The New York herald., 1877-11-15
AMUSEMENT
THE UNION SQUARE THEATRE--ssrHE MOTHERS
SECRET"

THE UNION SQUARE THEATRE--''rHE MOTHERS
SECRET"
Alter several months OF preparation the powerful
and exquisite play by yictoricn Ssrdou, known In
France as ''seraphinc," and entitled "The
Mothers Secret" was produced last night
the Union Square Theatre. That
little interest has been excited by the
promise OF It's presentation was attestod by tho
large and brilliant audience that hlied tho until
even stanuins room absorbed. That tho play was
emphaticaly a success was likewise attested by the
hearty applause with which during and al The con-
cusion OF tho several acts it was received
The plot is not involved. Tho drst act introduces
the characters. They consist OF the Marquis dc
Jasmin, his wife Seraphinc his daughter tby former
marrlage) Danae and Elise he daughter o Scraphinc
born since hor marriage with the Marquis) Dianae's
husband Dumont. a lover OF young Elise Florian,
lac tutor from ST. omer, and his nephew Abelard.
These are all the characters one essential to the
story OF the play. Beside there are two and
two visitors, ladies. When tho play begins find
Florian (Slr James 0'NeilD accompanied by Dumont
(Mr J. b. Polkl an applicant for empty apart
mcnts In the Paais Jasmn. Sardou skilinl!y uses
the position TO describe the characters OF his
play through the mouth of Dumonl, and to fix their
relations to each other. From him learn that
Seraphinc once the leader OF tho most fashionable
coterc IN Paris, has suddenly become zcalot and
blgot; and IRON him We get knowledge of the char
actor OF her associates. Her chief conndant, Gourmet
(Mr JGfI stoddartl the tutor thus descriDoe:-.A
graduate Of 81. Omer--pami de IL mason, dacree ct,
silky, cuhning. blessed with eternal appetite and
blessing all with an eternal smile Never troubled
himself dsqu.eting others, armed with u recipe
for evory moral Ill. an exempar oil 'religon made
easy" Tho Marquis tMr. John parsclle) is thus
clearly skctchcu -"io was colonel OF
aycs and as pretty specimen Of religious
Indifference As you could wsn 10 500; but the gout
cane, ami between II and Gourmet he taught to
lust :, OF his mothcr-in-law Camont irreverenty
says:'She passed suddenly from revclry to religion,
from religion to ianatcism, and now with her Lent
lasts ali year. Tor tho modification Of the lesh
aud the spirit she has reduced me, married man, 10
practical bacy
Tue secret OF Seraphine's Miss Katherine Rogers,
life, ssine Motncr's Secret" the hidden OF her
passage FROM revclry To religion, and from religion TO
fabalcsn, the consciousness oi sinful love- whose
1ruit Is the younger daughter Elise MISS Sara ewet
Alter the fashion OF the zcalol the guilty mother
detcrmines TO devote her unwilling daughter
70 tue service OF Heaven by I,rcing her 10 take ho
veil Of one OF the sirctes sistcrhoods Of the Catholic
Church. The poor girl who has Kept up a CORE.
spoudcncc with her godfather, Henri Le Pont (Chares
Coghlan, rear admiral in the French navy. is loved
and lignty pursued by young Fforan. tho nephew OF
this same Admiral. HIS hghtness soon changes 10
earnest bones ovc, anu, unable 10 obtain the consent
or the obdurato mother. lie threatens he VIII tcnr
the girl the very doors o the convent to which,
on account o the return OF the Admiral, whom sho
strangely Tears. Scraphine has determined 10 nj
Iorcc the grlto the ciostcr At this juncture news
comes that the elder daughter has been woocd away
by her own husband tired OF The srictness
| is Immediately forced OF the hose
by Gourmet 'hc tutor, who. ere yet the flight
excitement TO tell that the younger one had been
abducted from his charge and driven of IN carriage
"rhe youngster threatened to do II anu has donf ~"
cxcaIms tne Marquis brought ON tho scene by the
loss OF the elder grL mo, mol" exca'ms ssraphne;
"'tis not he, 'tis the other"
The four til act tells US mo that "other" s 1t reveals
to the sI Seraphiue would ndo IN the cioser WITH
| the poor gir, ana introduces onco moro TO the
! Rear Admiral Le Pont and learn It was
| wre
oi the convent Tins fourth act IS the act OF
GS y Of Paris an od heuss Sdmfa ms IS
evidently getting ready Tor longer journey DLmont
appears tel him now he has at last managed TO get
his own wife himself Fiorian rushes to tell the
Aumral oil tho abduction OF Elise. Quietly but de-
termincdiy the Admiral informs them thai twas he
who took The girl away 10 tavc her from the convent
| "'Tis the abduction OF a lnnorl" excaims Dumont
'.i'll answer T." quietly responds 'hs Admiral
''But Seraphnc Will como 10 claim her chIidy'
| IL expect her"
"With the polcef"
"No, shoi como alone Sho knows have that
hero would strike her powsrloss" /" Aud ho shows
packaPco OF letters.
"woud you uso ,hcm against 2"
| "To my child IRON misery, yes"
ELIZA appears gets POSSESSION oi tho letters think
ing them her own, and sent away just Scraphne
enters, 10 face the Admiral now alone. Tho scene
that follows is proouoly tho strongest
written by Sardou, except that between Ry-
sool ana nv me ron sssouto, Of ,a
but her husband, the Marquis, arrives with posse,
| and new complication follows which ends IN scra-
prime deiying tho Admiral and bctraying the pres
ence Of tho child, which the Marquis, after hory de-
| nunciation OF The Admiral, takes home wuh MN,
Serupnne daring the Admiral to rctake her the
| tain falls.
The last sets all things right. The young lover
FlorIau assumes the guilt OF The ABDUCTION which
| had threatened IN the third act seraphinc, con-
quercd utterly and brought back TO womanhood from
her fear that her child road tho letters
the record OF her SIN, consents TO the marriage,
| and the threatened veil oil tho tSkes the
shape OF br .dal The GIRL however, afraid that
her mother might read tho letters shc herself wrote
the Admiral, had burned the whole lot received, and
opened eyes the iact the sinner lay
his cross another moraps shoulders
The chief fault oi tho play Is that It deals with
sectaran thought, and is calculated 10 excite religious
prcjudices Notwithstanding this, however, the IN
| tercst ellced Is OF an intense kind, tho dialogue
| IL sprightiy, the action quick and untring,
| and .hc actors and all arc simply
superb The burden Of the representation rested
| upon Messrs Cognan. Parsec, j. IL. Stoddart Mr. J.
B. Polk. George Giddcns Miss Katherine Rogers and
Sara Jewctt. But when thore added the mos or
Mss Nary Wells, Misses Linda Dieiz, Roberta Nor
| wood and Sylvester. The puonc will appreciate tho
| Mothers Sccrep' unexccpt ptonablc mould
| The scenery la the several acts, ike all wnich Is
produced ut this theatre, was very beautiful Tho
priestiy hypocrite OF Mr. Stoddar, the pious youth
wno slips of to the ballet, Mr. Giddens the rollickug
son. in.aw OF Scraphne. Mr. Polk, aud the heroic
Henri lie Pont oil Mr Coghlan were among tho strong
features tho evening The play will doubtless have
n long run, and II abuudantly deserves tho praise
which It received last evening
MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC NOTES.