The New York herald., 1921-12-25
Billie Burke Has
Stage Fright in
Harrington Play
Demon Of Fear Attacks Actress
at Opening Night of 'The
Intimate Strangers

'T never have been accused of high
voltage temperament. or excessive tim
idity." says Miss Billie Burke. II have
avoided stage fright under some pretty
trying conditions. or course, everybody
Is keyed up to high nervous pitch at
first performances. The effect is usually
inspirational and stimulating. What hap
pened in Washington a few weeks ago
on the opening night of The Intimate
Strangers seems like horrible night
mare. Ever SO many eye witnesses tell
me that exaggerate its real Importance.
But know what suffered.
railway station was well under way.
Everything seemed to be going along
nicely. Mr.. Lunt and myself had the
stage to ourselves. We were sitting on
a battered old bench exchanging the
whimsical badinage that Booth Tarking-
ton had written.
Washington is my home city. Its
people have been very loyal. and even
The audience was friendly. Many digni-
taries assembling for the arms confer
ence were there. Mr. Tarlxingtons lines
were causing pleasant ripples of laugh
ter. A very auspicious beginning evil
IDENTIFY.
Tongue Seemed Paralyzed.
Then all at once the demon of fear
leaped at me from some dark hiding
place. My body seemed turned to ice My
tongue seemed paralyzed. My memory
failed. have dim recollection Of get
ting up and wandering about the stage
like somnambulist cropping through a
black cavern. 1 am told that / kept
mechanically whispering, I am lost-I
am lost I doubt IL any agony could
have been worse than mine.
This lasted probably as long as the
few seconds that it takes to count
knockout in the rrize ring. 1t seemed
centuries. But / was not knocked out.
A great black curtain seemed to rise
the lights came back-I was speaking
my lines again. There were a couple of
curtain calls at the end Of the act. l
was literally pushed on the stage to ac-
knowledge them.
Again 1 was overwhelmed by a sense
of catastrophe. I had disgraced myself
and ruined dear Mr.. Tarkingtons new
comedy. l never could face an audience
again. My career was over. l never
could make atonement. That was my
state Of mind, bordering on hysteria.
Everybody back stage was lovely to
me. Nobody except the stage manager
seemed to be aware that anything out
of the ordinary had happened. My er.
ratio wanderings had evidently been
taken for. stage business.
There Is no denying that I was q
very wretched person during the re-
mainder of the performance. I hardly
could bring myself to look at the papers
next morning. To my amazement the
reviews were kindly approving. even
laudatory. Not line about what
considered calamity.
No Excuse Satisfying.
"I have tried to frame some kind OF an
alibi for myself and 7 have urged that
there wasn't quite enough time for prep
aration: that our one dress rehearsal
the night before had lasted until sun
rise that l had been In the pictures and
hadn't heard the sound of my own voice
in theater In two years that I was
over anxious about my great RESPONSE.
bility to my managers and to Mr.. Tark-
ington.
None of these futile excuses is in the
least self-satisfying. 1t just happened
that's all. I will leave II to the
';sycho-analysts to explain. 1t isn't any
satisfaction to know that my experience
was not exceptional. 1t is recorded that
Edwin Booth and Miss Julia Marlowe
have been known to need the prompter
in parts they acted hundreds Of times.
l suppose every player has gone through
something of the sort at some time"
The fact remains that Billie Burke
was simply scared stiff. without any ap.
parent cause. and she has quite made up
her mind not to let it happen again.
I'VE can all face realities. II is the
imaginery that Is most dreadful. My ex.
rcrience Is only one more proof that fear
is the most horribly destructive force
that humanity has to fight against
When 1t obliterates all definiteness Of
thought. as in my case, its effect is
paralyzing. 1t all came and went like a
! fash of lightning. and what there was
tc inspire II always will be mystery
tc me-"