The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16
STARS RISENFROMTHE CHORUS
MANY STAGE CAREERS THAT
STATED IN THE RANKS.
Most of Them Naturally In the World of
Light Opera, hut some Actresses Who
Began rs Chorus Giris-Oniy Three
Noted VINO Achieved Grand Opera.


Noted Who AchieSe ed Grand Opera.
1t is doubtful whether many people real
i've the number Of stage ~favorites OF to-day
who got their start in the chorus. This Ia
PARTICULARLY true. naturally enough. OF the
light cpera world. though there nave been
many notable instances Of dramatic players
who received their initial stage training
as chorus singers.
1t was as a chorus singer that Lu!u Chaser
received her first introduction to the foot
lights, making her debut in 1892 with Francis
wilson in The Lion Tanner" She also
served in the capacity of understudy to
Marie Jansen. and 30 great was her success
that tte year following she became Mr..
WILSON'S leading woman, a position she held
for six years. Since then she has starred
at the head of her own company.
Another Instance OF a chorus understudy
making rapid advancement was tina Of
Mahelle Gilman. She was discovered in
l-r nauve san Francisco about ten years
ago by the ate Augustin DAILY and made her
debut under his management in -The
Geisha," She also sang in the chorus Of
La Poupfe," The Circus Girl" and
S~hakespelre's The Tempest" in each Of
which she understudied Virginia Earl.
When Mr.. DAILY brought out The Runaway
Girl he cast her for the leading soubrette
role of itce. From that moment Miss
Gilr lan's star was in the ascendant. On
May II. 1907. she became the wife Of William
EMS Corey,
A third instance was hat Of Julia San
derson, Five years ago she was singing
in the chorus of @Winsome Winnie when
one night Paula Edwardes. the star Of the
organization, was unable to play and Miss
Sanderson volunteered TO saw the day.
SO great ives her SUCCESS in that single
performance that a few months later she
was playing the leading rtle in a Chinese
Honeymoon" which was followed by en-
gagements with De Wolf Hopper in Wang
jefferson De Angels in -Fantana,' Richard
Golden in The Tourists in vaudeville
aDd in The Dairy Maids
Paula Edwardes herself gained her first
stage encouragement in much the same
way as Miss Sanderson. Some years ago
she was one of the chorus singers in the
support Of Thomas Q. Seabrooke in "Ta-
basco," also acting as understudy to Evia
Crox, whose part she played pom several
occasions, and with such credit that the
next season she obtained a small part in
Hoyt's a Black Sheep Her advancement
thereafter was rapid. and in recent seasons
she has been an independent star in Win
some Winnie" and Princess Beggar,'
Six years ago the chorus Of The Chap
erons" had enrolled among it's members
Salie Fisher. Nellie Follis. Sadie Harris
and May de Sousa. To-day Miss Fisher
ia in the star class. singing the leading role
in A Stubborn Cinderella in Chicago, and
she is well remembered on Broadway as
prima donna in The Billionaire." The Of
fee Boy Sergeant Brue,' The Man From
Now" 'The Tattooed Man and "A knight
for a Day
Miss Follis. after creating the leading
soubrette role in The B~illionaire,' mar
ried and retired from the stage. Miss
Harris. who is a sister-in-law Of Lew NJ.
Fields. is now playing one of the leading
parts In THE Talk OF New York" in the
y of Victor Moore. while Miss de
Sousa, having worked her way up to being
a prima donna, has become one of the fav-
orites of the European stage, appearing
in London for a long time in Cinderella"
Castles in Spain.' 'The Geisha- and THE
Girls Of Gutenberg"
1t only seems a short time ago that Irene
Bentley was a Lederer chorus girl, enjoy
ing a reputation as LILLIAN Russell's
uDuDlt, lnaI % n v ID<tot q ycdib hBcs
however. and since then Miss Bentley has
made decided progress in her professional
career through her work as prima donna
OF such productions as THE Belle of Be-
hernia. The Strollers.' The Wild Rose
-The Girl From Dixie THE Belle Of May
fair and now in The Mimic World"
Hattie Williams. now a prima donna.
was one of E. E. Rice's chorus warblers
about a dozen years ago in 'i4s2," but
she soon worked her way up into minor
roles in various organizations. After being
leading lady in The Girl from Maxim's"
and with the Rogers Brothers. Miss Williams
won favor in The Girl From Kay's" and
-The Rollicking Girl" which brought her
into the stellar fame OF -The Little Cherub"
and Miss Fluffy Ruf1es."
Minnie Ashley, now Mrs. William Aston
Chanler and no longer in the public eye.
began her stage career in the chorus OF
1872 followed by two seasons in the same
line Of endeavor with De Wolf Hopper
in Eel Captain" She practically stepped
from this into playing leading soubrette
roles in English musical comedies.
Bessie Wynn, who by her impersona-
ton Of boy roles has won rather a distinctive
position in the light opera world, was buried
for many years in the obsourity of the
chorus. appearing in the ranks OF such
productions as The Telephone Girl THE
Cadet Girl" THE Little Duchess and
The Supper Club" until finally. without
any previous heralding. she burst forth
in The Wizard OF o." followed by ap-
pesrances in Babes in Toyland" and won
defland," and for the last two years she has
been singing in vaudeville.
Christie Macdonald stsrted up the Thes-
plan ladder as a chorus singer in Pauline
Halls company, from which she quickly
passed to that Of Francis Wilson. remain
ing with this star five years. finally obtain
ing roles Of considerable Importance. For
the last ten years she has been a leading
light on Broadway.
Marguerite Clark made hsr debut in the
chorus of the Strakosoh Opera Company
in Baltimore about eight years ago. She
then played small parts in THE Belle Of
Bohemia, The Burgomaster.' THE New
Workers" and The Wild Rose" and for the
last six years she has been principal sou-