Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-08-09

among the actors who compose the
stock company Of Mr.. Richard Mans
, field is the man who was the first TO
play a leading male part with Mary
Anderson. This is W. NJ Grittiths.
who was Romeo the night she made
her debut as Juliet
Yes" he remarked last night. Il
can well remember the first time
Mary Anderson ever recited to show
professional people what she could do
The scene was too thoroughly ridicu-
lOus ever to be forgotten. l was then
member Of Barney McAuleE'S stock
company here and was the leading
actor. After the performance one
night | was just going out the stage
door when Johnny Mackey, now dead.
called me back.
Hold on he said, you don't want
to miss the fun. We've got a stage
struck girl here and she's going to re-
cite
L walked back into the theater, and
there on the stage was a strip of an
undeveloped girl who couldn't have
weighed as much as one hundred
pounds. There was but ono thing
about her 70 attract attention, AMI
this was her eyes. l never saw eyes
which seemed so large and furtivc
In the front row sat Barney McAuleJ
and a lot of newspaper men. Soon
she began to recite from Romeo and
Juliet, and when she came to the part
where the lOye-lOrn lass refers to her
ancestors bones, she got down on the
stage and rolled all over the place
She wore dark dress Of the cheapest
material The stage was never
scrubbed and not swept with any
great regularity. The result was that
she caused quite a cloud of dust, and
Barney and the newspaper men ap-
plauded uproariously, laughed immod-
erately, and shouted 'Bravor with
such intensity that her words could
scarcely be heard
when she had finished the news
paper men insisted on having more
and she stood in a frightened way,
with her large eyes glancing timidly
from one to another, apparently will
ing TO recite further selections Her
dress, which had been dark. had be
come perfectly white with stage dust
and Barney concluded the gang had
enjoyed enough for ole evening. and
told the girl that would do This was
Mary AnderSOn'S first appearance as
an aSpirant for dramatic hOnorS.
Later she came TO Barney McAuley
! and said she wanted to make her de-
! but i'll Romeo and Juliet
My child said Barney, you can
have my theater if you will pay me
S4G0 for it whenever you are ready
! to appear
But where am I to get that much
money? she asked ia despair.
Barney then suggested that she go
around and get people pledged to at
/ tend the performance. If they didn't
want to buy tickets, he would accept
the pledges Of business men in good
standing. So out she started, trudg-
ing the streets from place to place.
! For four weary months she kept going
! daily. [ would frequently meet her
! on days when the sidewalks were Gov
/ cred with such miserable SIuSh YOU
/ have here so much in winter. Plainly
attired and with no protection from
| the rain, [ have often stopped to let
/ her walk under my umbrella. Some
times [ would meet her coming out
/ Of a store with a smile on her face,
/ and she would say. delightedly:
/ I sold two in there
Once I asked her if men never in
suited her
"'Oh, yes; often was her response.
/ but I pay no attention to them. l
am working for one object. That is
to raise $500, and I'm going to accom-
| plish it.
! FINALLY she raised the amount and
went to Barney, who had never
dreamed the girl would succeed. Only
| Barney and Mrs. McAuley We're pres,
! ent when the delighted girl told of
/ her success. After Barney realized
the girl had actually raised the sum
! be had fixed, he asked what play
she had chosen for Ter debut.
Romeo and Juliet was her an
swer.
| But, my dear he reronstra ted
| the costumes will cost you at least
| $3.50
AT this the poor girl tainted. She
felt she could not raise another cent.
! When she had revived Mrs. McAuley
! said the aspiring girl should wear her
costumes. The idea Of a strip of a
| girl in Mrs. McAuley's costumes was
absurd, but she was too happy to
| hearse the part she was utterly unfit
| for it. My greatest difficulty was In
showing her now to act when she
came to the lines my life, my love. my
SOUL At the first Juliet should gently
caress Romeo, at my love- her arms
should be thrown passionately about
I his neck, and when my soul is
reached Juliet should fairly throw her
self at Romeo She was afraid even
to put her arms coldly about my neck
"Have you ever been in love"
asked.
"'No, SIR was the timid reply.
"Didn't You ever put your ar.ns
around a mans neckY
Ono, sirr
"sThen how in the world did you
happen to select Romeo and Juliet?"
ST don't know, sir. That was what
I recited
Though it was Saturday night the
house was packed. My! what failure