The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-21
MISS ADAMS
SUCCESS
First Appeared When
Only a Year Old.
PLAYED WITH J. X. EMMETT
How Mr.. FrOhman Was First Al
tracted by Her Acting.
PLAYED WITH J. K. EMMETT
WORK IN "THE LITTLE MINISTER"

NEW YORK, June II .-lSpcclal. l-Ac-
sording to the records, Maude Adams,
whose truly phenomenal success as the
star in the drama made from Barrie's
Little Minister has just eliminated in
q three hundredth performance before q
house of the "bumperest" sort, Is only 20,
but her first appearance on any stage was
made a full quarter Of a century ago.
That was in Salt Lake City, the town
of her birth. Eer mother vas playing In
1.-THE Lost Child, " a piece long ago forgot
ten. One night the infant cast for the
title role failed to appear at the theatcr.
Worse yet, no word was sent and 20 OPP
portunity to find q substitute afforded. OF
course the manager raved, but before he
had reached the stage of tearing his hair
the nurse who cared for little Maude while
her mother played came In. The child had
become unmanageable, and tho nurse
hoped Its mother could quiet 1t. Nothing
moro pleasing to the manager than the
arrival of that child could possibly have
happened. He was In the very midst OF q
TRADE on babies In general and tho n
which had disappointed him In particular,
but he forgot everything in his ecstasy ut
the sight. The identity Of the child and
the fact that 1t was screaming tcrrifcally
didn't matter q bit, and 1t never occurred
to him that possibly Mrs. Adams would
be startled at seeing her own baby in
stead of the other. So he took Maude
from her nurse, popped her on a tray and
sent her on the stage, quiet enough at last
from the very novelty OF the situation per.
haps.
With Fritz Emmett.
Maude Adams real family name Is the
not overly e%uphonious n of Kiskadden,
and the Kiskaddens have been connected
with the stage for several generations.
Maude's mother was an Adams. She
claims descent from the family Of that
name famous in United States history as
having given us two presidents. ! believe
she was always billed as Mrs. Adams.
She did not intend when Maude was a
child that she should ever go on the stage,
and no more did her father. But the late
j. X. Emmet-''Our Fritz''-with whom
Kiskadden was playing when Maude was
n little girl In short dresses, needed some
one to play the child's role that was SO
important a part of the Emmett produce
tons. Several had been tried that season,
but all had failed, and at last Emmett
spoke about Maude to her father In her
presence. Kiskadden didn't like the
scheme a bit.
81 won't have the child make a fool of
herself, /" he declared.
Whether Maude had before this cherish
ed a desire to play the child's part with
Fritz Emmett Is uncertain. That remark,
however, was quite enough to set her
a-pleading for the privilege. OF course
she got her wish, and Fritz was greatly
pleased with her, too, but she kept tho
childish role a few weeks only, since her
mother wished that she be sent TO school.
When shc was 10, she gavo up school
and joined the Lyceum theatcr company,
under Daniel Frohman's management,
and she has been a member of Frohman's
forces ever since.
The Frohmans and Miss Adams.
Frohman was first attracted to Miss
Adams by the clever name In which she
played tho part Of Susanna Blondet In
1.-The Masked Ball. one night at Palmer's
theatcr. This is not very much of a part
in some respects, but In the second act in
toxication has to be simulated, and the
circumstances arc such that much of the
plays success depends upon tho manner
of its stimulation. The slightest suggcs-
ton of grossness would render the entire
play vulgar to a degree, yet very much Of
Its effectiveness as n whole wou be lost
were the appearance Of intoxication not
well carried off. Miss Adams did this bit
of work in an cxquisitely comical manner
and yet so delicately as not to give the
slightest offcnsc.
Next day all New York, from the thcat-
rical managers viewpoint, was talking
about her. Frohman's first meeting with
her, which has become historic among
stage people, occurred soon afterward.
When she presented herself to the man.
niger, no saw a remarkably pretty girl.
Whom she talked, no perceived that she
was clever MS we'll as comedy.
In 1.-THE Midnight Bcll' she played tho
part of q New England schoolgirl, and
played IL cxccllently. Then she joined
Charles Frohman's company and took the
ingcnuc role in "Men and Women" In
this also she was highly satisfactory, and
later she added greatly TO her reputation
by the way In which she acted Nell, the
crippled working girl, In 1.-THE Lost Para
disc"
Some young women would have been
swept of their feet by such continued
good fortune. Every manngcr can tell Of
dozens perhaps who have spoiled thoir en-
recrs by failing In the matter OF good
sense after two or three stage successes.
But Miss Adams is not one Of these. Sho
studies to this day as regularly and as
earnestly as II she were still n schoolgirl.
She takes exercise a-plcnty, horseback rid
ing being her favorite outdoor pastimc.
She Is fond Of music, and she plays tho
harp oxquisitely, and she has no dca that
she knows more about theatrical manage
ment than Daniel Frohman.
Lucky In Her Manager.
In this she displays much wisdom, for
Daniel Frohman is one of the most sapicnt
amusement men In the business. Most
people nave forgotten that some timo be-
fore "Tho Little Minister was put on
Frohmnn advertised widely that he want
cd a play by an American author with nm
American theme, In which Miss Adams
was 10 assume the star role, and that he
would pay $40, 900 for tho same.
IL Is doubtful whether any manager
ever got so mucls FREQ advertising for him
self and his star out OF 40 simple an cx-
ped,cnt as fell TO the lot Of Mr.. Frohman
and Miss Adams through this move. It
stirred things up generally. IL caused tho
xrfpffpn 80 sIcfr nat.aa ao-aua ~ ftpt.u