davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07
NAZIMOVA is PROUD THAT SHE
is A VAUDEVILLE HEADLINER

Had | not been so confident of my
vehicle perhaps I would have backed
out at the last minute. ! PLAYED my
first performance and when | found
that the house was kecnly sensitive TO
the lines Of the play and the art Of the
players ] did my very absolute best.
lived the life of that poor young peas
ant wife. ! condosccnded to 10 tricks.
1T came upon me in "A fash that
this audience was sophisticated in the
artifices of the stage and that nothing
but simplicity and sincerity would
enable me to win their hearts with
such sombrc story Well, It all hap
pened like a beautiful dream. I have
another string to my bow. ! am now
Of the varieties as well as Of the legit-
innate.
"lf | tell the truth I am prouder this
minute of my reception at the Palace
every day than of anything that has
ever come to me I'm my most ambitious
undertakings. I spend every moment
| can spare in the wings. like the
change, the novelty, the shifting en-
tertainment so like a human kaleido-
scope made up of all the talents. Even
Romeo. the educated chimpanzee has
won me over 10 animal acts, and the
juggling Cinnamon fascinate me.
TrlXie Friganza, the Coincidence, trav-
estes my performance and makes me
like 1t so much that am now suggest
ing new lines TO her at my own ex-
pense, Frank Fogarty, an freshman
jcsts with me in his monologue, and
little Lillian Shaw has her fling in
N4ddish and Italian humor.
Not so long ago | would have
thought all this quite dreadful. Now
! think that IT is great. | am no longer
a little prig about vaudeville; | dis
like myself for having missed so many
brilliant artists and delightful person
alities by remaining ignorant Of va
riety. ! am growing in this atmos-
phere, which Is electric, human and
eNacting. Heavens, how one must
work in the brief time allotted 10 make
a vivid impression summon up
every atom Of intelligence, ambition
and acting knowledge that have
when ! go on that stage. Na2mova
is proud hst she Is q vaudeville head
liner"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07
ny LAWRENCE REANER

is in Granville Bankers restora-
ton OF the platform stage to Wal
lacks Theatre that the principal
interest OF the performances now
70 he seen there under his man
asement really lies. BY means Of the
apron which extends well into the
audience there is continuous action
during the whole of "Androclcs and the
hon," and the street in front of tho
Aouso IL Toa.Tvai rarls. IN which
passes the action of Anatole Frances
one act play, is peopled with significant
and animated figures.
The swiftness Of the action Of Ber-
nard Shaw's fable play is its salvation
II is incomprehensible treated a. any
ordinary stage manager would have
found it necessary to treat the work.
Imagine its scenes separated by the
fall OF the usual curtain and played on
the ordinary picture stage There
would have been much less apprecia-
ton Of the Irish playwright's humor
under such conventional conditions.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07
THE BIOGRAPHY
OF ETHEL BARRYMORE

! No satisfactory who's Who has
ever been written OF Ethel Barrymore
/ because nobody has ever pursued the
/ proper plan OF an Ethel Barrymore
| biography. The way to tell how Miss
barrymore has become one of the two
or three-some say the one-really
extraordinary examples Of great his
! trionism in this country is to name
the things stage tradition says an
actress must not do If she would he
famous, and then admit that Miss
Barrymore has done all these things.
| Whoever finally writes the legend
OF Ethel Barrymore will have on his
hands a delightfully."- antthetlcal task
as we'll as a perfect plan, for all he
/ need do will be TO say that at a certain
I time in the theatre il was generally
/ deemed a damage to an actress s
career to go into vaudeville. to get
married or to have children. That
might be the beginning OF the sketch.
/ The middle would be list of the
ladies OF the stage who have irrepa-
rably done for themselves in the pub
| lie mind by undertaking any of these
grave steps. The end OF such a
Who's Who need only be the naming
of Ethel Barrymore-with the at
! tendant statement that all these
things she has done and more besides
and because as we'll as in spite OF 80
doing she has attained real eminence
as an actress.
Every now and then in her career,
as II deliberately, Miss Barrymore has
given new sharp turn to her profes-
sional line of march, pursuing a policy
exactly opposite TO anything expected
OF her--as, for example, when against
everybody's wishes she courageousy
stopped acting prosperous personality
parts" in plays such as Cousin Kate,
Sunday" and the rest and gave her-
self whole heartedly to the genuine
character roles in Galsworthy's "A
Silver Box" Ibsen's "A Dolls House"
and Pineros "Mid-Channel." Only the
ambitious actress knows how harl
this is TO do in America The most
generous of pubics, especially TO new
! corners. the American public is the
most infcXlble minded once it has
formed an attachment. Perhaps IL Is
because 1t Is essentially a naive public,
but at any rate not for a long time to
NOlllt Will IL Nv ppSSlDlt W Say oI amer
lean theatregoers that they love such
an actor just as much for his Hdrle-
qUin as for his Richard
When a lovely young actress makes
up her mind really to act the Ameri,
can public, which has adored her
until then, promptly runs the other
way. The iOvelier she Is the greater
the surprise and the quicker she is
| deserted. But II that lovely young
lady-idolized by a vast following as
II she were the sister, fancee or daugh-
ter OF every young girl, young man or
motherly woman in that following
suddenly takes 1t into her pretty head
to get married, then a sense OF per-
sonal loss sei2es every member OF her
fo.lowing--as IL the bloom were off the
peach--and n whole life OF romance
gone out Of the theatre.
Reared il family Of actors, Miss
| Barrymore had all these "don'ts" i'm
pressed upon her early in life and
repeated time and again before she
was in long frocks. But It very ap-
parently has been Ethel Darrymores
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

NazimoVa has made up her mind to
remain in vaudeville for the remainder
~ the season. She has signed "A long
series Of contracts calling for her APP
pearance in the leading Keith theatres
in War Brides" the grim little
tragedy of the European conflict
which she is now presenting at the
Palace Theatre as her initial Offering
in the two a day. As matter of fact
Nazimova was fearfully afraid of
vaudeville. 1t was long time before
T.. +, Albee, the head OF the Keith
Circuit and OF the United Booking
Offices, could persuade her TO attempt
a two weeks engagement.
After she had promised to take the
Wunge into the unknown" as she exc
pressed 1t, for she had never attended
a vaudeville performance and thought
animals and acrobats composed the
bills, she set about to find a suitable
sketch. Nothing pleased her and she
was in despair when War Brides"
came to her attention. She called upon
Mr.. Albee. eXclaiming that she had
the playlet of the century and was
now quite happy TO make her debut
in his theatre.
Every one knows how she carried
her audience by storm at her first
performance and scored the dramatic
hit in the history OF vaudeville. For
the first time in the history of a big
time vaudeville theatre a dramatic
sketch Is being held over for a sec
ond week and that Ia why Nazimova
will be at the Palace. Mr.. Albee and
his associates are enthusiastic over
the tragedienne and her tabloid trag-
edy. The Palace has been selling out
at every performance and 1t Is not
recorded that any person with sight
and hearing has been present at per-
Torrance OF war Brides" without
crying Satisfied with her success and
realizing that a new public awaits
her Na2imova has agreed to abandon
her purposed Ibsen revival and will
continue as n Keith star.
Speaking Of vaudeville she says:
"One week ago did not know
vaudeville at all. The name terrified
me. for it meant something new and
strange and was so afraid that this
quick witted public might not like me-
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

the European war as a background.
Lewis Stone. Robert McWado. Cooper
Clino, William Kcighlcy, Horace Pol
lock, Carroll MCComas, Anne Suth'r-
land and others are in the cast.
Robert Mautcll. who produces King
Lear on Monday. Will on Tuesday
revive "Richelieu," which Ought Ia
interest the youth Of the present day.
On Friday Richard ILL.," Will bc given
for the solitary performance 1t Will
have.
The repertoire for the entire week
will be as follows: Monday evening,
King Lear regarded by many rs
Mantelrs Shakcspcarian masterpiece;
Tuesday evening and Saturday matt
nee. Macbeth; Wednesday matinee,
The Merchant Of Venice" Wednes-
day evening and Friday matinee Uin-
COINS Birthday, "Othello,' with Man
tell as OthCHO Oater during the en-
gagement when "Othello" is next pre-
scented Mantell will be seen as IdOO {;
Thursday evening, "Richelieu"; FRI
day evening, Richard H."
On Friday the Neighborhood Play
house at 466 Grand street will begin
its first season with the presentation
of "Jephthah's Daughter" a Biblical
festival in three parts, especially ar
ranged for this occasion. The story y
based on the story OF Jephthah's vow
az given in the Book Of Judges. Tho
chorus professionals, tho dances
planned on archaic forms and the ORR
entail color. combined with the lam
guage of the Bible, will attempt 10
convey the spirit Of the tribal days OF
the ancient Hebrews and to interpret
the traditions of the ncighborhoOd
with which the Playhouse is to be
Identified.
The musical background for this
festival has been composed by Lila
Mackay -Cantcl, young American
composer, and she has incorporated in
the music certain OF the traditional
Hebrew melodies. The orchcstration
has been made by Albert Elkus, who
will conduct the orchestra; the
choruses have been directed by Mrs.
Laura Elliot. The cast will number
sixty persons, Almost all of them
from the festival and dramatic groups
of the Henry Street Settlement, where
for the last eight years under the d.
roction Of Alice and Irene Lewisohn
they have been presenting seasonal
festivals and pantommes one of the
/ interesting features of this production
lies in the fact that tho costumes and
properties, designed by Esther PECK,
have been made by the classes OF the
Neigh borhood ayhosse under the d.
rection Of Miss Peck, assisted by
Dorothy Rich.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

This wcck there will he an oppor-
tunity to observe Mr. Barkcr's treat
mont Of Shakespeare which he is ac-
customcd To produce in the way the
Elizabcthans might have done If they
had possessed the facilities available
in this age. What is much more i'm
portant is Mr. Barkcr's possession in
this age of what the Ellzabethans had
in their productions of Shakespeare.
And this is the platform stage. Moth
ing should SO well serve L. heal the
breach wnIcn exists DerN IN the Inca
tresoing public of this day and the
theatre Of the great Elizabcthan than
such a use of this device as Mr.. Bar
ker has perfected. Its use added bril-
liancy to a play by Shaw which would
have passed unnoticed in the list Of the
playwright's work but FOR the brilliant
manner to which the London manager
has placed 1t on the stage.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

creating q scenic effect. AND in no
case is the transposition OF a scene,
or even a sentence, permissible.
81 lay special stress upon these
things because II seems to me Shake
speare's plays are. In point Of construc-
tion, marvellously perfect: his tech
nique, particularly in the later plays.
really wonderful. Take The Winters
Tale by way OF example. 1t bears
all the traces of ease, maturity OF
style. emotional development. Then
compare ii with Twelfth Night and
you will at once recognize the differ
ence, for. although Shakespeare
early works. cite in this connection
The Two Gentlemen of Verona and
A Midsummer Nights Dream-are, /
grant, also quite perfect, il Is rather
the perfection of simplicity than OF
the master hand dealing with COM
pick subject.
THE question OF intervals is Of no
great matter. Probably. when Shake
speare first entered upon his career
there were no Intervals. Later, as his
genius developed and his plays length
cned, he may have found II useful TO
introduce pauses in the action. My
belief is that II happened not infre-
quently that Shakespeare wrote a
play, delivered it to his company and
witnessed its production. Suisse
quently he would take II back to
polish and elaborate 1t until he had
satisfied himself Twelfth Night
imagine to have been originally writ
ten with the view of being played in a
private theatre. Thereafter II was
touched up by the author and pre-
scented To the public. Perhaps the
touching up process was not always
so careful as one could have wished:
not seldom it is fairly obvious that
the poet, firing of his task, was con-
tent to gather up the tangled threads
of the plot in the quickest and easiest
fashion. one critic points out that n
study OF the text of Twelfth Night
clearly shows that Viola was intended
to sing. Possibly. when the public
performance came, the Viola could
not sing and the Cloion could. 80
Fiold'S music was promptly trans
fcrred to him. Here you have a speci-
men of the poets practical shrewd-
ness.
But as the years rolled on and the
cares of business pressed less heavily
upon him his leisure increased and he
wrote with a natural ease in which
you detect no indication of pressure.
There is, for instance, the scene in the
last act OF The Winters Tale be-
tween the three courtiers which for
beauty Of expression and sheer fan
tasy IL would be hard to beat. After
the severe emotional outburst that
gave birth to Macbeth Hamlet and
Lear came. one may imagine, a feel
ing Of exhaustion which finally landed
the poet in II kind Of St. Martins sum
mer"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07
SHAKESPEARE REVIVAL AND
AMERICAN PLAYS OFFERED

The Rented Earl" to be- seen at
Maxine Elliotts Theatre on Monday. is
The work of Salisbury Field. who
wrote the book upon which Twin
Beds is based. The new comedy re-
Iates the adventures OF certain per-
sonages who are engaged in a streh-
uous endeavor to break into high
society and seek to employ the SER
Vices OF a British noblcman to that
end
IL is in three acts. The scene is
aid AT LenoX. The titled individual
about whom the episodes of this piece
revolve is assumed by Lawrdncc Dor
say. Prominent in the cast is Albert
Brown, whose Interpretation OF an
excited Frenchman in "Thc Charm
" Isabel was remembered long after
the play had finished its brief stay.
Alice Lindahl, who played the heroine
n The Things That Count" during
considerable part Of the New York
run, Is also in The Rented Earl" as
are Evelyn Carter Darlington, Tc-
fesa Maxwell Conover. olive Temple
ton, Douglas j. Wood and Schuyler
Ladd
The Theatre Francois is to begin
us second series on Monday with "Le
1aitre de FORCES" well known here
under the title Of the Iron Master"
by G. Ohnet. Mr.. Benedict and Mile
Meuwllle will take the leading parts.
The troupe has been reinforced by the
arrival OF Mr.. Paget, the well known
Partisan actor. and also by Mile, Da-
VIENNA u in
Nj le Drecteur."
lie Gendre de NJ Poiriep will be
acted at the Friday matinee.
Granville BarkeY will show his skill
as producer Of Shakespeare at Wal
lacks Theatre next week when "a
Midsummer Nights Dream" will he
seen there. Lillah Mccarthy will be
Helena, The scenery was dcsi gncd by
Norman Wilkinson and Cecil Sharpe
arranged the music from English folk
songs
The programme OF plays for the
week will be; "Androclcs and the
Lion and The Man Who Married a
Oumb Wife"
Anna Pavlowa will on Tuesday give
0Chopiniana,' ballet arranged from
me music of Chopin by Ivan Cuisine.
4ae plano music was orchestrated for
20 dancers use by Alexander
Gialolnof, Amarillo" viii be re-
NN'd for four performances win
Na'purgiS Night" at the Saturday
night performance.
Earl Derr Riggars is the author OF
inside tho lanes, whlCn Nil Dt
eeted at the LonGacre Theatre on
Tuesday. The play is said to have
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

Shakespeare is full of soiiloquies, and
you can't get the effect OF them with
footlights. Footlights are intended to
throw the players back and give per-
spectlve. In soliloquy the player
must be in intimate touch with his
audience. So we built the apron and
did away with the footlights, and
bring the player down close to the
audience. The costumes are Renais-
sance classic, as they would have been
in Shakespeare's time, and full Of
color. The play Is classic. The Eliz-
abethan period was Renaissance. so
in the costumes we use the Renais-
sance idea of the classic and get the
Elizabcthan effect.
Contrary to the general Though
secretly opinion, have always main
tanned that Shakespeare was not-as
the phrase is usually understood--a
classic writer. to be buried beneath
the dust Of splritless convention and
treated to that mouth homage which
so barely conceals boredom | hold
that he is still living playwright and
a very good one, thrilling and anus
ing. full of fine drama and good fun
and Of an almost universal appeal to
young and old, to the man in the cab
and the man on the curb, If only his
plays are played as he wrote them
and in the spirit he meant them to be.
Now that. within our human limita-
tons, we have done. and | challenge
any one, having cleared his mind
from a generation of prejudice, to
deny It,"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

Concerning his ambitions in per-
forming the plays OF Shakespeare he
said them
What | have sought to do was to
give the play as 1t would have been
given by an Ehzabethan who had at
his command the facilities of the
modern stage. Things were done in
hurry in Shakespeare's time. His
plays were staged with a rush and a
go, and TO create the atmosphere Of
Shakespeare you have to have speed
and keep things moving. So we built
the apron over the orchestra and dill
away with the fOotlights, as hey did
in Shakespeare's day, and keep things
moving around in "A circle. People
didn't have time To wait in those
days and we don't let them wait now
You have TO get rid Of the footiights
for the sake Of the soiiloquies too.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

dramas Of Shakespeare might well be
played without intermission we're such
a treatment Of them desirable. II Is
not, for there could be no such strain
on the powers of an audience. but
there is all the advantage through
such an arrangement which comes
from curtailing the intermission be-
tween the acts and making the
changes Of scene as brief as possible
Nothing else will do more To revive a
taste for the plays of Shakespeare in
/ the present generation-and it is badly
, IN need Of revival in New York--than
liberal injection Of vitality and hui
manity into these plays. They must
he made human again they must be
relieved Of the burden Of being classics
and they must he put before the public
as poetry and not as drama. There is
little IN the intrigue of half Of them
to interest child in these sophisti-
Gated days.
But for years there has been the
attempt on the part of the actors or
the producers to make them into
plays that could he pulled and changed
TO suit the taste Of the day. or at least
to be no more against the taste OF the
audiences that gather in the theatres
now than is necessary. This effort OF
the past thirty years to make modern
dramas out of these works has in
evitably resulted in the rejection OF
much that was characteristically
valuable because it was the real
Shakespeare. The Incompatible poetry
and verbal beauty of the plays was
sacrificed although nothing else about
them was nearly so priceless.
Such a process of mutllation Is
bound to disappear with the use OF
the platform stage. There is room
for all or most all OF the plays, since
there is ample space for the breadth
and movement Of these dramas. They
more analogous to the way in which
they were first given than the picture
stage could ever approximate. They
were written for the declamatory
theatre. for the platform stage. 1t
will he interesting to observe their
production by Mr., Barker on the al
tered stage Of Wallacks Theatre. May
his process restore all the qualities
which the picture stage the actors
and the producers have choked out Of
them.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

Bat there are other specimens OF
drama altogether unsuited to the
means that Mr., Barker has so sue
cess'ully used in this fable play 81
Shaw, Any of the plays of modern
life which 1t might he worth his while
to give here would need the picture
stage for their proper dlvulgence.
They were born of the picture stage,
just as the theatre of Shakespeare
grew out of the conditions created by
the platform stage. So It will he in
teresting to test the versatility Of Mr..
Barker when he decides to give a play
of contemporaneous life.
Some OF his views on the subject OF
Shakespearlan performances uttered
when he gave first "A Winters Tale"
have renewed interest to-day. At
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

with all the pageantry and inciden-
tai episode passing on the fore stage,
and the inner stage reserved for the
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07
RaA1EW PLAYS FROM MANY SOURCES THIS WEEK
NOVELTIES OF THE THEATRE WEEK
What Is to Be Seen in the Theatres.


MONDAY-Maxine Elliott Theatre-Wlam Brady will produce
THE Rented Earl" by Salisbury Field
French Theatre second
Ohnet's "I,e Marre de FORCES"
Theare-Robe Mantel will revive King
TUESDAY-Longacre produced
by Zimmerman Jr, and William Harris Jr This
play by Earl Derr Big
The Fortyfourh Street ThatreRobert Mante will revive
"Richelieu."
Century TheatreAnna Pavlowa will "chopnana" and
other ballets.
FRIDAYopenng of the Neighborhood Playhouse Grand
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

1t may be perfectly true that The
Shadow" ends with the second act,
since il is obviously impossible for
the woman shown there 10 take up
her life with a husband who is the
father of a child by another woman
who in the six years of his wifc's i'll
ness has taken her place in his life.
But there is certain satisfaction
in seeing the unravellng of the last
act. Then the rs are crossed and
the rs" are dotted. and there is a
satisfaction to prosalc minds in this
process.
Then there is a speech in this last
act wonderfully delivered by Ethel
Barrymore. who is able. in spite of
the lack Of variety in her tones. to
impart wonderful eloquence to such
long passages. She Is in measure
like Charlotte Wolter, although II
seems rather through her lack Of cul-
ture than by means OF 1t that she is
aS!s 20 create such effects when
Woher who died at the head of the
German speaking stage, went 20
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07

Ear Derr Riggars is the author Of
inside tho lanes, lwhlcn Nil bo
eted at the Longacre Theatre on
tuesday. The play is said to have
The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-06-17
NATIONAL SOCIALIST PARTY
OPPOSES MEXICAN POLICY

Chicago, June 9.-The national ex-
ecutive committee of the socialist par
ty met here and drafted two memori-
ais to President Wilson, one on the
Mexican situation and the other on
conditions in Colorado as result Of
coal miners strike. The committee
protested against the president chang
ing his policy Of non-interference in
Mexico and recommended that he or
der an investigation into the Colorado
selections under authority of depart
ment of justice.
1--WE feel the United States best
will serve interests of the Mexican
people," the memorial says, "by not
meddling or interfering in the present
crisis. We feel armed Intervention
means practical assassination of the
aspirations Of liberty loving Mexicans.
This course we earnestly protest and
will oppose with all power at our COM
mand and no matter on what pretext
the action may be based"