The Topeka state journal., 1899-11-18
AT THE PLAY LAST NIGHT.

Four years ago a young lady, small
in stature and possessing decidedly
expressive face. was seen in Topeka in
the part of Atlanta in Augustus
Thomas Alabama" She was a mem
ber of the same company that included
Miss LOttie BoWes and Mr. VIII WadS-
worth, and it was her first association
with the thea atrical profession. The part
of Atlanta is so small, and the pres
ence of two Topeka young people in the
same company was so important that
the papers forgot to say anything about
the attractive looking little woman, not
even mentioning her in the ''alsO ran"
class. The people who read her name
on the prOgra mme may have glanced at
it again at the times OF her various en-
frances, but probably forgot it before
they We're out of the theater.
Last night, the same young lady,with
the same expressive face, returned to
Topeka This time It was not IN the IN
significant part of Atlanta" and this
time the papers would be passing an
opportunity of giving credit where
credit is due if they did not mention
her. And this time the several hundred
Topeka people who saw The Little
Minister at the Crawford theater know
that for the wholly pleasing and ac-
cOmplished portrayal of Mr.. Barrie's
Lady Babbie' they owe their thanks
to Miss Adelaide ThurstOn.
The step from the Atlanta of ala
bama' to a part which so adequately
fitted the talents of Maud Adams is of
great length but the Lady Babbie'' Of
Miss ThurstOn as seen last night proves
it to be no more than a reasonable one.
Prior to her present engagement she
appeared as ''BOSSy' in "A Texas Steer
and "Cissy'' in What Happened to
Jones'" and year ago was selected
by Mr.. Frohman to second Miss Adams
in an identical production of The Lit
tie Minister"
Miss Thurston's name does not ap-
pear on the bills advertising THE Little
Minister There is no capitalization of
17e1r- fer ma
In fact she is now simply engaged in
an indirect way in booming Miss
Maude Adams, Mr.. FrOhman's stock
in trade" by making the Maude Adams
production of THE Little Minister IA
miliar in territory that Miss Adams
does not appear. But all this does not
prevent Miss ThurstOn from featuring
herself and this she is doing nightly as
Lady Babbie-'
When Mr.. Barrie dramatized his IA
nous novel, he did it along lines laid
down by Mr.. F'rOhman. In doing so
he changed its entire text. In the novel
GaVan Dishart the Little Minister" is
the particularly luminary. In the play
conditions are reversed and Lady Bah
bie'' stands out far ahead of the preach
er of Thrums. The play was built for
Miss Adams, and therein is the rea-
son.
While the dramatization differs ma
terially from the book, Mr.. Barrie sue
ceeded in giving the American stage
delightful production. Its great sue
cess in New York must be placed to the
credit of Miss Adams, but credit also is
due to the author for the situations he
has given Lady Babbie" on the stage,
What climaxes there are belong to her
exclusively.
Miss Thurston makes the part of
Lady Babbie'' essentially a comedy
one, and in this she follows Miss Adams.
Even in what pathetic passages there
are in the play she allows comedy to
enter. Her Lady Babbie" was be-
hiaVOIIS
same time charmingly WOmanly 1t
was the portrayal of such a character
as might truly turn the head of such
minister as Mr.. Barrie makes his Ca
vim Dishart' in the book and cause
him to desert his congregation for her
safety.
There was but one instance in the
performance last night when Miss
ThurstOn became at all unnatural. This
was during the second act when she
realized from Rob DOw's child what
she was unwittingly bringing on the
little minister's head. A real Lady
Babbie" would scarcely mix elOcutiOn
with her actions to the extent that
Miss ThurStOn did.
In the Little Minister" on the stage
the part Of 'GavinDishart''is of mnori i'm
pOrtance. Mr.. Ira A. Hards. who was seen
last night, is not entirely satisfactory
in the part. 1t is difficult to say wheth-
er it is lack of ability or lack of con-
ceptiOn that spOils his portrayal, and it
may be that both combine to make the
fault. The bOyiSh minister of the book,
struggling with love against his sense
of religious duty and exaggerated con-
sciousness, suffered in the hands of
Mr.. Hards. He was commonplace, es-
pecially as the lover, but the student
who reads "The Little Minister would
hardly expect to see in the Gavin Dis
hart of the stage greatly different
character than that portrayed by Mr..
Hards. The minister is simply a self
sacrificing over religious and some
what uncouth boy who has an exagger-
ated childish idea of his duty as a
Scotch preacher. He becomes the man
when he falls in love in spite of him
self.
The company supporting Miss Thurs
ton is fairly we'll balanced. Mr.. Francis
Powers and Mr.. William Henderson
make good character parts out of
Thomas Whamond' and SILVA Tosh,''
and Mr. Frank Aiken, who was seen
here with Clay Clements two years
ago, is responsible for a very satisfac-
tory Lord RintOuL" It was notice
able that all of the people of Thrums
forgot their accent at times, except,
Special scenery is carried by the com
pany for three of the acts. and the set
tings are picturesque The audience
that saw the production filed the bal
cony and parquette of the house.
a Ro1n6aI0n% Cour-a