A BLAMELESS LIFE ACTRESS’ STAGE CAREER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20110, 31 March 1928, Page 15 (Supplement)

A BLAMELESS LIFE ACTRESS’ STAGE CAREER

MEMBER OF VANBRUGH-BOUCI-GAULT COMPANY

The blameless life of the perfect woman has been Annie Baker’s stage career. Bhe is one of the members of the Vanbrugli-Boucicault Company which will visit New Zealand later in the year. For five years she played con tiuuously at the Lyceum Theatre, London.

{Strong drama has been her strong card, but she was never out to take emotion by the throat and worry it to hysterics, with trembling voice, heroic attitudes and eyes-to-hcaven like most leading ladies of melodrama. “1 believe in being heard," she said, chatting of her career- “That’s the main thing. And 1 always tried to be perfectly natural and to behave in the quiet way that one does in real life. Of course I had and have a preference for drama, but I had previously played in all the Robertson comedies—‘Caste,’ ‘School, ’• etc., and I was also with Wyndham in ingenue roles. 44 ‘The Prince and the Beggar Maid’ was the play that brought me in;o London as a, leading lady, though I had previously toured in ‘The Midnight Wedding.' ‘The story of the Rosary,’ of course, was the most successful of all, making a tremendous hit in America as well, where I also played the lead.

“ ‘Seven Days’ Leave’ ran for two years at the Lyceum during the war. It holds the record. Of the whole of 1,000 performances, I did not miss one. “ ‘The Silver Crucifix,’ ‘Boy o’ My Heart,’ and ‘The Ragged Prince,’ were others that had lovely parts for me. I had a financial interest in some of these as well.

“Melodrama in a stronger form is growing more popular every day in England. Certainly, it tends toward the crook and the terrifying play, with less of the sweetness."

Annie Sakcr couldn’t very well help being an actress. Her great-grand-father, William Saker, was a wellknown figure at the old Theatre Royal, in London. Her grandfather, Horatio Saker, was Charles Kean’s principal comedian, and played the clown in “A Winter’s Tale," when Ellen Terry made her first appearance, and her mother, Maria Saker, was with Wyndham.

Before coming to Australia with the Vanbrugh-Boucicault Company, folks had been telling her fairy tales about the climate.

“ ‘ You’ll love the sunshine,’ they said," she laughs- “And I honestly beleived it never rained in AustraliaI didn’t bring a single warm garment or a heavy pair of shoes. In fact, I almost discarded my umbrella.”

Now, like the little nigger boy. An nip Sakcr is saying: “Oh, Lord, didn’t it rain."