AN AMERICAN COMEDIAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 293, 11 December 1899, Page 3

AN AMERICAN COMEDIAN.

A CHAT WITH MR HARRY COXOE,

i Most playgoers here must have ,' heard of Mr Harry Conor, the Ameri- ' can comedian, with the "Trip to Chinatown" Company, although he has never played in new Zealand. Mr Conor arrived from Sydney this morning with Messrs Hoyt and McKee's Company, and in the course of the morning was waylaid at the Albert Hotel by a "Star" representative, on interviewing bent. On hearing- the object of the pressman's visit Mr Conor screwed his jolly, good-hum-oured face into a whimsical expression of pain, and glanced furtively at the door; but that was only his fun. The interviewer suggested chloroform, but Ms subject heroically decided to go through the operation without any anesthetic, and submitted himself to the ordeal with the best grace in the world. "I've been on the stage about eighteen years," he said, in answer to a question. I started by singing comic songs and giving recitations at concerts in Boston, and then engaged a company of my own and ventured South with a play especially written for me. I was only about 19 at the time. We had rather an exciting experience. Our first show-place was to be a, town in South Carolina, about a thousand miles from Boston. We got there about three o'clock one morning, and drove up from the station in a bus. I was riding on the box, and noticing a glow in the sky I remarked to the coloured driver: "What a beautiful sunrise!" "That's not a sunrise," said the driver; "that's the Oi>era House burning down." Imagine my feelings! Everything I had was gone up in smoke; —scenery, costumes, everything. They hanged five niggers a few months later for burning down the building! Well, we had a trip to South Carolina, and a trip back, and that was the extent of my experience a.s a manager. I thought I'd let 'some one else hire me after that. "My next engagement was in a juvenile comic opera Co. playing 'Pinafore,' 'The Magic Slipper,' and so forth. After that I got into real opera and then into comedy. I've been playing comedy with Mr Hoyt for the past fifteen years, and during that time the only pieces I have played for him have been 'The Rag Baby,' 'A Trip to Chinatown,' and 'A Stranger in New York.' Of course I have played in other pieces out in the colonies and in England." Mr Conor has been appearing in "A Trip to Chinatown" for the last nine years, and is not tired of it yet. "As long as the people like it," he said, "I don't mind playing it. We played it in New York for 756 nights, summer ! and winter, and all through the States. It has been running in England for five years, and there are companies there playing it still." "How did it take in Australia?" "Splendidly. When we went back to Sydney this time, on the opening night the theatre was packed—people turned away. And it was the same wherever we went. We only played in the four big- centres on our first visit, and did well then too. That was in 1896. I have this to remind me of the date," and here Mr Conor displayed on his watch-chain a pendant formed from one of Newhaven's teeth, mounted in gold, presented to him just before | the famous racehorse won the I "double"—V.E.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup—in 1896. "Is 'Chinatown' anything like the- ' Belle of New York?'" asked the interviewer.

"Well, it has more plot, and not so many operatic features. The plot is more connected. I must say, you want to get a dark lantern to find it in some places; but it's there, and creeps in occasionally. ' Of course, it doesn't set out to be anything else than a play to amuse. 'A Stranger in New York' is on the same lines, and a number of people like it better. It's not so rollicky as" 'A Trip to Chinatown.' People in the colonies have no difficulty in. understanding the Americanisms in these plays. Nearly everything we use in the way> of expressions are -understood out here. You see, you have pcopl<i consTantly coming" here from the States, and you get hold of our sayings, while we get hold of yours."

The talk drifted into a comparison of American and colonial "slang," and Mr Conor had much of. interest to tell of the ways of "gold - bricks" and '■gi*een-goods men" and other entertaining characters in the States. But space forbids the telling of it here. In conclusion Mr Conor said the management thought of talcing the Company across to Brisbane after playingNew Zealand. It was originally intended to go from Australia to South Africa and thence to Europe' but the war has upset the arrangements, so that their future movements are indefinite. ,