“Und see, I come back, und my vife is gon’ und my home is gon’. My home is gon’, und my chil’—my chil’ look in my face und don’ know who I am!”
—Act V.
Photograph by Sarony.
Author’s Collection.
primary appearance in San Francisco, made at the Baldwin, of the dashing, sparkling actress Rose Coghlan, then in the flush of opulent beauty and the pride of bounteous success. Miss Coghlan came to the American Stage when she was a girl of twenty, performing at Wallack’s Theatre, New York (the Thirteenth Street House), September 2, 1872, as Mrs. Honeyton, in “A Happy Pair,” and in association with the Lydia Thompson Troupe, as Jupiter, in a revival of “Ixion; or, The Man at the Wheel.” She played many parts during the ensuing seven years,—gaining a memorable triumph at Wallack’s, September 21, 1878, as Lady Teazle, when “The School for Scandal” was revived there with a cast including John Gilbert as Sir Peter, John Brougham as Sir Oliver, Mme. Ponisi as Mrs. Candor, and Charles F. Coghlan as Charles Surface. Miss Coghlan’s emergence on the California Stage was an event which inspired eager public interest. She had been engaged by Maguire (who paid her $500 a week for her services, a large salary at any time and an immense one in those days) in compliance with the fervent importunity of Belasco, and the latter was somewhat disconcerted at finding her attitude toward him that of arrogant disdain. “Maguire brought her to the stage, for the first rehearsal,” Belasco has said, describing to me their meeting: “and she took her stand near the stage manager’s table, where I sat. I rose to greet her, but she looked over me, past me, and through me; then she turned to Maguire and asked if she might meet the stage manager. I was introduced to her, and at last she condescended to see me. ’What!’ she exclaimed: ’this boy to be my director, after I have come from Wallack’s! Never!’ It was rather an embarrassing situation for me, but I had had too much experience of the ways of leading ladies to take offence. ’Is it possible,’ she continued, ’that men like James O’Neill and Lewis Morrison act under the direction of a boy! For my part, I won’t do it!’—and she turned toward where Maguire had been standing, only to find that he had slipped away,—delighted with my predicament,—leaving me to deal as best I could with the celebrated actress I had induced him to engage! ’Miss Coghlan,’ I said, ’I trust you will find our stage competently managed; at any rate, we’ll try to please you: for my part, I shall be most thankful for any suggestions you may be kind enough to favor me with, and you will not, I assure you, find me anxious to impose upon you any business that might conflict with your own conceptions.’ With that, O’Neill and Morrison came in, together, and I introduced them and called the First Act. Before the rehearsal
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Photograph by Sarony. Belasco’s Collection. |
From an old photograph. The Albert Davis Collection. | |
| ROSE COGHLAN | NINA VARIAN |
About 1879, when they first acted in San Francisco, under Belasco’s direction