LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Edith Evans
built 631 days ago
Edith Evans is truly hilarious in the extract from The Rivals (on the 18th Century Album CD). It’s Act III, a duologue between Mrs M and Captain Absolute. Evans creates a devastating truth within Mrs Malaprop that releases the comedy in a thrilling deluge. She is ... fabulously funny as Mrs Sullen in an extract from Beaux’ Stratagem.
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By the time Edith Evans unleashed Lady Bracknell on London’s theatre goers in 1939 she had been already been acting professionally for twenty-seven years. While working as a milliner in London the young Edith had joined a drama class, graduating from this to the Streatham Shakespeare Players where she was ‘spotted’ by Shakespeare producer
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Edith Evans was born in London in 1888. After finishing her schooling at the age of 15 she worked as a milliner for a number of years. Eventually, and rather haphazardly, she began to attend evening classes in acting. In 1912 she appeared in an amateur program of Shakespeare scenes. William Poel, a director particularly noted for his innovative staging of Shakespeare plays, happened to be in the audience that evening. He immediately recognized Evans' talent and cast her in a minor role in his next production at Cambridge.
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Aside from her Lady Bracknell, there is one other part from the impressive range Edith Evans created that has made a particular impression on the theatre history books. In 1935 she played the Nurse in the famous John Gielgud production of Romeo & Juliet, in which he and Laurence Olivier alternated in the parts of Romeo and Mercutio. The production as a whole was well received, and Edith’s performance particularly was singled out, with the critic W A Darlington declaring her ‘Nurse’ to be ‘as earthy as a potato, as slow as a cart-horse and as cunning as a badger’ thereby creating the blueprint for every actress who has played the role since.
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In the early 1930's Edith and Ray appeared regularly on national radio broadcasts as well as continuing their vaudeville act. While Ray Mayer was now married to Edith he began his own separate career in 1934 appearing in numerous western movies playing small parts and sometimes in uncredited roles. Oft times he can be seen in these movies playing piano and singing. One newspaper account in 1939 suggested that Ray had played so many gangster and tough characters that when he got off a train in St. Louis he was tailed by the cops. They associated him with crime!
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John W. Evans was born abt. Jun 1859 in Alabama. He married abt. 1879 to Lizzie (unknown) who was born abt. Jan 1858 in Alamaba. They lived in Pope Co., Arkansas until Lizzie died bet.
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Edith Evans