New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-13
'S|MONE PRAISES PLAYERS
SAYS She Found Them Charming
and Made Them Work.
AND THEY LIKED IT. TOO
Despite Belasco, Actress Says
American Plays and Actors Are
Good-To Sail To- day.

With all the capricious enthusiasm CT
her thoroughly Partisan temperament,
Nine. S!mone. an actress who has been CIV
ing New York a taste Of mercilessly mod
ern naturalistic art during the last sea
SON. demolished past hope the recent IN
nouncement of David Belasco that the
young American actor didn't know his ioo'
and, what was worse. didn't care to. The
demolition came on the eve of her sailing
for London. where she will play "Frou-
Frou" and The Return from Jerusalem,
until the summer puts an end 20 ali serious
dramatic work.
The vivacious little woman was sitting
on a throne in the studio OF Mrs. Benjamin
Guinness. painter OF portraits, clothed in
long and enveloping fur coat and spa
cious black hat from under which a tress
like polished gold peeped here and there.
An ancient tapestry and a cardboard pillar
behind her cave q stacy touch 10 the bare
ness OF the studio.
DO you agree with Mr.. Bclasco that our
younger actors do not know their profes-
sion?' she was asked.
Mails. non: mails, non" she responded
quickly. You must not complain about
your actors. In the way OF my company
they were the most charming and delicious
people imaginable. And work? I made
them work-oh. harder than ever before.
I made them come to my hotel and re-
hearse with me- They told me that they
were not accustomed 10 work like that, but
they were most willing. l found them en-
chanted with their work.
"The book they gave me-you should have
l. hA ell "a
thing on It upon which they all engraved
their names and presented 1t to me at the
fftieth performance of The Return from
Jerusalem" That play was played just the
same as in Paris. | staged 1t myself, and
there was not a particle Of difference.
The talk turned to American audiences.
They like comedy" said the actress
They don't care to see a woman tearing
her heart strings through four acts and
man dying at the end. think gave them
the wrong plays at first
But they have great possibilities OF at
tention. much more than the French peo-
pie. The French like quick action. as in
The Whrlwind. They say the actress
will tel us what kind OF character the
heroine is. But YOU Americans like TO see
character developed. Your critics declare
that a play like The Whrlwind is not
sincere, though the French consider It the
most sincere OF Bernstein's dramas
Nine. Smone was asked whether she
thought America would ever have ma
tional drama.
How can you say the American drama
IS not national?" she exclaimed. Il have
seen The Rainbow The Return OF Peter
Grimm The Bird Of Paradise Bought and
Paid For" They are all typicaly AmeH-
can. And how do you know they VIII not
be PLAYED q hundred-two hundred-years
from now? 'Phedre.' which the French
people now consider the greatest OF IA
cines works. was taken off after rim nj
fourteen nights. Because your critics say
these are only plays OF the hour. thar does
not mean anything"
All the plays which she had seen Nine.
simone declared charming. adorable. but
abe refused 10 confess which appealed IN
her most Il was against the ethics OF her
profession, she maintained. Henry Miller,
she remarked. reminded her forcibly OF
Coouelin. but OF the other actors she had
no comments TO make. except that they
were all delightful.
In speaking OF her school OF acting, she
said IL was not new. She merely tried, she
explained TO be as true as possible TO lie,
10 make people forget that she was actins'
The critics had become confused. she oo-
served. because they expected something
different when she arrived. They re-
ferred TO her as a second Bernhardt and
she was not Sarah Bernhard. she said,
was Sarah Bernhardt She was genius
end she represented no school Of acting. be-
cause no one could ever hope 10 be Ike
her
Mime. Simone declared herself enchanted
with everything In New York except the
food. and said she would be back In the
fall.
u have become thoroughly American
she remarked, laughing; French Is quite
forgotten. I shall never play in II again