Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-13
At the Theaters
..The .e.,er., I'D the nora.

Maude Adams In The testers" a new play
in four acts, translated from the French
Of Miguel Zamacois. by John Raphael
The cast
Rene de Chancenac afterwards ChicoU
....................... .Maude Adams
Sisole 4, ,;i:;;;..;...... Msthilde Cottrslly
Solange de Mautpre, ...... .ConsuelO Bailey
Baron de Mautpre ............,... Fred 1'vier
Robert de Belfonte afterwards Narcis-
sus) ..........................W William Levers
TESTERS
Baroco .....,..."..........E w. Morrison
Jack Pudding Georgi'e, Henry Trader
Servants OF the Baron de Ma1tpre% ut 'D''''s
jacques .....,..............Wa Wallace Jackson
Julian Frederick santley
Elerre '......'..'..'.......; .;;.M. II. Gilmore
To many Of her host OF admirers 1t has
seemed incongruous that Maude Adams
should waste her sweetness on a mascu-
line part Perhaps waste is not the word
to use. for even the ultra OF the ultra
sensitive could hardly conceive of the bouy-
ant winsomeness OF this little woman fall
Ing on barren and unresponsive places.
With her II can only be a question of the
degree to which her sweetness is allowed
to display itself. In the part of a young
and ardent lover making amorous appeals
to woman, one might naturally infer that
some Of the boyishness that made her
Peter Pan so attractive might be lost. And
TINS might easily be II these traits were
not so thoroughly a part Of her.
In this new play the Setting is in France
In 1857, in a crumbling castle belonging
to Baron de Mautpre, whose poverty has
forced him to mako himself and his beau
tiful daughter of seventeen. hermits as far
as the great world outside is concerned
In her romantic mind this daughter So
lange, has formed an ideal of a. Prince
Charming who will some day come and
win her love after the fashion of the prince
In the story book with which she has spent
tho lonesome hours. To tighten her hours
the baron proclaims that he will have a
Jester In his court and thirty day tourney
OF jesting is announced. Rene de Chace-
nae and Robert de Belfonte, young noble-
men make a wager that wit can win over
manly beauty in this contest and by sub
terfuge they gain entrance to the castle,
the former as the hunchback, Chicot, and
the latter as the handsome Narcissus
| The tourney of lest ends as far as they
are concerned wheo they both fall deeply
| in love with the beautiful maiden and they
agree that the one WHO wins in the clown
| ish competition shall Nave first chance to
make love to Solange. Chicot easily wins
| both contests and secures the consent of
the proud baron by another trick Of en-
riching him by a fictitious find of buried
| treasure on his estate.
The Chicot of the lines is entirely sub
mel ged from the very first in the Chicot
of Miss Adams. She brings to it all of
her sweetness and though that fact may.
perhaps, take something from the natural
ness of the part it completely fills every
minute she is on the stage with a charm
! that is Irresistible. At the close OF the
third act and following the love scene the
audience refused to stop the applause until
Miss Adams stepped forward and timidly
expressed her thanks.
The play is written in verse and in the
translation there are some awkward places
But these are more than counterbalanced
by the sweetness of some of the lines given
Miss Adams. Nothing could be more
charming than her recitation of "The
! Breeze"
The support is the same that appeared
| with her in New York Miss Bailey has
all the attributes which her part requires
She is small and pretty physically and has
a girlishness that BELTS her as Chicot:
sweetheart. Mr.. Tyler, Mr.. Levers and
Mr.. Holt take to their parts we'll and the
comedy characters carry their comedy
which is grotesque rather than subtle
very satisfactorily. The perfect staging OF
the four acts leaves no detail unprovided
for
Miss Adams engagement closes tonight