Editing Lynn Fontanne (section)

===Broadway===
[[File:Lynn-Fontanne-as-Lady-Castlemain.jpg|As Lady Castlemaine in ''Sweet Nell of Old Drury'', 1923|thumb|upright|alt=Young white woman in late 17th century costume with huge hat]]
Shortly before Byrne's death, Fontanne accepted an offer to join Laurette Taylor's company in New York. Taylor and her husband, [[J. Hartley Manners|Hartley Manners]], fostered the young Fontanne's career. Taylor later said, "While acting with her I forgot we were actresses".<ref>Peters, p. 17</ref> After five plays with them, Fontanne graduated to leading roles for other managements. Between 1918 and 1920, she succeeded [[Laura Hope Crews]] as Mrs Rockingham in "A Pair of Petticoats" in New York, and was the female lead in new plays on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and in [[Chicago]] and [[Philadelphia]].<ref name=ww/> During this time, playing in [[summer stock theatre|summer stock]] in Washington DC, she met the actor [[Alfred Lunt]]. They fell in love, although at first Lunt's wooing was more hesitant than Fontanne would have wished.<ref>Peters, p. 46</ref>

In mid-1920 Fontanne appeared once again in the [[West End theatre|West End]], appearing with Taylor in a play by Manners, ''One Night in Rome.'' She had little chance to shine in what ''[[The Stage]]'' called "a one-part play" written as a vehicle for Taylor.<ref>"London Theatres", ''The Stage'', 6 May 1920, p. 16</ref> Wanting to be reunited with Lunt, Fontanne quickly returned to the US, where in 1921 she had her first big success, in the lead role of [[George S. Kaufman]] and [[Marc Connelly]]'s comedy ''[[Dulcy (play)|Dulcy]]''.<ref>Peters, p. 49</ref>{{refn|[[Dorothy Parker]] wrote a verse celebrating Fontanne in the play:<poem>     ''Dulcy'', take our gratitude
     All your words are gold ones.
     Mistress of the platitude,
     Queen of all the old ones.
     You, at last, are something new
     'Neath the theatre's dome. I'd
     Mention to the cosmos, you
     Swing a wicked bromide. ...<ref>Silverstein, p. 100</ref></poem>|group=n}} She did not return to the West End for nine years.<ref name=ww/>

In May 1922 Fontanne married Lunt, and in 1923 they made their first appearance together in a Broadway production, a revival of [[Paul Kester]]'s 1900 costume drama ''Sweet Nell of Old Drury''. Although Taylor was the female lead, it was Fontanne who impressed the critics. In ''[[The New York Herald]]'', [[Alexander Woollcott]] dismissed the play as "gaudy rubbish", but added:
{{blockindent|one performance stood out last evening as something of fine mettle, something true and shining. That was the performance of Lynn Fontanne as the frustrated and embittered Lady Castlemaine. ... It might be noted in passing that she is growing beautiful.<ref>''Quoted'' in Peters, p. 63</ref>|}}