Pauline Hall (born Pauline Fredrika Schmidgall;Browne, Walter and Frederick Arnold Austin.
Who's who on the stage: the dramatic reference book and biographical dictionary of the theatre, Volume 1
' (1906), p. 120. February 26, 1860 – December 29, 1919) was an American stage actress and singer.

Biography

One of the most popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century

prima donna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage per ...

s in America, Hall left school at the age of 14 and began her career as a dancer in her native

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

, in 1875. Shortly thereafter, Hall joined the Alice Oates Opera Company, leaving it to spend time touring in straight plays with Mary Anderson. By 1880 she was working for Edward E. Rice, who cast her in several of his musical productions, giving her, among others, the trouser role of the hero Gabriel in a revival that year of ''Evangeline''. Hall continued to be a favorite in comic and light operas around the country until 1890. However, her greatest success came when she played the title role in the first American production of '' Erminie'' (1886–1888). She performed ''Erminie'' a record-breaking 800 times while on Broadway and touring around the United States, which made her a household name."Cabinet Card photograph of Pauline Hall"
''uncg.edu''. Retrieved 2010-10-24. Hall toured with her own companies from 1890 to 1896, and later entered

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, reportedly earning as much as $600 a week by 1898. In all, she played in over two dozen Broadway operettas. She appeared in revivals of ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

'' and ''

The Geisha ''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...

'' in 1912 and 1913"Pauline Hall Dies At Yonkers Home"
''The New York Times'', December 30, 1919. and in

Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

productions near the end of her career. Although popular as an actress and singer, Hall was never given good notices by reviewers, who thought she was mediocre. She had an alluring figure, however, and she maintained it until her death in 1919 while playing in

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

's ''The Gold Diggers''. Hall was married to Edward White from 1881 to 1889. She was then married to theatrical manager George B. McLellan (brother of playwright

C. M. S. McLellan Charles Morton Stewart McLellan (1865–1916) was a London-based American playwright and composer who often wrote under the pseudonym Hugh Morton. McLellan is probably best remembered for the musical '' The Belle of New York'' and drama ''L ...

), from 1894 to 1902; she had a daughter by him in 1895."Back After Eight Years."
''The New York Times'', December 14, 1910. Hall died of

bronchial pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity of ...

, at the age of 59, in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

References

External links

* * *
Pauline Hall: ''North American Theatre Online''
AlexanderStreet.com)
portrait and short bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Pauline 1860 births 1919 deaths American female dancers American dancers 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Cincinnati Vaudeville performers