Starring Madame Modjeska : On Tour in Poland and America

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. The “important . . . meticulously researched” prize-winning biography of the pre-eminent Polish star of the nineteenth century global stage (CosmopolinReview.com). In reintroducing “a little-remembered actress to a new American audience” biographer Beth Holgram delivers a revelatory portrait of Helena Modjeska—from unparalleled European success to her reign as the most acclaimed, and most recognized female celebrity in the late nineteenth-century United States. In 1876, Poland’s leading actress, Helena Modrzejewska, accompanied by her husband, the self-stylized Count Bozente, emigrated to southern California to give up her career and establish a utopian commune. In light of its failings, it hardly fulfilled the real dreams of Madame Helena. Within a year, she changed her surname to Modjeska, and made her American debut at San Francisco’s California Theatre. Godmother to Ethel Barrymore, and sharing the Shakespearian stage with such luminaries as Otis Skinner, Edwin Booth, and Maurice Barrymore, Helena Modjeska became the leading star in the United States, where she reigned for the next thirty years. In this “Impressive . . . achievement,” Holmgren traces Modjeska’s fabulous life and career from her illegitimate birth in Krakow, to her successive reinventions of herself as a trans-continental diva, and finally to her enduring legacy ( Women’s Review of Books ). All in all, Starring Madame Modjeska “makes for great drama” ( NewPages.com ). In 1876, Poland's Leading Actress, Helena Modrzejewska Emigrated To Southern California. Within A Year, She Made Her Debut In The Title Role Of Adrienne Lecouvreur At San Francisco's California Theatre. Changing Her Name To Modjeska, She Quickly Became A Leading Star On The American Stage For The Next 30 Years. Modjeska, A Shakespearean Actress, Played Opposite Celebrated Actors Edwin Booth And Maurice Barrymore. Debut -- The Making Of A Polish Actress -- Warsaw's State Of The Stars -- A Colonial Party And The California Dream -- On The American Road -- The Roles Of Madame Modjeska -- The Polish Modjeska -- Farewell Tour -- Epilogue: Finding Modjeska Today. Beth Holmgren. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.