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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1916)
5 1 1 a ! The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page . v.; - y ( ! - ' iniiimy V: ; -A ' j yfr-',,K:..L-:!,,. v-P ra,v' - rws t v v. - 1. 1 ' "VIS. ' V 1 ; - A ''''V'l'' A A'. "At the evening went by Mr. Broun wu perceptibly moved , to set closer to this charming actress. 'Wo would rther x etc.,' he wrote of her next morning." Just This Once We Take Our Readers Behind the Scenes in the Great Busy Life of the New York Newspapers and Tell Them voDe';:-SiforaW': Dramatic Critic iaw? le Actress He. Couldn't Criticise L Mias Lydia Lopokora, Whose Acting Wen Not Only , the Critic's Pen but His Heart TO the general public, who read ac count ct romances, thrillins ad ventures, crimes and big bumau events In the dally papers, the life of those who prepare the stories in succinct and engrossing'? readable form 1 generally unknown. Does the newspaper reporter, who describe great haepenlnga from first hand observation, who touches upon ro seate adventure, who ferreta out crimen and rubs hou!4ers w ith "the notable of the day, ever himself figure In romantic happenings such as he records? Except In 'fiction the hasards, exploits and romance of the reporter are seldom If ever told. Likewise is it with the stage. As the newspaper reporter presents the actual drama of life day by day, the actor and actresa on the stage present fictitious drama. To those' who breathlessly watch a tlirlllinu i'bt. the actual lire of those who mimic human emotions and passion Is generally unknown. Does the actress ever herself figure in a romance as thrilling as the one In which she is starred before the footilghta? Does her own hert ever actu ally throb with the tumultuous emotions a'ae simulates so realistically T About the Ufa of those who aerve the public through the newspaper and the theatre there has been preserved a pro-' fesslonal cecrecy not without the glamor of mystery. However, for once we hhall ra!e the curtain and permit you to get a peep at a drama of love and adventure in the newspaper office and the stage. Permit us, therefore, kiud ladies and gentlemen, to introduce Miss Lydia Loro kova. Kusstan dancer and actress, snd Mr. 1 lev wood Hrouu. newspaper man and draiu actlc criiic of a New York 'morning puper. Lydia Lopokova came to the United States at tlio age of aeventeen the romantically aweet age of seventeen with the Kuaslaa (lancers, beaded by liallet Master Kosloff. That was just three years ago. Fair-haired, blue-eyed, a tiny creature only t feet 1 iucues on tip toea. Lydia Lopokova won the plau dits of enthusiastic audiences. Kcr two years she continued ber career, with glorious success. But Lydia Lopokova was not Katuhed. Something waa amiss In life. The haniiclapptng and enthusi asm ot charmed u- , dienceo failed to , thrill her. The large salaries o ff e r e d by ; manager! brought no satisfaction. 8ho bad got what aha came to America for. But there waa a cer tain futility in It all What waa the mat- terT One day Lydia Lopokova realized what waa troubling her. She had won fame through ber feet. She desired fame won by her head. Khe charmed vast audiences with her toea She wished to grip and hold them by the genius of her brains Pre eminently successful as a dancer, she decided to five up dancing. She would act, .. Miss Lopokora heard of the Washington Square Players. These 'consist ot a co terie of ambitious amateurs whose pur-, pose is to present "good and strong etuff" In the drama They didn't care particu larly about popular auocesa. They had rented a little theatre, called the Bandbox, and gave a repertoire of one-act plays by Maeterlinck, Wedekind, Oscar Wilde, Schnitiiler, and original production by members ot the group themselves. Miss Lopokova Jolner the company. She forgot all about the fame ot the Imperial Royal Ballet of Moscow. She studied seri ously, humbly. What if ehe. famed throughout Europe aa a dancer, was study ing with amateurs! The opportunity to study was all she desired. She played with the high-brow Bohemlana without' any salary whatever. Critics attended the productions at the Bandbox. Newspsper critics are regarded, es a serious, grave, hard headed, unfeeling, analytical lot. They are considered and generally are above being influenced. What they ssy of a play, or the work of an actor or actress, ess much weight The Washington Square Players awaited the verdict of the critlca after each new performance with mingled eagerness and ' anxiety. Lydia Lopokova waa no exception to the other membera of the company ehe read the critics' reports eagerly. Mlaa Lopo kova made her debut with the Washington Pquare Havers last October In a playlet called "The Antlcka," by Percy Mackaye. The criticisms of the play, it must be confewsed, lacked enthusiasm ail save one. Miss Lopokova'a eyea, as she read the review in one ot the morning papers, oponed wider and wider. For ahe read the following: "After watching Lydia Isipokova romp through Percy Mackaye'a The Antlcks' we felt a glowing enthusiasm for all the world. We regret now wasted edjeetlvee and we pine for every auperlatlve with which we have lightly parted. All words denoting, connoting or appertaining In any way to charm we would bestow on Lydia Lopokova ' "As Ju'le Uonheur, a Canuck girl, ahe la. a mite mlgtity la enticement. Never have we But not well aet no time . limit on onr opinion, for 'Julie herself complains: 'These Tankees, they say only that: I love you always, forever) ' . Wlhy not they Bay: I love you all this weekf . s "And eo until Tuesday, October 12, we will continue to maintain that Lydia Lopokova is the most charming young person who has trod the stage in New York this season. But ahe did not tread. She did not even walk. She skipped, she danced, she pranced and v as like aa not ehe never touched the stage. Or so it seemed. "We would raffcer tee Lydia Lopokova rite to her full four feet teven inchei on extended toet than watch two hun dred choru$ gMt climb to the roof of the Hippodrome on their rope lad if n of elertrio Uahta." ' Miss Lopokova did not express her senti ments. The manager did. "Lydia, you've got to meet the chap who wrote that. It's a good thing to keep on the good aide ot a fellow who'a ao en thusiastic as that. The Washington Square Players can aland boosts." So the meeting was arranged, Heywood Broun, the author of this per fervid criticism, was not given unduly to gratuitous praise. He had studied the drama in Professor Baker's class at Har vard. He had ambitions regarding play writing himself. He took himself and his work with the greatest seriousness. He waa Just twenty-eight. However. after sitting through Miss Lopokova's perform ance, etudylng it with critical gravity and analytical discernment, he had gone away and Indulged In a poetic, exuberant rhap sody. It was after s performance one night when the players had retired to a restau rant next door to the Bandbox where they refreshed themselves with talk about art and more material things that the actress and the critic met. Miss Lopokova. four feet seven, rose and took the hand of the young, bashful, serious critic, six feet three. She looked at him coyly and gratefully. "That was very nlcat which you wrote about me, but 1 do noi. think it was quite true." - Miss Lopokova lived up to the prlnclplea of a eertoua profession in not being w hat the general public often consider actora and actresses egregtously self-conceited, vain and desirous of flattery. Mr. Broun wss pleased by her sincerity and modesty, and the- next day recorded his romantic meeting in his paper. Why postpone telling the inevitable? They fell in love with each other. In fact, Mr. Broun had fallen in love with the "mite mighty in enticement" the first night he saw her. Waa he partial in his overprofuse, rhapsodical praise? Although a newspaper man and critic, he waa human, and, without question, believed fill he wrote of the dancer who waa learning to act. For our bralna accept what our hearts feel. Dutifully Mr. Broun ccu:":.ed to attend first nights, and gravely reported his ver dict on new plays. When she waa not en gaged at the Bandbox, he took Lydia Lopo kova with him, and together they ronsldered the merits ot productions. When she acted, io her colleagues observed, Lydia per formed with an unwonted spirit and fire. When Heywood Broun pounded the type Copyright. 11S. by th 8tr Cpmpaay. writer at the newspaper office, he entered' into his work with . an added inspiration and vim. For to both : the actress and critic the curtain bad gone up upon actual life colored with the rose-light ot romance. . The actress and the critic were constant ly together, They had dinner with the other players at "'Polly's" a picturesque , rendezvous oft Washington Square where food la eaten at hardwood tables and you don't get napkins. They went together to Bohemian studio affairs on Sundays. The former dancer told of her ambltlona to become a great actress, the critio of his ambitions to write immortal dramas. Why should ahe not become a great actress? Mr. Broun was sure she would. Why should he not write great plays? Miss Lopokova waa sure he could. Why should ahe not act la these playa and why should they . not work together? "You did awfully well last night you are improving rapidly," he would tell her. "Heywood is making his way quickly'' he sold an article to a magaxlne last week," the actress proudly related to her best : . , friend.. , . "Mies Lopokova Is a wonderful girl," Heywood Broun would Inform hla mother at breakfast, after having taken the act ress home aa usual tho night before. . "Have you considered what a plucky fight . ahe haa been making? being a foreigner, with all the disadvantages ot struggling with English!" The climax of the romance ' was an nounced to the friends of Miss Lopokova and Mr. Broun on New Year's Day. On Jan- - lf , uary 4. 1916. they Mr. Heywood Broun, the took the pubiio Critic, Who Will Marry iXHr. 2 O". Ac H. Could. did not permit his t Criticize. . . - , . own paper to have a beat on the pub lication of the news of the betrothal, but had it sent ' through a frlend'a offices to the entire press of New York. "We're going to be married next Autumn," they con fessed "Oh. no, we are not going to chance our plans of work we are going to do better and better." Miss Lopokova will continue working toward the realisa tion of her ambi tion, to become a great actrea. and Mr. Broun Intends to utilise his pro fnestonil experi ence in the writing of plays. Can they fail to aucceed with the inspiration of working ' togetfer with Romanes; guiding them by tho hand? Neither haa any doubta la thla respect. Creiit Britain Rirhta Reserved Miss Lopokova As She Appeared in the Russian Ballet. ' . . : aVaT at M i ft 4 fm 7 i 1 1 -s V J 1 ' Safe .... ' V. aw