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Waller, Emma
Waller, Emma (1820–99), actress. The English‐born tragedienne made her American debut as Ophelia at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre in 1857. The following year her first New York appearance came as Marina in The Duchess of Malfi. She excelled at many of the same roles that Charlotte Cushman played so well, and some critics maintained she copied Cushman's style, although she is said never to have seen her fellow actress perform. Her greatest interpretations included Meg Merrilies, Lady Macbeth, Julia in The Hunchback, and the already mentioned Marina. Like Cushman she also appeared in many men's roles, including Hamlet and Iago. T. Allston Brown noted, “Her Lady Macbeth was a wonderful performance, and I doubt if its equal has ever been seen on the American stage.” Much of Waller's career was spent away from New York, including a season managing a theatre at Troy, New York. Winter recalled, “She was a woman of stately presence; her countenance was singularly expressive; she possessed dark, piercing eyes, a pallid expression, and a voice of unusual depth and compass.” She retired in 1878 but continued to teach for many years.
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Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Waller, Emma." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Waller, Emma." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-WallerEmma.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Waller, Emma." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-WallerEmma.html |
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Waller, Emma
Waller, Emma (1820–99), British-born American actress, who emigrated to the USA with her husband, Daniel Wilmarth Waller (1824–82), and made her first appearance at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in 1857 as Ophelia to his Hamlet. She was seen in New York a year later, and from then until her retirement in 1878 played leading roles there and on tour throughout the country. Among her finest parts were Lady Macbeth; Queen Margaret in Colley Cibber's version of Richard III, which she played with Edwin Booth; Meg Merrilies in a dramatization of Scott's Guy Mannering, in which she was seen many times; and Julia in Sheridan Knowles's The Hunchback. In the fashion of the time she also played Hamlet and Iago. After her retirement she continued to give public readings and taught elocution.
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Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Waller, Emma." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Waller, Emma." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-WallerEmma.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Waller, Emma." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-WallerEmma.html |
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