New-York tribune., 1920-01-11
Rose Coghlan's
Life One of Many
And Varied Parts


role in "The Whirlwind," John Cort's
new production At the Standard Theater,
made her first entrance through stage
door at performance at the Old Hay
market Theater in London, where her
brother Charles was playing in one Of
John Buckstone's extravaganzas. Miss
Coshlan's brother, by the way, owed
the beginning of his stage career to
the influence Of Charles Reade, John
Oxenford and Bulwer Lytton, who, see
ing evidence of genius in play written
the Court Of Charles First"-persuaded
Coghlan the elder to allow his son to
enter on q stage career,
Rose Coghlan had her first glimpse
OF theatrical performance when she
went to see her brother dance with the
| old-fashioned "hobby-horse" in the ex-
travaganza at the Haymarket. "All that
night" says the actress, ~ dreamed
OF fairies, knights and jewels, and
awoke with the determination to be-
come an actress"
From that time on Miss Coghlan's
great love Of the theater developed
steadily. and as a young girl she took
advantage OF every opportunity to act
at home, Says the veteran actress, in
the history of her life recently pub
lished, 81 became such nuisance to my
brother Charles that he surprised us
all one day by saying to my mother:
It's all right! If she feels she must
be an actress we had better try to pre-
Accordingly the actor brother ar
ranged dancing lessons for his amb-
tious sister, and for year she studied
dancing and stage department. Then
when Charles Coghlan was ready to pro-
duce his second play, "Charles IFS Es-
cape from Bright Helmston," his sister
begged him to let her present Span
lsh dance as an entr-acte and he
agreed: Accordingly the actrcss's real
stage debut was as Spanish dancer.
In September, 1865, Rose Coghlan
trod the boards for the first time as
q professional. She played one of the
witches in performance Of Macbeth"
Mt the Greenock Theater, Greenock,
Scotland.
Miss Coghlan played for an entire
season with Henry Irving Later she
production by Charles Calvert. father
of Louis Calvert. Her next engagement
WAS for role in Wilkie C0llins's
"The Woman in White" and Miss Cokh-
Ian came to America to make her debut
in this play. After the actress landed
in New York, however, it was decided
not to produce "The Woman in White"
and she was forced to look fol. another
engagement.
A place in Lydia Thompson's bur
her prejudice against that form Of
entertainment was firmly roctsd and
of long standing. Accordingly COM
promise ives effected - Miss Cofhlsn
promised to play Jupiter in "Ixion" II
she might be- permitted to appear in
short comedy before the curtain rose
on the buflesque. a''
At the fall Of the curtain on her
opening night she was summoned to
the Office Of Lester Wallack, who offered
her an engagement with e. A. Sothcrn
that piece was country wide, but soon
afterward she returned to England to
play at the Gaicty Theater.
The following year she received
another offer from Lester Wallack to
come to America, and for several sea-
sons was seen in the same company
with John Gilbert, John Brougham,
Harry Beckett, Harry Montague and
Stella Boniface. Among her earliest
successes IN thiS country were "Di-
plomaey," "Forget Me Not" Marriage, ;"
False Shame, ""Steele Mackaye's "Won
at Last" Robertson's School," and
Sheridans School for Scandal The
role which she most enjoyed, says Miss
Coghlan, was that of Suzanne in Sar-
dou's Scrap Of Paper"
At that time Charles Coghlan was
engaged as leading man in the Wallack
company, and, believing that the ar
rangement Of brother and sister max
! ing love on the stage would not prove
{ popular with the public, Rose accepted
the leading position in the Baldwin
Theater company Of San Francisco. Her
first appearance there was with James
O'Neill in "School for Scandal"
"When ! met the company At re-
hearsal," says Miss Coghlan, ~ was
surprised to find very young man in
the position Of stage manager He was
David Belasco."
Once out of New York, however, Miss
Coghlan longed to return to Broadway,
and the following year she appeared in
New York with John Clayton in Dion
Boucicault's Rescued" She later re-
joined the Wallack company, playing
Rosalind in "As You Like It," Miss
Coenlan's recent American perform
anaes are too we'll known to recount
hsre. She was last seen in New York
in The Man Who Stayed Home"
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