The New York Clipper (December 1916)

December 20, 1916 THE NEW-YORK CLIPPER 63 JANE WHEATLEY ON SOUTH AMERICAN s . STAGE ONE SEASON It is not every actreaa who can boast of a season in Sooth America, yet such is the privilege of Jane Wheatley, who plays with charm and variety the part of Mrs, Marion Ellsworth with William Hodge in "fixing Sister" at the Marine Elliott Theatre. - ■ "I was a member, of the Belasco-De Mille company," Bays Miss Wheatley, "which toured South America in 1908. Our repertoire comprised eighteen plays, most of which, had been Broadway suc- cesses. Our season lasted for a period of ten-weeks—eight weeks spent in Buenos Ayres. and one. each . in Montevideo and Rosario. "The experience was a genuine and fas- cinating, lark; no worries, no incon- veniences at any time of the engagement. The sale of seats was by subscription only and as the seats were entirely disposed of before we arrived we naturally felt se- cure against any possible disaster. We presented, among other plays, The Char- ity Ball,' by Belasco and De Mille; 'Sher- lock Holmes,' the younger De Mille's play of the Canadian Northwest, The Royal Mounted,' and Oscar Wilde's lady Win- dermere's Fan.' Naturally the subtlety and brilliance of the Wilde comedy was lost upon the Spanish audiences, since we played entirely in English. The specta- tors followed the story of each play by watching closely the action of the char- acters. 'Sherlock Holmes' proved our most popular offering, due no doubt to the fact that the detective tales are familiar to" the people of South America and that the play contained greater action than any of the others." Miss Wheatley. explained that Spanish audiences are uniformly- kind and. hos- pitable. . "They applauded us generally and looked upon our engagement as a dis- tinctly, society event—something repre- sentative' of the 'great world of Broad- way,' which-must-be-patronized : for the sake of culture and education. We played to crowded houses everywhere and our season attained such vogue that many so- cial functions were held in our honor. "I am surprised that more American managers do not take advantage of the splendid opportunities offered in the South American field. No company from this country, provided it contained competent players and presented meritorious plays, has ever gone there without reaping handsome profits. South Americans have confidence in the amusement productions of the United States. This is partly due, perhaps, to the remarkable hold which Caruso has upon the affections of the people. Coming from New York, as be does, to sing in the leading opera houses of Brazil and the Argentine, he has a strong influence in making the theatre- going public believe that whatever is pro- duced in New York must be worth while." Before joining Mr. Hodge's company, Miss Wheatley played two seasons in the New York company of "On Trial," appear- ing as the Widow. She was seen as Cal- purnia in William Faversham's production of "Julius Caesar," and has taken prin- cipal roles in "The Girl from the Golden West" and other plays. CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THOMAS J. GRAY Vaudeville Author iCAXS^SA- -T- ..,?«.• 'a'tUWLaV^h *i. s Monologues Songs, Scenarios I rm: -*'.t>.'i.:f» Suite 804 Palace Theatre Bldg., 1564 Broadway New York, N.Y. »' ». <, ■■* ROSESYDELL JOHNNIE WEBER and BILL CAMPBELL Wish Everybody A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year '//sysY//////y/svyy//ss//y///s&