The Stage in America, 1897-1900 by Norman Hapgood; The Macmillan Company, 1901

L'Aigion is much higher in tone than Cyrano ; less brilliant, but simpler, more coherent, more elevated. It was given first in America, in the fall of 1900, in an English translation by Louis N. Parker, which was firm, easy, and sometimes beautiful. The greatness of the drama triumphantly showed itself against wholly erroneous playing by most of the principal actors. From Miss Maude Adams, in the title rôle, down, they perversely or timidly threw away the opportunities given them by the brilliant stage-craft of the author, obscured his sentiment, and mumbled his words in their teeth. As for verse, it was at every instant of the play turned in the rendering to baldest prose. Never was the nature of an imaginative tragedy more completely ignored, and this time, at least, the result was so unmistakable that the effect may in the end be good, by forcing those responsible for this performance to imitate, in future attempts to handle the higher drama, some of the intelligence recently shown by several American stars.

...went to see The Little Minister five times, and was struck with the truth that when there is any real art, any reproduction of the best flashes of human thought and feeling, familiarity does not lessen the charm. It confirmed my belief that this was the best English comedy of the last three seasons...

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