The Autobiography of Joseph Jefferson |
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actor American arranged arrived artist audience BARNEY WILLIAMS beautiful began Burton called cast character Charles Charles Fechter Charles Kean Charles Mathews comedian comedy comical course curtain dear delight Dion Boucicault dramatic EDWIN FORREST effect engagement Engraved entertainment eyes face fancy father feel felt Forrest friends gentleman give graceful hand head heard humor John John Brougham JOSEPH JEFFERSON Kean kind knew lady laugh Laura Keene Lester Wallack London look Macready manager matter ment mind Miss Keene mother nature never night once opening painted performance perhaps photograph picture Pierre Landry play rehearsal remember replied Rip Van Winkle scene season seemed seen smile stage stage-manager star stood street success sure theater theatrical thought tion told took town TYRONE POWER walked Wallack Washington Irving wife wonder young
Popular passages
Page 201 - To the surprise of every one, himself included, these antics, intended by him to injure the character, were received by the audience with delight. He was a shrewd man, as well as an effective actor, and he saw at a glance that accident had revealed to him a golden opportunity. He took advantage of it, and with cautious steps increased his speed, feeling the ground well under him as he proceeded. Before the first month was over, he stood side by side with any other character in the play ; and at the...
Page 190 - What hands are here ? ha ! they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand ? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.
Page 36 - The young lawyer began his harangue. He handled the subject with tact, skill, and humor, tracing the history of the drama from the time when Thespis acted in a cart to the stage of today. He illustrated his speech with a number of anecdotes and kept the council in a roar of laughter; his good humor prevailed, and the exorbitant tax was taken off.
Page 436 - The inspired warmth of passion in tragedy and the sudden glow of humor in comedy cover the artificial framework with an impenetrable veil: this is the very climax of great art, for which there seems to be no other name but genius. It is then, and then only, that an audience feels that it is in the presence of a reality rather than a fiction. To an audience an ounce of genius has more weight than a ton of talent; for though it respects the latter, it reverences the former. But the creative power,...
Page 36 - ... calling; I forget the amount, but it was large enough to be prohibitory. Here was a terrible condition of affairs: all our available funds invested, the legislature in session, the town full of people, and we by a heavy license denied the privilege of opening the new theater! In the midst of our trouble a young lawyer called on the managers.
Page 440 - Why, by that shake of the head, he gave you to understand that even though they had more justice in their cause, and wisdom in their measures — yet, if there was not a greater spirit shown on the part of the people, the country would at last fall a sacrifice to the hostile ambition of the Spanish monarchy.
Page 26 - One touch of nature makes the whole world kin " written under him, and a large, painted, brick-red drapery looped up by Justice, with sword and scales, showing an arena with a large number of gladiators hacking away at one another in the distance to a delighted Roman public ; though what Justice had to do with keeping these gladiators on exhibition was never clearly explained by the artist.
Page 11 - I was duly blacked up and dressed as a complete miniature likeness of the original. He put me in a bag, which almost smothered me, and carried me upon the stage on his shoulders. No word of this proceeding had been mentioned in the bills, so that, figuratively speaking, the public were as much in the dark as I was. After dancing and singing the first stanza he began the second; the following being the two lines which introduced me : О Ladies and Gentlemen, I 'd have you for to know That I...
Page 55 - K** <•«•»* ••• hissing and jeering that were so liberally bestowed r upon me will never be vented again in this country for so slight an offense. The well-dressed, decorous audience of to-day, when an accident occurs, sit quietly, bearing it with patience and consideration, and when it is righted they break forth in encouraging applause. Look at the decorum observed by the vast assemblages that go to witness our national games. Disturbances are very rare. It would have been...
Page 230 - Rip Van Winkle! There was to me magic in the sound of the name as I repeated it. Why, was not this the very character I wanted? An American story by an American author was surely just the theme suited to an American actor. In ten minutes I had gone to the house and returned to the barn with "The Sketch-Book.