The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-10
MRS. BAKERS READING.
Pleased an Audience of 500 With sIf
Were King

In her preliminary remarks, intro
ductory to the reading of Justin Hunt
ley McCarthy's romantic drama, IF
Were King" at the Auditorium last
night Mrs. Bertha Kunz Baker. dra-
matte reader, explained the attitude of
her art to the drama and what new
meaning and value she hoped to give
her audience from the text of a play
which was written to be acted rather
than to be read and which has doubt
less already been presented at your
local theater." Evidently Mrs. Baker
doesn't know Topeka. IF Were
King" has never been played here and
her reading undoubtedly introduced
the drama to most of her audience. al
though the nOvelized (if the express
sion is permitted) version of it which
Mr.. Mccarthy wrote, reversing the
usual procedure of making a popular
play from a successful novel, had a
great vogue among the readers of new
fiction when it was first published a
few years ago.
The play was written for Mr.. Ed
ward Sothern, who gave memorable
Characterization of the role of Fran
co.'s ViIIon. poet vagabond and hero of
the fifteenth century, around the little
of whose career which is known to
history Mr. Mccarthy weaved his
Imaginary plot Miss Cecilia LOTUS,
was the first katharine and the
play afforded them two successful
seasons.
IF Were King" is a play of strong
romantic emotions at high pitch and
of sharp theatrical effects, set in a pic
ture of the Paris of the reign of
Louis the Eleventh. 1t is one of the
few modern romantic dramas which
tent and construction it has many
merits which place it above the aver
age But it also has its defects One
of the principal ones is in the charac-
ter of Katharine, who neither IN the
novel which the author made from the
play. nor in the play itself, as pre-
scented by Mrs. Baker last night, has
that compelling charm and fascination
which one may reasonably expect OF
poets fair, toasted by him as
1.-The loveIiest lady this side of heaven"
Miss Cecilia Lotus, it may be, invest
ed the role with more than its natural
enchantment Mrs. Baker last night
was not so successful. Her character |
ization of the masculine roles was
much more satisfactory As kath- |
arine'' the conventionality of her por-
trayaI, which was along the lines of an
outworn elocutionary and histrionic
tradition did little to illumine and !
vitalize a character at best weakly
drawn by the dramatist.
OF, course Villon's is the fat part in
the play. 1t is his personality tina
gives it its greatest strength and at |
traction. There is always something
allurirlg to the modern proSaic, Phil /
istine audience in the half-mad
vagaries of such a "rhyming ragamuf-
fin as this Dot-house poet and phll-
the pearl which Louis found
in a Paris gutter and set, for week,
in his crown and who in this unac-
,ustomed role revealed such powers
IF craftsmanship and executive ablll-
", and such charm, dignity and mag
0ificence of manner that in seven days
ne drove the Duke of Burgundy's
army from before the gates of Paris
md won the hand of 1.-The lovelieSt lady
his side of heaven and incidentally
MS life Mrs. Baker showed very
sffective personation of the theatrical
,snect of the role and a studious. sin
ere and cultivated grasp of the liter
,rv and Doetical side of the creation
IF the crafty Louis, 1.-The Universal
Spider too, she gave an even, Well
GLANCED portrayal In these roles
Ter acting was natural and powerful.
Her voice is good. her reading lucid,
Ter meter and accent rarely commend
HE She gave the two Villon- bal
ades arr Villom Were the King of
7rance,, and ''Where Are the Shows
IF Yesterday with much feeling for
heir rythmical and me1odious quail
les and their poetical significance
Her cIimaxeS were admirably man
red and all her best effects attained
With a degree of spontaneity and nat
1ralness not enjoyed in the average
dramatic readers" efforts
There was an audience of about
light hundred people, mostly the regu-
ar subscribers to the Pipe Organ as
ociation's course of entertainments OF
which this was the fourth. 1t was
hrs Bakers second visit to Topeka
Ter first appearance here was made
1vo years ago under the auspices OF
he local federation of women's CLUBS
when she gave Edmond Rostand s
'L'AigIon,' at the high school audit