The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-15

Topeka Oratorio society
Thursday and Friday. May Us
The Blue Mouse
At the Novelty
North Bros. in The Marriage of
kitty"
The Subscribers Of the Topeka high
school viii give the annual spring play
at the Grand tonight. Way Up East"
This promises to be one Of the best
attractions ever offered by a high
school company There are Is big song
hits in the play, which are taken from
the leading musical comedy successes
OF the season A cast of 40 members
OF the class is promised. and the entire
production is under the direction of
Miss E1inor Lincoln, who has made sue
cesses OF all her high school efforts Of
recent years. The cast has been in
constant rehearsal for several weeks.
ard good Interpretation Of a good
production is promised for tonight The
seat sale has been good
Those who have watched the dra-
matte work Of Mrs F'iske. who viii be
seen at the Grand next Saturday night
with Increasing wonder and delight
from year to year, will see IN saliva
ton NelP' a revelation Of character
study that can only be the result Of
keen insight into human nature. Yet
Mrs Fiske. ever modest. might insist
that the long training which she has
undergone was equally responsible for
this rare portrayal of Nell Sanders
life in her newest play \ glance at her
career, however. proves that her his
triouic gifts made even her girlhood
days famous.
Mrs. FTske's life naturally divides it
SELF into two parts-her career before
her retirement from the stage at the
sine Of her marriage 70 Harrison Grey
fEIske, and her career after she once
more took up her dramatic work To
the second period belongs her memoir
able portrayal OF Ibsen's Nora, Hedda /
Gabler, and Rebecca West, and four
t1perso1atIons OF Tess. Becky Sharp, |
Mary OF MagdaIa, Leah K leSChua, and /
Nell Sanders Gin Salvation NelI')-
Her arrival on the American stage
began early enough. for at 3. Minnie /
Madden made her debut IN the char /
aCter OF the Duke of York in Rich /
ard III" Then followed q long period (
IL which she acted many child's parts
IN standard plays, in King John" |
Macbeth -RicheLeu." rip Van
Wrinkle" Uncle Toms CABIN Ten 4
Nights IN a BarrOOm, BOuCica ult's /
Hunted Down" etc. She was the /
original Little Fritz with 7. K En-
NETT. and was Louise in The Two 4
Orphans" She was associated with
a..
Mrs. Scott SiddOns. and z. L Daveu-
port. As an old womau's part. her
Widow Melnotte at IA was especially
successful
At the early age OF fifteen, Minnie
Maddern appeared at the head OF her
own company. She first appeared on
May 20, 1882 The play was ''E'ogg's
Ferry Then came Caprice" one Of
her notable plays, IN Spite of All"
IN which she had the support Of Rich-
Al :
when Wilton Lackaye was her leading
man At tWenty-three she was mar
ried 10 Harrison Grey Ffske and for
three years after her marriage she
plays Among the latter was THE
Rose played with success by the late
Felix Morris; Not Guilty" accepted |
by the KendaIs: f'F'CuteueIIe'' pIayed
by James O'NeiI1; Common Clay" a
comedy Of American life; and "Coun-
tess Roudiue," written in colIabora-
ton with Paul kester.
When in 1898, at q matinee for char
iuy. Mrs FiSke consented TO appear as
Nora in Ibseu's Dolls House" her
success was 50 inspiring that it deter
mined her return to the stage. In her
first tour as Mrs Ffske," she used
rooms and Marie DeIroche.' In her
second season. when she produced
Tess she took New York by storm.
Then came Love Finds the Way and
neE OUe-aCL plays, A BIT OF Old CHel-
sea-" and Little Italy" which again
demo nscrated Mrs Fishes versatility.
"F.rou F'rOu" followed. after which
America was given the opportunity of
seeing Thackeray's Becky Sharp" on
the stage Mrs. Fishes Becky viii live
IN the annals Of the stage as a por-
trayal Of wonderful mastery and deli
cate skill Becky Sharp was fol
lowed by Miranda Of the BALCONY"
The UnweIcome Mrs. Hatch and
then Mary of MagdaIa'' Hevse's
poetic drama IN "Hedda CabIer .
which she produced the next year .she
once more demonstrated her genius FOR
6elineating the subtle Ibseu woman.
In 1905 came Leah K1eschna-~ and
E one-act play Of great interest called
Dolce" After two seasons of great
success with Leah" came that spIen-
did comedy dealing with divorce-'eThe !
New York idea" In the following !
year Mrs Ffske once more returned to {
IbSen, producing ''Rosme rsh ohm,
which she considers the best of his
plays And now she is giving Arueri-
ca a study of a daughter of the Sums ;
IN salvation Ne.I' and achieving as
emphatic a success in this direct. sim :
pie story Of the regeneration OF a vvo
man as in the host of more coupTex
types OF other levels Of life which she
has portrayed.