PAULINE HALL
A very remarkable woman is Pauline Hall, whose stage career of
twenty-five years encompasses every experience possible in light opera
in this country. Miss Hall began as a dancer. She spent her
apprenticeship in the chorus. She sang inconsequential roles in opera,
and she acted small parts in drama. She had her season in burlesque. She
was for years the foremost figure in the best light-opera organization
this country has ever known. She has starred, and she is to-day a better
singer than the majority of her youthful contemporaries, a better
actress than all except a very few of them, and a more satisfactory
all-around artist--if the expression be permissible--than any of them.
When I heard her sing with Francis Wilson in "Cyrano de Bergerac"--about
the stupidest opera, by the way, ever produced--and in "Erminie" in the
spring of 1900, I was amazed; her voice was in splendid condition,
certainly better than it had been five years before, true in tone,
clear, and without huskiness. It showed its wear only in the loss of the
richness and sweetness--the music, one might say--of the old Casino
days. In figure Miss Hall was trim and youthful. Her face was plump and
rounded like a girl's. Her hair, cut short for boys' parts and
coquettishly curled, retained its dark, almost black, hue, while her
eyes--wonderfully handsome they always were--snapped and sparkled like a
debutante's.
Pauline Hall's fame reached its height during the long run of "Erminie"
at the New York Casino. She was the originator of the role of the
Erminie, and she sang in the opera in all the principal cities of the
country. She was--and is still, for that matter--one of the finest
formed women on the American stage, and her stately manner and graceful
demeanor gained for her the sobriquet so commonly associated with her
name--statuesque. During her subsequent starring career Miss Hall
continued a popular favorite, although she was not consistently
successful in obtaining operas of notable merit. "Puritania" met with
excellent success, but "The Honeymooners" and "Dorcas" were neither of
them strong enough to make any lasting impression. They were both of the
familiar "prima donna in tights" type, and their librettos were without
striking originality, and their scores showed only commonplace
tunefulness.
In spite of this handicap Miss Hall succeeded in maintaining--largely
through the force of her personality and art--her place among the
foremost in light opera in this country. During the season of 1899-1900
she most happily again became associated with Francis Wilson, who is
also an "Erminie" product. Miss Hall, with her renewed youth and her
years of experience, at once took a position in Wilson's company, second
only to the star. In "Cyrano" she made Christian--a barren and sterile
character--vigorous, picturesque, and attractive, while her Princess in
"Erminie," barring the loss of vocal mellowness already referred to, was
stronger than it was a dozen years ago.
Pauline Hall's active life on the stage began when she was about fifteen
years old. She was born in Cincinnati about 1860 in rather humble
quarters in the rear of her father's apothecary shop on Seventh Street.
She bore the somewhat formidable and decidedly German name of Pauline
Fredericka Schmidgall, until she adopted the simple and harmonious stage
name of Pauline Hall.
It was in 1875, at Robinson's Opera House in Cincinnati, under the
management of Colonel R. E. J. Miles, that Miss Hall made her first
appearance on the stage. She began at the very bottom of the ladder, an
"extra girl" in the chorus and a dancer in the ballet. Next she
journeyed to the Grand Opera House in the same city, a theatre which was
also under Colonel Miles's management, where she remained until the
versatile Mr. Miles organized and put on the road his "America's Racing
Association and Hippodrome," a circus-like enterprise. She was made a
feature in the street parade tableaux of Mazeppa used to advertise the
attraction, and a very effective figure she must have been, too, for she
was a handsome girl and a picture of physical perfection. Besides luring
the public to the show, Miss Hall entertained it after it got there by
driving a Roman chariot in the races.
After a summer of this exciting work Miss Hall returned to the theatre
as a member of the chorus of the Alice Oates Opera Company, which was
at that time making a Western tour under the management of the same
Colonel Miles. Alice Oates was then in her prime, and the most popular
operatic star in the country. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and
educated in Louisville. When she was nineteen years old she made her
debut in Chicago in the Darnley burlesque, "The Field of the Cloth of
Gold." She sang in "The Little Duke," "The Mascotte," "The Pretty
Perfumer," "The Princess of Trebizonde," "The Grand Duchess," and
"Olivette," and was one of the first of the many Ralph Rackstraws in
"Pinafore" in this country. She died in Philadelphia on January 11,
1887, at the early age of thirty-seven years. She was small of figure
and pretty of face, unusually so off the stage and dazzlingly so on the
stage. Her voice was of rare compass and sympathetic in tone, and her
acting was vivacious, dashing, and hearty.
After leaving the Alice Oates Company, small parts in Samuel Colville
Folly company gave Miss Hall a slight advance in the theatrical world,
and then she made her first and only appearance in the "legitimate." She
joined Mary Anderson's company, and for three or four months acted minor
characters in the plays of Miss Anderson's repertory, which at that time
was somewhat limited. Among Miss Hall's parts were Lady Capulet in
"Romeo and Juliet" and the Widow Melnotte in Lord Bulwer Lytton's
stilted melodrama, "The Lady of Lyons."
In 1880, Miss Hall first began to be noticed by professional discoverers
of stage talent. She was then a member of Edward E. Rice's "Surprise
Party," with which she appeared in "Horrors" and "Revels." Next, in
Rice's greatest success, "Evangeline," Miss Hall played Gabrielle and
even Hans Wagner, being the first woman to try the droll character. In
the fall of 1882 she went on a tour with J. H. Haverly's "Merry War"
company, and sang the part of Elsa. With Haverly she also appeared in
"Patience." Following this engagement she rejoined Mr. Rice's forces,
and on December 1, 1883, opened with his company at the Bijou Opera
House, New York, where she created the part of Venus in "Orpheus and
Eurydice." She was a success from the start, and continued with Mr. Rice
until the close of the run of the burlesque on March 15 of the following
year, when she went with the company, under the management of Miles and
Barton, on the road.
On her return to New York, Miss Hall again appeared at the Bijou, on May
6, 1884, as Hasson in a revival of "Blue Beard," following this with
another road experience that lasted until July. In August she began an
engagement at Niblo's Garden, New York, as Loresoul in Poole and
Gilmour's spectacular production of "The Seven Ravens." The part was a
singing one, and Miss Hall added considerably to her popularity among
the frequenters of the burlesque shows that were so largely patronized
in those days. In February, 1885, Miss Hall was in the title role of
"Ixion" at the Comedy Theatre, New York, though only for a short time,
and on April 4 she made her first appearance in a German speaking part,
singing Prince Orloffsky in "Die Fiedermaus" at the Thalia Theatre.
On May 25 Miss Hall opened with Nat C. Goodwin at the Park Theatre,
Boston, and created the character of Oberon in the travesty "Bottom's
Dream." This was a failure, and in a few weeks Miss Hall returned to New
York, where she signed with Rudolph Aronson of the Casino, making her
first appearance as Ninon de l'Enclos in the English presentation of
"Nanon." She did well with the part, and further increased the favorable
impression that she had made by her Angelo in "Amorita" and her Saffi
in "The Gipsy Baron." Next came "Erminie," which achieved a success as
yet unequalled by any light opera in this country unless it be "Robin
Hood." The successor to "Erminie" was "Nadjy," also a famous hit, in
which, however, Miss Hall's part of the Princess Etelka was overshadowed
by the character of Nadjy, the dancer, so captivatingly played by Marie
Jansen in the original production. After "Nadjy" came "The Drum Major,"
which failed, however, to make any lasting impression.
After leaving the Casino Miss Hall began her career as a star, appearing
in "Puritania." This was followed the next year by "Amorita" and "Madame
Favart," while "Puritania" was retained in her repertory. The season
succeeding she brought out "The Honeymooners." During 1894-95 her operas
were "La Belle Helene," a revival of "The Chimes of Normandy," and
"Dorcas." She then retired from the stage for a while, and afterward
appeared in vaudeville until she joined Francis Wilson.
"Puritania, or the Earl and the Maid of Salem," the best known and most
successful of all her operas, was produced in Boston in the summer of
1892. The opera was written by C. M. S. McLellan, and Edgar Stillman
Kelley was responsible for the music. The story of the opera was
decidedly attractive. The action began in Salem. Elizabeth, a fair young
miss of the town, had been accused of being a witch by Abigail, a
confirmed woman-hater. Elizabeth was tried by the local tribunal and was
condemned, chiefly because she had refused to wed Jonathan Blaze, the
chief justice of the court. Just as the sentence was pronounced an
English ship arrived in the harbor, and Vivian, Earl of Barrenlands,
came ashore. He rescued Elizabeth from the mob, and captivated by her
beauty proceeded to make love to her. Nothing would do but he must take
her back to England with him. Smith, the Witch-finder-general to his
Majesty Charles II., was indignant because Vivian had won the girl, and
threatened to expose her as a witch to the king.
The second act took place in a subterranean chamber under the king's
palace, where Killsin Burgess, a conspirator, was plotting after the Guy
Fawkes fashion to blow up everything. So deeply did he meditate on
divers plots and treasons, that he fell asleep, lighted pipe in mouth
and seated on a keg of gunpowder. The next scene showed the palace where
King Charles had just bestowed his favor on Vivian and the future
Countess of Barrenlands. Smith entered with Blaze and Abigail, and the
trio denounced Elizabeth as a witch. Elizabeth, driven half mad by their
false accusations, mockingly declared that she was a witch, and
proceeded to "weave a spell." She summoned Asmodeus, the Prince of
Eternal Darkness, to appear. A loud report was heard, and the form of
Burgess was hurled through the air. The sparks from his pipe had ignited
the keg of powder which exploded just as Elizabeth was pretending to
display her powers. Of course, Elizabeth was condemned by the king on
this _prima facie_ evidence; but Burgess, recognizing her as his
daughter, confessed his conspiracy against the king, and all ended
happily.
Miss Hall gave the opera a first-class production, a fine cast, and
handsome scenery. Louise Beaudet acted Elizabeth, and graceful and
charming she was, too. Miss Hall herself played Vivian. Frederic Solomon
was the original Witch-finder-general, and his conception of the
character was thoroughly original. Jacques Kruger as the Judge, Eva
Davenport as Abigail, John Brand as the King, and Alf Wheelan as the
Conspirator were all happily chosen. The opera ran in Boston from June
until September. Then Miss Hall took the opera on the road for a
season. "Puritania" was tuneful and bright in action. The dialogue was
often sparkling, the fun was spontaneous, and the three comedians had
parts which had the added value of being characters. Vivian was
admirably suited to Miss Hall's talents. Her songs were given with
spirit, her acting had that freedom so characteristic of her "boys,"
while her costumes were pictorially gorgeous.
Miss Hall's first husband was Edward White, whom she met in San
Francisco in 1878, where he was engaged in mining enterprises. They were
married in St. Louis in February, 1881. Eight years later Miss Hall
secured a divorce from Mr. White, and in 1891 she was married to George
B. McLellan, the manager of her company.