New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22
THEATRICAL INCIDENTS AND NEWS NOTES
MISS LOTUS TELLS HOW SIR HENRY IRIING PRO
DUCES Il PL4T-THE B4RRENNESS OF BRO4DU4T.

Miss Cecilia Lotus. who has recently refused an
ofer OF more than thousand dollars week so
into vaudeville again because she desires estab-
Esh reputation in worthy dramatic parts is again
70 be leading woman for E H Sothern next year.
and VIII appear Juliet 70 Mr.. Sothern's Romeo.
To play with Mr.. Sothern this season she left Sir
Henry lrVings company in England. and to play
here next season declined an offer TO appear with
Sir Henry Irving in Dante: that for the pres
Fnt. at least. she may be looked on almost as an
American actress. her appearance with Mr. Sothern
last year having been almost her first appearance
IN 4 leading part in legitimate drama.
in her quiet fashion. Miss LOTUS is keen OBJ
server Of lie. and those who have been privileged
70 talk 10 her can testify she has by means
lost her powers Of imitation. Last summer and fall
she PLAYED for six months IL Sir Henry Irvings
company. chiefly as Marguerite IN Hillss English
version % Faust, but also appearing in ;The
Merchant Of Venice with Miss Terry, and in other
PLAYS During that time she accuulu-aTed fund Of
anecdote about the English and found
Sir Henrvs methods Of producing play rather
different from the popular conception.
one OF M SoJhern's plays Miss Lotus said
the other DAY just before the illness which
Is 81 present keeping her out Of the cast Of IF 1
Were King lis ready for presentation week be
fore the dare Of opening. There are no less than
three dress rehearsals- any Of which might be
show; public and long before the rehearsals
are held every one in the company has been told
Just what he Is 70 DO has been carefully instructed
il every detail and had all his movements almost
-ehearsals are 5Ust the opposite Apparently, the
play : merely thrown the stage one is told
q word Of what he is to DO and at first il seems
perfect chaos When began rehearslng Faust
cid have single instruction. and had 10 work
everything ou1 for myself much 10 my confusion
81 first But IN some sort OF mysterious fashion
everything began 10 come out clearly before very
long There was only one dress rehearsal and that
was bad from starr TO finish. Yet Sir Henry didn't
seem 10 worry. wondered why till the opening
hon, 7 red
went all right with perfect suoothness and facil-
fty. ! take thai he is used 70 having them 60
all right when the time comes that they simply do
IL that's all
Sir Henry Is one Of the kindest and most courte-
Gus men 70 play with that have met, but he
is confusing sometimes by his side remarks on the
stage. Under his breath he is constantly making
Jokes when the play is going 10 suit him and when
q is he talks at you 10 correct you He used
70 stand just behind my spinning wheel in Faust
and repeat my lines with when I did not read
them fast enough, keeping always just a beat or
TWO ahead Of me Tempo. tempo" he would keep
excIaiuling. till I hardly knew what was saying
He is not as q rule an exacting taskmaster, how
once remember. Faust slipped up his lines.
Meeting me Cdarguerite) he should have said:
Pretty LADY pray sz,;.. ACCEPT sssa ny ny escort
AFTER suffering and coughing bit he delivered
himself follows:
I would thee home
sly Henry, MephisIo, standing up stage
nehtnd Z tree I heard exclamation from him
best represented BY . dash. When the curtain had
come down TIRE actor playing Faust aPolosized TO
k:z p-otusely-
pray don't mind it, my dear fellow said Sir
.Er-y. You kept the bloody metre, anyway
"a peculiarly OF Sir Eenry's which sometimes
sttak must hsv. observed by the audiences is
10 talk IN e tone Of voice much louder than his
fcxse voice the moment the curtain has come down
A beautifully ulodulated speech, and then: Where
f- The name OF goodness that red Ight?' IN
y--r.rs tones, is what were used TO hearing
behind the scenes
Miss Terry IS most difficult person to with
because she Is far worse than Sir Henry about
making Jokes OF the stage. 1 have never played
with her n q solemn piece. bat in The Merchant
Of Venice have seen her nearly break up the
company with some jest, verbal or practical If
Fou have 70 shake hands with her. beware There
UiII some Joke il her palm When she seems 10
forget her lines you generally bank that il is
Tot forgetfulness which the trouble but
he fact that has said something under her
breath which she considers excruciaJingly funny,
md Is shaking with srnothered laughter
But Miss Terry once saved my reputation and
an forever her friend Miss Lotus went on with
E laugh. It vas when 7 q little girl. Per
haps you never knew that was once q resident of
America Well. I When I six I lived
for year in Cambridge, Mass. Then went
hack the other side and I entered convent
school. Il began. I think. by my telling the other
little girls how was chased by Indians and buf-
faIoes all about Cambridge Common, and il grad
uaIy drifued into deeper deception. really got
believe IN the butfaIoes and Indians, but I admit
the rest was straight fbbing. You see, wanted
10 raise money for new chapel, and one Of the