The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1895-10-03
Famous Heroines.


A NEW sHAKEsPEARIAN WORK OF GREAT
INTEREST AND VALUE TO ALL READERS.
There are some very interesting stories
about Shakespearian actresses told in the
entertaining book written by Charles E.
L. Wingate, managing editor Of the Bos-
ton Journal, and just published by T. y.
Crowell d Co. of Boston, and with the
stories is given a valuable history Of
Shakespeare's plays on the stage, his
tory long missing from classic literature.
In bright, fascinating way Mr.. Win
gate has narrated the romantic tales
clinging to the lives Of famous players Of
the past and present, has told the hu NOR
GUS and pathetic incidents in the careers
of Garrick and Wellington, Irving and
Terry, Kean, Booth, Siddons, Modjeska,
Julia Marlowe, and others, weaving the
anecdotes together into popular history,
both pleasant to read for young and old,
and valuable to keep as history Of
Shakespeare works. In fact, the book
ought to be owned by every person who
possesses a volume of Shakespeare s
plays, being great assistant in enjoying
the reading of those dramas ''Shake-
speare's Heroines on the Stage is the
title Of Mr.. Wingate's book, and it's pages
present vivid picture Of the way the
great players have acted the characters
of Ophelia and Portia, Rosalind and Be-
atrice, Lady Macbeth and katherine the
| Shrew, and other heroines. There is no
other book published covering the same
ground.
CHANGING through the book one finds it
jotted with stories like the following, "a
description Of the first Ophela the stage
ever saw:
s'There was pretty picture at the little
| theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields on the
| cold December night of 1861, when charm
| ing Mistress Saunderson. as Ophelja, ex-
| pressed her love in earnest to the am
| bilious young Hamlet Of the night, the
| eloquent Betterton. She was beautiful
and she was pure; he was handsome and
he was upright We may be sure their
mutual alteration was not forgotten in the
talk in the pit between the acts, as the
orange girls ran hither and thither to re-
ceive with smile the tappings under the
chin while their wares We're bought, and
as the fine ladies in the boxes welcomed
the amorous glances Of ardent SWANS
around them.
s'Miss Saunderson, through Davenant,
had received the traditions Of Ophelia S
impersonation by the boy actresses before
the revolution; but never, before her day,
had women essayed the role The
absurdity Of masculine actresses, even if
a common and accepted sight, must some
times have caused gay laugh when odd
situations were created. Imagine, if Pc s.
sible, merry Charles Ii. keeping a sober
face when, after he had become impatient
over the delay in beginning Hamlet, and
had sent the Earl OF Rochester behind the
scenes to ascertain the reason, he was
solemnly informed that the Queen was
not quite shaved
'Oddstish." cried the King, appreciat-
ing the point; i beg Her Majesty's par
don. Well wait till her barber has done
with her.
| And beneath the authentic stories like
these, lie the historical data Of value to
all who read Shakespeare. The book is
superbly illustrated with nearly a hun
dred photographs Of famous actresses Of
TO- day and Of the past. Some Of the orig
inal prints must have cost ten times the
two dollars for which the book is sold.
| Mr.. Wingate is the author of several his
torical works, has had an extended ac-
quantance with the drama through his
former experience as Dramatic Editor Of
the Boston Journal aud is also well
known from his weekly review Of literary
matters in Boston, published in The Critic
of New York. Exeter Times, y. Ii.