Julia Marlowe - Life and Career - Sothern and Later Years

Sothern and Later Years

In 1904, she began an extremely successful partnership with actor E. H. Sothern, beginning with their appearances in the title roles in Romeo and Juliet, Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and the leads in Hamlet. They toured all over the U.S. in these plays, adding The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night to their repertoire in 1905. Unhappy with their compensation from their manager, Charles Frohman, they continued under the management of the Shubert Brothers, from then on receiving a percentage of the profits. In 1906, together with Sothern, she played the title character in Percy MacKaye's Jeanne d'Arc, Salome in Sudermann's John the Baptist and in The Sunken Bell, receiving favorable reviews. By this time, Marlowe and Sothern were known as the premier Shakespearean actors in their day.

In 1906 Julia wrote a letter to her friend Elisabeth Greer during her 1905-1906 season in which she was performing The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, and Twelfth Night with co-star and future husband, E. H. Sothern. It is believed Mrs. Greer lived in Minneapolis. She offers her friend seats to the performances the coming weekend and promises to come to her on Friday for lunch. The letter reads: St. Paul, Minn. 10 April. 1906 My dear Mrs. Greer: I will go to you for luncheon on Friday, and you are very kind to say I may choose my own time and I do so. I hope 12:30 seems reasonable to you. That will be my breakfast. Will you consult with the other members of your family and decide whether you would like a box for Friday or Saturday evening. With all affectionate greeting to you and cordial remembrances for all your house. I am, Faithfully Julia Marlowe

After another season in New York and then on tour, Sothern, Marlowe and their company crossed the Atlantic to play in London. They were unable to attract audiences in England, however, and returned to America after a season. Back in the U.S., they presented Shakespeare at affordable prices at the Academy of Music in New York, allowing audiences who had not previously been able to afford their productions to see them. Marlowe and Sothern dissolved their company and formed separate companies for a time. She played in J. B. Fagan's Gloria, in Romeo and Juliet and in As You Like It. in 1908, she played Yvette in Mary Johnston's verse play The Goddess of Reason.

At the end of 1909, Sothern and Marlowe reunited in Antony and Cleopatra. In 1910 they toured in Macbeth, receiving enthusiastic notices and bringing the production to New York where it was a hit. They then continued to tour their Shakespearean repertoire, also playing special performances of the plays for children at schools. Marlowe and Sothern married in 1911. Marlowe and Sothern made eleven phonograph recordings for the Victor company in 1920 and 1921. These recordings are presumably the only recorded evidence of Marlowe's voice today. After more touring with Sothern in Shakespeare, the two brought their production of The Merchant of Venice to New York in 1921. Soon afterwards, Marlowe's health was failing, and she retired in 1924. After Sothern's death in 1933, Marlowe became somewhat of a recluse. White haired and still beautiful she'd occasionally visit close friends like ailing playwright Edward Sheldon. In 1923, she received an honorary doctorate from George Washington University, and another in 1943 from Columbia University.

Julia Marlowe died in 1950 in New York City at the age of 85. She had no children.