New-York tribune., 1901-11-12
THE DRAMA-MUSlC.
THE RETURN OF MISS ADAMS.
EQUALITY STREET"

A new nIav entitled Quality Street" by Mr.. j.
NJ. Barrie, was produced last night at the hncKer-
booker Theatre (after various preliminary per
formances in provincial cities), and MISS -Naue
Adams. making her re-entrance here. acteu t"e
principal part in it. The house was CROWDED anu
Miss Adams was heartily welcomed. In MS pray
Of Quality Street Mr.. Barrie has told pie''s
love story in happy style, and MISS Adams ~
been provided with sweet and gentle cha 49,
harmonious with her temperament and lever WIN
ber talents The story presents as its background
a quaint picture OF humble but rehned do''eS'''
life and thereupon II discloses a neat straldeeiii
by which an afectionate, devoted, reucent' s'i",ie
i, individual girl surprises blissful secret tha'
she is loved by the man whom secretly she loves.
The life is that of two sisters Phoeoe ana
Susan Throssell. who dwell in Quality-st IN a rur
English city in the picturesque time ol the
and who are quaint little bodies. such as Jane austen
loved to draw-and such she drew so incolu-
parabIy we'll The stratagem. that or Phoeoe
Throsseu-embodied by Miss Adams-fs the as
sumption Of a disguise under which she attracts
many admirers. among them the gallant soioier'
just returned from the Napoleonic wars. OF whofh
she Is anamoured and by whom she is beloved
The Disguise is the sudden resumption.-under an
impulse partly Of pique and partly OF profound JOY
of a gay. gttering bewitching girlish person
ality now soft and demure. now careless ana I'M
petuous and thus altogether potent with the en-
chanting Establishments OF youth and beauty.
Phabe ThrosseIl. sorrowful in the absence OF her
hero decome dolorous and staid; his return
and his somewhat obtuse raillery arouse her from
this dulness Of frowsy decorum, and she presently
annears at a military ball in the character. and
under the name. OF invented relative-her own
coquettish and sparkling niece,-and so. while be-
vdering and uortifying her suitor. she leads him
TO speak his mind. and discovers that she has long
possessed his love. A scheme remotely resembling
this as to the central dramatic idea. was wrought
out years in the play Of The Unequal
Match" in which woman who has been defeated
through humdrum dulness becomes triumphant
cd brill aprV
is original distinctive felIctous and full Of grace.
and il richly merits abundant success. The inven-
ton by which its heroine explains away her frohc
or masquerade is particularly neat. and from first
to last the piece sustains Illusion and pleased sus-
pense A little Improvement is feasible. The first
curtain should fall Immediately after the wedding
dress has heen laid into the drawer: the use OF
peas in Phebe's shoes should be discarded: and
quantity prattle could be spared, toward the
close OF act third and also toward that of act
fourth.
Miss Adams as Phoebe Throssen Is more
her seemingly ingenious self. longer bur
dened the strain OF emotions that she does not
feel and cannot express, but an innocent and lovely
girl, artess. buoyant, piquant brisk, sometimes
demure sometimes mischievous. now pensive in
pose, tantalizing in pretty coquetry, now i'm
pusive with pouting resentment. now sweetly way
ward and pert, and now arch and reckless in the
perversity of a rebellious heart By Fanchette
burst resentment and revolt against the injustice
of fate and the tyranny OF inexorable ctrcum-
, stance, Miss Adams.-with hysterical vehemence
and rapid vociferation,-rose TO passion as
her nature allows her to rise and this of volu-
bility carried her audience wild enthusiasm She
completely fills Mr.. Barrie's apparent ideal Of his
heroine. Some execrabe by this dramatst
direct attention to roses in her pathway, which are
said be her fances walking round and state
that she is ''gowned" in 'sweetly smelling lavender
Miss Adams. however. uses rament. and. If she
could but rectfy her somewhat nasal articulation,
she would be charming to hear she is pleasant
to see. The support is excellent particularly that
+ of Mr.. Sidney Brough and Miss Helen Lowell. The
play except for some touches of fantasy and few
strokes of farce, is softly bright and pretty like
bit of embroidered velvet the performance. aside
from a few moments of rather acrid excitement, is
as delicate a watt of perfume; nobody will be
deeply moved by them. but everybody will ma
pleasure in them. W. W.