The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-22
Mr.. IRVING, MISS TERRY.
Something Of the Careers Of These
Two Stage Celebrities Of
England.
They Will Be Factors In q Re-
markable Dramatic Epoch
In America.

Others at Chicago in October Will Be
Patti, Coquslin, HadinE-Frsnch
and English Compauisa
Next October will be . remarkable ORA
matic epoch in Chicago. In n thsatsf
(Hooley's) there will be the great French
actor Coquelin and Mile. Jane Hading and
an entire French company; at tho Audi
forum q grand opera company. with Patti
perhaps, and at the Columbia Henry Irving
and Miss Ellen Terry. and their famous
London Iyceum company. Mr.. Irving
will have mnny new plays to present. for
he has produced several novelties sincs he
last visited these shores. His 'star" play.
II such an expression may be used with
propriety. will BIS Beckett" now the sue
cess Of London. II was only the other day
that Mr.. Irving played Beckett by royal
command" at Windsor castle.
These 'c~ommnnded' functions have al
ways been p%rsrogativss of royalty, to take
place when and where desired, and no
money Ia ever paid for the performance.
For this one special scenery had to be pre-
~ ga = u USnbV sAAA taub NJ
the Lyceum, yet = replica of the same.
Then there was the expense of taking the
company to and from the castle selected.
and loss of money incurred by closing the
London house. A thousand pounds, or
about 5000 Yankee dollars. ia the amount
Mr.. Irving is estimated to have spent. Yet
the compliment of being 80 Commanded"
10 such a splendid advertisement that IL ID a
small loss to the actor-manaQer. No one
has ever been known to refuse to play. II
sue a refusal were made II would result In
a falling off of aristrocratio patronage to
the theater in question. for such a refusal
would be su'e to be known to the world of
Mayfair and BelRravia in a short time. A
supper Ia provided by the queen for the art
list guests, every arrangements is made for
their comfort. and her majesty Is most
gracious in receiving the leading actors,
oomplimentinR them and usually present.
Ing them with jeweled scarf pins or
brooches. At this "Beoket" performance
performance Miss Genevieve Ward was
presented to the queen, as was Mr.. Irving
and Miss Terry.
"Becket" is a play Mr.. Irving likes very
much, and it is a truly poetic play which
the actors at has improved since the dead
poet penned its lines. A song Queen Eli
nor sings will be fitting to ''brown October
in Chicago:
"Over! the sweet summer CLOSES
The reign of the roses is done;
Over and gone with the roses,
And over and gone with the sun"
Mr.. Irving has as many friends hero in
America as in the older world over the seas.
But to most Of them little OF his personal
life is known. John Henry Brod1ibb was
born nenr the historie old English town Of
Glastonbury on Feb. 6, 1888. His name
being a peculiar one forthe staae, no legally
assumed the name of Irving early in his
career. II is said that his admiration for
Washington Irving aided his selection. He
lived as a boy among the rocks and rugged
to love nature in all her moods and
he learned to love the sound Of the
waves breaking against the shore on that
rock-bound coast. His Glastonbury birth
mnde HIM love its legends. From these
Tennyson weaved his graceful fanoies into
the 'Idyls Of the King" He early at
tended n school in Lombard street. London,
and, like Charles Lamb, went behind a desk
in an East India houss IN Newaate street.
He was for a time, in London p~arlance,
"something in the city" He soon proved
to be utterly unfit for . commercial life
and at IL made his first appearance on the
stage. Ea
Then followed an arduous career in the
provincial towns of the kingdom. There
were several clever young fellows who were
friends in those days. OF these 1oole and
Americans. 1t is said that Toole got Mr..
Irving his first London en~gagement-a very
small one. After seven years Irving began
playing Dorincourt in ~ he Bellies Btrate.
eem.' Then he did DiRby Grant in james
Albery',s exquisite play OF The Two Roses"
Q part he acted for about 800 nights.
II was later on that he became known az
= tragic actor in "The Bells" q play which
gave him his English fame. But who that
has lately seen his Jingle will deny to him a
marvellous gift in comedy peculiarly gro
tesque2
In "Charles l." he pave to the world a
truly wonderful picture Of the many-sided
monarch. while his Eugene Aram and Rich.
ellen were revelations. But when he
crowned all by playing Hamlet for zoe
nights the mark of genius was set upon him
by popular vote. Then he took on his own
and Mrs. Bateman retired. Another 1OC
nights of Hamlet followed, beginning
Dec. 30. 1873. when Miss Terry as Ophslis
began her ca eer as leading lady. which po-
sition she still nobly fills.
In Beckett Mr.. Living gives one = study in
a church cardinal which stands alone from
his other cardinals as clearly defined and AZ
truly delicate as the outing of some rich
cameo. Miss Terry a. Rosamonde II
younger and moro poetic than ever. Thu
graceful girlishnees of the part IL its chief.
est charm. These two players, Mr.. Twins
ana Miss Terry, are seemingly quite neces-
sary each to the other in their stage work
Although Miss Terry began her regular
dramatic work with Mr.. Irving at the Ly-
ceum. she has played on former occasionl
with him. Some years previous to hel
Lyceum debut she had played Katherine ir
q version OF THE Tanning OF tho Sh,ew.'
MISS Terry would tell you heraelf that sh,
did not do particularly we'll as katherine
She was rather out Of health and spirits. ant
soon after loft tho theater for a few years
She 10 a woman of variable moods. all al
them full of impulse. inge n%uousness anG
life. These color hor actions and constitut,
her peculiar charm.
Miss Terry cries renl tears In her STAGE
impersonations. She frankly admits al,
cannot help it, although she ia willing Il
admit also that real tears are a matter II
temperament. and that simulated dry-eyed
grief, in exceptional instances, il quite a,
eloquent with or audience. Miss Terry ha,
the greatest enthusiasm for Bernhardt who
seldom, or never, olies real tears. He,
audience does the crying AZ generouslv ar
Miss Te.ry's audience does. Miss Terry
explains this by saying that Nine. Bernhard,
feels the tears that she cannot shed. ~
heard her tears" she once wrote, land knew
they were in her SOUL" Ibsen finds no fnyol
with the Lyceum actress, md it Ia pretty
certain she will never ''oreate" one Of the
NorweRian's hsroines. Her range Of stage
creations, however, has been most exten.