The Washington herald., 1907-03-31


est treats OF the theatrical
season in Ellen Terrys fine performance
at the New National Theater. It is good
to be able to record that local theatergoers
took hne advantage of their chance and
thatthe distinguished English actress en-
ioyed patronage commensurate with the
artistic entertainment she offered. But,
after all, in spite of the ever-ready COM
plant of some theatrical managers that
the theater is not patronized. sometimes.
as highly as it deserves. it will generally
be found that The theatergoers have an
instinct for the really meritorious dra-
matte offerings.
Il was a great combination. Miss Ellen
Terry and George Bernard Shaw! It has
been said that Mr. Shaw wrote Captain
Brassbound's Conversion n''-one lady at
the theater called ii Captain Brass
bounds Conversauon'-wit a view to
having Miss Terry essay the leading, the
only feminine, role. She could not Play
il when It was FIRST written, for her dis
tinguished colleague and coworker, Sir
Henry Irving, stiI graeed the boards,
but she came TO it at last and Mr. Shaw
is most fortunate in having his clever play
SO worthily presented. He meant he
character of Lady Cicely Waynefet to
be, as his stage directions record. "a lady
Of between thirty and forty and Miss
Terry can look any age she pleases.
As q matter of fact-the question was
asked many times at the National Thea
ter during the week as to her age-8Iiss
Terry is f1fty-nine years old. She was
born February 2, 1S4S. and her stage
career dates from the time when, as
an ingenue. she first appeared in the sup
port OF that noted actress. Mrs. Charles
Kean. whose triumphs extended back into
the last century. Her first appear
ance with Henry Irving Al the Lyceum
Theater, which win always be associated
with his name, was in "The Tanning OF
the Shrew" Then her health failed. and
she left the stage for seven years. When
she returned il was to. join Sir Squire
Bancroft. at the Prince of Wales Theater,
in 1873. The next year she joined Mr.
John Hare al the Court Theater, in the
first production of Lord Lytt0n's The
House of Darnley." After the failure Of
this piece she went back to Sir Henry
Irving. and on December 81. 1873 made
her appearance as Ophelia to Sir Henry
Hamlet, and then began an association
artistic and friendly and mutually help
ful. that lasted until just before Sir Henry
ITving's death.
In private life Miss Terry is Mrs Ellen
Alice Wsrdell, and she has two daughters,
one of whom, perfect replica Of her
mother might have been noted about the
theater during the engagement last week.
FifIy-nine years young, She is the mar
vel OF her age. She refuses to grow old.
and age cannot wither nor custom stale
her infinite variety" Like many we'll
bred Englshwomen. she has d perfectly
clear and beautiful enunciation. Her
spes king voice covers a wide range. with
but little effort; she can make her words
smile. or they will induce to tears. She
seldom raises her voice. but every word
may be distinctly heard. for her tones are
musical and bell-like; her pronunciation a
delight 1t has been limited that this tour
is, perhaps. the last that she will make
this visit the last she will pay 10 AmeTi-
ca. II is sincerely to be hoped that this
is not true. Many OF the alleged actors
they send us from England We well can
spare. but for art such as Miss TerTy's.
for her gentle graciousness, and the
beautiful carelessness with which she
wears her years, we shall always have a
welcome. for she is like Shakespeare $
Cleopatra:
other women
ely th' sppetites they feed; but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies.
OF the play, Captain Brassbound's s
Conversion" hardly too much could be
said in praise. It shows Shaw in one OF
the merriest Of his satirical humors. He
rails at pretense and hypocrisy, as he
never loses an opportunity Of doing. but
in this play he does it gently and with a
chuekle over each eynieism. And with 1t
all. with all its eXaggeration, its char
acterizations are so true TO human nature.
1t is Just like Shaw. too TO confess
having made a play whose scenes are in
Norocco-that all he knows about no
rocco he learned through a morning walk
through the streets Of Tangier. And yet
one finds no inconsistencies in the scenic
environment OF the play.
His human nature Mr.. Shaw knows
very well. He knows. too, the springs
that move men and women in this world,
and he touches them. in this play. with
skilled fingers. Not a character in the
play is unnecessary IN developing-what
shaw evidently intended his play should
develOp-the peculiar potency of a
woman's charm and her power TO domi-
nate men and situations Women are no
toriOusly bTaver than men. which is one
of the paradOXes Of nature in which Shaw
delights He does not care for the situa-
lion that seems obvious. When he wants
10 express merriment he thinks that tears
are fitting. and declares that in moments
OF narrowing grief the soul feels Ike
laughter The result OF such heretical
views is that he writes with a freshness
and clearness of vision possessed by no
other man who to-day is writing for the
stage. II is to be hoped that he will
write many more such plays as Captain
BrassbOund's Conversion and will al
ways be fortunate enough to find an act
ress of Miss Terry's intelligence to pre-
sent them
It is very seldom that a man writes a
good play, when he deliberately starts
out 10 make the principal character fiji
himself as an actor. Mr.. Wilton Lack
aye has succeeded better than most. and
yet the best thing he could ind TO say
IN a curtain speech. about his own play
The Law and the Man" which he took
from Les Miserables.' and which drew
good houses to the Columbia Theater all
Of last week. was that il was a sub
limated melodrama." With such a char
acter as Jean Valjean the central figure
Of a story on the stage. an escape from
meiodrama seems almost fnpossfhle