Show MR ROYLE AND FRIENDS Noted Actor Talks Entertainingly of His Experience With His Clever Play J 5 n 1 I1t f J j j J i H < 5 cS kS C I r ifrxaIro 1 f l t < < I t f It 1 itt Wt4 Vjt W V t2 xj iX v i rt xji y iW j < it r i + > fej 11 Im 1 f w t J t m t r J t I t ffu r li1l 1i 1j Q 3 1 Y J2 X JJ I 1 = < 1i1 J i r 1 < 5 0 Il jor 1 Id t fr IJ l t I I i t I tJ f S t t It J 4 kir t f J < hWi t WA I d I H > t t i tI S I J 1 o 1j IJ i c r Y I l < to I ttfi 11 i1M tt J t f l J I r < T r7F X tf t J f Jffl O It s J tljjlJ 1jW J t t f 4 I tl n 1 ti J 1 f o R c iV 1 f C lo > < CrN p j qp t t J 1 1 J 1 r 1 1 J J t I I l f V MM t Jj I f6 n a V < y m 4 1 1r t r t r i ii i i io fr < t 4 1 t g r > j 4p f f + tkjJ I 1i I I i JWt j Wr f I i i t y jlt 1 4 t 1 i r V < 0 f I 1 J < I lJi 3 iI I 1 J i1Y15 1 t tii f l p fr vrctI 3 I IoW t L tF 1r h h 4t 13 I i1 R i s tr J o f r Ct t fj y L ii 1 11 f 1t l 6 1 t fi fJ1 i < 1 C ll j W t 4fJ 1 j7t jN 1 W fi G 1 tl J IY Iit lS I 1W 1ki f1 t a M iT > I I I l Ej i I t > > fj1 ov O Y < i fHriJ Wf t fi tJ j trr Edwin Milton Royle the popular actor Is enjoying a visit at his old home for a couple of days before appearing with Mrs Royle and timer company In Friends at the Salt Lake Theater tomorrow to-morrow evening In bjuakjng of the career of his play yesterday Mr Role related some very Interesting experiences ences The curtain went up for the first time on the play of Friends about eleven rears ago at the Snit Lake Theater The-ater he said I Friends was my first effort as a dramatic writer and I had exhausted many weary weeks and months In hawking It around from ore manager to another In New York city and I had to come home at last to fret 3 hearing First of all my friends the members of the Home Dramatic club took hold of the project with enthusiasm enthusi-asm ant then the generous public here save me a splendid rtrstnlght audience I shall never forgot the first night here and tin first night at the Standard now the Manhattan theater New York city The theater here was packed with a brilliant audience eager and anxious to be pleased the theater there was barely onethird full and the audience audi-ence had come prepared to see another added to the long list of failures Even my personal friends r think felt that I ought to have avoided this unneces sarlly conspicuous method of making an ass of myself The first act here I vent admirably and our hearts and I our courage were warmed nt the outset I 0 that when I took the play to New York I felt absolutely certain of the I success of the Jlrst act at least I In New York the play was preceded i I by an apology for the nonappearance of E J Henley a favorite actor who had been engaged to play my part and I I the first net proceeded In gloomy and I depressing silence and the curtain fell on the stage and on my heart with a I I sickening thud I thought the play 1 was a foredoomed fnllure I suppoao J I the reason uns that Mr Henderson who played the other friend the pianist I and I had had the corneas 1 scAred out of us The second net here was marred by an unfortunate accident at Its close I was to have caught Miss Edith Clawson as she fell In a simulated faint and through sortie misunderstanding misunder-standing I missed her and she fqll heavily and hit her head upon the stage The blow couldbe heard all over L c 7 U i i u J a the theater and many thought she had been seriously If not permanent injured In-jured but she pluckily proceeded with the play which looked at one time as If It would end right thereIn there-In New York the second act fell Into time hands of Mm Boyle then Selena Fetter and several old nnd experienced experi-enced actors and they pulled the play together and gave the unhappy author I time to get his second wind The end of the third act In Salt Lake was marred by bad stage direction All the I characters were moving at once and th uilt wis a confused picture and a halfhearted call We remedied that In New York and the end of the third i act was greeted with cheers J j The fourth act L believe went well i In both places and yet I think the Salt I Lake performance was as good In somo respects at any we ever gave I I j showed my belief In the Salt Lake I actors by offering 1 New York engagement engage-ment to some of them Friends has been played continuously you may say I for cloven years Irs ROle and I played In It for six or seven years and It has been constantly played by the stock companies since then Miss Alice I C Knuscr the largest play broker In this country says that Friends has I been played more by sic companies i I than any other piece While waiting I for 1 New York opening for my new I play My Wifes Husbands I determIned deter-mined to play Friends again and In reviving It tried to bring to bear upon It my ten years experience and growth The result Is an almost entirely new second act the Introduction of one now I character several new motives and anew a-new denouement In my younger days 1 was greedy at selfsacrifice but on mature reflection I saw no serious I r < t1ecton reason rea-son why 1 shouldnt be the one to Jive happy ever after and 5 Karjo marries I Jennie and Jack the part I play marries mar-ries MargucrKc Thee change have been approved by press and public I cut out the piano nolo which was an I Interruption to the dramatic action and was only Justified because It was exceptionally ceptionally well done I think the play Is more natural and more human and I have eliminated some of the business which while effective was farcical In Its tendency J hope to have the old friends of the Home Dramatic club occupy box W roy guests the opening night f i l J i |