Yet, when one stops to think of it, her power over her audience is far
in excess of what one would naturally expect. Miss Earle is by no means
impressive in her stage presence. She cannot be called beautiful. Her
singing voice is a modest instrument, though a wonderfully expressive
one, it must be acknowledged. Her acting is quiet, even unassuming, but
it is also plain, easily comprehended, and always appropriate. She
apparently never does anything to attract attention, yet attention
rarely fails to be centred on her. This, of course, is due to the finish
of her art and a fine technique that makes its presence felt by its
seeming absence.
If Miss Earle cannot justly claim any exceptional advantages in the
matter of physical beauty, she certainly has the greater advantage of an
intensely magnetic personality. Her individuality, too, is thoroughly
distinct. It is one of the paradoxes of acting that the more distinct
the artist's individuality, the greater is his ability to set apart one
from another the characters which he assumes. Miss Earle has this talent
for making each one of her roles a separate and distinct personage to a
greater degree than any of her associates in the musical field. She does
this, too, in a strictly legitimate way, by impersonation pure and
simple without the aid of make-up.
I remember especially what entirely different persons were her Mollie
Seamore in "The Geisha" and her Winnifred Grey in "A Runaway Girl," so
different, in fact, that one who knew her only in the first part found
it hard to believe for some time that it really was she in the second
part. Those who saw her in "The Geisha" cannot fail to recall the
fascinating, quizzical squint that was continually getting into the
mischievous Mollie's eyes. I know that I liked it so much that when I
saw Miss Earle the next season as Winnifred Grey, the first thing I
looked for was the squint. I was astonished to find that it was not
there, and disappointed, too, for I had always associated the actress in
my own mind with that squint. No sign of it could I perceive until the
last act, when it came suddenly into view while she was singing the song
about the boy with the various kinds of guesses. It gathered around the
corners of her eyes, and it twinkled as merrily as ever. It made me
quite happy again, for I felt that I should not be compelled to revise
my imagination and repicture Miss Earle without the tantalizing squint.
Miss Earle is a noteworthy example of the long time, the constant
endeavor, and the faithful service that are sometimes required to win
recognition in the important theatrical centres of the country. She had
been many years on the stage before George Lederer finally gave her an
engagement at the New York Casino. That was really the first chance that
she ever had to prove herself something more than a one night stand
favorite, and since that time she has only rarely played outside of New
York.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account