New-York tribune., 1912-04-14
A VARIED CAREER
Sidney Valentines Experiences
in Fight for Recognition.

Sidney Valentine, the we'll known English
actor now playing in The Pigeon" at The
Little Theatre. came to America for the
third time last fall expecting to stay only
eight weeks He left The Ogre" Henry
Arthur Jones's new play, done In LONDON
, IN the fall. at a moments notice to play IN
the American production OF The Butterny
on the Wheel"
When the tour Of that play was aban-
doned he booked passage home, and was
about to sail when Lewis Waller decided 10
put on "A Butterfly on the Wheel IN New
York. The actor scored decisiveiy as the
prosecutor in that play. but when Winthrop
Ames put John Galsworthy's comedy, The
Pigeon" into rehearsal for the opening OF
The Little Theatre Mr.. Valentine was Sc
cured for the role OF Timson the broken
down old 'cabby." in which he Will be seen
for the rest OF this season at The Little
Theatre.
Mr.. Valentines first visit to America was
made in 1889 with Charles Wyndham-not
with the Kendals, AZ has been previously
publ ished-when Wyndham opened the IRE
mont Theatre. Boston. with David Gar
rick" They played In New York at Pal
mers Theatre.
In the winter Of 1896 90 Mr.. Valentine
came to this country a second time, with
Sir Henry Irving on this occasion. opening
in New York in Macbeth at the Abbey
Theatre. As an instance OF how quickly
theatrical nomenclature changes in New
York and how absolutely the name Of a
theatre may pass from memory Mr.. VAL
entine tells this incident. on arriving in
New York last fall he was talking with a
we'll known actor and a newspaper man,
ard mentioned that on his last previous
visit he had PLAYED with Irving at the Abb
hey Theatre. The American actor and the
newspaper man told him that he must be
mistsken-that there was no Abbey Thea
tre In New York. and they couldn't recall
that there ever had been one, and told Mr.
Valentine that he must have forgotten the
name of the theatre where he played. Mr..
Valentine, however insisted that he was
not mistaken. and was able to locate the
theatre from memory as somewhere be-
tween SJth and 40th streets on Broadway.
He could recall the drug store on the cor
ner by the theatre. and from that they
finally located the theatre. II is now known
as the Knckerbockcr Theatre.
Mr. Valentine has had an active career
in English theatricsls, having appeared
with most OF the we'll known stars Of the
day. On his return to England after his
second trip to America he was loaned"
by Sir Henry Irving TO Frederick Harri-
son and Cyril Maude to appear ut the Hay
market as Rlcheleu in Under the Red
pi,1 - oI mil pya
years. This affair Of being loaned by one
manager to another has become a usual
experience with MIR. Valentine. and in only
one instance has he ever returned to the
manager who loaned hlm-and that was
in the case Of Charles Frohman, who
wanted him for production OF "A Butter
ny on the Wheel in Chicago. While at
the Baymarket he appeared in THE Mar
riage of Convenience" The Manpuvres OF
Jane" and many other plays of that
period. The Maneuvres OF Jane" Mr..
Valentine says, was received with absolute
contempt by the press OF London. The
play was so utterly condemned that the
managers were In a hurry 10 take 1t of.
and a new play was put in rehearsal on the
next afternoon, but the audience at the
second performance was appreciative and
Il was decided to give the play chance.
TIE result was, as every one VIII remem-
her that Il ran for the entire season to
excellent business.
At the end Of Ave years Mr.. Valentine was
loaned to Martin Harvey. who was pro-
ducing a dramstization OF F. Marion Craw-
ford's Cigarette Makers Romance" Later
he ioined Fred Terry and Julia Nelson.
appearing In Sweet Nell Of Old Drury."
and was afterward cast for the Arab shek
in the hrst London performance Of Ben
Hur." He has played Brabantio with
Forbes Robertson In "othello" and the
Nilghai in Rudyard Kiping's THE Light
That Failed"
sidney Valentine then essayed manage
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