Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-23


have become widely known because OF
their novelty and great artistic value.
fit over the entire head and allow the
dancer very little opportunity either for |
breathing or for seeing The Sits for the |
eyes are very small and do not always |
fit over the eyes of the wearer-the |
features Of the different masks charac-
ters naturally vary great deal as to
size and proportion--this makes 1t i'm |
possible to see more than small section
of ones surroundings at a time. The |
wearer of a mask, for instance, cannot
even look at her own feet unless she
bends way over and searches around to
get the right angle with her eyeholes.
Zone feels rather like Alice In Won
dcrland must have felt after drinking
the magic liquid which caused her to
shoot up so high--she doubted whether
or not she would be able to remove her
own shoes any longer. Neither may
one look to the side without turning the
whole head. With these limitations OF
sight, IL naturally becomes very diff
cult to maintain a faultless balance
or execute complicated steps and turns.
Here is where a trustworthy ballet
school training makes itself absolutely
indispensablc. The dancers body must
be so trained that she Is sure OF
her steps and pirouettes whether she
has the use of her eyes or not. At the
finish of quick turns she must be able
to tell when she is facing the audience
and when the scenery-all this by
means of her muscular reaction rather
than BY sight. She must know when
the limit of a back bend has been
reached by a very careful calculation Of
balance instead of by noting with her
eyes the distance between her head and
the floor
TN HER own brilliant stage career.
i Florence Reed has practiced the gos-
pel she breaches of reaching stardom
slowly but progressively. The daughter
Of Roland Reed. the famous comedian,
Florence lost her father when she was
sixteen. With this, her best friend in
the theatre, no longer here to advise her
there was plenty to urge the early ex-
ploitation Of her name. But she was
wise enough to turn deaf ear to
unusual opportunities. She realized
quite scnsibly that she must gain ex-
periencc. study human nature, know
something of life, broaden mentally anu
acquire real understanding of dram.
attic values before she might hope to hold
any high place in the theatre.
So she set herself to a number Of
years SCHOOlIuS III StO'h
spent n year with e. II. Sothern as his
leading lady in "If I Were King"
appeared as Ann Brown in Seven
Days" as Bettina in "The Master of
the House." as Illona Kerner in "The
Typhoon." and in the leading feminine
roles of "The Yellow Ticket" and the
spectacular "Chu Chin Chow" before
she felt herself ready for the distinc-
ton Of being starred. How wise she
was is shown in her fine and varied
acting in 1.-THE Mirage" at the Lyric.
ENOR many years it has been regarded
l. as Cardinal Principle No. /"
among theatrical managers that his
torical plays are held in strict taboo
by the public. Plays, that is, that deal
with American figures and that are
meant to be truthful. Just how many
authorial toes have been stubbed on that
obstacle 1T is impossible to say. but n
good guess is that the number is large.
And it must be confessed that the cases
that have run counter-successfull
to this alleged principle are few.
Now, however, comes John Drink
.water' s chronicle play of Abraham
Lincoln, and instead Of curling up and
dying politely, as the rules declare it
should, it draws the public in great
numbers and interests it widely and
deeply.
Whether his example of abraham
Lincoln will be followed by others or
not only time can tell. 1t would seem,
however, that Mr.. Drinkwater has
definitely, and finally laid to rest one
good old fetish: For the American
public is interested in American char
acters; Abraham Lincoln" has proved
it.
MIR. Drinkwater himself has already
written drama on Mary Stuart"
now current in New York, and has one
under way centering In Oliver Crom-
well. And he is to prove his faith in
the belief that Americans are interested
in American historical characters by
writing drama on General Robert E.
Lee.
TT is not always good to be bad girl.
L At least. that is what Beatrice Noyes
thinks. She is the little girl who does
SO much talking in "The Mirage"
The part is one which permits the ac-
tress to get through her work earlier
than some of her fellow players and
often she may be found In the back part
of the auditorium watching her CO.
workers in their roles. Miss Noyes
stays at the theatre, too, to gain ideas
on her work as the audience leaves the
theatre. She Is interested to hear how
many people forget that the role Is but
sone written for the play and necessarily
does not call for the actress to be the
same type of person off the stage. Yet,
there are many who say they would not
care to know the girl either on or off
the boards.
AS contrast to her part, off stage
Miss Noyes is quiet, unassuming
tresses are cared for. Early to bed and
early to rise is Miss Noyes' wise motto.
1t was during her acting with Justine