AN ACTOR ON LUCK.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7446, 22 May 1911, Page 10

AN ACTOR ON LUCK.

"Luck,” exclaimed Mr Charles Haw* trey in. an address before the London Playgoers’ Club. "What an enormous factor,is luck in tl}6 whole game of life,, and perhaps nowhere more than in the theatrical profession! X put down, in my own case, the opportunities that have, come to me entirely to luck! X had the' good fortune to auapt a play from the xierman twenty-five years asp; this I called “The Private Secretary." ■ Owing to the further good fortune that it wai a dreadful failure to begin with—though I believed enough in it to continue it* run—X -hod. to take a theatre of my own; and though not wishing to become af manager, - nad management, as it were, thrust upon , me: Tne result of this-was that in plays thatT atterwards produced; I was able to ploy the character and ; parts that I , felt X could play, and not the ones that other managers had given me, when they rarely and grudgingly gave me an engagement! In the days p speak of, if ever I got an engagement.; it was usually to play a romantic lover: in a period some two or three hundred years ago. I. was very. bad. in. all. of these, tao Ugh ! T tried very hard but 1 knew I was not suited. I remember on the last occasion that I had to impersonate one of tnese characters tho critic of the “Tcicgrapli” wrote; "Mr Hawtrey as the lover, the part originally piaved with such rare grace and charm by'Mr; Forbes-Kobertson when' the play first saw the light, looked like a cross between a bicyclist and a, member of the Clapham Hovers Football Club.” Well, you can see it was trying me a bit high xo follow Forbes-ilobertsou. Xncidentallv, I may add, tbe play did not have' a very long run when 1 played in it. I think you will agree with me that the gieat public look upon the theatre entirely as a place of amusement, a relaxation’from tue cares and xvorrits in life; and I think it will be. always.-wiser to foster that feeling instead cf "attempting to make if a means of educating. them. The long runs of successful musical comedies, where gloom is not allowed to enter for an instant, is sufficient proof of the tastes of the masses'pand who ia: going to, blame them? Not!;I for one—; nor do I think any of you here to-night. Personally I think tho days of‘tragedy are over. I don’t believe we'shall ever see- a great English ■ tragedian again Many of vou will no doubt de'plore this; but after all, we are entirely in tho hautls of the public; wo must give it what it wants and make the best of it!’’