The rehearsals are a vital part of the preparatory work, and to them
Mr. Mansfield has devoted a great deal of time. For weeks, between the
hours of eleven in the morning and four in the afternoon, he remains
on the stage with his company, seated in a line four or five deep on
either side of him, like boys and girls at school, deeply engrossed
in impressing upon the minds of individual members of the company his
own ideas of the interpretation and presentation of the various parts.
Again and again, until one would think he himself would become utterly
weary of the repetition, he would have an actor repeat a sentence. Not
until it is exactly right is Mr. Mansfield satisfied. Nothing escapes
his scrutiny. At dress rehearsals he may see, to mention a typical
case, a tall man and a small one of no special importance in the play
standing together, and the tall one may be made up to have a sallow
complexion and beard. Mr. Mansfield glances at them quickly. Something
is wrong. He hastens up to the smaller one and suggests that, for the
sake of contrast, he make himself up to look stout and to have a smooth
face. The improvement is quite noticeable. Mr. Mansfield carefully
notes the effect of light and shadow on the scenery; and sometimes,
at the last moment, will seize the brush and add, here and there, a
heightening or a softening touch.
An incident of his early youth will tend to illustrate his spirit
of self-reliance. His mother was an eminent singer who frequently
appeared before royal families in Europe, and usually had little
Richard with her. On one occasion, after her own performance before
royalty in Germany, the little Crown Prince, who was about the same
age as Richard, and an accomplished boy, played a selection on the
piano, and played it well. When he had left the piano, the company was
very much surprised to see Master Richard Mansfield take his place,
without an invitation, and play the same music, but in a considerably
better manner than had the Crown Prince. When the boy had become a
youth, he was compelled to support himself; and, having come to this
country, he obtained a position as a clerk in the Jordan & Marsh
establishment in Boston. Meanwhile, he was devoting all his spare time
to studying painting. He afterward tried to make a living at it in
London, and failed. He was finally given an opportunity as a comedian
in “Pinafore.” He had the small part of Joseph. It was but a short time
afterward when he entered the employ of Mr. Palmer and got the chance
of his lifetime.