The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-03


IN fore have three actresses SO alike
in public regard and in degree of
ability as Virginia Harmed, Viola Allen
and Olga Nethersole come all at once
10 Broadway with new plays? The
theatrical devotees were puzzled where
10 so on Monday night. The character
OF the pieces did not help TO choice OF
the one TO see first. for all we're serious
writings by expert writer's. Againht
the American Clyde Fitch there were
the French Paul Hervieu and Pierre
Berton. l saw pool OF bets made as
ID which initial performance the larg-
est number of the critics of our
eighteen English-print daily journals
would attend leaving the two others
TO assistants or till later FOR review.
The count gave seven 10 Harmed and
Berton. six TO Allen and Fitch and live
TO Nethersole and Herviou. How did
the account balance as TO merits of
acting and writing? ] am employed TO
describe rather than TO critlcse.
Those three actresses are. more than a
hundred years old. / would not dare
tell. If l knew, how much more than a
hundred they are; nor viii / attempt 10
apportion among them the excess Of
years beyond a century; and I seek
further safely by saying that Ro one
Of the three was ever handsonler in all
her life than she IS now. They are
artistes at the maturity OF their pow
ers. 1t has been said in sad truth that
most actresses don't set TO the best OF
their efficiency as young heroiIes until
they are too old to look right Nir-
Sinia, Viola and Olsa are at the full
ness of their physical vigor. resonant
OF voice, firmly poised in their methods
ana soEdly groomed in ssif-COntdence.
by singular chance their roles are not
maidens. but wives whose rOnlanCes
are connuhial. While bachelors en-
counters with girls may seem. as a gen.
eral thing, to be more prolific of emo
ton than husbands association with
women. and are preferred by noVelists,
themes for ardent treatment are COM
monty sought by -dramatists among
welded lovers and haters. Besides.
women are still young wives when they
would be old maids. For all these rea-
sons the Nethersole COM
petition under nearly equal advantages
is an event to be-set- down in the theat-
rical annals of New York.
Virginia Harned-Sothern and Olga
NethersOle are opponents of the volup-
tuous in modern drama, with Iris"
and 'Sappho" as examples, while Viola
| Allen is conuastingly an eXemplar Of
the dispassiOnate, as in The Chris
tian." Olga has exploited herself for a
return to New York with 1.-THE LADY
rinth" By writing to the newspapers
about Chicago women's disapprOval of
the play. Viola has posed for many
magazine pictures of herself studying
| THE Toast of the Town" and discuss
ing it with its author l don't know
what, if anything, Virginia would have
done to announce herself I'm THE Mar
sellaise" if she had been privileged,
but she was under Frohman control,
which doesn't encourage antics prior to
productions and the only personal pub
Lefty in this instance has related To her
insistence upon William Courtenay as
a mascot for the role of the lover
The French authors of La Belle
Marsellaise" and The Labyrinth"
were exhibits on Monday evening.
Pierre Berton's attention had been
called to America by the receipt Of
probably a hundred thousand dollars
! from Mrs. Leslie Carriers "ZaZa," and
, Paul Hervieu. thus made aware of
American money, had taken care to
copyright in this country his play for
the Theatre Francois. BertOn was led
out by Miss Harmed after the next to
last act. He pulled a manuscript from
I pocket and read with an English
pronunciation hard 20 understand but
! easy 70 laugh at, an address Of thanks.
Hervieu was on view in a box at his
play, but no demand was made on Miss
Nethersole 10 bring him 10 the foot
lights. Nor did Fitch, who looks as
French as BertOn or Hervieu, make his
usual bows and Miss Allen said she
didn't know where TO find him. The
| ruth IS that the only authors laurel
! wreath was for Bertoa and his was not
| very leafy
Jeanne Tailemont, the wife that Eir-
! ginia Harmed personates I'm la Belle
/ Marseillajse," Is the most singular of
| the wives in the three new plays. Her
I husband is twice her age, u former
| chum OF her father who dying left her
I in some hind Of fay,,il.- tbaf ,,aoog