The evening world. Newspaper, March 11, 1905, Page 9

Sewer eating breakfast a Aevorr~ng 2 CL, aad / DEILE Te don Thea Zire ODtI7S Tyke Jerkvilis Theatre English ActorsManager, by’‘Taking the Big Part Himself, Leaves Little’ Chance: for Actress to Rise—London Worse Off for Good Plays than New York—Miss Jeffreys Predicts “Leah Kleschna” ‘ Will-Make a Sensation on the Other Side—‘‘Best - Dressed Woman on the London Stage’? Pays American Women a Pretty Compliment—She Isn’t Emotional and Doesn’t. Like ‘Sad’ Plays. just coming in out of the wet, “Busiiess or pleasure?” she {nquired, shaking off.the Jast rain- drop, 4 | “Miss Hilis Jeffreys,” I replied, “Oh!’’ she exclaimed. ‘Miss Jeffreys must be a very charming woman, T have noticed her about the hotel, She's not a pit like an actress.” That's a much better and much shorter description than I could give of theMnglish actress who is making ‘Tho Prince Consort” almost human, And, anyway, I shouldn't like to say “She's not a bit like an actress,” with- out adding ‘‘off the stage.” Paying compliments ts a delicate art, “You will find Miss Jeffroys in the cafe,” sald the clerk, when, strike- belated, I approached the autocrat of the desk. ‘ Miss Jeffreys was ‘discovered’ in an obscure corner, her brealcfact and devouring a newspaper, ( “No, I have quite finished,” she protested, at once,” ‘ A § I was leaying Vhe Hotel Majestic, a friend who lives there was he was cating § fi “Come, we will go upstairs a J o a oe oe ry 4“ OW, you must promise not to ask me how I like America,” she N laughingly insisted as soon as we were seate "I won't even ask whether you Hke Americans,” * “But I will tell you, nevertheless,” eald Miss Jeffreys, “I like them | ‘mmensely, and I do hope thoy will like me, I want so much to make friends with them, So far they havo been very kind. An American au- dience is wonderfully sympathetlo and quick to show {ts appreciation, But 1. will confess to boing almost terror-stricken on the opening night, ‘To! ” ATARY. Bote Copyrayised 9 Becta: some gowns even when the play !s poor, £ tnonghe Thad some pretty frocks until I saw those worn by American women, and then I concluded, dear me, I might as well have left mine at home. All my gowns are mado by an American dressthaker in London. Tho American dressmaker is the best in the world, just'as your women are the beat dressed women in the world, I have dined and @upped out quite @ bit since coming here, and have yet to ese an overdressed woman. The American woman has a style all her own—a way of carrying her head. She may not always be pretty or have @ good figure, but-she knows how to put on her clothes, and that’s three-fourths of the battle, There's a simplicity about the American woman's gown that gives her a peculiar charm, The Paris woman wears beautiful clothes, of course, but she so often gives you the impression of being overdireased. I never go to Paris fora frock, The American dress- maker {s good enough for me,” ¢ A discussion of Mrs, James Brown Potter’s “emotional gowns,” which have long since been leid in lavender, led to a discussion’ of emotional act- ing, “When I read those two emotional scenes {n ‘The Prince Consort,’ sald Miss Jeffreys, “I was in despair and told Mr. Tyler I was afraid it would be utterly impossible for me to do anything with them. Hg urged me to try, and I consented with fear and trembling, I am not naturally emotional. What success I haye had has been made in comedy roles, I Itke comedy best, and I thinks most people go to the theatre to be amused and not to have their ‘feelings’ wrought upon, ‘Sad playa,’ as they are called, send me home depressed, and I purposely avoid them, Why should we go out of our gray to make ourselves unhappy? Before I. return. may put on one of my old comedies, and when I come back in the autumn J expect ‘tp appear in @ play which Mr, Sutro is writing for me, No, | won't have ‘emotions’ in elther of them,” o # * Fe) o* a ow a N answer to the question whether London is as badly off for good plays as New York Mies Jeffreys sald: “Worse offyI should say, You seem to have a number of good plays over here, ‘Leah MKleschne,’ for one, fs.a splendid play, It 1s so human, It impressed me very much, Not only is the play excellent, but it is finely ‘acted by Mrs. Fiske and hér company. ‘Leah Kleschna’ {s sure to make a sensation In London when ft {8 produced thore, a@ppear.in « now play for the first time is hard enough under any condl+ fiona, but to faco an American audience for the first time into the bar- | gain made my task doubly hard. It seemed as if I should never gat! through the performance, and when !t was all over I sank Into 9 chair, quite done for. I've ‘always sald that every first night takes ten yearg off tay life. This one must have tukon off twenty,” é “And is nt vise the battle?” ; *Hmiphatically yes,” declared Miss Jeffreys, sitting up very str: eg spariding with enthusiasm, “It is always worth the hifi Smal | you win, There {s a joy and satisfaction in feeling you have succeeded | in gtving pleasure to others, An aimless life would kill me, I couldn't] endure leading a frivolovs, butterfly existence in society, Every woman @hould have something with which to occupy herself seriously. If I didn't | act, I should sing, For years I studied the violin, but the strain on my strength was too great, so then I took up singing, Yes, I was in Nght opora, (My first appearance was in a Sullivan opera, and I was in ‘La Cigale’ whon Sir Charles Wyndham offered me a position In his company,” — i ae have Mie cay as ay Pe ‘es, once, but I was all the time, and returned to Englan vithou having made a single appearance. That was eight years ago, * a, vate ther than Philadelphia, where peritonitis kept me a prisoner for s!x woeks, T had to bo carried from the hotel, and geared then that I should never be able to act again,” Oo ab » oe wb é oe wt ot Rv} AY best dressed woman or the London stage" fave mo a look | of amiable indulgence which plainly said ‘He's only a poor, stupid) ; man” when I asked whether she believed stage gowns have a drawing power, “Ot course they ‘have,’ she answered. ‘Women will come to sée hand: | little line over the review, and unless the r “America offers great opportunity for the woman star. Yes, that is why I came here, In London the actor-manager system leaves the actress little chance to become a star, The actor-manager takes the big part himself, leaving the actreas a role which makes her merely a lending woman. We have hardly a woman star left, America has taken all of them away from lua, Yes, Hilen Terry and Mrs, Kendal are still on the other side, but they are in the provinces, “Almost every Englic. actress longs to come to America. If she makes fa success In New York there 1s the great advantage, from the business point of view, of a tour of the many large cities, No other country offers such opportunities, \ q “Ad then, too, the people are so pleasant. They are not like the Eng- lsh—but I mustn't. say anything about the English, Yes, I will say it,” she continued after a moment's consideration, “for after all I'm not Eng- lish, I'm Irish, What I started to say is, Americans do not have that stand- offishness characteristic of the English, They seem willing to make friends | — with you immediately, My husband, Mr, Sleath, who was here with Mr, Weedon Grosamith and who {s here again to play a part in ‘The Trifler, which Mr, Murray Carson is to put on at the Princess, was charmed on his first visit with the cordiality of Americans,” New York newspapers also came in for Miss Jeffreys's approbation, “The prominence given reviows of playy. surprised me, the big headlines most, of all,” she sald, “Here the name of tho play and that of the stay {s displayed in large type, whereas in the Wnglish papers there is usually one r is looking for news of the theatres he is Ikely not to notice the article. ~ It seems to me your news- papers must, help, or’—with a wry face—“hurt a play tremendously,” ra «') OHARLaDS DARNTON. 4 > ag uh America\ Ofcourse “BvEny AMUSEMENTS, ICE“S KATING 8T, NICHOLAS K, OGth Col. Av. HAR, HIN tana et ONfair, AT BAG OOLOOK, Admission 500, Resorved Sevts S00, Mxtr PROCTOR’S “BIG FOUR” 23D ST.—Robert Hilliard & Co..C x) Whe UMillerfy Pacers Lennie Piplomacy”’ & Bi Vaudoville, ‘Tho Money Makers” & Van The Helmet of Navarre’ & ¥" J4th at, & Irvit lf ASCO Brovente hi Me Lemaitre td ix OF DAVID BLANCHE 17 = in DARLING OF THE Gops, N, ¥, Ry. 8, Brats pies ar Last times In day & Thursat 2 MUSIC MASTER, Arminia iurkes iM ATLANTI |BROADWAY) pives: 820, Mat. sat, ais | |EDEN| GRAPH, BNOU %% J () WELASCO Prosents WARFIELD "ypadit GARDEN, Bowery, nr Canal at, Millor & fcrinko. Barrett & Holle. | Hudson,” ‘The Burks, Mschert's. Orch, i | moatro, -atsclFRITLL SCHEFF noseXceto WORLD IN WAX. New Groups, CENEMATO {MUSEE,! K\RABANZA JAPS, Last Week ithig Bivay SPIE POY, Keith’s ; WugenteBiagr 1 | Next wk. Wh AY, & 107th, Mat To-diy. “Del k Ks Lot/Mat to-day Ay, (Nxt Wi Mat, Tyy, Hart /C.hiney Paoitio, Nxt Wk, Royal . TO-DAY, 250 & 15 & '800, | WINDSOR 4 Lite In New Yerk 44th, ier | «Mone In (ho Wortd | "ERC POPSC-REGht Ce weenr af my Lose AMUSEMENTS, AMMBRSTBIN'S, #2 *%,, Be Matinee Byery Day, ibe, and Soe, vor Wrote Bod Hever see - DID As | SA a AB , “Change Your Act,’ Creation nile ifs Obpetrier ofa : Rose Woman ot. Biway, Iva. Cas ‘Wentworth Neh i. roune Yatron&ciittord, FORD & 7, BARRY, Ar AT ORAS, Last Mat, To-Day, 28c. to $1.00; RAND DOCKSTADER'S MINSTRELS, MAY IRWIN “ips way & O0th, Mate, Daily, 25¢, ter K. Dalley & © ¢ Mortonn, — Waterbury Bree, & Tenny, Girard & Gand nov, Howard & North I Roosevelt's Inausuration on thi COLONIAL ts. “Athiotte Rows & F Sc, Th 6, ‘Phone 100-38, By.8 1SMat.Sat, I Haypened nara +," LAST THREE WE&KS %* JOE WEBER'S {!/:Si2t,Co. a: | Mate Music n ee lody& College Widower, | ATIVE, Nigh x AMERICAN isi Bi VON SA 1.00, the Jand AMUSEMENTS, HUBER’S ‘s MUSEUM Mme, Scholl's Performing Lions, Ap Act Stariling Daring —sennatlona, Miniature Mid- wot Minstrels, THEATRE SETTLE’ i Mediovon i | aaa i 42d Bt. ee v. AEBS i} WEST BNDY Fast 14th at. '/Sui pita) GOTHAM ‘DGasan tant taped Rie statinettaatt ts MRS. FISKE | Leah Kleschna BELASCO Bien tase es: Maye 2 ‘asco presenta Mra, LESLIE CARTER ™ “anita.” 15, Mat. single in WO 2 Metropol, ii Mad et. day pA te, i catioba | f il N Francis Grace George, 3 TAM, dth § tid MRS; LEFFINGW! ij me ty Heh. ROOKLYN: