The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-13
Plays May Come and Plays May Co., But Ben-Hur Cd On Forever It Would Seem From the Appreciation
By DOLLY pALRYMpLE
6g 1UsT at the present time wher

.HR MUST at the present time when, on
 account of the war, the world
 " is passing through what might be called sort of spiritual crisis, it is not strange that plays which have been inspired by spiritual ideals like Ben Hur,' should have powerful appeal at the moment, because we are in a mood for ideallsm such as that of General Wallace's. This beautiful drama, built upon the lines that our spiritual nature are infinitely more important than the material, and can, in suffering diversity and death, rise triumph over all earthly the highest on the stage, as in real life, lives, and that while other players fall by the wayside. 'Ben-Hur,' like the brook, goes on forever
 Lovely Virginia Howell, whose radiant appealing, personality has so permeated the splendid performance, she gives of the vampire, Iris in Ben Hur" that she hasn't been permitted by the man. agement of this beautiful play to desert the role for even one brief season since she first began to play it some six or GISHl years cApIcSSSu III Ltic lOIe-' going words her firm belief that the best in the drama alone can live and that good drama will demand the wide world over after the terrible war.
 I speak of Virginia Howells radiant personality not only as I saw her yes- terday-twany- skinned, black-haired. glorious-eyed, and virile to her finger tips-but I speak of her as I saw her five years ago, when I first saw her play Iris in Ben -Hur," and adored her talent and her splendid art. the brilliant performance she gave of what then we dared not term "a vampire role' but today acclaim it as suchl-- made me rather regret that General Wallace was not alive to see her mar velous interpretation of the part, for she reads into the character not only all the author wrote, but all that he intended and did not write. It is noth- ing short of superb art that can vis- ualize a role as Miss Howell does this one with the spirit as well as the flesh; and yet when l said this to her yester- day, she answered in that adorably deep contralto voice, that one can never forget:
 And do you know I have never yet felt that I have put into the role all there is nor yet have I gotten all there
 
 study. Perhaps it is temperament, this attitude of mine, for one day I play it like an innocent young girl, another day I make it the most mature sort of character. Satisfying? No; l shouldn't say that for the very reason I have given. It never sems the same; I never seem to do with it all that should bs done. It's the sort of part, however, that will always play; the sort that appeals to me; I can't get away from it. I've been offered innumerable roles similar to it and always the management has refused to let me go. They've even raised my salary time and time again, so you see they must have wanted me to continue it.'
 T told Miss Powell of seeing '.The Wanderer," and how associated the ole of Tisha which Florence Reed played so wonderfully with her and she laughed and said:
 Yes. so many people did. It was the same way with the vampire in the new Potash and Perlmutter play which pretty Clara Joel is doing this season. Of course, every play now must have vam- pire-even Jeanne Eagles is vamping quite a bit with MT. Arliss in his new play Hamilton The newspapers do no. hesitate to talk about Iris being a mag Mffcent vampire I can t help but smile sometimes when think of the first years of my association with Ben- Hur when Thomas Holding played the leading role then later Richard Buhler and A. H. Van Buren-why, we would have been terribly amused at such a word as vam- pire being applied to Iris"
 And what in your opinion will be the effect of the war upon the drama?" I asked, reverting to the subject we had