Salt Lake Tribune | 1911-03-02 | Page 14 | Famous Actor Talks of Stage

FAMOUS ACTOR TALKS OF STAGE 'SXfarcLe Says People. Are Same as They fflere Centuries Ago. "The heart of tho world is not much changed. The tears that Andromache 6hcd when she received thenows .of Hector's death were like thoso of flic mourning mother of today, garbed though she may bo in coarsest raiment." rai-ment." So spoko Frederick Warde, tragedian, student, scholar, gentleman, as no sat in his dressing room yesterday between be-tween tho acts of "Julius Caesar.1' Behind tho scones Wardo is an interesting inter-esting study. There is about him not the slighte'st touch of affectation or pose. Whether clad in the robes of Vir-gintus, Vir-gintus, the armor of a Brutus read' to lay down his life for his country's sake, or tho conventional street costume that he doffs and dons as occasion requires, his personality stands out, that of the polished, cultured man who has au ideal and who lives up to it as best he may. Seated in his room during. the wait between acts Wardc talked entertainingly entertain-ingly of man' things. 7fo told of his futile attempt to arouse public interest inter-est in "Timon of Athens.'' a Shakespearean Shakes-pearean tragedy not produced on the American stage for more than seventy years. "T sp'cnt a year in the study and preparation of this," said he. " bclicvo J was able to present the great play in a form that detracted not one whit from the beauty and pathos of the storv and at the samo time to eliminate elim-inate all the references and incidents which, while accepted in the sixteenth century, are offensive to modern taste. But the ncpple were not. educated to it. Let mo fell you something" and ho j broke into an infectious, hearty laugh, by no means stag-. "We made our initial production of 'Timon of Athens' in Lancaster, Pa. At its conclusion a man, apparently of average education, said to me: 'Well. Warde, I'm glad to boo that you have at last got hold of an American play.' " 'What's thnt,' I said, not comprehending. compre-hending. n 'Why, "Timon of Athens,-" ' ho replied, re-plied, and it. took me some time to realize that ho thought tho 'Athens' was in Georgia. "Hero '8 a joko on ono part of j'our profession," he added. "Jn one town the printor set up the ad 'Timothy of Athens,' tho proofreader let it' go through and it appeared that way in the paper. I cherish tho copy as a souvenir." "All ready, Nr. Wardc," said tho call boy, and as the veteran actor rose he smiled and said. "And now I go to hand Caesar a lioman punch. I'll be buck in a few minutes." i Before returning to his dressing room the veteran actor puffed tho stub of a cigar and took up his discussion of tho drama. "Caesar is now dead, wu arc througl with him," he remarked, "but no, his ghost is yet to come." Then he turned quick!' from his thought of tho play. "It, docs mc good to get in touch with tho young people,' he said as tho echoes of the applause that greeted greet-ed the curso of Antony came back through tho wiugs. "They arc students," stu-dents," he said. ''They have followed tho play, are following- it now line by line. was out to the high school yesterday. Talk about your transfusion transfus-ion of blood to save physical life. The contact with these bright young minds, full of energy and power, gives ono an inspiration that can bo nad from no other source." "Ready for Mr. Warde," canio the call boy 's -voice. "I must now address tho populace," said Warde, and in an instant be was the dignified, nohlo Brutus, carrying upon his shoulders the burden of an empire.