The Washington herald., 1915-12-14
Revival0f Little Minister
PrOpeS Artistic DELIGHT
Maude Adams Lady Babbie
Retains All That Freshness
Of Spirit. E6sh Charm and
Alternating Touch Of Rogu.
cry and Tenderness With
Which She Originally I'm
bued the Role.
By JULIA CHANDLER MANz.

BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI.
As sat last evening through the re-
lvival of THE Little Minister" at the New
National Theater, with Maude Adams
again visualixing the role she created
when the piece had its premiere. in this
city some twenty years ago, there was
only my memory to nag me into the real
ization that quite ten years have gone
by since this beloved lady Of the stage
last gave us her conception Of J. NJ. Bar
| rie's first dramatic success, for the years,
as they have slipped away one by one.
have been 30 mindful Of the tender and
exquisite quality OF her that they have
touched her personality but gently, and
laid no finger at all upon her eifish
spirit.
In her Lady Babbie. Miss Adams
achieved her first success as a star un-
der the management of the late Charles
Frohman and through all the delightful
| characterizations she has since accom-
plishcd there has been none dearer to the
| memory of her public than this daughter
of noble lineage whose mischief came SO
perilously near accomplishing the undo
ing Of Gavin Dishart, THE Little Min
| lister" Of straight-laced Scottish kirk
The story so familiar to us-both
through Mr.. Barrie s<book, which preced
ed the play. and through the drama IT.
self-may not be so well known to the
younger generation for whose benefit It
Is well to recite that the serious minded
younger minister succumbed to the wiles
Of Babbie while he believed her to be
a Gypsy. The girl danced her way out
of the woods into his heart before he
was aware of it. beguiling him. through
the cleverness OF her wit, to blast the
horn which she knew would call the
town to an uprising against which he
had preached. and when sought by the
red-coats. for her part in the affair. she
threw a borrowed coat over her Gypsy
frock. sought shelter at the side of young
Dishart. and declared herself the min
ister's wife to the soldiers.
Follows young Disharts growing infat-
uation for the mad-cap OF the woods
whom he yet believes a member of a
despised band of gypsies who have been
expelled from the ncighborhood. His
clandestine meetings with her are dis
covered by the uncompromising elders OF
his church about the same time that
The Isittle Minister is shocked by the
revelation that "Babbie' Is Lady Bar
bara daughter Of Lord Rintoul who is
desirous of her marriage to Capt. Halli-
well. Seeking TO protect the girl from
the consequences OF her pranks. he de-
clares himself to blame for all the trou-
BILE she has created: faces his angry
elders. who do not know the identity OF
the girl to whom he has been writing
love verses. and Is quite ready Tor arrest
when again Habbie's keen wit saves the
day. and brings her to the Manse to
watch her beloved as he is told by Capt.
Halliweil that the gypsy who declared
herself his wife is. by the laws or Scot
land, no less. as the declaration before
witnesses constitute marriage in the land
Of kits and heather.
> So we leave .'The Little Minister" radi-
ant with happiness: his bride equally
satisfied. and his CONGREGATION proud that
their fears for their beloved spiritual
leader have undergone SO desirable a
transition.
1t is Just as much a delightful little
romance now in the yesteryear. and
We who have seen The Little Minister
full many a time. find Gavin Dishart as
earnest and serious as ever an uncom-
promising kirk might desire: Babbie still
exuding the spirit of eternal youth. and
the other characters who have to do
with the making of the tale none the
less quaint and original.
Miss Adams Lady Babbie has all that
elfish quality with which she formerly
imbued It: all the delightful effervescence
of spirit: the alternating touches OF
roguery and tenderness: the eerie charm. |
and quick wit with which she formerly |
that she gave an exhibition OF, her unfail- |
ing insistence upon an artists right 1
to protect the illusions of her public by |
her refusal to make the curtain speech |
that was demanded with persistence last |
evening by a large and appreciative audi |
ence
In Miss Adams support is an entirely |
capable company. Dallas anderson giving |
an earnest and consistent performance |
in the title role: David Terrence doing |
an admirable piece of work In his visuali- |
zation of the chief elder of Dishart's |
church. while Wallace Jackson, Charles |
Gay and X. Peyton Carter present quaint |
as his supporting elders |
]. NJ McFarlane offers combustible |
Bob Dow; Fred Tyler gives a creditable |
performance as Lord Rfntoul: Ada
Boshell is excellent as Mamie Webster.
while Morton Selten as Capt. Halliwell. !
Lila Barclay as Lady Babies maid. ].
l.. Carhsrt as the Rintoul butler. Gladys
Gillen as Micah Dow, Willard Barton as
the sergeant. G. Gay as the atheist, and
Angela Ogden as the Manse servant up
hold the standard of the moro important
roles.
In point of production 'The Little Min
ister'' was never better staged. the five
scenes OF the four acts being effective in
every instance. and always in perfect
harmony with the tender romance of the