New-York tribune., 1918-01-06

Really you are very brave to climb
all these stairs, just to see me, and
now that You are here, | don't nnow
what on earth 70 talk TO you about. ii
only ] could sing .ny interviews 20 the
newspaper reporters, might get over
but honestly am as self-coascjoas as
can be when 1'rn addressing an audi
cnce Of one" These very N Oldest re-
marks are from Anna Wheaton, who
is the prima donna Of one OF the g-ea.
est musical comedy successes OF tn,s
year and last, ooh Boy" at the Casino
Theatre.
Miss Wheaton is not as beautiful as
The dawn. she hasn't the most soulful
eyes in tn. world, nor are her lips
perfect cupid's bow. Celebrated ar
fists and poets have not sung her
praises nor immortalized her on can
vas, and yet in the few years she has
been on the stage she has forged to
the very top rung Of the musical COM
edy ladder. at isnr her looks and it
isn't her voice" people say Of Anna
Wheaton. CTS her personality"
''Its q funny thing" continued Mss
Wheaton. "that Pm never afraid TO
face an audience OF bundreda Of peo-
plea sea Of faces without any one Of
them being clearly enough defined TO
be recognized as your brother-i law.
or your fourth consin, or the man yoU
met at the dance last Saturday night,
acts like tonic on me. I love them
all and ! want to do my very best TO
please them ali. But one individual
like myself. coming 70 the dressing
room to ask me 70 define personality,
or how | account for my success.
makes me quake like schoolgirl
speaking her first piece at the Sunday
School festival.
ing more than being absolutely nat
u,al on the stage. That may sound
easy, yet it is the hardest thing an
actress has to do. When you face a
great multitude Of people and wonder
X they are going to like you the most
difficult thing in the world is to relax
There are just two ways to be abso-
lutely natural on the stage. One Il.
to be confident before hand that youl
audience is going to like you because
you are so wonderfully beautiful, Oh
you have such magnificent voice, or
your talent for acting is so tremend-
Gus thnt it must be Recognized. But
if you have just an average amount of
the average amount Of good looks, the
other way is to disregard your audi
cnce entirely. and sort Of say to your
self: All you folks out there who
have paid two dollars to see me, we'll
here l am, hope you'll like me, but
you have to take me just as l am.
refuse point blank to be other than
myself Pm all through with acting
all round the stage, Pm going to be
just me, or should I say, ~ I'm
not going to copy my favorite actress;
the minute we begin to initiate an
others mannerisms we ose our owr
personality. How often you hear young
girs say, Oh, wish l were like Al!s
Nazimova or Minnie Madern FisEe
or l wish ! had an accent like Olga
Petrova's. This is really too absurd
because If they we're they would never
get anywhere unless their ambition
was to make a success as an imperson
ator and give limitations.
"lf the public doesn't like you as 20,
are, that is the best indication in thu
WORLD that your forte was not intended
to be career behind the proscenium
"NeXt to Il determination to be a
you are comes the necessity Of lovin,
your work, but the two are almost one
because The chances are that if 80,
like the thing you are doing, and lik
it intensely, you'll do it so we'll tha
it must come naturally. Take, for in
stance, girl like Frances White
Could anybody dispute the fact tina
it is sheer force of a personality tha