The Indianapolis journal., 1903-11-15


full delineator Of characters embodying
poignant mental phenomena He enjoys
vogue there along with the half-dozen ac-
tor-managers- Dick Helder was sure TO be
a masterpiece in his portrayal His exhibi-
ton Of on-coming blindness. and the mental
anguish accompanying IL. is a narrowing
display of dramatic art.
Maxine Elliott Goodwin's sister Gertrude
plays Maisie in "The Light that Failed"
She was a f1it-about soubrette with Maxine
and Nat Goodwin In Nathan Hale" That
was the last and not very striking thing
she did before going to London with the
Goodwins. She met Forbes Robertson
there. and the next we heard OF her she
was his bride. He soon made her the
Ophelia TO his Hamlet Now she has re-
turned to share, rather sparingly, the hon.
ors with her husband I'm the Kipling drama
Within 500 feet from her present profess
sional abode her brother-in-law Is the star
in a Shakespeare comedy. and no further off
IN another direction her sister is Clyde
Fitch heroine. Truly. the Goodwin-Elliott
are aioat on the Broadway theatrical
stream.
Maude Adams has marked the theatrical
week with a great performance. So has
Forbes Robertson; but his Is a repetition
Of what he has done in London. while hers
II surprising revelation. Can you con-
oeive OF Miss Adams as a capricious. will
ful. passionate Spanish girl? She is that
IN THE Pretty Sister Of Jose." and IL there
IS any lingering doubt that her leadership
OF American actresses has been gained as
much by dramatic genius as by bewitch-
ing personality II should be dismissed now.
She was praised qualfiedIy for representing
the italian Juliet in her own way; her
French PAiglon was not admired with
out reserve; and In the English Babbie
alone did the minority go over to the ma
1ority In unanimous approval. Now, again,
as the Spanish Pepita, she has put herself
bravely into contrast with conventionality-
for has not Carmen become the sole recog-
nizable type OF the girl OF Spain? But not
again Is the question raised whether her
unusualness is an error in art The first
audience was wild with enthusiasm. That
was, say you, an affectionate welcome to
one who had been absent and I'll two years?
OF course. there was outbreaking delight
on seeing her again in health and strength.
But the professional critics, with their
hearts under the control OF their brains,
went to the extreme Of discriminate praise
IN their publications next day. So / am
bit one among ten thousand who, by the
time this description is in print, will have
agreed in the firm belief that Maude
Adams IS a great artist to admire coolly
as well as to dote on warmly.
The Pepita here Maudeadamsized is
country sirl who goes to Madrid lightheart-
ed. yet with a dread of mems passion
born OF her childhood memory OF her
fathers brutal perf1dy to her mother. She
Is resolved to love only her fond brother,
Jose and when the bulIhghter. Sebastino.
woos her in honest ardor. she teases and
rebuffs him, not alone through the fear
which her fathers cruelties has implanted
in her. but for the further reason that she
has witnessed the pitiful sufferings of
maiden who died of unrequited alteration
OF this same arena idol of the hour. Sebas-
tino withstands her disdain during half OF
the pay and resolutely urges his suit.
Convinced at length that she is heartless.
he denounces her for a cruel coquette and
quits Spain In his absence she finds that
she has. a. heart and that 1t is breaking for
her love as he lies wounded nearly to
death. Neither while Miss Adams is de-
picting the earlier coquetries of Pepita nor
when she Is In the stresses of deep emo
tion later do you think of Carmen's affair
with matador. You feel no inclination
to measure this fascinatingly strange
Spaniard by the familiar one. This is an
altogether new creature, to forgive when
oAa har ,~f&,
her conduct makes her deservedly misera-
bic, and to rejoice over when happiness
comes to her She is thoroughly Spanish.
too; though her hair is brown. her face
Is not swarthy. her manner is not sensual,
nor her dancing wanton. and the fragrance
of her roses Is not tainted In your magma
ton by the garlic which. as a senorita. she
must be presumed to have eaten. All the
charm which she has ever exerted on you
is in this performance. but you have never
seen her do the powerfully passionate act
ing which makes her Pepita triumphant.
Frances Hodgson Burnett, writer OF THE
Pretty Sister OF Jose," sat at the front Of
a box on the opening night. and was gen.
orally recognized; yet no voice was raised
TO call her out. and that was a new ex-
perience for her. explainable by Miss
Adamss ABSORPTION or interest. Mrs. Bur-
nett's drama Is uncommon in theme mas
terfuI IN its creation of Pepita, of Sebas-
tino. and especially of the fondly simple
MIN II brother, Jose; fairly skillful In
construction, and as literature excellent
IL = the opinion OF many that Robin
Hood has held for fifteen years the dis
tinction Of being the best musical play
made In America Reginald De Koven.
composer OF its tunes. has tired again and
again TO equal them. Sometimes he has
come close to doing ii. His new and reso-
lutte effort, RED Feather" is as close 10
the desired thing as any he has offered
Indeed. II does not fall below robin
Hoods" standard musically. though few OF
its airs are melodies. Persons with expert
ears in its first New York audience felt
that no native comic opera had been out
fitted with a better quality OF score. And
the singers had been chosen for their
trained voices. though some OF them enun-
ciated so badly that their notes had few
intellgible words. IL w. 8. Gilbert instead
OF Charles Emerson Cook had written the
verse. we should have known whether all
of them Were good the few that we
were able TO Judge OF. How agreeabIy
remember the company that Gilbert sent
- -.-f&t, f.rr<fo MfEaIo Mo- . o,~n.hro