Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-22
Talk With Dear Delightful
"Mrs. Malaprop."
A Lire SPENT UPON THE STAGE
Famous Players With Whom
She Has Acted.
Baltimore Sun.

she stood before her mirror in her dress
ing-room at the Lyceum Theatre, deX-
trously clapping huge black beauty
spot of court-plaster on her cheek as
finishing touch to "AIrs. Malaprop's"
irresistible toilet But that pleasure is
denied me-" she continued, "for | made
my debut as an actress at the age Of IL
months, or theTeabout, and no effort of
memory will bring back that night to
my recollection. | suppose was brought
on as an infant in arms in some comedy
scene. | have been acting ever since.
The ever since means a good while IN
my case, for [ have passed my 74th
birthday, having been born in London
January 10th, 1920.
"Where was | educatedg Bless you,I
never was educated am not educated
now. Oh, no, am not; that is, as far as
what is usually considered systematic
education, for my school has been
human nature and my books were the
people met. / believe | was sent 10
school in London for one quarter when
was very little girl, and remember
being sent to a school in Baltimore, but
my career as pupil here was brief. My
mother discovered that my school mis-
tress couldn't spell my name correctly,
and it occurred to her that l wouldn't
gain much ut that school.
81 don't know how | managed to pick
up an education after that. Somehow
or other | could spell by instinct, and
that faculty has never deserted me. As
| have often heard that hard students
are sometimes turned out without being
able to become much better spoilers
than my Baltimore school teacher
didn't worry much about not having
time to SO TO school. Just made up
my mind to listen to the conversation Of
clever people, and to take in all could
catch in this way in the course of my
varied experiences with all sorts Of
people the country over.
"Oh, | forgot to tell you my name. 1t
was Louisa Lane, and my mother was
an English singer. A singer in those
days did not mean exactly what it does
now, for then the operas were like
comedies, with songs and much dia-
logue. So had abundant opportunity
to do dramatic work under my mothers
eye.
"In 1927 l was brought to this coun-
try, and made my appearance at the
age of seven in Walnut Street Theatre,
Philadelphia, with Junius Brutus Booth,
acting the little Duke ef York to his
Richard Ill. In later years | acted q
great deal with the elder Booth, iinper-
sonating the leading female roles in the
repertoire with which he was identified.
With Edwin Forrest was 0phelia, Des.
demona, Julie de Mortimer, Pauline,
and the like. Edwin and John Wilkes
Booth and Macready also supported
in their range of characters.
"Macready was disagreeable and diff
cult to work with. Forrest was not a
particularly pleasant man, but easy
enough to getalong with. Junius Brutus
Booth didn't care where you were or
anything about you, SO that association
with him was not especially pleasant
nor especially unpleasant. His eccen-
trlcity at times was very trying and
sometimes very laughable.
soon after my performances with
Junius Brutus Booth | came to Balti-
more and appeared at the Holiday
Street Theatre as Little Pickle in The
Spoilt Child After that branched out
as The Infant Prodigy and appeared
in numerous comedies and farces. The
next venture was trip TO Jamaica in
| 1881, with wreck en- route and several
weeks waiting at San Domingo during
the yellow fever epidemic. The first
time l acted in Washington was in q
company with which Joseph Jefferson
made his first appearance, at the age of
a, as the baby in Jim Crow Rice's
negro sketch.
81 soon arrived at the uncomfortable
age when l was too small to appear in
| young lady parts and too big TO pose
any longer as an infant prodigy. But
my theatrical career continued after q
brief interruption, and worked for q
time at the old Warren Theatre, in
Boston, then with amateurs in Halifax.
N. s., and then in New Orleans with
Nine. Celeste in 'The Dancing Baya-
dcrc.' AT eighteen l came out as the
leading actress of company in
Natchez and continued in this capacity
Gfterward.
"Bcsides the tragic roles have men
toned, in supporting the tragedians, 1
wentthrough the whole range of comedy
also, with John Sleeper Clarke, John f.
Owens, MIR. Drew, Mr.. Jefferson and
others, going from tragedy to comedy
melodrama to farce, according to the
popular demand at the time. Oh, yes
an actress had to do that sort of thing,
Acting wasn't then an affair of few
parts, and the actors were ready to turn
their hands to anything or everything
in the dramatic line. The first time
acted with John Il. Owens-ah, but he
was fine actor-was in Baltimore, al
the old Museum, in 1910. / had lonG
season with Mrs. d. p. Bowers a
the Arch Street Theatre, Philadel
phia, and VIC used to act night afte,
night (thero were no matinees then
thank goodness } saying our long
winded speeches in Douglas until
wondered that the people did not re
perfectly worn out with the sound O
our voices.
I'm 1861 became the lessee of Arcl
Street Theatre and held it for 81 wears
until lS02. For the first 10 years / hat
a stock company, with John Gilbert
Frank Drew, Barton Hill, Louis James
F. +. Mackay, Mckee Rankin anC
others, and we presented nearly all tn,
new plays as they came out Thos,
were good days for stock companies
AS soon as the new plays were brough
out in New York the companies in othel
cities could obtain the right to perform
them by paying so much night. Wher
the New York managers began to SEND
out their own companies on the roa(
they would not sell the right to use theil
novelties, and so the smaller stock com
panies were left in the cold.
I'm the second 10 years of my pro
prietorship of Arch Street the theatr,
was conducted in the modern way, witt