The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-09

delightful class stage work which years
ago served 10 place her in the front rank
OF American actresses. She Is one of the
few women in this country not now star
ring who Is fitted both 10y experience and
ability 10 head n company of her own.
Still the remuneration Of u star Is problem
atioal, as Miss Shaw knows by experience.
She prefers the certainty Of a large salary
and the Acknowledged premiership in her
own field, in which respect, as in many
others, she differs from most women OF
the stage. Miss Shaw's professional career
is an interesting one.
She Is native Of Boston. where, more
than 80 years ago, another Mary Shaw
Mrs. John Hoey's sstCr-was also favor
ite. The Mary Shaw of today yYas at first
a teacher I'm "a grammar school for girls
and began on the amateur stage, playing
Miss Hardcaslle In "She Stoops TO Con-
quer." Although it was nonprofcssional
performance, IL was before "A strange au-
dience and for money. The first part on
the professional stage that Miss Shaw at
tempted was that Of Chorus in sort of
burlesque or extravaganza called "A Rob.
insonade" srio was shot up and down
through trap in front of the curtain be-
fore every scene, having long explanatory
speeches in blank verse. She AYERS that
this was the most trying part she had ever
played, but her rendition of the lines won
her at the outset of herprofcssional career,
from some Of tho critics The praise of being
one of the best readers on the stage.
For two seasons she was at the Boston
Museum and played everything in COM
papy with such good actors as William
Warren, ". j. Le Moync, Frank Harden
berg, Charles Barron, and with Dion Bou-
cicault, John Gilbert and the other stars
who made yearly visits TO the Hubs home
Of comedy. After that she spent a season
at Dalys theatcr, New York city, and sue
cessfully created one Of the parts i'm Serge
Panino" From there she went with
Fanny Davenport on the road, playing in
tho old comedies, and the next season
Joined Modjc sEa, playing the opposite
roles to the Polish star for four years.
She next starred in a comedy with the
rather i'll chosen and blood curdling title,
"A Drop Of Poison" Except in an artis-
tic sense the tour was not a success, and il
was abandoned Since then Miss Shaw
has been deyotinG herself To creating roles
In New York city productions. This course
has resulted in greatly enhancing her al
ready excellent professional reputation and
adding 20 the size of her bank account,
for hor salary is u large one.
Miss shaw is bright, yiyacous, intelli-
gent ana accomplished, Through her
veins runs both Puritan and Irish blood,
combination Of tho sodate and restive,
thr grave and gay, that explains the versa.
tility which onnbles her TO play Maria at
the matinee and Elizabeth In the evening.
Her assumption of England's imperious
queen shows no trace Of the qualities that
make her such n rollicking, mischief max
Ing waiting woman in the afternoon per-
formance of Twelfth Night" Her YER
satility, however, can 10 better illustrated
by saying that in "As You Like II" sho
has played hoth Celia and Audrey and in
Twelfth Night both Olivia and Maria
during the samo season and in the same
company, and all fcur parts equally we'll