New-York tribune., 1910-01-03
MISS O'NElL'S ART
PLAYED MANY PARTS.
Says She Has 4chieued Suc-
cess and Is Hdppy.

Miss Nance O'Neil, the California actress.
who has made the greatest success of her
career in David Belascos "rhe Lily" an
adaptation from the French of Pierre Wolf
and CASTOR Leroux, talked yesterday of her
self and her part
Miss O'Neil In this play appears as pale
woman of thirty-five with every vestige of
her beauty gone save the exquisite chsel-
ling OF her features. She wears her luxu-
RANT hair brushed back in severe fash
ion Her ears are adorned with huge ear
rings, and her dress Is severely plain vet
with bit of lace here and there as Miss
O'NeiTs tribute to the love of the beautiful
which she is certain that Odette must have
had She feels the part, "eh, so keenly."
she said. She fancies the awful loneliness
OF Odette shut up In her fathers ancient
castle, and over which, since her mothers
death, Odette had been mistress There
Miss O'Nel lived Odette's life with her
father and brother and sister, faithfully
attending to the duties of the household,
eating her heart out In solitude for love
of the man whom her father had forced
her to give up.
When the great scene comes I'm the third
act Miss O'Neil Is Odette rising in
splendid crescendo of wrath against the
father who presumed to condemn his
younger daughter Christiane because she
had dared to love clandestnely a man of
whom her father did not approve. Miss
Q Nell as Odette was superb in her wrath,
perfect In control of dramatic force COM
municatinS by sheer art the expression of
power In reserve, which, in her whole
career as an actress, she had never shown
before
This American tragedienne had played
great parts in THE Fires of St john"
judith and "Magda," but she had lacked
the finish of the art which she is display
ing to-day. Hitherto she has shown great
dramatic power, but 1t has been too evil
dent; she has held too little in reserve.
What has enabled her to change after sew
enteen years of acting?
Miss ONeil says it is the influence of
Mr.. Belasco's company. of her surround
ings. of the advice and encouragement that
Mr.. Belasco has given her. She is in the
seventh heaven Of delight. After a. stormy
career. in which she has had her sue
cesses-and great ones-and her failures,
and has been visited by troubles far more
serious than the average woman on the
stage is compelled to meet. she feels that
the worst is over, and that success has at
last come to her. She is not unmindful of
the past. She is grateful for what has
been done for her by others. but she is
happy now In what she considers an ideal
company.
''Oh, 1t is all so wonderful" she said
Mr.. Belascos master mind permeates
everything. We are all just like one big
family. and when he Is not here we feel
that something is wrong. When I received
Mr. Belascos telegram while I was spend
Ing my summer vacation in England 1 was
overjoyed. He told me that he had always
halt ,v1
join his company. Now 1 am here. and I
feel that / am under conditions that will
develop the best in my art
Il have never before played in New York
for more than few weeks. Now shall be
here most Of the time | am to live in New
York, which I love. 1 have become a
philosopher. 1 believe that everything
comes to one at the proper time
The tragic face of this California woman
was lighted with inspiration. Her hair re-
f1ected the golden light of sunset Her
Pacifc-bue eyes looked into the distance
Il remember the first time I appeared on
the stage" she said, in a voice that seemed
TO come from the sea Il was only sixteen
years old. 1t was at the Alcazar Theatre,
San Francisco. I was under the mai1age-
ment Of Mckee Rankin. I played the part
Of nun in a dranatization of the life of
I felt when the curtain went up and I
saw that great audience before me- I
wanted to run away. My first lines were:
'Nanon Baudet. you are dismissed from
San L+azar.' That was in 1892. played that
year all through California and In other
parts of the West. My first success was in
Kansas as Nancy Sykes in oliver Twist
/ first came East in 1895. I played in
Washington in The Bachelors Baby NV
part was that OF an ingenue. I toured the
East in this play. In 1896 1 played True
to Life in New York. After a season on
the road I came back to the Murray Hill
Theatre, where / played in repertory for
seventeen weeks In the summer of 1898 I
played in 'Magda' for the first time, in
Minneapolis. I went back TO the California
Theatre, San Francisco. that season. and
played my first engagement as d star in
my native state. I toured California and
went to Honolulu for four weeks There I
enjoyed one of the most wonderful visits of
my life. 1 met number of my girl friends
with whom had been educated and I was
entertained by Prince David and honored
by the people.
When / went back TO California 7 de-
cided to go TO London, where 7 PLAYED in
The Jewess In 1900 I went for the first
time to Australia. I played 'Magda' and
other pieces eighteen months In the COL
onies I went to South Africa for six
months I was in Cape Town at Christmas
during the Boer war. when the town was
under martial law. I played at the first
morning performance ever given in Cape
Town--it was a benefit for the English SOL
diers. The Mayor gave me a bouquet bear
ing the British colors.
Il shall never forget the trip from Cane
Town to Kimberley; all along the railroad
the troops were encamped. | stopped at
the various cities on the way I'D TO Cairo
TO play in repertory. At Cairo / PLAYED
'Magda, Camille la Tosca' and Fedora.
and was presented TO the khedive. I spent
my vacation in the desert. From there I
went to London, where ! played for four
weeks in repertory.
zone of my most successful engagements
was at the Grand Opera House In San
Francisco in the fall of 1902, when / played
for ten weeks during the whole of which
time the theatre was so crowded that the
orchestra had TO play on the stage. In 1904
! came back East l played 'Magda,'
'Hedda Ciabler,' The Fires of St john
Judith, Elizabeth. Ingomar,' Peg Wof-
fngton' Camille and Guy Mannerng'
This engagement, II may be stated, from
the writer's own recollection. was a great
triumph for Miss ONei. lasting through
- - ! -t,,ya L.