The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-12
THINGS At THE THEATRE.
~.uJIET" WITH WHOM MAUDE
80" ,n.uS mas TRIUMPHED.

hne.nce o-Originality In the MelodramR
T"ye.TnS of Tennessee and Avoid
NJ worn War haracteriStics
81. m, earring to say OF Maude Adams's
Hsors success with a new manner Of
wv, hitch makes moro people try to get
ym", ~. Empire Theatre every night than 1t
h" "A In n week, that from nc other Ameri-
so,ress would tho public accept such q
cu.m,nce. All tho skill. charm and Won
pH.i yoous ot Miss Adams were needed
o" ,. II. Really discriminate observers
"" ~ have appreciated the bravery OF the
ILL.,, in dlscardlng all the t~ime-honored
~, IN the rIle and Interpreting II In q way
u.., own choosing. But the majority OF
Oh. Who 20 to tho theatres. like those who
V"n.-vvhsrs else. Judge by established
lizards The appreciation which Miss
-, has received from the thoughtful
,.or,v she has earned by the originality and
n.-.r,.ss of her acting. Some OF the enthu-
'.., n, IN. majority may be ascribed to her
.It,I1uoIity. which is unlike that OF any other
'',,ss and never theatrical at all. So far as
.n h, discrrned in her public behavior adula-
-. uNl NOT hurt her. She had n vast amount
', I. I, tuo seasons OF The Little Minister"
.I vet on the first night OF Romeo and
rngs,, she was as frightened as a novice. as
Maid If the audience as though she had never
San op,'auded. and there was no make-be-
,.vo IN her perturbation. IL there had been,
~. would not have let ii affect her acting ad-
...s.,v That It lid so Is shown byher easier and
.noo.hsr since then. But what
-,,,d Shakesueare say to Miss Adams for pre-
,rmipe. after such a long time OF . fixed and
rr.sumahly unaIterable Juliet, to impersonate
~, n an unsophisticated girl. not only in the
.srusr rart Of the play. but clear through it
a., ,ondly loving maiden who does not be-
.oms a rassionately demonstrative woman as
.oon "A she is a bride; Well. who knows that
Mia Adams's view OF the character Is the
.,me that Shakespeare held? Who knows
that the boy who first enacted Juliet under
shakespeare's personal direction was not
ada 10 do IL a. naturally as he could. with
bs bet possible imitation OF girlish simplicity:
and NOT !iEe a rousing. rantinR queen or
tragedy We shouldn't wonder II shake
spalrs, / he has been able to see Miss Adams's
embodiment OF his heroine. likes 1t very much.
In the second act OF Victims OF Tennes-
sec" the author escaped many q stock incident
NJ military melOdrama in a manner to give the
mediator joy. In front OF the picture OF an army
,smp the plays characters. half OF them SOL
dIers. carried on the story without a single re-
.rt 10 the war dramatist's ready reference
hook. What a chance it was for the sentry to
take a nap anil all but get riddled at break OF
day. True. a.half dozen sentries did misbe-
have drsadfully. perhaps impossibly. In a mill
t.ry'sense. but their infractions were not trite.
There was not so much as the echo Of q gun
,hot, nor the rattle OF horses hoofs. That two
o. the participants were a CAPTAIN. who was q
stsrsotyped villain and n wronged maiden who.
was forever p,ealinG. only made the authors
sscape from hopeless conventionality all tho
more remarkable. or violence there was a
lively bit. u protracted struggle between two
men armed with hayonets. but rillaiDy and
heroism we're not opposed. The two duellists
were sincere in their MISUNDERSTANDING. and
the less admirable OF the two was q mountain
esr whose roughne5s was made extremely pic
turesque by Theodore Roberts. After these
happy avoidances it seemed like walking into
trap for the author to locate his next act In
the camp hospital. There were female nurses
SrstinS beard even Mr.. Arthur couldn't
torego those whiskers and though no tenant
Cd cots we're in sight, the curt ain was not up
two minutes before every one in the audience
knew that not far way was a chap dying OF
stabs Would the author bring him into view
to gasp his last; He did. but prsfatory.hos.
event. Three soldiers had reported at sick
call and they stood awaiting the surgeons ex-
animation. Only, one wa, pallid. The treat
al tina: the patient grumbled. like a true SOL
der. Next came a stalwart fellow whose
tongue and pulse were examined and who
com planned because he got .1uinine instead OF
light tasks. Last was a boyish chap. The sur
eeon turned to look another way as he reached
out for.this ones. wrist and the lad pushed his
companion's arm forward. so tnat the sur
Geos felt the same pulse again. and once more
prescribed q%uinlne' Another hint Of the light
re- Of hospitaI-practIce was:Siyen:ln, an:ordet,
noisy at shooting craps" that other sick
soldiers were disturbed. The SURGEON ordered
f. fRs' s]3lla HesF9eS vb Ss h mad aid to not see take u iS.
dice away. He had:done so once. and soon
found the convaiescents playing with %lbsti'
ie.n swailorei. This was good soldering
'or stage PURPOSES.
1t isa curious fact that 'Cyrano de Der.
Rerac," as given by Mr.. Mansfield In the same
fine manner which was admired here. does no
Impress audiences deeply in soma OF the cities
visited. There is never any lack of a crowded
attendance. and the profit OF the business ven,
turs Is great. but as literature and art the
play and its performance are not everywhere
appreciated,
The Fourteenth Street. which was closed by
the reiu,a! Of the Mother Goose" company tc
play without nav by the manager OF the niece
Will be opened next Monday with The Vic,
NrIan Cross" an English melodrama. Price.
VIII be cut III half for the.summer tenn.
George Backus. the actor. lectured at
Philadelphia college. He said that the primar,
ooIect. OF n play was entertainment and no
teach moral lessons. but he denounced i'm
pqfe ones and estimated these at one-third o
al mat are produced. He believed that tn,
mmTthG and the acting OF plays were being rap
ny ana greatly improved. especially in Amer
ia le iEtd the growing disuse Of "asides.
NV y admired the quiet. meditatiye way IL
EEhlch Jefferson speaks them. and deploreC
t%GlGehn's method ~ delivering them poin
UenE To- the audience at the footliGhts. II,
altacRei Hereby the practice In some Western
c'Itso Of tving 'performances on Sunday night
ydhIads!Ehia has a spectacle OF the battle o
sahila Bay in tho .cycloramic manner which
aS applied twenty years:aGo to exhibitions o
Su. fIyiI war. was %ronular a while, But Their
are improvements, The spectators stand oil
se SUPPOSED deck Of the warship Olym oia an,
sSii INTO the bay. where they hear the boon
ana sec the smoke Of the naval struggle
tanted and iIlumined canvases- are move,
~ sIch a way rs TO make it seem that not they
motion. ~
"oIHEH GOOSE MANAGER BANKRUPT