Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-11

IA
w is that woman was not made
from mans rib, but from his
funny bone. At least that Is what
Maude Adams, one of the most charm
ing actresses on the American stage
today. would have us believe. She
preached her little gospel, or, rather, j.
NJ Barries comical, satirical theory
last night at the Mason opera house to
an audience which filled every box,
every seat, every inch of standing room
! in the capacious theater.
1t is the charm of Miss Adams per-
sonality as much as anything which
| makes Barrie's clever play such a de-
light In every syllable uttered. in
every action attempted, Miss Adams
displays her genius. But at all times
her personality which may be an evil
dence of genius or an evidence that the
gods were good to the actress, en-
thralls one.
Barrie in his comedy really pokes
fun at his Scotch countrymen. The
scenes are laid in Scotland, but they
might be laid anywhere on earth where
there are stubborn husbands and
clever. witty wives to manage them.
The three Wylie brothers, who are
well-to-do quarry owners, are seeking
a husband for their plain-faced sister
Maggie Wylie, who is no longer a
y
who is fond of books, is caught entering
the Wylie library, supposedly for the
purpose of stealing books. for he's
athirst for knowledge. The Wylie
brothers make a bargain with Shand
that if he will marry their sister they
will not turn him over to the police,
but will educate him thoroughly The
bargain is struck. Shand stands by
his part of the agreement, although
Maggie is willing to let him off. Mag
gle and Shand are married. For the
three succeeding acts the audience is
shown just how a clever woman can
make a great man out of her husband
without his knowing what she is about.
once Maggie saves Shand from an
affinity Always she is doing some
little act to make the path of glory
and greatness for her husband easier.
Always he is stubborn, and even hard
with her The play opens with chess
game and ends with a love game,
Shand the loser, or winner as you will.
Whimsical humor. beautiful pathos,
Wifely devotion and the selfishness
of man are brought out in the play
as only Barrie knows how to bring
them out with his lines and situations.
But it is to the portrayers of Barrie's
characters that the greatest credit
must surely go. for without the con-
summate ability of Miss Adams and
lines and situations, the play might
not carry the message it is intended to
convey There is food for thought all
through the play. But the writing be-
tween the lines is not so fine that one
cannot read it easily,
Miss Adams stamps Maggie upon
the memory i'm an fndelible manner.
Richard Bennett as John Shand gives
most faithful and artistic portrayal
of a man who is made in spite of him
self r PeytOn Carter, David Tor
renee and Fred Tyler in character
parts are excellent, while Dumsden
Hare w. Fl. Gilbert, Wallace Jackson,
Folliot Paget, J. L. Carhart, Lillias
WaldegraVe and Lillian Spencer give
good account of themselves at all
times,
"What Every Woman knows will be
presented every night this week, with
matinees today, Friday and Saturday.
Alphin &, Fargo are offering "The
Smugglers" this week, and it is one of
the funniest OF all the funny comedies
that they have yet presented. "The
Smugglers" marks the end of the first
season of the No. 1 company of Alphin
& Fargo.
Jules Mendel, the favorite German
comedian, quite outdOes himself as
Heinz, a would-be smuggler who is
endeaVoring, with the assistance or
Schmitz, his partner, to smuggle
chinese across the Mexican border into
CalifornOa. Pete Gerald is admirable
as Schmitz Walter Spencer as GUS
tom house officer makes a picturesque
figure and does an artistic bit of acting
as we'll as rendering several numbers
admirably. Leonard Brisbane gives an
excellent portrayal of a Mexican des-
perado. Blossom Seeley, refreshing as
boo ffoIf fCn
belle. Her acting is delightful and her
songs called forth many encores.
Mabel Bunyea established herself even
more firmly If possible in the hearts of