Katharine Hepburn On Stage

By Judy Samelson
06 Jul 2009

Katharine Hepburn as Rosalind in As You Like It (1950)
photograph by Vandamm Studio. Billy Rose Theatre Division,The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
SHAKESPEARE

Perhaps the most intriguing items in the exhibition relate to Hepburn's Shakespearean roles because they allow us to witness her process, via detailed notes and sketches, and the input she received from various colleagues. Virtually all of these productions are represented in some fashion in the exhibition.

As You Like It

On Jan. 26, 1950, Hepburn opened at the Cort Theatre in As You Like It, produced by the Theatre Guild. Lawrence Langner had challenged her to tackle the role of Rosalind saying that if she didn't do it, she would be considered limited.

  • Vandamm Studio photos show her with William Prince as Orlando, and an enlarged photo taken by Ellen Darby presents a terrific, if somewhat incongruous, image of Hepburn and Prince onstage in costume. Taken during rehearsals, Prince is seated and Hepburn is standing in cape and tights with a script and the ubiquitous cigarette.

  • In the glass case, there's an opening night gift signed by the Guild's Theresa Helburn, Lawrence Langner and Armina Marshall inscribed, in part:

    "January 26, 1950—
    . . . Let no face be kept in mind
    But the fair of Rosalind
    —to our Kate with love
    Terry
    Lawrence
    Armina"

  • Below are some examples of congratulatory notes Hepburn received on opening night. As was her habit, she wrote her responses at the bottom of the telegrams.

    Anita Loos' telegram congratulating Hepburn on her Shakespearean debut in As You Like It shows Hepburn's hand-written reply
    photo by Sherry Sauerwine
    ANITA LOOS: "January 26, 1950—Love to you. Congratulations to Shakespeare."

    Hepburn's reply: "That was a mighty cute wire. I don't know how the old boy would feel, but it made me very proud. See you soon. Affect."

    JAMES CAGNEY: "January 27, 1950—Dear Kate: The gang convined [sic] last night and we heard all the good news of the play . . . Want you to know that all the Cagneys are pulling for the greatest hit in your entire career. We think your [sic] great."

    Hepburn's reply: "Dear Jim: Thought for a while the Irishers were going 2 have 2 come back and fight my battles."

    JOHN FORD: "January 26, 1950—Get in there and pitch Tutz."

    Hepburn's reply: "Dear Jack: Thank u 4 ur wire on opening nite. It's very classical but I'm sure u intended it 2 be. I think that that is an old Eng. word as it very likely may be on 2nd thought. How I adored 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.'"

  • There is also a letter from Constance Collier. Collier, who appeared with Hepburn in the 1937 film "Stage Door," was a classical actress and had played all of Shakespeare's great women. She was also an acting coach and worked with Hepburn on this production as well as on Shaw's The Millionairess, in which Hepburn appeared in 1952. Their professional relationship blossomed into a close friendship. Below is an excerpt from Collier's letter. (The "Michael" referred to is the play's director Michael Benthall.)

    January 28, 1950
    "My dear, dear Kate,
    . . . I have lived again in the glories of the theatre in its highest sense. Shakespeare, you and Michael have refreshed and renewed me. I have been for a long time like a scorched garden waiting for a shower and it came with our association. But beyond the theatre I know I have made a beloved friend for the rest of my life . . . You will never know how much I admire you as a person besides being the very great artist you are . . ."

  • A framed telegram dated Dec. 4, 1950, wishes Hepburn well on the Los Angeles opening of the tour. Signed by the "MGM Studio Drivers," it reads: "Sincere good wishes for a grand opening and a long, successful run."

  • Like other great theatre stars of her generation and before – The Lunts, Katharine Cornell — Katharine Hepburn embraced the tradition of touring. The As You Like It tour produced a journal in which she seemingly recorded every detail — from the population of the towns she played in to the interstate routes taken to get there, to the hotel accommodations. The journal on display is open to a page that presents a fascinating look into life on the road with Katharine Hepburn. In this particular entry, she wrote about her arrest for speeding while on her way from Tulsa, OK, to the tour's next stop in Wichita, KS. (The "Charles" referred to is Charles Newhill, her longtime driver and friend.) An excerpt reads:

    ". . . Halfway from Tulsa — about sixty-five miles — in Blackwell, Okla. Charles and I were arrested for speeding. A handsome and extremely irritating and drawling Oklahoman drew alongside when we were going seventy in a sixty-five mile an hour zone with the road straight and flat as a pancake. He pulled us over and took about a half hour to get out of his and get to ours, 'You are under arrest.' 'What the hell for?' I said. He said, 'speeding—follow me.' I said, 'Just a minute officer—we are trying to get to Wichita in time to do a play.' 'You should have left earlier,' he said calmly looking at me . . ."

    [After following the cop to a lawyer's office, she continues:]

    ". . . They gave me an inquiring look and I said, 'I have been arrested by this moron,' turning to the policeman who was then coming to the door. I stood there in a seething rage and so did Charles . . . They cannot find a judge or justice of the peace. I said that I was sorry I did not have a week to take off and . . . if I ever found an Oklahoma car in Connecticut I would flatten all the tires. In the meantime, Cox kept calling to find someone to judge us. I paced to make the cop nervous and backed into a gas stove, singing my coat. . . ."

    The Old Vic Tour

    In 1955 (mid-May to mid-November), Hepburn played a six-month tour of Australia with Robert Helpmann and The Old Vic Company, performing in The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure.

  • The tour is represented by photos of Hepburn and Robert Helpmann as well as a Dolgov costume sketch of Hepburn as Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew and a prompt script from The Merchant of Venice.

    The American Shakespeare Festival Theatre

    In the summer of 1957, Hepburn appeared in The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing for John Houseman and Jack Landau's sophomore season of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, CT. She returned to the company in the summer of 1960 to appear in Twelfth Night and Antony and Cleopatra

  • There is a prompt script from the production of Much Ado About Nothing alongside a legal pad with Hepburn's notes and sketch of the set.

  • Hepburn's appearance in Antony and Cleopatra prompted letters of guidance (with corresponding illustration) from modernist furniture designer Terence Robsjohn-Gibbings ("Gibby"). Two of his letters are displayed. In one (dated Feb. 2, 1960) he advised, "instead of manicuring or bathing, you might be posing for a portrait to be subsequently carved on one of your temples. This would give you a nice opportunity to wear royal clothes and crown . . ." And in another (dated Nov. 11, 1959) he counseled that her Cleopatra must remain modern in costume and approach, writing that "Katharine Cornell's Cleopatra looked like a Westchester matron in a hostess gown" and that Vivien Leigh's was "fancy dress in the Albert Hall." Hepburn's Cleopatra, he wrote, "with all your energy and full of the wild satirical humor of Alexandria . . ." must be "barbaric, pagan, splendid."

    Detail of a notebook Hepburn kept during rehearsals for Antony and Cleopatra
    photo by Sherry Sauerwine

  • A fascinating notebook that she kept while preparing for Antony and Cleopatra, shows densely-packed pages, in Hepburn's hand, divided into two columns dissecting each scene and character, each entrance and exit, a breakdown of the mood and atmosphere of each scene. She kept these notebooks for other productions as well.

    SHAW

  • In 1952 Hepburn starred in George Bernard Shaw's The Millionairess in England (presented by Hugh "Binky" Beaumont's H.M. Tennent Ltd.) and later in the year on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre (produced by the Theatre Guild in association with Beaumont). The play co-starred Robert Helpmann and Cyril Ritchard and was directed by Michael Benthall. On display is a letter from Lawrence Langner to Hepburn, in which he wrote of the Theatre Guild's efforts to obtain Shaw's permission to do the play and described a humorous encounter with the great GBS. The letter is dated June 25, 1950, and reads, in part:

    "Armina and I had a wonderful visit with George Bernard Shaw and talked about The Millionairess. The following dialogue may amuse you:
    Armina: She's a very good athlete.
    GBS: (not hearing correctly) I know she's a good actress. I mean can she – is she strong?
    Armina: Is she strong? Why she gets up and plays tennis every morning. She's one of the most athletic girls I know. She's terrific.
    GBS: Then I think it's dangerous for her to play the part.
    LL: (getting a word in edgeways) Why?
    GBS: Dangerous for the actor she's doing the Judo with. She'll probably kill him.
    LL: Oh, no, GBS. She's a very tender-hearted girl. She wouldn't kill another actor."

  • Another telegram — from Benthall and Beaumont — reads: "Cyril Ritchard eager to play Adrian STOP We feel this good idea in spite of height. Has personality and great vitality . . ." — to which Hepburn queried at the foot of the telegram: "Lovely. But how could I Judo him?"

  • The strenuous performance she was giving in The Millionairess caused Hepburn to experience extreme vocal problems. Prior to the Broadway opening in October 1952, she lost her voice almost entirely and, as she wrote in her autobiography, she was desperate to find someone who could help. She had studied with a number of teachers over the years, but most helpful to her during this period was a man named Alfred Dixon. Dixon's typewritten exercises, titled "Tonal Shades," are displayed next to a chart labeled "Tones, Sound and Shades," illustrating symbols corresponding to different tonal shades. Hepburn apparently did her homework because beside these are her meticulous handwritten notes interpreting these lessons. All of these notes were kept in and are displayed alongside a leather portfolio with the initials ST (presumably, for Spencer Tracy).

    COCO

    Katharine Hepburn in the title role in Coco (1969)
    contact sheet detail by Friedman-Abeles. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
    In 2008, the library hosted a series of talks under the banner "Remembering Kate." Each talk was devoted to a different area of Hepburn's stage career. The talks were recorded and video excerpts appear on a television screen in the gallery. Among the friends and colleagues who read from Hepburn's papers were Sam Waterston and Zoe Caldwell, whose focus was on her appearance in her first and only stage musical, Coco.

  • On Dec. 18, 1969, Hepburn opened at Broadway's Mark Hellinger Theatre in the Alan Jay Lerner-André Previn musical about pioneering French fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel. She played in it until the summer of 1970, but at the start, it seemed that she thought the project would not be right for her. Lerner, however, was determined to get her, as evidenced by the correspondence that passed between them. In an excerpt from one of Lerner's letters, written to her from the Hotel Plaza Athenee on Sept. 16, 1967, Waterston reads:

    ". . . Believe me when I tell you that never in my entire professional life have I ever wanted anyone to play any role in anything I have ever written as much as I want you to play Coco. If you allow me I will prove it to you by doing anything and everything within the bounds of artistic, legal, economic and social reason to make it possible for you to do it conveniently, happily and comfortably . . ."

    Hepburn's reply, read by Zoe Caldwell:

    ". . . I am doing two things virtually at the same time [presumably, this was a reference to the two films in which she starred back to back — "The Lion in Winter" and "The Madwoman of Chaillot"] and I do not enjoy working this way. I'm an all-for-one sort of person. I'm convinced that any deal between us is impossible and this is why . . . You have done a wonderful job and there are many people who could do it brilliantly. I offer you no time, no freedom. I just don't want to be tied up at my age. And this is a proper attitude . . . Frankly, I'm not sure that I will ever act again . . . I'm sorry if I led you on. I should have stated my position more clearly to begin with. I felt I had. Affectionately, Kate"

    Hepburn's water color sketch of herself in the costume from "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (Embassy, 1968)
    Katharine Hepburn Papers, Billy Rose Theatre Division,The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

  • Hepburn loved to sketch and paint. On display is one of the notebooks she kept during Coco rehearsals, open to a page in which she painted herself in costume as the Countess Aurelia from her 1969 film "The Madwoman of Chaillot."

  • Work on Coco proceeded with Hepburn signing on but insisting that they hire a director experienced in musical theatre ("I don't want expensive chaos," she wrote in one letter read by Caldwell) and concerned that Lerner would not be ready in time for the start of rehearsals. In an effort to ease Hepburn's concerns, Lerner, in a letter read by Waterston, declared emphatically (and humorously): ". . . barring crippling illness, atomic war, planetary collision — or your wishes — rehearsals will begin in November. And that's that. Period . . ."

  • Hepburn gave a speech from the stage of the Hellinger after a performance on May 8, 1970. She was asked by actor Keir Dullea to request a moment of silence in memory of the four students shot by the National Guard earlier that week on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio. Her speech, as read by Caldwell, said, in part:

    ". . . A few days ago four kids were shot and killed in Kent State College, Ohio. Now you may call them rebels or rabble-rousers or anything you name. Nevertheless they were our kids and our responsibility. Our generation is responsible and we must take time to pause and reflect and do something. You can pray, but we must think — and together — for if we don't, we are lost. The mayor joins with me and the rest of the cast in asking you to stay for a few minutes silence . . . If any of you wishes to leave you are free to do so. But if you do leave, I know you will still think about it . . ."

  • Hepburn left Coco before the end of the Broadway run to film "The Trojan Women." Beseeching her to stay, members of the orchestra signed a petition that hangs next to a library note card labeled, "The Beloved of the Backstage":

    Dear Miss Hepburn
    "Mademoiselle, you can't quit—You can't!
    Why not?
    Because we want to work for you."
    The Coco Orchestra

  • Hepburn's emotional curtain speech, delivered at her final performance in the musical, is read movingly by Zoe Caldwell in the video excerpt:

    ". . . When I started rehearsal I was very, very frightened. And all these people that you see in the back of me really gave me the faith to go on. Then there was the terror of the opening night and for some wonderful reason, for me, you people gave me a feeling that you believed that I could do it. I've lived a very fortunate life because I had a father and a mother who believed in me. I had brothers and sisters who believed in me and a few friends who have believed in me. And I hope that you learn a lesson that I have learned. That is, I love you and you love me."

    *

    At the start of her career, Hepburn glibly stated that she didn't want to be an actress; she just wanted to be famous. She also said: "I'm a personality as well as an actress. Show me an actress who isn't a personality and you'll show me a woman who isn't a star." But to anyone giving this exhibition even a cursory glance, her commitment to her own excellence and to that of any project in which she was involved — her seemingly inexhaustible curiosity in the clothes, the sets, the movement, the voice — indicates a more thoughtful and deeper desire. Famous? Yes. A star? Certainly. But what lies beneath and what her fans are now being treated to is a self-portrait of someone who took her art — her life's work — very seriously.

    One of Miss H's most celebrated film roles was that of Josephine March in "Little Women." Early in the picture, Jo enters the home of her newfound friend Laurie and upon seeing the grandness before her exclaims, "Christopher Columbus! What richness!" Try to resist the urge to blurt out the same when you enter "Katharine Hepburn: In Her Own Files." It won't be easy. But don't take my word for it. Go and see for yourself.

    Exhibition Information
    What: "Katharine Hepburn: In Her Own Files"
    When: June 10-Oct. 10, 2009
    Where: The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Vincent Astor Gallery, located at 111 Amsterdam Avenue (between 64th & 65th Sts.)
    Hours: Monday and Thursday, noon-8 PM; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 AM-6 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-6 PM.
    Admission: Free
    For more information, call (212) 870-1630 or visit www.npl.org/lpa.

    Added Treat

    "Katharine Hepburn: Stage to Screen"
    While cable television's Turner Classic Movies has made it possible to enjoy Hepburn movies in our living rooms, nothing beats watching her weave her spell on a big screen, with a room full of other fans. To that end, in July and August the library is offering "Katharine Hepburn: Stage to Screen," a free series of Hepburn films based on plays. The screenings will be held on Saturdays at 2:30 PM in the Bruno Walter Auditorium, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, 111 Amsterdam Avenue. For further information, telephone (212) 642-0142 or visit www.nypl.org/lpa.programs. The schedule of films follows:

    July 11
    "The Philadelphia Story," b&w, 112 minutes
    Directed by George Cukor, 1940. Based on a play by Philip Barry.

    July 18
    "Morning Glory," b&w, 75 minutes
    Directed by Lowell Sherman, 1933. Based on a play by Zoë Akins.

    July 25
    "Holiday," b&w, 96 minutes
    Directed by George Cukor, 1938. Based on a play by Philip Barry.

    Aug. 1
    "State of the Union," color, 122 minutes
    Directed by Frank Capra, 1948. Based on a play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse.

    Aug. 8
    "Summertime," color, 98 minutes
    Directed by David Lean, 1955. Based on a play by Arthur Laurents.

    Aug. 15
    "Suddenly, Last Summer," b&w, 115 minutes
    Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1959. Based on a play by Tennessee Williams.

    Aug. 22
    "The Trojan Women," color, 105 minutes
    Directed by Michael Cacoyannis, 1971. Based on a play by Euripides.

    Aug. 29
    "A Delicate Balance," color, 132 minutes
    Directed by Michael Tony Richardson, 1973. Based on a play by Edward Albee.

    Judy Samelson is the former editor of Playbill magazine. She regularly contributes to Playbill.com.

    A view of the Vincent Astor Gallery featuring banners of Hepburn in As You Like It (left) and publicity photos for Coco (right)
    A view of the Vincent Astor Gallery featuring banners of Hepburn in As You Like It (left) and publicity photos for Coco (right)
    photo by Sherry Sauerwine

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