Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-11

NEW YORK, Jan. 1o.-Suppose-I
asked myself as / sat at the Empire
Theater last night-suppose-just
suppose-that you were seeing Maude
Adams for the first time in your life;
that you had read all the foolish
adulation lavished upon her by Alan
Dale (for all adulation is foolish)
that you had formed impressions OF
her charm and her magnetism, and
you were there uninitiated, seeing her
for the first time last night-what
would you have said?
/ asked myself that-and I really
waited until the end of the first act
of ]. M. Barrie's comedy, THE Leg
end of Leonora," before 1 answered
the question. 1t was an easy an
swer. I should have said exactly the
same last night as l said when I saw
her in THE Little Minister" Not one
whit of charm and irresistibility has
been lost; not one iota of the strange
power that gets over the footlights
has vanished. Not one pang of, the
controversy which makes Maude Adj
ans personality one of as smany cons
as pros has been eliminated There
she was last night, just as she al
ways has been, full of exquisite faults
and delicious un-great- nesses, and
highly delectable delinquehcies and
there she was last night, walking
away with all your sympathies, in
spite of yourself, just as she walked
away with those of the jury, and the
attorney general, and the counsel for
the prosecution, and the counsel for
the defense in THE Legend of Leo
nora"
Maude Adams Unchanged.
The road; has returned her to us
just as she left us, and those who ex
pect OF find a mannerized, hardened
and a less diaphanous Maude Adams
will be beautifully disappointed. If
the road can do all this for a star, let
lot of them take to the road, and
take to it quickly, and not hurry back
Last night Maude Adams touched
with her gentle art her winsome
manners. her strange and eerie fascl-
nation, the light, whimsical aand I'M
substantial frolic of James NJ. Barrie
(which wasn't a play and wasn't a
monologue, but which kept US all
laughing continuously at its Gilber-
tan absurdity and its topsy-turvv
righteousness. There was at least
one laugh in every line-sometimes
two-not a tired business mans guf-
faw, but weary, theatergoer's mar
rows chuckle. Oh, it was good TO
get this kind of laughter, that oozed
from ones cardial vertebrate and kept
on oozing.
But, remember, 1t wasn't play, and
many a tired business man will say
"Silly!" and "Preposterous!" AMI
whats the good of it alp" But we
are not all tired business men, thank
GOODNESS! All the intelligence isn't
dead; all the wit in the world hasn't
dried up in the furnace of buffoonery.
We can still appreciate gentle satire
and indolent 1uips.
Just because Leonora's little girl
had a cold-a sniffy cold-she want
ed the window in the train closed.
There was a horrid man who wanted
It open. He couldn't bear stuffy trains.
POSSIBLY If you've travelled in Eng
land you know the wretch.) But LeS-
nora told him her little girl had
sniffy cold. He must have the win
dow shut. He wouldn't. So she gave
him a push, and he fell out of the
door on to the line, and was killed.
And Leonora was a murderess!
A Charming" Slayer.
Such a charming murderess! No
body but Maude Adams could be such
q charming murderess. Any other
actress on the English speaking stage
couldn't suggest it. To be a charm
Ing murderess Is an aria terrible
art. Possibly even If the case had
seemed much worse We should al
have acquitted Maude Adams. She
was tried. In court she chatted and
crocheted. She begged the Judge not
to call her the accused" 1t sound
ed so horrid.
what shall I call you?" asked the
Attorney General.
Call me Leonora," she said
"lfay II" he inquired affectionately.
When the jury retired they said
they would like Leonora to go and sit
with them while they deliberated.
The Judge wondered IL there was
precedent for 1t. But Leonora went