The Hudson Review, April 1st, 2002
ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST ACTORS AND WRITERS never appeared in a stage play or film, and never published a word. Although she is all but forgotten today, the monologuist Ruth Draper (1884-1956) performed nonstop for over four decades on every inhabited continent, often in front of royalty, to unfailing acclaim. For her Broadway shows, the stagehands, who usually spend most of their time playing cards or doing crossword puzzles, would watch spellbound night after night.
Since monologues, often dandified with the term "performance art," have become popular again today, it is worth examining the...
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