VIRGINIA EARLE
An accomplished and versatile artist is Virginia Earle, who, because of
the variety of her attainments and the grace and finish of her art, is
entitled to rank with the foremost soubrettes on the American stage.
Miss Earle's ability has been tested in many forms of the drama. She has
appeared in light opera, in extravaganza, in musical comedy, and in the
Shakespearian drama. I question if there is another in her line now
before the public who can claim any such extensive experience.
[Illustration: VIRGINIA EARLE
As Winnifred Grey in "A Runaway Girl."]
It would be strange if this diversified endeavor had not had its effect
on her art. In her we find united with a personality of curiously subtle
charm an authority in action that is restful and refreshing. In her
presentation of a part there is neither hesitancy nor misplaced
endeavor. She always has command of herself and of the role that she is
portraying. One never for a moment feels that she is to the slightest
degree uncertain as regards the effect that she will produce on her
audience. She knows what to do and how to do it.
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.
This long-delayed recognition was one of the freaks of fortune for which
no one can account. She was apparently one of those unlucky persons who
through no fault of their own start wrong. She was born in the West, in
Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 6, 1873, and it was in the West that she
remained for a number of seasons. Her theatrical career began when she
was very young, and the Home Juvenile Opera Company was the means of
introducing her to the stage. This was in 1887, and her first part was
Nanki Poo in "The Mikado." Miss Earle also played leading roles in the
other Gilbert and Sullivan operas then so popular,--"Patience,"
"Pinafore," and "The Pirates of Penzance."
Then she joined the Pike Opera Company and toured the West in a
repertory of the best-known light operas. In San Francisco she was
engaged by Hallen and Hart, the farce comedy team, and remained with
them for two seasons, appearing in "Later On." Her next engagement was
with Edward E. Rice, and under his management she went to Australia.
Three years were spent there, during which time she acted Taggs in "The
County Fair," Gabriel in "Evangeline," Madora in "The Corsair," Dan Deny
in "Cinderella," and Columbia in Rice's "World's Fair."
On her return to America she was engaged for Charles Hoyt's farce
comedy, "A Hole in the Ground," acting the lunch counter girl; and
after a short but successful season with this mess of nonsense she
joined a company under the management of D. W. Truss & Company, playing
"Wang" in the places too small for DeWolf Hopper to visit. For two
seasons with this organization Miss Earle acted Della Fox's famous part
of Mataya. Canary and Lederer of the New York Casino then secured her
services, and under their management she assumed leading parts in "The
Passing Show," "The Merry World," in which she doubled the roles of
Vaseline and Little Billee, in "Gay New York," and "The Lady Slavey."
As soon as her contract with the Casino expired, Augustin Daly engaged
her for his musical comedy company, where she succeeded Violet Lloyd as
Mollie Seamore in "The Geisha." Not only did she present this part with
ready skill, but she made a second hit as Flora in "Meg Merrilies." Nor
did old comedy daunt her, for as still another Flora, maid to Ada Rehan
in "The Wonder," her work was much praised. She crowned her success by
appearing in Shakespeare, winning new laurels with her Ariel in "The
Tempest." In all these impersonations her readiness in song was of
service, but her vivacity counted for much; and, more than that, her
magnetic influence over her audience, which it is impossible to analyze.
A number of years before, Sarah Bernhardt had taken a fancy to Miss
Earle's Taggs in "The County Fair," and had predicted a future for her.
Notwithstanding this, however, it is not unlikely that Miss Earle
herself would have been incredulous had any one told her a few months
before, while she was playing Prince Rouge et Noir in "Gay New York,"
that within a year she would be a principal in Shakespeare at Daly's.
Dora in "The Circus Girl" and Winnifred Grey in "A Runaway Girl"
followed, and Miss Earle's conquest of New York was complete. She had
won recognition at last as a soubrette who was an artist as well as a
personality. After Mr. Daly's death Miss Earle returned to the New York
Casino, appearing first as Percy Ethelbert Frederick Algernon
Cholmondely in "The Casino Girl." This part by no means showed her at
her best, although she did fully as well as could be expected with the
material with which she had to work.