The+Siddons+Theatre

Michael ran their theatre with the method and thrift with which he ran his come they lost little over the failures, which of course they sometimes had, and made every possible penny out of their successes. When Julia and Michael had been in management for three years they were sufficiently well established for Michael to be able to borrow from the bank enough money to buy the lease of a theatre that just had been built. After much discussion they decided to call it the Siddons Theatre. They opened with a failure and this was succeeded by another. Julia was frightened and discouraged. She thought that the theatre was unlucky and that the public were getting sick of her. But at such a moment Michael said that there were only three people who brought money into the theatre regardless of the play, and Julia was one of them. Julia was the leading actress of the Siddons Theatre. All the plays were chosen under one condition - whether it would suit Julia. Michael worked hard. He was getting more out of Julia than any other director had done. He knew what she was capable of, and, familiar with her every inflection, every glance of her wonderful eyes, every graceful movement of her body. he was able to give her suggestions out of which she managed tp build up the best performance of her career. Julia was put down for a very large salary. She was the most highly paid actress in London. Julia had with decision turned down the American offer before ever she mentioned it to Tom; their play was playing to very good business. But one of those inexplicable slumps that ocasionally affect the theatre now swept over London and the takings suddenly dropped. It looked as though they would not be able to carry on long after Easter. They had a new play on which they set great hopes. It was called Nowadays, and the intention had been to produce it early in the autumn. It had a great part for Julia and the advantage of one that well suited Michael. It was the sort of play that might easily run a year. Michael did not much like the idea of producing it in May, with the summer coming on, but there seemed no help for it and he began looking about for a cast. Michael collected his cast for the revival and started rehearsals. Merely to be inside a theatre rested Julia; nowhere was she so happy. Watching the rehearsals she was able to relax so that when at night she had her own performance to give she felt fresh. She took hold of herself. Her acting ceased to be a means by which she gave release to her feelings and was agai the manifestation of her creative instinct. It gave her a sence of power and of liberation. When Julia was not in the theatre she felt listless and discouraged. She lost her exuberant vitality. Rehearsals began and distractes Julia's troubled mind. The revival that Michael put on when Julia went abroad had done neither very well nor very badly, but rather than close the theatre he was keeping it in the bill till Nowadays was ready. Because he was acting two matine'es e week, and the weather was hot, he determined that they should take rehearsala easy. They had a month before them. Though Julia had been on the stage so long she had never lost the thrill she got out of rehearsing. It was the begining of a new advanture. The play was a modern version of The Second Mrs.Tanqueray, but with the change of manners of this generation it had been treated from the standpoint of comedy. The character that Michael played was called Robert Humphreys, he was a widower with an only daughter (this was the part for which Avice Crichton was engaged). The boyfriend of the girl playing by Avice was the lover of Mrs.Marten whose part well suited Julia. So this two women (Avice and Julia) became rivals at the stage. Michael, having taken Julia's advice, had gone to a good deal of trouble with Avice. He had rehearsed her by herself upstairs in his private room and had given her every intonation and every gesture. The result of all this was that she was playing the part uncommonly well. It all prooved such quality of Michael as the best manager, director. He did everything to make his play better, more interesting, and may be to please Julia, his lovely wife. The play went well from the beginning$ the audience, notwithstanding the season, a fashionable one, were pleased after the holidays to find themselves once more in a pkayhouse, and were ready to be amused. It was an auspicious beginning for the theatrical season. There had been great applause after each act and a dozen curtain calls, even Julia was startled by the warmth of her reception. The play was very successful. After the performance the author of the play came to see Julia and Michael. All ha had seen was not a bit the scene he had written. Julia save the situation. With the cry of delight, she went up to him, threw her arms round his neck and kissed him on both cheeks. She said that they were only actors and they had acted how they had felt. These words made the man satisfied. Everything was a success. Julia felt on the top of the world. She felt like a million dollars. But she wanted to be alone and enjoy herself.
 * // Julia Lambert and the Siddons Theatre //**