MRS. HENRY LABOUCHERE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1003, 19 December 1910, Page 8

MRS. HENRY LABOUCHERE.

An interesting personality passed away when Mrs. Henry Labouchere died m l'lorence recently (says an Australian writer). Before her marriage, Mrs. Labouchere was Miss Henrietta Hodson. the actress. Australians who are versed in the theatrical lore' of their own country will recall Miss Hodson's association -with Mr. George Rignold, at the old Queen's Theatre, Long Acre. Here Mr. Rignold acquired the experience- -which led to the famous occupancy of Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney. Did not Mr. Riguold produce every one of Shakespeare's plays, and, wonder of wonders, end up with a profit? In London, Mr. Georgo Rignold was known as "Handsome George." With rare self-sacrifice he appeared as Caliban to Miss Hodson's Ariel. The old Queen's .Theatre, Long Acre, belonged to Mr. Labouchere in tho sixties. It opened witli a play by Charles Reade, in which ;lrying, Wyndham, John Clayton, and Miss Hodson had' parts. In the following year J. L. Toole joined the company. An adaptation of Dickens's "Oliver Twist" was produced, with Henry Irving as Bill Sykes, Lionel Brough as Bumble, Miss Hodson as Oliver, and Toole as the "Artful Dodger," with a wonderful whistle. What a cast! Miss Hodson's stage career was a brief one. Since her retirement slio has been known to society as tho chatelaine of Pope's Villa, Twickenham, Mr. Henry Labouchbre's suburban house. There was a timo when every star in the literary and theatrical firmament foregathered at Twickenham around tho altar of "Truth." Recently Mr. and Mrs. Labouchere have lived at their Florentine villa.