The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-31
CITY AFFAIRS.
THE Academy OF MUSIC.
/" Under Two Flags"

The Academy of Music was last night occu-
pied by large, apprecative and sympathetic aud.
ience, who In round and unmistaEable terms well
coined back the old Charleston favorites, Rose and
Harry Watkins. The play selected for the evening
was that announced above-"Frodden Down, or
Under Two Flags.D It Is an Irish story OF 1913.
Fergus Mccarthy, an Irish patriot, after lighting
for his country, is. driven from his home, an
exile. he remains number OF years In America,
and retarns In the character OF fortune
teller to md his wife dead, and his daughter,
born soon after his departure, adopted by an Eng.
lish Lord and grown into stately womanhood.
She Is loved by Robert O'Hara, tMr. A. s. Law
rence,) q young nobleman, not as an he!ress. but
as a true and lovely woman, and he, In one Her
rick Wolfe, finds rival. The latter, using the old
fortuneteller employs him to claim the heiress as
his daughter BE drinks whlskey to hide his man.
hood, and In his drunkenness effects his object The
daughter crgs to the supposed father with all the
earnestness Of her nature, and Is separated from
her wealthy home. The real lover meanwhile
obtains from the Lord, her adopted father, the
box OF papers left In her childhood as the only
legacy OF the dying wife Of the patriot, and thus
the Shingawn discovers what was ct firsta de-
cepticn intended by him becomes Indeed reali-
t.. He finds In truth daughter. He DEFENDS
her from the Vaccinations OF the rival who seeks
her ruin, and in revenge, the latter, discovering
his true character, reveals him to the English au-
thorlties and the patriot is lncarcerated in dun
geon and sentenced to suffer death. Here Dennis
FrIery, one Of his old soldiers Of '9s, who enjoys
the benefit OF an amnesty" is placed to guard
him. They recognize each other, and De9qts
agrees at midnight to ''put ont the light" with q
rnusket ball. Meanwhile Blanche, the daughter OF
the Shingawn, being permitted to remain in per.
son with her father ales the letters from her faith
er's wrists, and hides the act by song which
conceals the sound A moment afterwards the
rival appears AMI claims the daughters dlshonor
at the expense OF her fathers freedom, and dis
covers that he has been released from his chains.
BE springs to the window, aud the faithful senti-
mel, at precisely twelve, delivers in his bosom the
shot Intended to save from the ignomy Of the gal
lows the noble Irishman. The real lover now
rushes In With o pardon, which he has secured
through the American minister, and happy de-
nouement results.
The drama abounds In fine hits, dramatic ef'
fects, and play OF genuine Hibernlan wit, which
comrels the audience to change rapidly "from
grave to gay, from liveIs to severe" AS repre-
sentative IrIshmau, .Mr. Watkins has few II any
superiors. His brosue is perfect. The mobility
Of his face Is under thorough command; and IN
| those forcibe or pathetic passages IN which the
feelings Of the audience are called upon to re.
spond, he controls eyes, ears and tears. He pos.
sesses, wtha, one OF those Clear, inclsive voices,
which quickly eXerts Its magnetism on throng.
and produces shose effects which constitute the
popular verdict upon performance. Mrs. Wat
kins may be embraced In the same category. Her
rendering OF the characters o., wife and daughter
were at once natural strong aud emotional. She
sings with dstinctness that s charming, every
word being we'll cut, incisive andfull OF expires
slon-whllc in her dialogue, not even whisper
need escape an individual in the audience, so full
ls 1t OF the elocutionary power which makes every
we-rendered performance effective. ="
Mr.. Welsh EdwardsJpho assumed the chracter
Rq4efFF likewise Won g0laef opinions
durIng the evening by his faithful rendering OF an
Irish friend and standby In the time. OF need,
and fully sustained the reputation lie has
earned In past years as comedian. Mr.. a.
S. Lawrence as Robert, the lover, Mr.. Charles
| McManus as the rival lover, and the fascinating
Miss Fannie Person were well up In their parts,
and added not little to the success OF the
performance. There were one or two "hltchts'
which q generous Charleston audience on the
first night Of an appearance fully excuse; but
take 1t all In all, the entertainment Of the evening
was fully equal to public expectation, and no one
left the theatre. without feeling within them o
| hearty "amen."
The play tonight is kathleen Mavourneen,' v
and we hope the Academy will again be thronged
1t Is relief 70 past monotony to sac really good
ulaY.