The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-22
CENTENARY OF CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN
 GREATEST OF AMERICAN ACTRESSES

Barton an actor WHO pTOVco SlttCeTe friend. she studied the part of Lady Macbeth, making her first appearance in that role at New Orleans. She was completely successful, and with her laurels returned to New York, where she was given a three years engage ment at the Bowery theatre. a lead- ing playhouse in those days. She per- formed a week to large and enthusias- tic audiences, when she was stricken with fever, and was i'll for several months. Misfortune again drowned upon her when the Bowery theatre burned, and her entire stage ward- robe was destroyed.
 Upon her recovery Miss Cushman was engaged as a stock actress at the Park theatre, and there she played for three years. appearing in a great variety of roles. At this period she introduced to the stage her younger sister, Mrs. Merriman, better known as Miss Susan Cushmam, and after ward appeared with her for several seasons in New York and Philadel- phia. In order that her, sister might have the leading feminine role, Miss Cushman was accustomed to take the lchief male roles. They performed in I"London Assurance" i'm New York for ninety nights Miss Cushman after ward undertook the direction of a Philadelphia theatre, and remained in !the Quaker City until 1S44, when she made an American tour with MT. Mac ready, the great English tragedian, in the course of which she scored a tri- umph in the higher range of tragic parts.
 l It was in 1845 that Miss Cushman went to England, seeking other worlds to conquer, and made her debut at the Princesss theatre in London. Her re- ception was enthusiastic, and from 1S45 to 1s49 the American woman was the idol of English playgoers. She ap- peared in many roles, including Lady Macbeth, Beatrice, lRosalind and Lady Teazle, but perhaps her biggest sue cess was scored as Romeo to her sis ter's Juliet. Romeo was so unlike anything to be expected of a woman
 performer that she took London by storm, and she was dubbed by the critics "Macready womaned."
 Returning to America in 1S49, Mist
 Cushman created the role of Meg Mer. lrilles in dramatization of Scott'l '"Guy Mannering." and this was per. haps her greatest achievement, and ont of the most impressive performances lever. seen u- a stage. After an other tour of England Miss Cushmar
 made a farewell tour of America 1T l1s57 and 1858. and then went to Rome
 having established a home in the Eter nal City. She had accumulated for tune in her profession, and had decid
 ed to settle down to life of leisure in the Italian capital. but she wa
 soon seized with desire to revisi the scenes of her former triumph. Sh' returned to America and during th'
 civil war she acted several times, il spite of i'll health. for the benefit O the sanitary commission.
 In 1874. at the age of f1fty-eight Miss Cushman made another farewell
 tour of America, and in May. 1875, sh, made her last public appearance a the Globe Theatre in Boston, the cit. of her birth and of her first triumph land destined also to be the place Q
 her death. Nine months after he
 farewell to the stage she died. I Miss Cushman was the first womal Iof American bilth--for Fanny Rem |ble was a native of England = l. achieve a lasting international reputa Il ton upon the stage. She was not a beautiful as her lovely contemporary Miss Kemble, but in her art she sur passed that favorite. In her Shakes lpearean productions she was distin guished for a rigid adherence to tn Hotter as well as the spirit of the text /. To her the works of the Bard of Avol lwere perfect, f1awless, and not to b Lightly adapted" improved" O Ichanged fl