Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-11
WOMEN who'd PLAY THE MAN
Actresses More and More Seek to En-
act Male Roles.


Actresses More and More Seek to En-
act Male Roles.
NEW YORK, April 1O.-Sarah Bernhard
is certainly the Grand Old Woman of the
drama. She is now well in the COS, but no
less difficult a task than playing the title
role in Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergarac' is
to be her next undertek king. Constant Co
quelin, with whom she had played the
part of Roxine so frequently, is dead, and
probably no actor In France is courageous
enough just now TO take up the part. He
played Cyrano more than forty times this
year during the weeks preceding his sick
ness and his triumphs are freshly remem-
bered in Paris. Sarah is going to act the
role, however, and it is fairly certain that
the public will want to see her.
1t was only a short time ago that Nine.
Bernhard wrote to her representative,
William c.. Conner, who has been her friend
and adviser ever since the death of Maurice
Grau, that she hoped this season to add
another role to her repertoire, Mephisto-
pheles, in a version of Faust that Henri
Bataille was writing for her. There was a
delay about her acquisition of ihis new
masculine character because Nine. Bern
hardt and the dramatist fell out and she
wanted him to get out and let her finish
the play herself. Just how M. Bataille re-
ceived the suggestion is not known here;
but Nine. Bernhard has not yet played
the devil on the stage, so there are grounds
for believing that he may have objected
20 withdrawing at this crucial point.
The desire to play Cyrano marks the ex-
treme of the Frenchwoman's ambition to
play mems roles. She acted here as the
ingenious hero OF lie PEASANT as long
ago as her first visit to New York; but
the only other male characters she has
subsequently shown here We're Hamlet and
the hero Of "L'Aiglon." the little duke of
Reichstadt. Abroad she has played the
hero OF De Musset's "Lorenzacclo" and
began her recent cycle Of mems parts in
that play. Her tendency to gather as many
such roles as possible into her repertoire
was also shown by her ambition to act
Romeo whenever an appropriate Juliet who
also spoke French could be found.
MnIo. Bernhard Is not an exception. The
disposition Of women to play masculine
roles undoubtedly grows stronger. Maude
Adams. who made the fame OF "L'Aiglon"
in this country, has since that time gained
even great vogue for Peter Pan, although
she could not do the same for the hero of
THE TESTERS" which is the latest mascu-
line figure she ADDED TO her repertoire. 1t
is said that she would appear only in male
roles II there were plays enough Of that
kind to interest and occupy her. 1t was
the desire OF two actresses to get Lag
ion" that led to the parting OF the ways
between Charles Frohman and Julia Mar
lowe, who was then under his management.
p Miss Marlowe was so anxious to represent
the young hero that she never ~forgave Mr..
Frohman for handing the play over to
Miss Adams. Her own rights TO the part
she considered proved by the success she
had made in "chatterton," a one-act play
that she now rarely performs. Only a
short time ago Annie Russell, who had
made her greatest successes In gently IN
Kenuous roles, decided that she wanted to
get into line and act a masculine role. She
selected one that has always been allotted
TO a woman, however, and acted Puck in
"A Midsummer Nights Dream"
There is OF course in this tendency moth
ing like a return TO those palmy days In
which the woman Hamlet was only a little
scareer than the woman Iago. old records
OF the drama announce as many women
HamleIs 5 tLe-e are Nor1s today. As far
back as .Sl9 both Mrs. BARLEY and Mrs.
Barnes made successful appearances In the
role and were taken seriously by large
audiences. II was significant Of the taste
of the times that some years later Char
lotte Barnes. who had failed in every other
role in spite OF the talent and popularity
OF her parents, was finally accepted as