The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-01
NEW YORK TOPICS
cosstP AND CURRENT COMMENT
FROM THE METROPOLIS.

-
oIouded Nearly All Yer Relatives
Refore Her-She Is Ethel Barry
more. Daughter of Maurice Harry
v,ore-Her First Stage Appear
.nce Was a stunning Surprise to
Everybody Save Herself and Her
Immediate FamiIy-The Present
providence of Women Theatrical
prass Agents and Their Success
Mt the Business.
New York, Oct. 31-From all indl-
cations the present theatrical season
1,u he q, good one. More theaters are
row omen than ever before, they are
bsrdsonaer and their audiences are
raoor5 breaking The current favor
.,se include some who have been heard
little of till now, and some who were
horn to the stage and it's traditions.
one of the latter, Ethel Barrymore,
the laughing, piquant daughter of Maui
rice Barrymore and George Drew,
niece of John Drew and granddaugh-
Ter of Mrs. John Drew, has just fin
ished her second week in Cousin
Kate" at the New Hudson Theater.
AS is fitting in one so truly born to
things histrionic, this young woman is
carrying off the role of star with
exceeding grace. That she is upon the
threshold of a long and successful stage
career seems assured. That there ever
was any doubt of it has never entered
the head of Miss Barrymore herself,
though there was time when whole
lot of people were skeptical on that
score.
She made her first public appear
ance when very young-she is still
ANYTHING but unyouthful-in Henry Ar
thur Jones piece, "a Bauble Shop"
The company was headed by her I'M
Gle. John Drew; Maude Adams was the
leading lady and Elsie de Wolfe was
playing Lady Kate Fennel,' part
whose chief requirements was the abil-
ity to wear good clothes successfully.
one Wednesday late in the run,
which had been a fairly long one,
word was passed round among the
company that Miss de Wolf wouldn't
appear at the matinee performance
that day. and that George Drew's
daughter would take her place. Now,
every one in the company knew Ethel
Barrymore, but nobody had ever
thought of her as an actress, and in no
time at all everybody was in a great
state of excitement. The young woman,
only a school girl. so to speak, had
never faced an audience in her life.
So far as any one knew, she had never
studied the part and it was certain
that the clothes worn by Miss de Wolfe
wouldn't fit the debutantes immature
figure.
To add to the general nervousness,
as late as ten minutes before time for
ringing up the curtain it was whiS-
a clothes
was not being overcome-that the
dressing maid had almost gone into
commissions trying to pin up the de
Wolfe costumes so that they would do
at ALL
The result of all this was that the
whole company was in a blue funk
When the curtain went up. When
Lady Kate Ffennel's' cue was given
a perceptibe shiver passed over the
stage Half the performers hardly ex-
pected to see her emerge from her
dressng-room at ALL But promptly
and as self-possessed as if she were
veteran, Ethel Barrymore made her
appearance, graceful and smililg, and
wearing the de Wolfe costume, as if
II were made for her. AS one who
was present said to the writer yes
terday, "she seemed to have no more
worry than if she were about to recite
geography lesson"
through her part to the entire salts
faction of everybody, herself includ-
ed, OF course. 1t wasn't long after
ward that Miss de Wolfe left the COM
pany for good and Ethel Barrymore
was playing the part in her place.
Time was, as everybody knows
when all the women's parts upon the
Stage We're taken by men, but that
1iine passed away long years ago.
me was, too, when all the dramatic
press agents were men, but, that time
also, IS now passing away
AZ least, the women are taking a
hack at the publicity profession and
wise.
1here are three of these women
press agents, all Westerners original
~; IN New York at present.
Ihey are Mrs. Anna S. Richardson,
VINO represents the Shubert Broth
MRS. ldah McGlone Gibson, rep
SehIlhg Willie Collier, and Miss
lug Marble, who represents the
sood points of the Hammerstein at
ttacliohs to the newspaper people. All
srs ace are very well paid, and all three
oolng their work to the salts
LeoIioh OF their employers Not one
tHetn mas been at work more than
- S9dr' put there is every indication
No, .et each has found just the work she
"SS specially created to do.
MIS- Richardson and Mrs. Gibson
eCelYed their preliminary training as
newspaper writer's. Mrs. Richardson
- d reporter and later city editor in
fnaha, and still later had charge of
,meWspeper syndicate's dramatic de-
baltinent in New York. Mrs. Gibson
&c Su chafge of dramatic page ON one
Ia+ me Ioledo papers for years and
ter did general newspaper writing
la,ar"ii dozen Eastern cities. Still
agant iast year-she acted as advance
Lds, In unique way through the
We west, on behalf of Rebecca
"ralen' now playing successfully in
centso, OF the D'Urbervilles" on the
central circuit.
10 i tnls trip Mrs. Gibson arranged
s.r, seizure before women's clubs on
rer Drama" in the cities Miss War
trro " S 70 visit. She delivered her lee
ana winch were really interesting
hnt Naluable, without cost to the clubs.
So, alWays illustrated what she had to
res WIN illusions to the star she rep
an ~. me lectures created such
en,oaa Ieerest in Miss Warren's acting
tbat tne women who heard them
sn6i. she had good paying first nignt
na,-og nee wherever she appeared and
cas, the way abundantly for the sue
sue is reaping this season
ms. Gibson has had put one un-
Us 1s,sant experience in all her road
sstds That was at Liverpool, o. She
9heQ Tor -.