New-York tribune., 1906-04-22

course OF a few years gave a fine performance
as Portia with the Bancrofts, and appeared sue
cessively in parts so dissimilar as Clara Douglas
IN Money" Pauline in The Lady Of Lyons,
Mabel Vane in Masks and Faces" Blanche
Haye IN ours" and Olivia in Mr. Willss YER
sion Of 'sI'he Vicar Of Wakefield" IT was her
success in the last play produced by John Hare
at the Court Theatre that carried her TO the Ly-
ceum after she had been acting with her hus-
band Mr Charles Kelly. in New Men and Old
Acres" THE House of Darnley," Victims"
1.-The Cynics Defeat" and Dora" Her position
as the leading English actress was never chal-
lenged after her first appearance in Hamlet
with Irving. That was in 1873 when she was
thirty; and il was the first Of the long series or
lyceum impersonatiOns-Desd Juliet Cor
della Viola, Beatrice. Lady Macbeth, Porta.
Imoeen Margaret Iolanthe Gamma, Letita
Hardy, Queen katherine. Queen Henrietta
Maria, Nance Oldfleld and many more-by
which her fame was established as the most ac-
coupllshed and versatile actress Of the English
stage.
Miss Terry has always rebuked iatterers who
spoke Of her as the greatest tragic queen in
I.u-.4ud. Not so great as Marian" she has
often said, loyal always TO her brilliant sister.
'S.e is the artist Of the family" she has added;
'I-t ! have the temperament for the stage.
Certainly no actress Of her time has had greater
aG.Ft4Lility for stage work. as is proved by the
,ztra,rdnary range and variety OF her imperso-
I.lous. She could be picturesque in poetic chssr-
a.tars and ruthless, proud and melancholy in
tragic work, but with her warm heart she was
unwilling 10 believe that even Lady Macbeth
could be abnormaly wicked, and she liked to
oz4 sgerate relceming qualities and soften what
was most repelleut Throughout her stage ca
Ter she has preferred comedy TO tragedy; and
hence most intelligent choice has been made Of
one of her most recent comic representations
Mrs. Page in The Merry Wives Of Windsor
f.r the Gftieth anniversary performance at His
1I-jestys Theatre. PoTtia, Beatrice, Letitia Ear-
ly ana Nine Sans-G1ne are among her favorite
olaracters. and she has always filed the comic
stage with Yiyacity, merrimeut and high spir-
is. An irresponsible madcap." she has often
called herself; and every one who has ever acted
With her has stories TO tell Of her wild pranks
OIL The stage and behind the scenes. With an
intense love Of the ludcrous she has delightd
iu surprising her associates with improvised
as.ies and false cues, and she has kept every
body in good hUmor behind the scenes She has
what is known as the Terry memory" which
is Exceedingly Enthusiastically and often clouded
with preocCupation; and she has seldom known
her lines on q first night. and so ordinarily has
been forced to cover her lapses by hasty inven-
lIN and Dy-play. Veteran a she IS, she
has never been able TO overcome her nervous
ness and excitabiIity on a first production of a
play, and il is seldom easy 10 convince her that
she has not failed abominably.
Miss Terry is a loyal, sympathetic friend.
with refinement of taste and charm Of manner
and a whimsical humOr Of her own. She is a
most devoted mother proud Of the artistic
strain in her two children and perhaps over
ready 10 indulge their taste and theories about
stage decoration and scenic effects, as she Ger
i-l-ly was when The Vikings" was produced
an The Imperial Theatre Each has been trained
i.r the stage and has acted with her Her son
las appeared under the stage name of Gordon
Craig, and has played with her in 'Ravenswood"
and The Dead Heart" as We'll as in Nance
1.tfeG," in which he was the boyish lover
eHamoured of an actress Her daughter Edith
''-ig, began Ay attending her mother as one of
queen kathefine's maids Of honor, and subse-
9l-IIy appeared in The Merchant of Venice"
'-tcDeth." Much Ado About Nothing" and
o.. p plays Miss TeTry's London home was for
..ng time a c0sCy, artistic house in Barkatow
G.r1ens filled with pictures, books, bric-a-brac
ana playhouse cUrosiueS and she has as her
summer home lovely cottage in Winchester
with latGccd windows overlooking a vineclad
iH",r gate and an old fashioned garden and
or. ard As young in heart and as mischievous
iI spirit when fifty years ago she drew the
IrEaoeLng's go-cart across the stage of the
lr.Hross's and watched for the approving smile
OF Mrs Charles Kean, she continues to cheer
and fasClnate her friends as though like her
a.or.te, Beatrice she had been born in a merry
hour No other actress Of the time has lived
a more Unseliish life done SO much 70
raise the standards of dramatic art and To
ei'eTtain the public IN a high minded way and
Try ns s-n rrk