Actress

THEATRE--W. Somerset Maugham-- Doubleday, Doran ($2.50).

When Somerset Maugham wrote his first novels in the late 1890s they were regarded as daringly modern. These books would seem primly old-fashioned now. Still up-to-date, still a jump ahead of his popular-magazine colleagues, Maugham's stories still give the agreeably shocking sensation of telling the candid, unconventional truth. An expertly professional author, with few illusions about the world he writes of, he concocts tales that often leave a depressing brown taste in the mouth but seldom bore the palate while they are being swallowed. His latest novel--what a famous actress is really like, "inside"--makes entertaining reading, is well up to his high professional standard.

Julia got her real start in an English provincial repertory company. She had lovely legs, but she was not beautiful: she had what the director called an india-rubber face, capable of expressing any emotion at will. In short, Julia was a natural. She was working hard in the repertory company, learning fast, when she fell in love with Michael, a member of the same company. Michael was dazzlingly handsome but not much of a ladies' man, and not a very good actor except in certain limited parts. He was pleased with Julia's adoration, accepted as much of it as his careful nature would allow.

Michael knew Julia was out of his class when it came to acting; but he had very definite ideas about a career, proceeded to fit her in. He saved money, borrowed some more, started their own London company with Julia as star. When they bought their own theatre they hit a success after two failures, went on from there. And he allowed Julia to marry him, even became quite fond of her. Julia's passion for Michael finally died a natural death. Her Maughamish reaction to the realization that she no longer loved her husband was to stretch, sigh with relief, murmur: "By God, it's grand to be one's own mistress." Now she saw Michael as nothing but a crashing bore, but she had sense enough to stick by him. He was a good manager, a first-rate director. Except for one accidental lapse, Julia was completely faithful to him till she was 46. Then one day Michael brought a young accountant home to lunch. There was nothing remarkable about Tom, but before she knew it Julia was head over heels in love with him, became his mistress. She grew so careless in her passion that people began to talk; nearly everyone but Michael suspected what was up. When Tom got restive, wanted to break off the affair, Julia was beside herself. But she was a sensible woman, after all. She let him go, got over it somehow, then set about making the new play a success. In one of the best bits of acting in her career she made a triumphant comeback, incidentally showing up the young actress for whom Tom had left her. Tom came crawling back, but Julia was really cured. After the first performance of the new show, she went off to a restaurant by herself to have a really good time. She ordered oysters, grilled steak and onions, fried potatoes, a bottle of Bass.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.