Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-12-12

way, FIRST played the part ut the
me age, and her PHYSICAL proper
etlpls We're not in her favor. But"
4ys her biographer, Boaden, .'the art
ICf the great actress made powerful
3Atrtlggle against her natural strength,
MA that, at times, tile ascendancy Of
Sthe mother and the nurse did not seem
apfepOsterous and Incredible" The
part never held a place in her roper
tors. Mrs. Jordan, too, played Juliet
Once4Or twice, but did not shine in it
any incrc than Mrs. Siddons. One Of
tls best Juliets at the close of the last
Gehtnrys was Mrs. Stephen kemble.
whom critic In Blackwood describes
aS delicious" He adds that, though
Sekewas not as lovely as Miss O'Ne,ll,
her eyes had far more of that uncon-
ecdOusly alluring expression of inno-
cence and righteousness" 1t was on
Oct. 6, 1914, that Eliza O'Neill made
her first appearance in London. at
Convent Garden, in the part Of Juliet.
Trough my whole experience"
SAIacready declares, "hers was the only
representation of Juliet / have ever
seen. She is alone the Arabian bird.
Insnnother place, speaking Of her as a
remarkable instance of self-abandon-
ment in acting" he says: "She was
an entirely modest woman; yet in act
ing with her, have been smothered
with her kisses" Criticizing her first
performance, HaZlitt said:
In the silent expression Of feeling
we have seldom witnessed anything
finer than her acting, where she is told
Of Romeo's death, her listening to the
Friar's story of the poison, and her
change Of manner toward the Nurse.
when she advises her to marry Paris
Her delivery of the speeches in the
scenes where she laments Romeo's
banishment. and anticipates her wax
ing In the tomb, marked the fine play
and uGdulation of natural sensibility,
rising and falling with the gusts Of
passion, and at last worked up into
such an agony of despair lin which inn
agination approaches the brink OF fren-
w. Miss O'Neill seemed least
successful in the garden scene, etc.
The expression Of tenderness bordered
on hoydening and affcctation. TIE
character Of Juliet is pure effusion of
nature. There: is not the slightest ap-
pearance of coquetry in it, no senti-
mental languor. no meretricious as
sumption of fondness to take her lover
by surprise. She ought not to laugh
when she says: 4 have forgot why
did call thee back as if conscious of
the artifce, nor hang in & fondling
Rctween Miss O'Neill and Miss Fan
ny Kemble, the most noteworthy Juliet
was, Miss Phillips, who cannot, how
ever, be regarded as an actress of the
first rank. On Oct. 5, 1929, when the
fortunes of Covent Garden were at a
very low ebb, an attempt was made to
revive them by bringing out Charles
Kemble's daughter Mrs. Siddons'
niece. in the part of Juliet, her father
playing Mercutio and Abbott Romeo.
Fanny Kemble may or may not have
been a great actress, but clever wo-
man she undoubtedly was, and her ac-
count Of her first appearance Gree
ords of Girlhood," vol. p is delight
| full reading. She was successful in
arousing the keenest interest, if not in
entirely satisfying the critics. Leigh
Hunt was especially severe on her.
She 2played the, part, he said, in .sthe
regular conventional tragic style, both
| In voice and manner, maintaining it,
with little variation, the whole even
was enthusiastic. "AIiss Kemble," he
wrote, gives the part depth Of trag-
ic tone which none of her predecessors
whom we have seen ever gave to it.
Miss sO'Neill. 10th as we are to forget
| her destinations, used to tighten the
earlier scenes with some girlish graces