Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-02
Fat Ladies Of the Stage.
Actresses Whose AvOirdupOis is a
Great Attraction.
Amelia Summeryille, Carrie Per-
kins, Elma DelarO and Others
Stars Who Don't Like to be
Stout.


Ayoirdupois has become des ideratura
upon the stage. There is no middle
ground. To be thoroughly successful in
the public eye, woman must be either
very fat or very thin. The thin ones
seem TO reach the greater eminence-
Bernhardt and Terry, for instance. But.
says the New York Journal, place has
been made for the very plump woman
that makes her existence a necessity of
the drama. There is something so very
jolly about an actress who has been bless
ed with perahundance OF adipose It's
sue that her appearance on the stage is
calculated to make an audience laugh,
even If she be only an average perform
er. There are certain parts that are not
funny if not performed by very stout
creature-the stouter the better. Take
she mountain maid "AdoDis," which gave
Amelia Summerville such a reputation
that she got rather too large a head and
strove for something that she has not
reached. Her youth, her prettiness, but
mainly her embop point, made her the
talk of the town and positive attraction
in the entertainment. Then she aspired
to something greater and got thin again;
but since that time she has not been
sought after by managers to the extent
that she anticipated.
And it is that very part in "Adonis" that
gives Dixey the greatest amount of
trouble. 1t must have very stout wom-
an-they are very scarce, and, therefore,
they come high-Carrie Perkins who
has been sick for few days, Is the pres
ent mountain maid of "Adonis," and
though generally very clever woman,
has been, after all, e. pecially selec cd be-
cause of what che weighs more than what
she does.
The fun of Katherine in ''Evangelire ~
is one of fat al ne. The idea is to have
a very little man for Leblanc, and a very
big woman for Katherine. The woman
could never be found, and SO the part was
given to the enOrmouse George Fortes-
cue; who has beea playing it FOR eight or
nine years without break. In fact
Fortescue has become as much identified
with "Evangeline" as Joe Jefferson with
rip Van Winkle.; Here again the
humor is the fat.
Thin women seldom are funny. Lolita
and Alice Harrison are perhaps the only
two who have innate comedy power, some
thing besides acquired humor. There
always seems to be something funny in a
large mass of flesh shaking with merri
ment. To great extent, more, perhaps
than may be thought, this is what gave
Amy Ames, so large salary ahd soslarge
reputation. She may do the most
grotesque things in the world because
the fat is there to leally make them fun
ny.
EIma Delaro, now the "old woman" of
the Casino, has grown very stout of late
and while her voice has gradually been
going off, her fat has increased. The lat
ter is an infinitely preferable quality in
opera bouffe in these days than voice
which is hardly in demand.
A very clever, thin woman, Jennie
Weathersby, played these parts at the
Casino before, but the fat woman took
her place.
Among the middle-aged stout women
is Marion Booth, niece, by the way, of
the great tragedian, and if she would
adopt the burlesque stage in place of
playing he1oines, she might make a good
deal more money than she does. It is
precisely fat women with pretty faces and
a fair approach to youth that the public
dotes on.
Efie GerInon has grown very stout of
recent years, and it was increasing OBJ
seity that took her out of the line of SOU
brettes IN which she had been SO clever
and poprlar for years in Wallack's. She
would not come down to playing old WON
en-, and she has not yet.
Mrs. Sol Smith, many years ago known
as Mrs. Sedley Brown, and also member
of the Wallack company has grown to
very ample proportions of late Years, in
company with Emma Abbott, who may
now fairly be reckoned among the stout
beauties of the stage. 1t was feared that
grief would make her thinner, but, TO the
satisfaction of her friends, she appears to
be growing just the same. Sophie Frye
is ano9ber stout beauty.
This list W. uld be incOm plete without
adding Miss Helen Barry, but as she still
plays leading roles it is exceedingly for
tunste for her that her great girth is, to
a large extent, redeemed and apoligiZed
for by great hight. Mrs. Barry's exact
size We do not know, but it must be very
close on TO six feet. Charles Glenny, VINO
is fair sized man, looks like pigmy
beside her, and just about comes up to her
shoulder. With it all she is well pro
portioned woman and in youth must have
been great beauty.
Fanny Davenport can no longer be
reckoned among the stout women of the
day, still she is gaining again. Since her
divorce from Mr.. Price she has increased
by twenty FIVE pounds. What this may be
attributed to we do not know. Whether
Mr.. Prices strict regime kept her thin:
or happiness at getting rid of him makes
her fat, it is certain that her consum ptive
appearance is fast disappearing"