The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-17
IE FIRST APPEARANCE.
V,TO ADAMS DESCRIBES THE DE-
BUTANTE'S EMOTIONS.

tious PerfOrmance-Sever Strain
on the Nerves in the Dressing
Room-Her "JuIiet"-Didn't Want
Her Mother in the Audience.
Maud Adams in New York Herald.
i vas so nervous on the night of my de-
hui az The Empire as Juliet that it is
wonder TO me that I was able to go
through the performance. 1t must have
affected my acting.
There were present those who gracious
Nv overlooked, or made allowances for,
this drawback in my first Shakespearian
effort and who gave me boundles encour-
aeemeut and overwhelming appraus, for
which / am deeply grateful. There We're
others 100, who judged me sternly and
critically, solely upon what I did on that
first evening, not what I might do in the
role on the second or third night. And 10
these may 1 say that l trust they have
generously qualified their judgement by
seeing me in the later performances. when
was relieved of that terrible nervous
ness nseparable from New York first
nigbt?'
Nervous? Of course I was nervous.
Everything calculated to make a woman
nervous seemed to gather around me as
a sort of storm centre on Monday night.
The very thought that was to appear
for The first time before a great audience
in a Shakespearlan role, in which many
great actresses had preceded me. was
olr ode
Charles Frohman said to me. in order 1
suppose, to prepare me for a possible dis
appointment: This won't be like the Lit
tie Minister You must face the situation
as il is: you must make up your mind
that the public are not anxious to see
Shakespearian plays. You must face the
double question as to whether they are
anxious to see you in new role and in a
Shakespearian play. The public have seen
Romeo and Juliet over and over again.
II there is anything wrong in our produc-
ton of it you will know it, We will get
their decision promptly on Monday night"
The day after the performance I went to
see him in his office, and I asked him:
wen. Mr. Frohman, did we get their de-
try and live up to their generous YER
diet"
Afraid of the Audience.
But to go back to the days before the
performance There was a great advance
sale in order not TO let me get too fright
ened everything was done to keep me in
ignorance of the great and kindly inter
est which the public was taking in my
coming appearance as Juliet. But Of
course, ] read the newspapers, and friends
kept coming in and telling me of the big
demand for seats for the first night. So
] knew days beforehand that I would have
to face a great audience. 1 knew that 1t
would be the usual severely critical New
York first night audience We actors and
actresses are always terribly afraid of a
first night audience in New York. I felt
that unless 1 could satisfy the audience
they would be greatly disappointed, and
that there would be many who would say:
There! I told you so! She can play a
modern role like Lady Babbie. But
Shakespear
Well as the ordeal approached I grew
more and more nervous, and by O'Clock
Monday afternoon 1 was nothing but
bundle of nerves and couldn't stand IL
|, any longer.
81 wanted to keep as quiet and COM
posed as possible till o'clock, time to go
to iheater, and make up, but for the life
OF me / couldn't keep quiet or sit still.
Nervous? Fidgety? 1t doesn't express a
1.-THE Of it.
AT last / couldn't stand it any longer.
80 at 4 o'clock 1 put on my things, left
nay house, in Thirty-sixth street and went
OF TO Mr.. Frohman's office. In 1 bounced.
Well what are you doing here?" said
he. L thought you were home, taking 1t
quety-resting?"
Resting? Quiet?" said 1. "I can't
Keep quiet or rest. I've come around here
to get you 10 tell me how TO kill time
between now and o'clock or 1 shall be so
nervous 1 can't act at all! Come. now,
he.p me out! Tell me what to do pc
tween now and 6. I'm going to kill as
much time as l can in making up between
= ana half-past 7. But suggest something
Tor me to do between now and o.
Take a cab" said Mr.. Frohman, land
g. driving in Central Park"
Horses aren't fast enough" / said.
Then take an electric cab"
dld this, and If you saw a cab rushing
up fHth avenue that was me. Mr.. Froh-
H-an tod me the next day that he himself
90 So nervous that he took a cab at 6:l5
a"d rode up to a restaurant in Central
!+Ik, where he had dinner and smoked
'"4ee cigars all by himself
Flowers and Good Wishes.
Well at o'clock / got to my dressing
.n ana found ii stacked with boxes o.
"eis which people had sent me, and
'"" lie fun of letters kilograms and ca
.'-. al expressing generous wishes for
At success
sd. pose all Of this should have been
'.'s. -ring, but ii really made me feel all
more how much was expected of me.
'''ef had busted myself as long as possi-
making up l began taking off my
@Ae' Jewels, simply to kill time by put
"- hem on again.
"1s doing this when Mr. Frohman
'"''I at my door. He was making The
'., Of the company. He had been 10
Air. Faversham. Mr. Hackett and the
members, saying a pleasant, encour-
word 10 each. He seemed 50 qulef
opposed that no one would have
e.-.d that he was making his nrst
-'A perian production--a most Import
.ep for any manager-or that he was
least in doubt regarding the result.
"''n't Want "Mother' to See Her.
The way, let me tell you queer
''.o Incident.
Dove all things didn't want my moth