The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-05-03
ma UDE ADAMS.

1t would be hard to mention two plays
more distinctly unlike in every respect
and calling for a wider difference of
ability on the part of the actor than
Barrie's Little Minister and Ros-
lands "LAiglon." Theater-goers who
have been accustomed to think of Miss
Adams as "Babbie" probably find it a
trife difficult at first to recognize her
in the part which she has essayed with
such marked success during the pres
ent season But in the minds of the
crowded audiences which filled the Hy-
perion last evening and Wednesday
evening there was left no question that
Miss Adams has won for herself the
acknowledgment of talents suited to
vastly more than the personation Of a
charming Scottish heroine.
| One may not feel thoroughly drawn
to the character of the youthful Duke
of Reichstadt as drawn by Rostand,
the French playwright, yet he cannot
| help but admire the power of dramatic
| Interpretation that Miss Adams dis
plays in a role demanding acute psy-
Geological analysis.
During the long run of "The Little
Minister" it was frequently said that
! she achieved her triumph largely
| through personal magnetism. In
| "L'Aiglon,P however, there Is no oppor-
tunity for such an explanation. Indeed,
the actress seems to be somewhat ham
dicapped by personality not entirely
suited to her part. But this impression
I,,,I ooi, tba five ont
wears away as the play progresses, and
in the fourth act, when the dramatic
climax is reached, Miss Adams mani
tests splendid exhibition Of intense,
emotional acting.
"L'Aiglon" Is emphatically play Of
strong emotion throughout, a tragic
conflict between impulsive ambition
and indecison of character. The son
of the great Napoleon, gifted with all
his fathers thirst for fame and glory,
lacks that strength of purpose which
would have enabled him to assume his
fathers throne, and so he dies "caged
eaglet' in the hands Of his fathers enc
mics.
The first act gives the setting Of the
play in the Austrian court, where the
young King of Rome lives a virtual
prisoner waiting for the time when
France will call him from his captivity.
In the second act, after halting between
hope and despair, he finally determines
to head the imperialist plot.
With the third act his escape from
the clutches of the Austrian chancellor,
Metternich, is accomplished, and in the
fourth he meets the conspirators upon
~, l.; o,;o GaII 80 I1,,% Not
ternich's emissaries surprise the little
party. Flambeau, the faithful grena-
dier, stabs himself rather than fall into
the hands of the Austrians, and dies in
the early morning upon the memorable
battlefield alone save for the young Ma
poleon. AS the old soldier lies in his
death agony a terrible hallucination, a
sight of spectral carnage, of the multi
tude slain upon hundred battlefields,
overcomes the ambitious prince. He
begs forgiveness from heaven for hav-
ing sought a renewal of such a fate,
renounces his desire and goes back to
Schoenbrunn to die of broken heart.
There is genuine pathos in the story, |
and as Miss Adams portrays the sad |
expiation of the remorseful son for his |
fathers remorseless solfishness the |
tragedy reaches a high level of dignity |
and powerful effect Moreover, she |
possesses a sincerity of manner and an
ability to make direct appeal to the
hearts of an audience which render her |
success more pronounced, in the opin- !
ion of many, than that of her rival, the
artist, Bernhard.
Of the supporting company ]. Fl. Gill
more as Elambeau, Edwin Arden as
Sara Perry as Camerata
and Margaret Gordon as Fanny Elssler
deserve especial mention.
1t goes without saying that every de-
.ail of stage setting was wholly ade- ;
1uate and correct The play involves
, large cast, which was skilfully en-
oloyed in various tableaux.
4 i,,, 5a Y,ooc' cOilcppI1OIlanpsS dat