New-York tribune., 1911-11-19
WITH HEDW|C RE|CHER
Hours Talk Reveals the Poetic
Power of Munich Actress.

looms can weave. they fash In and out o.
motors. dine In rooms hung with crystal
and tapestries and move as much ss pos
sibIe I'm an atmosphere OF expensive flow
ers. cafe music and excitement Departing
from their midst with your head in sons.
thing Of a whirl, YOU decide that being On
the stage is a business, quite interesting
business. and very profitable.
When you are with Miss Relcher the in
preston steals over you from somewhere
that being on the stage is acting, and that
acting IS an art. No marquise rings hide
Ter taperng white fingers; her supple form
is not ierkcd into the sef-conscious lines
of a fashionable" gown. Her black, way-
ing hair is not wound up into style copied
from, some Assyrian heroglyph and sup
plemented by many modern detachsb.
curls.
You never remember her gown. YOU
liked its color and appearance at the time.
but il was go secondary In claiming your
attention that il faded into her own back
ground and was forgotten. Her long, Nhits
arms. that she sometimes raised In tell
/ ing' gesture in order 10 add emphasis 10
what she said moved With grace that
/ insinuated its way into the senses. Her
! face. with it's classic lines: her dark hair.
and the. surprising fire that lesped into her
/ owes now and again-thcse we're the things
that were remembered after talk with
! IIodwig Reicher Her strong, 1.-THE body
and haunting personality at once suggest
cd that she must need space and lack OF
small restrictions for her development Il
90 hrz her atr
her own keynote by speaking Of personal
| freedom.
81 was 2 wander child" she said. When
7 was little / seldom went 10 school To
learn things from a book and to have to
tread path Of learning laid out ahead OF
mo meant nothing 10 me. Even when |
was very little I wanted to throw mysef
/ ,,.itr neorle and to live out with them
u-batever happened. Freedom to follow
y, g own will is necessary If the person is
70 grow. Fortunately, I have been always
F., free"
She threw both arms slowly OUT At ei'h'r
side full length. in wide gesture o. Joy
II was very calmly done, with certain
lapq,,or vet suggested latent power.
anv one should try to curtail that perfect
/ freedom! c..
DO you feel freer here than N Ger
nanv?" she was asked.
.Wen, no." she replied, i DO mol. l
think feel freer there. ! am allowed 70
burt rvself here. There are no laws 70
forbld my being run over I'm the streets
bprned out OF my house, or such priv
ueges You understand that the many litus
niles and restrictions which people COM
nIain Of I'm Germany are merely safeguards
/ against such things as this: against dis
| ease and accident. They do not annoy me
( as they do so many people. Nor do feel
that the lack Of these restrictions here re-
lieves me Of any feeling OF oppression But
I find that here there are many little con-
ventions and customs and manners, ana
Won must follow them closely or be crit-
cised so dreadfully that you must die OF
broken heart ! feel this terribly mere.
And these conventions are so insignificant
the ones I mean. They are not worth
thought.
II feel as though a human being does
not count very much over here. In Ger
many each person is, in the eyes not only
of family and friends but OF neighbors. the
country at large and especially OF the I'M
perial government, infinitely important
Every care and attention is given the indi'
vidual Every one counts. This Importance
of the person creates a spirit OF interest IN
stead Of indifference among people. Every
one is interested in every one else, ana tn'
| spirit quickens ambition and develops chai-
act,r and personality. You expand und1
its influence beautifully, and feel that the
interest Of person for person created free
dom for growth"
Miss Reicher's voice has a certain stirring
quality along with its soft tones. II sounds
as though 1t were played on deep muscs
| cords. She speaks English with the SLOW
precision of the German, but with an ac-
cent slightly French.
"You spoke English when you came rom
/ Germany two years ago, did you not M's'
Recher?"
Not a word" she laughed. Il learned
my parts at first like q parrot. Ny brother
J translated them for me, so, Of course !
knew what they meant When | pls!eu
/ The Next of Kin at the Hudson Tnesue
/ | could not speak word of English.
went off the stage for a while after t'~'
and ever since I have been doing tN'
things. learning TO speak English and "s"'
ing for a play"
You studied under a teacher
oh no; l learned English as ] learn'u
whatever else | knOw-just by being "i"'
/ people and picking II up. l learn everything
| by ear and through my feelings ao"o'
things. ] had to study acting that wa"
For acting, you know has TO be studieo ~
Germany 1t is considered an art there Sno
I il taken very seriously. German audens'
emphatically demand OF their actors u~
tinction OF speaking and OF bearing l"'se
are fundamental. without them no 49,
| IS permitted on the stage for a mon'e
There are schools where acting IS 'Suen
Voice cultivation is the first thing on
your voice Is placed SO that its tones
/ fully over the whole house, ana WIN
clear. distinct enunciation, YOU cahnVe
a step further with acting. ! did no'
to 90 TO a school. because my ial"e' -.
theatre director. and he arranged ~.
10 have private schoolins. lie p1i' "a
little personal school near my hoN''
had people come there 10 teach me- "a.
In Germany, IL man or "ohiSn "a
10 go on the stage, but cannot aho'V srs,
70 a dramatic school, there is no'h1ns .srv
but the chorus. Such people nave am.
difieult time ever getting part o9 a., .o.
portance When they do. It is by pu''
cldent AZ.
Among other things, one learns :" ,r.s.
press emotions. and these are % uhy
the same in all languages. mat -, hs.
I attempted TO play in English "l'"o1 M.
ing able TO speak il. ! had alo''O' ..,sral
rience OF this kind. In DreSdon, in
years ago, | played Goethe's lp'''s p'or in
Esperanto The performance was e,srna.
the Royal opera. before the hrs' "" ,hat
tional conference. And do You hho", .oonls
great audience was composed OF -. ,s