Morning journal and courier., 1883-04-12
An Interview with Mrs. Langtry

0OHSA~SA nave scrutinized the finely wrought buck ikin doublet with which she is clad in her l character as s..RosaIind, have examined its | delicate texture and incidentally her plump l and well formed arms, and in short have found her all and more too than critics have led us to expect-a charming woman, purely I natural in her manner and with none or the ' gush D or reserV Ve incident to women of her profession-using the good old Anglo Saxon q leg'' for limb, leggy-peggy and other milder epithets with which Americans are wont to characterize this most important sp- bondage, and in fact discourBing upon topics and things inI general with freedom from affectation and frankness of manner that 4 once caused the reverence and respect of her somewhat timorous interviewer.
 Mrs Langtry-and here let us say, for the benefit of our American ''dudes, " that she pronounces it with short G-was exquisite Iy attired in the close fitting doublet afoIe- said, reaching within a few inches of the knee and cut slightly open at the back, ex- posing to the eager gaze of her interviewer her beautiful pearIy white skin, which has justly gained her the soubriquet of the Jer sey Lily The rest of her visible attire con- sisted of silk tights and pair of tight fitting russet leather boots laced at the sides, and disclosing her shapely limbs, of an English type, surmounsing exceedingly small and we'll formed feet. Her face was remarkably free from professional makeup, consisting simply of tiny bit of rouge and little col bring under the eyes, and slight pencilling
 ,fR RIoa and free from any artificial tints, and her wavy auburn hair was gathered back in loose folds behind rather large but well formed ears. Her interviewer was received cordially after brief introduction from her manager, MT. Schwab, and the following conversation was had:
 You have hardly seen much of New Ha- ven !? No, I wish it had been fine weather. I should like to have taken drive. Yes, l have had, on the whole, very pleasant weather in America. had 8 very severe cold in Chicago. I laid about there in a tor pid state.
 Did you enjoy the western country as well as you do the eastern? Yes, but 'tis true one feels more at home in ones own land. But have been treated very kindly in America, coming here perfect stranger, and this my first season. But one does not
 
 open arms.
 Do you find it fatiguing travelling so much and sleeping in your own car Yes 1t Is fatiguing, but am getting used to 1t. At first could not possibly sleep at all in the car, but have become used to It and now the rushing of the cars and the whistle of the engine have become familiar sounds and mingle in my dreams.
 Mrs. Langtry's eye glanced upward as she uttered the last remark, her orbs catching g poetic light and looking like the bright blue of summer sky.
 Some conversation ensued regarding her plays s'Unequal Match" tfShe Stoops to Conquer" etc, and the lady in reply to the query which she preferred, said she always preferred the last in which she had played. She reverted to the western trip and said she was terribly fatigued by those long vest ern journeys. Here in the East, however,
 the journeys were so much shorter and less fatiguing. Also as to theaters she remarked upon the fact that some small towns had finer theaters than some of the larger ones. Here in New Haven, for instance, was an ex- traordinarily fine theater for city of so much less s1ze than New York or PhiIadel- phia. Look, for instance, she added, at this reception room as an example of the scale on which this theater is built.
 Are you anxious to get back to England No, but of course one has feeling for ones country when away from it.
 I see there is a report that you are to set tie here? Oh, an actress has the world after all for her home. Reverting to the subject of railroad travel Mrs. Langtry's business manager mentioned that Mrs. Langtry was to have perfectly elegant palace car built soon. Mrs. Langtry reverted to the plays she pre- sented in London, and then her success in America was spoken of and her short career thus far as an actress. Oh, no, Mrs. Langtry added I never appeared in private theatri- calls before essaying the, stage. which was only little over year ago. Give me five years more and my acting will improve, I think
 Mrs. Langtry was now asked if she felt any nervousness now in appearing before the public. Oh, she replied, one never gets used to 1t. It always disturbs me, the thought that must face an audience. One always is anxious from desire to please At this point reference was made to her. stage dress, and she was asked as to her alleged hesitancy in appearing ia the scant attire of the forest youth. Being interrupted the question was unanswered, and she referred to her tight fitting sacque, which she said was some kind of leather. Many were mis- taken, she said, as to it's texture. She grace fully raised her arm and asked her questioRer If it was not leather The qusstioner sub mitEed the arm to the requisite touch and swer to another question she said she had neither gained nor lost flesh since coming to America, but through all the vicissitudes of travel and work had held her own. Her stage make up was complimented and she said she spent very little time now upon it. She used but little powder on the nose and pencilled her eyebrows. Otherwise her face and neck were perfectly natural.
 The American public is critical, is it not? Yes I am sure it is critical. Are they more so than your English audiences? Yes, rather more so. think the English audiences little more kind but next season expect to find my American audiences kinder. But have been well treated very kindly treated here. But in England think | they are so thoroughly kind, no matter where l the actor is from.
 Mrs. Langlry on this point added You see in England it was different. Here the | impression is that come to simply pose for | beauty and take away American dollars. So 1 the audience comes prepared to criticise and they pick out this and that, and say that is | good, or that is done badly, and they jot it 1 down. But have had great success in this | country. Pittsburg was the worst place 1 | have been in. I was abominably treated | there. The press criticised my legs, my | mouth and my eyes. did not come to this l country to pose as a beauty. I hope I have | some merit as an actress. If I had come | simply for an exhibit of my features and | arms I would have expected to be criticised | for that. But the papers there ignored my dCG1QS. 4QOS6 papers buOu1u nave nOG1CS0 1 my acting and criticised it. They might as well have said that have nose, two legs, and two arms and mouth.
 Do you not think that as you came from England partly famed as beauty. that you must expect criticism on that score?
 MT. Schwab said as test of her acting that in London, where she had been seen in her role as beauty many times, she contin- ued to draw good houses based on her acting. People did not go fourteen times to see beau ty simply. So in this country. Take it in ] Chicago She drew large houses there, and some time afterward we made return visit and she drew better than before. So it was ia Philadelphia, where she made return visit. It was better each time. Now take Boston. Boston goes in streaks. There's Chanfrau, who has played ''Kit" there for years, and Boston always goes to t'Kit.' Mrs. Langtry was asked regarding Oscar Wilde and his reports eulogizing her. She said Yes,I believe he did write some articles I in my favor. When asked jestingly if Oscar did not also pose as beauty, she said Per haps so, Lat b-i asEss that I am not to be chased with him in any Ray. She added that she was to make return visit to Amer ioa Before re-crossing the water she would visit Saratoga and on her return to Europe would study two or three months in Paris. As to her pronunci- ation she said she had been complimented as