The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 446
617 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
poise and naturalness in a crying scene. Drummond's mimicry on
the other hand drew forth a suggestion from Flake's that touched
upon a much disputed point in the art of acting:
It is a good thing for an actor to surrender himself to the guidance
of the emotions now and then, especially when a strong emotional
effect is sought. There have been occasions when, with all his ex-
cellences, Mr. Drummond struck us as assuming the role of the ancient
Greek chorus, as if he were rehearsing woes in which he had not the
slightest possible concern. This was our great objection to his Stranger.
The fact is, we believe that Mr. Drummond has a naturally good
digestion, and has what religious people call a happy frame of mind,
so that it is difficult for him to "feel sorry." Macready was guilty
of the same sin; he felt not the passion which formed at his lips-
which the elder Booth always did.6
In possession of their wardrobes finally, the members of the
corps could allow themselves greater latitude in the choice of
plays. On December 9 they presented The Hunchback, the old
Sheridan Knowles piece that the public seemed never to grow
tired of. Miss Miles's Julia was outstanding. Flake's noted that she
read the line, "Clifford, why don't you speak to me?" with em-
phasis on the word speak, "a rendering that expresses the greater
passion, unmingled with resentment." Her interpretation of this
line received a spontaneous encore. Richmond's great weakness
here, as elsewhere, the Bulletin thought, was a failure to use his
chest tones. And there was the added comment: "We are afraid
Mr. Richmond gets below that point sometimes." It was re-
ported also that the company dressed the play elegantly.
The nationwide depression was being felt in Galveston and
was of course cutting down on theatre attendance. Merchants of
the city were sorely pressed to meet their commitments because
cotton had not come in to reimburse them for their advances.
The bridge across the bay had been destroyed by the hurricane
and nobody was showing a disposition to rebuild it. The rail-
roads were hampered in moving cotton, therefore, with the con-
sequent upsetting of the economy of this wealthy little island
city of some 23,000 souls.
At the end of the fifth week, the Star Stock Company, as the
aGeorge Henry Lewes, On Actors and the Art of Acting (New York, n.d.),
Chapter X.446
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959, periodical, 1959; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101173/m1/541/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.