The times., 1899-06-02
MAUDE ADAMS AS JULIET.

at the National Theatre last night was
unique in two or three different ways. As
a rule, after the close of the season. the
theatres cannot count on large audiences
for anything but farce comedy or. at most,
romantic drama. This audience was large,
it was fashionable, it was made up very
largely of people who love the drama for
its own sake, and it had assembled TO see
tragedy of Shakespeare. This situation
is in itself somewhat remarkable for the
first Of June in Washington. 1t should
dispose once for all of the modern man
ayers plant that the people do not want
Shakespeare.
The second unique feature of the occa-
sion was that most of those who sat wait
ing for the rise of the curtain had really
no positive idea what they were to see.
They all knew, that they would see Maude
Adams. but few OF them were quite sure
that they would see Juliet. The appear
ance of this winsome little actress some
weeks ago in role on which the greatest
geniuses of the past have not disdained
to spend many years of study, was the
signal for a most remarkable chorus of
praise and criticism from the critics. On
the morning after the first performance
there was but one discordant nre in the
general expression of delight from the
New York papers; and that came from the
self-appointed priest Of Augustin DAILY
who. presumably. wept because 1t was not
Ada Rehap who was playing Juliet. In
time followed other yoicings of opinion
from magazine writers and critics OF other
cities. There was only one thing in which
they all agreed, and that Was that Miss
Adams conception of Juliet was an up
setting of all the most cherished traditions
OF the stage in regard to the interpreta-
ton of that character. The Juliet of the
past was a woman. full of passionate
strength and desperate daring; Maude
Adams made her almost a child This. to
the older critics especially, was an in
surmountable barrier to approval.
Thus, in the minds of those who read
the criticisms, there was considerable
degree of bewilderment. But the third
remarkable thing about this production
by far the most remarkable-was that af-
ter the performance the audience, with
few exceptions, declared that the critics
might say what they chose but Maude
Adams was unquestionably Juliet. And
after all, this is perhaps a greater tribute
than the commendation of critic, who
has his personal ideas and prejudices,
some of which may prevent his taking
perfectly accurate view of anything.
Whether this is Shakespeare's Juliet or
not of course no one can say with pos
tive certainty. The only person who
could settle the question beyond doubt
is Shakespeare himself. and he has been
dead some four centuries and cannot be
appealed to. But it is surely human ma
ture. and the marvellous master of the
| drama knew human nature better. per-
haps, than some of those who learnedly
read and expound his meaning today.
| There is not character in any of his
plays who is not thoroughly human
not superhuman. not monstrous, like the
saints and villains Of the earlier play
wrights. Neither does he take one phase
of a character and make it stand for the
whole as some later dramatists do. The
very breadth and freedom of his touch
make it possible for temperaments most
dissimilar to interpret the same charac-
ter at one time or another the interpre-
tations being each perfect in its way.
Maude Adams Juliet is no more like Ade-
laide Nelson's than Parma violet is like
a Jacqueminot rose: but one is as true
and beautiful as the other.
There is one thing in the original drama,
however, which does indicate Shakes
peares ideas on the subject of Juliet's
character. and that is the specific state
ment Of her age. There is no earthly
reason why it should be stated that Juliet
is not yet fourteen, unless this line IS to
be taken as hint to the actress. None
OF the other heroines are labeled in this
way. Pcrtia. Rosalind, Imogen, may be OF
any age. The evident inference is that
only a very young girl, so young as never
to have been touched by the merest hint of
passion, would have acted precisely as did
this maid OF Verona in the brief. pathetic
drama CT her love and death This would
be all the more true of a girl of the south
of Italy, where womanhood rpens
quickly. The damsel of nineteen, in that
land, is an experienced woman of the
world. And no woman of the world could
have given her love with the innocent de-
licious abandon of the Veronese heroine
or yielded so unquestioningly, SO pitifully
to the fate which overshado@s her. With
maturity comes strength. and with exper-
ience hope; it is only the very young to
whom the whole world is cast into utter
darkness by the touch of sorrow
So much may be said in favor of the
argument that Juliet is a child and hard
ly woman, even after her marriage. This
ideal Miss Adams realizes to perfection.
The immaturity, almost meagreness. Of
her appearance at first is that of a half
grown girl, and to talk of marriage to such
childish creature seems ridiculous. The
charm of the little star was, of course
felt from the moment of her entrance. for
there are bits of business in the first scene
which recall her Lady Babbie, and one was
growing question in the minds of the aud
ience was, What will she do with the
tragedy" Would she be equal to the Sc
yerer demands of the parting scene and
the weird horror of the potion scene? So
completely have the stage traditions of
Juliet dominated peoples minds that few
realize that great part of the first half
of the play is almost pure comedy, with a
touch here and there of fore boding 1t is
wretched from the beginning carnival
OF sighs and tears. There is charming and
winsome mischief in much of Juliet's art
less talk, and in the gentle satire of the
friar and the bolder fun of Romeo's friends
at the expense OF unhappy lovers. To this
playfulness Miss Adams and her company
gave full expression. But here and there
are touches of vague foreboding and
these are not slurred. The wise read in
Juliet's awed shyness in meeting Romeo
for the first time, her tremulous terror as
she is seized by new and strange emo
tion. an index of power to be developed
later.
In the scene with the nurse the star
was charming, but not more SO than many
others. 1t was toward the last of the part
ing scene that she showed the first signs
of real and great power. During the ordeal
OF parting with her husband she was only
a grieved, despairing, tender woman,
clinging almost without hope to the one
love of her life. Later, at the proposition
that she snail marry Paris the real force
of her nature and the horror of her sit
uaticn is subtly and finely developed. One
half expects from the gentleness and child
ishness of the previous scenes that she
will be more like a little lonesome. scared
kitten than anything else. but nothing of
the sort happens. This is the point at
which the child really Laws nsida childish