In 1901 Walsh did a four-week engagement at the Elitch Theatre. She opened in Under Two Flags, the dramatization of Ouida’s novel by Denverite, Edward Elsner. The biographer of Mary Elitch wrote that “when Blanche Walsh is truly interested in a part there is no woman on the stage who plays with more fire and intense realism.” For her third week at the theater, Walsh performed in Romeo and Juliet, “she the Romeo and Maude Fealy the Juliet.”
[Dier, Caroline L. (1932). The lady of the Gardens : Mary Elitch Long. Hollycrofters, Inc., Ltd. pp. 65–67. OCLC 307807.]
Blanche Walsh came to Elitch for a four-week engagement, beginning with the play Under Two Flags. In Romeo and Juliet, Blanche Walsh played Romeo and Maude Fealy played Juliet. It was said that when she is “really interested (in a part) there is not a woman on the stage who plays with the same fire and intense and realism of Blanche Walsh.” The attendance “during Miss Walsh’s engagement was record breaking, the receipts were large, and the management was accused of liberality when it became public that Miss Walsh was receiving a weekly salary of $750.”
The Denver Post commented on the increased attendance at the Theatre:
No place of amusement in Denver has ever drawn and continued to draw such enormous crowds as has Elitch’s during the past two weeks of Blanche Walsh’s engagement. It has been practically impossible to secure a seat any night after the curtain has risen, while standing room has been at a premium and unattainable at every performance.
In Under Two Flags, Blanche Walsh played the role of “Cigarette,” a spunky woman accompanying a French regiment to sell provisions and liquor to the soldiers, one of whom (Bertie Cecil) she loved. She was a splendid character from many points of view – always true, always brave, crude, loyal, vivacious, and able to swear like a soldier. She was willing to do anything to defend her country and her man. Needless to say, it was a difficult, demanding and challenging role for any actress. Blanche Walsh’s interest in the role was reflected in a review of the play.
Blanche Walsh played “Cigarette” last week with vast impetuosity. She was never quiet a moment. She filled the part from the time she entered the stage in the second act until she died to the thrilling music of the Marseillaise in the arms of the French soldiers. It was a wild, vivid, picturesque performance, full of vitality and dominated by the strong, turbulent personality of the player.
[Borrillo, T. A. (2012). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre: A nostalgic journey (a history of its times). Colorado. p. 48.]
Seasons at the Theatre
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