Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-30
DRESSING QUICKLY.
Actress Madeleine Louis Makes Four
Changes of Costume Averaging Fit
teen Minutes Each.

Changes of Costume Averaging Fit
teen Minutes Each.
Suppose, fair lady, you We're sur
prised at so p NJ some evening by
an invitation to a theater party
Suppose it was a play that you really
wanted to see, and the person that was
extending the invitation was one
that YOU really wanted to accom-
pany? Would you endeavor to get
| ready, and could you do so and be In
your box when the curtain went up
on the first act? Would you be apt
| [ keep an impatient escort waiting
while you gave the finishing touch
here and there? Frankly and honest
| lY, could you get ready I'm an hour and
| a half? ff5 Qf
If the men We're allowed to answer
| this for you, they would probably
state finally and emphaticaily that
you could not, and that no woman has
ever performed so remarkable a feat.
There are doubtless scores of women
who car and do array themselves up
| on notice just as short as this, and
there are many others who would
have to decline, knowing quite Well
! that the task would be beyond them.
| The beautiful toilets of Miss Madeline
| Louis. appearing with William Hodge
| n THE Man from Home" this weeks
| attraction at the Alvin Theater, are
| the envy of many feminine hearts. and
| yet Miss Louis makes four complete
changes of costumes In an average
period OF Il minutes for each change.
Yet, when she appears before her an-
a f1fl 10 f..ftt la
| most hypereritieai can detect no flaw.
Miss Louis and other stage favorites
who make a number of changes In
| their costumes during an ordinary per-
| formance are of the opinion that so
ciety women take up too much time in
arraying themselves for their social
duties and conquests. They have all
the facilities that the actress has fer
rapid dressing, and In many cases far
| more. The actress is hampered with
| the limited space devoted to dressing
| rooms and the fact that all gowns and
| toilet accessories must be carried abou>
| from CHe town to another i'll trunks
| IT is true that nearly all of the wo-
| men Of the stage have maid to as
sst them, but the society faVorites
are few who depend upon their own
| efforts to make themselves present
a BILE.
The play in which Miss Louis Is APP
pearing takes up about two and three
quarter hours, and in that time she
must sustain a difficult role and make
! four changes of costumes. out across
| The footlights there are hundreds OF
| tyes, reinforced by scores of opera
glasses, keen to detect any defect
made in dress that may have escaped
| the attention of the maid or mistress.
| The actress knows that every woman
and goody percentage of the men In
the audience are capable of detecting
anything that may be wrong or out OF
place in her dress. The powder on her
arm, the makeup on her face and every
| line of the costume will be keeny
scrutinlzed This ordeal has TO be met
| -four times every evening by Miss
Louis. and she is rather fortunate In
having but four changes. Many OF the
more popular stage tfaYorites make
six or even seven changes in the
| course of an evenings performance.
The actress is able to reduce her
changes to machine-like regularity
| that become almost automatic by the
arranged in the same manner in each
of the widely separated dressing rooms
| that she occupies during the year.
There is a place for everything and
everything must be kept in that place.
The lack of system of this kind is
claimed by Miss Louis to be the real
reason why so many men are kept
| restlessly holding gloves and hat wait
ing for dilatory women. II is her idea
that too many women make a devo-
tional exercise of the toilet Too much
time is spent in merely getting ready
10 garb themselves in festal array,
The society girl has a great deal OF
time to devote to this interesting and
pleasing duty, and she falls into the
habit of using a couple of hours for a
task that might be accomplished In
much less time, A sudden invitation
would probably throw all her arrange
ments in total confusion The multi
farious artificial contrivances for the
hair help to make this confusion more
confounded. -Pittsburg Dispatch.