. Mayo once told me that he had discovered the secret cf true elocutiou. You must emphasize only those words which could be left out of a sentence without destroying thesense, heargued. Thus, in the seutence, 'Get thee behind me, satan,' he maintained that 'thêo' and 'me' wei-e the words that stress should be laid upon. Manifestiy that was wrong, though up to a certain point his theory was correct. But I didn't attempt to argue the point with him. When acting, he was always trying new readings of lines, and we never knew when he was going to spring a new emphasis upon us. He was a lovable friend, an efficiënt manager and a brilliant actor. To work With him was a

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News