ENGLISH

Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America

By Beth Holmgren

Book information

Publisher
Indiana University Press
Year
2011
ISBN
0253356644, 9780253356642
LCC
PN2859.P66 M6255 2012
Google Books ID
Gfcx_c_bJ1IC
Open Library ID
OL25202381M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
5 MB (5595458 bytes)
Pages
428\428
Orientation
yes
Scanned
no
Time added
2012-03-09 12:00:00

Description

In 1876, Poland's leading actress, Helena Modrzejewska, accompanied by family and friends, emigrated to southern California to establish a utopian commune that soon failed. Within a year Modrzejewska made her debut in the title role of Adrienne Lecouvreur at San Francisco's California Theatre. She changed her name to Modjeska and quickly became a leading star on the American stage, where she reigned for the next 30 years. During this time, she established herself as America's most esteemed Shakespearean actress, playing opposite such celebrated actors as Edwin Booth and Maurice Barrymore. Starring Madame Modjeska traces Modjeska's fabulous life and career from her illegitimate birth in Krakow, to her successive reinventions of herself as a star in both Poland and America, and finally to her enduring legacy.

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