The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
WOMAN WHO LACKED BEAUTY, BUT
FASCINATED HER AUDIENCES.
Long the Foremost Tragedienne on
the American stage-Drifted Into
MeIodrama as She Grew in Age.


stinct led the girl at once in the direction
or the stage. Not beautiful or strikingly
attractive in any way, she made i'm
the age or sixteen by her magnetic pres
ence, fine voice and undoubted talent.
Fourteen dollars per month all that
yet not all, since the experience was in
valuable to her and she engaged earnestly
in the study of language.
An engagement in Cologne soon followed,
ana after two years of intense labor she
became leading lady of the Stadt Theater
In Frankfort, and then was principal star
came to America in 1867, making her debut
In Medea." Perhaps domestic unhappi-
ness induced her to lay down the scepter
she mad earned and come to a country
whose very language she could not speak
Al all events, she found herself greatly
hampered by her inability 10 play in Eng
lish, and applied herself for two years
10 the study of our language, which, how
ever. she could not speak without a strong
accent. Her success was never unqualified
save with those who could appreciate the
stern methods of unrelenting tragedy, but
her great ability was questioned by none.
SHE HATED MODERN PLAYS.
About six weeks ago, when visited at her
home by a reporter from the New York
Herald Nine. Janauschek spoke bitterly of
days that are gone, and expressed most
pessimistic views of present conditions:
These modern plays" she said, what
are they? BAH And these modern actors
that have to have their plays made to fit
t tnem' like their coats who do nothing but
are they compared to Salvini in 'Othello?
Ihere was an actor for youi He was like
a great beast when he crushed down the
pillows over Desdemona; he too horri-
bic. Booth was a fine Othello. but so diff
terent, so much gentler, you could not COM
pare the two.
Il played Lady Macbeth with Booth be-
fore L learned your language 1t was hard
work memorizing the cues. Booth did not
like to work. He would take my hand, and
when 1t was his cue | would squeeze IL TO
let him know. But he is dead and who have
you now?
II have never seen Irving save once in
Faust. 1t was fine part, just suited him,
out ne Is more great stage manager than
a tragedian.
Your Mansfield, 1 like him the best of
your modern actors. But he has too many
new plays. He wastes his talents"
Nine. Janauschek earned considerable
sums during her active career although she
did not rival many of the other stars in
popularity. The characters in which she
appeared during the heyday of her career
were too somber to please the multitude and
| her method was intense and commanding
rather than magnetic. Meg Merrillies, Lady
Macbeth, Medea and Antigone were char
acters in which she most frequently ap-
peared during the EOS and little later than
ways created deep impression even among
those who did not enjoy the heavy splendor
of her art.
1t has been held in some quarters that her
acceptance within recent years of roles in
/ minor dramas and melodramas cheapened
/ this important actress and left her with
1 out occupation al a time when she most
needed it. THE Great Diamond Robbery is
mentioned as a case in point, and some
| have been inclined to speak with marked
! severity of her descent from high tragedy
! to plays of this nature. But wnen Nine.
| JanauSchek became engaged in these minor
| dramas she had ceased 10 be popular star
/ and could not pick and choose her means of
a livelihood.
Two years ago, when il was thought
/ Mime. Janauschek was dying, a writer in
/ the Chicago Herald, who knew the actress
well, said: THE inevitable conspiracy Of
/ events presents TO the world a tragic coin
/ cidence in the probable fatal illness of
Nine. Fanny Janauschek almost at the pre-
/ else time when Bleak House is offered for
sale, and a new interest is created in the
| immortal story of that name. The distin-
! guished actress who made the character of
Lady. Dedlock famous by. her impersona-
/ ton lies In New York hospital stricken
| with paralysis, and there is little hope that
/ at her age she can rally or again continue
her stage career Nor is it at all likely that
! the old dramatic story will ever interest
new audiences, or that any coming player
! will give it that vital spark of genius which
| developed and supplemented the author 5
! creation only genius could. With any
other exponent the play. in which one wom-
| an took two parts, would be drearily grand
| and monOtonouS unforgivable features in
| tragedy.
TWO NOTED CHARACTERS.
"It is not within my province to recount
the dramatic success which Janauschek
won. or to criticise her splendid mastery of
art; it is the woman-the real Lady Ded-
| lock-of whom L would write, who never at
| tempted an impersonation of the Lady Ded-
lock of Bleak House, but was herself, first
| and always As Hortense, the French gov
/ lmnerSOnated character a s
Dickens gave ii. Her Lady Dedlock was
/ the creation of her own art. She used no
| stage tricks, details of dramatic Incl
dent, but she needed none. She suggested a
| living character with such vital force that
her own presence was SubOrdinated and
/ lost. In other words, Janauschek hypno-
| tiZed her audience. No other hypothesis can
| explain her success in play which de-
| manded so much personal beauty. OF the
| Lady Dedlock of fiction the text read:
'She was as graceful as she was beauti-
I full. She has a fine face-originally of a
| character that would rather be called very
! pretty than handsome. but improved into
! classicality by the acquired expression OF
| her fashionable state Lady Dedlock, grace
full, self-possessed, looked after by admir-
ing eyes.
"Janauschek, majestic in bearing anC
stature. bore no resemblance TO the beauti
| full Lady DedlOck. and never once simulate ed
/ the languid grace of the heroine of Bleak
House She wore the tragic shawl as abom
inably as the titled Englishwoman who ha:
not a shawl figure invariably wears that
favorite article of dress Janauschek'
gown of rich material trailed in the bach
breadths, flared at the sides and hiked III
in front. 1t was altogether the reverse OF
graceful or elegant, but from the moment
she appeared on the stage she was far and
away beyond criticism of her personal ap
pearance. She was the coldly beautiful
woman whose brilliant eyes hid from the
world cruel secret, who was thrice armed
through having her quarrel just who's,
personal beauty had been her only dover
She was the real Lady Dedlock, with al
her projections OF her head.
NO less successful and significant o.
genius her dual part OF HOrtense wa:
played with certainty and strength AgaiT
she became the character. with hateful
distinction. even TO literally darkening her
large eyes with a sense of malignant feel
ing. and not by any stage process. The
something in her dark cheek beating like
a clock was simulated by an emotion SO
intense that JanausChek declared il cos
her spasms OF pain. Again the dress anC
vraisemblance were lost sight of in tn,
tigeTish expression OF the woman's face
in the strained words that escaped witt
hUshed fury through her closed teeth, a:
with "A devilish smile she hurled the cpl
thets You are a devil Lies all lies
aud L should like TO kiss her a Inspector
Bucket. When the curtain fell womef
would sigh and relax while men wiped tn,
drops of feeling from cheek and brow
"a bus