The Washington times., 1914-04-12

as well as public opinion. The mem
bers of her craft have their eyes on
her all the time in a more or less
crafty fashion and she will be given
credit by them for doing something
only after she has done il a whole
lot better than anyone ever did 1t
before.
w. A. Brady's Daughter.
Alice Brady is a daughter of Will
lam A Brady and William A.
Brady. it is hardly necessary to say.
is. one of the two or three really
great theatrical managers and pro-
ducers. Miss Brady isn't twenty
vet. She was born in New York.
Her mother was known on the stage
as Marie Rene before she married
William A. Brady. Marie Rene was
we'll known to the opera loving pub
lie twenty years ago. She was
possessed of a wonderful voice and
was popular 1t is but natural that
her daughter should have a voice
and all the other raw material for
popularity.
Miss Brady was brought up with
the idea she was going on the stage.
lust where she got this idea, she
confesses she does not know No
BODY ever told her she was TO be an
actress. But she regarded 1t as
perfectly natural thing that she
would eventually go on and that her
father and her step-mother, MISS
Grace George, would help her.
But she did not speak pieces.
or ANYTHING like that at school. Sne
looked herself over carefully ana
studied out for herself the finds OF
parts for which she was SUITED She
studied Shakespeare. She tried 10
hitch her wagon to a spotlight IN
stead of a star, for she had an eX-
tremely practical mind. She couldn
fancy herself as Juliet, for IN
stance. She doesn't care much Tor
the love-sick ladies of literature. and
then came an opportunity 10 appear
as Celia, in one of the big al 1rescO
performances of AS You Like II
bv q professional theatrical company.
The Rosalind was a fine one. put
sne forgot her lines. Miss Br6dy
knew every word OF the part and
made herself extremely unpopular
with the leading lady by prompting
her when she faltared. And right
then and there Miss Brady cetrr-
mined that some day she was gong
10 play RosaIind and do it as II had
never been done before.
Wrote to Papa"
Miss Brady vas hept al school
until two years ago. She learned
that her father was about TO 1.ut on
an all-star revival of the 'Mikado.'
She knew the "Mikado" backward
and forward and cross-ways. So snc
wrote papa that she had heard Of his
proposition to put on the opera with
nothing but stars and she vented 10
know, il it was not asking too mucn,
lust what part he had planned 10
give her, as she waited TO prepare
her costumes, etc! Father Brady
was somewhat surprised and ftust-
cred. He'd never reckoned his young
daughter as star up 10 that mo-
ment In fact, she had never been
on the stage so far as he knew and
his knowledge was fairly wide. But
he liked her nerve.
And when the all-star cast was
suggested by the semi-all-star com
pany headed by FRITZ Schcff, Alice
Brady's name was on The program
in the part of Peep-Bo. She made
Peep-Bo something more than just
one Of the three little maids, and
convinced Manager William 4. Brady
not Father Brady. recOllect-that
he had an actTess-in-the-in making in
his family.
He gave her a part with Louise
Cunning in The balkan Princess.
There was a little more to do here
than in the '.MikadO.' And Man
aver Brady noticed that his young
aspirant was possessed Of something
more than comic opera possibilities.
SO he put her in the east of the
original production of Little WOm-
en-" in the part of Meg. She MADE
good and was shifted TO The Things
that Count" Then Manager Frady
and Father Brady held q consu!ta-
ton with their young emplOye and
daughter She aspired to emotional
parts. she told them. And they
promised to give her a chance, il
she'd consent 10 80 out with the
Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company
this season. She consented and there
she is-aIthough she was more or
less puzzled as to why. And SO were
We when she told US about il.