The Indianapolis journal., 1895-12-22
THE STAGE OPHELIAS.
First Woman to Take the Part-One
OpheIia Really Crazy.

With Hamlet" scheduled to be given
before American players for a revival this
season, 1t is interesting to read the anus
ing and the entertaining anecdotes of the
play given in that new volume Of Shak-
spearian history and gossip. "shakspeare's
Heroines on the Stage One of the sto-
ries of romance is as follows:
There was a pretty picture at the
little theater in Lincoln's Inn Fields on
the cold December night of 1861, when
charming Mistress Saunderson, as Ophelia,
expressed 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 of
the Dit between the acts. as the orange girls
ran hither and thither to receive with a
smile the tappings under the chin while
their wares were bought. and as the fine
ladies in the boxes welcomed the amorous
glances Of ardent SWANS around them.
Miss Saunderson. through Davenant. had
received the traditions Of Ophelia's i'm
personation by the boy actresses before
the revolution. but never, before her day,
had woman essayed the role. The abb
common an accepted sight, mus some
times have caused a gay laugh when odd
situations were created. Imagine, IL pos
sible merry Charles III 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
:" 'Oddsnsh!' cried the King. appreciat-
ing the point; i beg her Majestys pardon.
Well wait till her barber has done with
"As the first Hamlet after the restoration
really loved his Ophelia, so the second great
Hamlet, Barton Both, appeared with an
slave of love. and whose wise conduct
broke him from the slavery of Bacchus.
A beautiful woman was Mrs. Booth, accord
ing TO the discriminating verdict of the
younger Cibber; lovely in countenance, deli
cate In form, and, moreover, pleasing as an
actress. In early life she had been a
dancer, and a good dancer.
'Will play-goers ever see so tragic and
pathetic scene as an Ophelia actually
mad. chanting her pathetic. song and utter
ing her sad words with all the realism Of
genuine insanityf 1t was a weird sight and
one that chilled the blood of the spectators
as they gazed in silence upon the uncanny
realized the situation. Poor Susan Mount
fort, the former bright actress Of Lin
coins Inn Fields. in her insanity had es-
recollections Of her former career teeming
through her distracted brain. had made
straight for the playhouse. There, with all
the cunning of an insane person, the wom-
an had hidden for a time behind the wings,
while her former associates carried on the
play of Hamlet But just at the moment
the Ophelia of the evening was to enter
for the mad scene Susan Mountfort, seizing
her by the arm to push her back from the
entrance, sprang forward in her place,
and with wild eyes and wavering motion
rushed upon the stage uttering the words:
''They bore him barefaced to the bier;
Hey no nonny, nonny hey nonny.
For a moment the spectators were
amazed AS they began to realize the situ-
alton niurmur ran through the house. and
then came the strained silence of wonder
ment and perplexity. Magnificent was the
acting. In her sane days Susan Mountford
had been good Ophelia, and now she
threw into the part such Intensity Of action
and such terrible mental effort as to render
the character overwhelmingly vivid. But it
was a mercy when friends gently led her
away from the footlights. Her vitality was
entirely exhausted by the effort, ana her
death was hastened.
This was the sad story of one Ophelia
To describe all the Ophelias of the stage
would De unnecessary, even if possible
since the role has never been regarded by
any actress as her ultimate goal. 1t has
either served as an Intermediary to fame
in the support OF eminent Hamlets, or II
has been awarded to actresses who were
found wanting and quietly fell into OBJ
scurity'