Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23
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pearance that constantly preyed on my
mind, and the play was Captain links"
Do you wonder. then, that when
made my real debut as leading lady
was seized with an acute attack
of genuine eighteen-karat stage fright?
There l was. the principal player in
new drama by an eminently successful
playwright. True if the piece was bad,
good acting could not save 1t; and II 1t
was good, poor acting would ruin it, Hav
ing the chief role, everything. therefore.
practically hinged on me. The success
or failure of the play depended largely
upon my ability as the leading performer.
Mr.. Witch, the author, intrusted SO much
my manager, who had spent many thou
sands of dollars before the play could
draw single dollar.
To say that L was extremely nervous
when l stepped out on that New York
stage for the first time would be putting
1t mildly was simply paralyZed with
fear. My voice refused to respond to my
will. great lump gathered in my
me courage, the burst of applause that
greeted my first entrance only served
to brighten me still more, for 1t meant,
to me, that great deal was expected of
saw the eyes of twelve hundred people
riveted upon me, their ears eager to
catch my every word. And there were
over a dozen men in that audience whom
l feared far more than the rest of the
auditors-theSe men were, of course, the
newspaper critics. Less than a score Of
these men, yet they virtually nodded
public opinion regarding plays and play
ers. In an hour or so score Of ap-
parently harmless, innocent-looking pens
would be scratching away my reputation
as an actress or else-establishlng my
fame! Which was 1t to be? l trembled
still more. Most people look on the
worst side of things. So 1 saw in my
v,,tn headings s.
papers proclaiming my failure in Capt.
links" and how l utterly ruined a good
play.
All these misgivings were flashing
through my brain with the inexplicable
rapidly that characteriZes dream. 1t
may be hard to believe. yet l truly wish
ed then that ! was an obscure Typewriter
or shopgirl instead of an actress! l was
SO anxious to learn the verdict of the
critics that / did not go to bed at all
that night. but just waited up for the
morning papers Oh. my, what relief
it was TO me to get those papers. was
so pleased at the way was received and
over the success of Capt. links" So
was Mr. Frohn1an. But do you know
that I was afraid that the success was
too good to last? even didn't wan. the
impression to go forth that | had sue
ceeded. did not dare call myself
star. l Just wanted to be regarded as a
principal player or leading lady
that was all But as both the critics and
audience continued kindly toward me.
and especially toward Capt. Jinks," /
have since been more composed and less
nervous.
SUMMER STOCK PLANS CHANGED.
THE Guy Standing Stock Company sea-
son in Washington this spring. under the
MANAGEMENT Of w. a. Page. will be
played at the Belasco Theatsr. after all.
instead of at the Columbia. as at first an
nounced. Mr.. Standing will open at tho
Belasco May IL with THE Mummy and
the HumminR Bird and with Miss Dor
othy Hammond as his leading lady. 9th
ers In the company will be Alice Butler.
JefYreys Lewis. Alfred Hudson. jr, and
Samuel Klawans.
The tickets for the first night. May IL.
will be sold at public auction in the Be
lasco ,Theater some afternoon week in
advance.
NINE. KALICH'S ENGLISH.-The ap-
parent ease with which Bertha Kali
ieh has mastered the English tongue
has created no small wonder among
her admirers who remember that up
to three years ago she had acted
only in Roumanian, Polish. Yiddish and
German. and her acquaintance with Eng
lish was but a cursory reading one, with
scarcely any ability to speak 1t. Yet, af-
ter three years, she speaks our language