The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-04-06
"ACeIehrn,ed Caae.p

"a Celebrated Case was brought out at
Music Hall last evening before an audience
that we'll filled the body Of the house aud the
galleries, by a company the members of which
are drawn largely from the Union Square thea
tire of New York. The play is the work of the
author of the "Two Orphans" and in merit
fails little if any below it, which is according
to it very high. praise.
The curtain rises and discloses the home of
Jean Rensud and his wife Madeleine and
child Adrienue. The time is the day before the
battle OF Fontenoy. Renaud is private in the
French army and the night before the battle
while marching with his company he comes
across the Count de Mornay dying from the
hand of an assassin To him the Count en-
trusts his family jewels and certain papers to
send to his father. Remand conveys them to
bis house and colfdes them to his wife for safe
keeping He then bids his wife and child adieu
and sets out to rejoin his company. Immedi-
ately after his departure the Counts assas sin
who has followed Renaud aud seen through the
window of his dwelling where he deposits the
treasure enters the house and demands of Mad
eeine that she Surrender the jswels. She re-
fuses, struggle ensues which awakens the
cbild who is locked into an adjoining room,
aud to quiet the child's cries the assassin COM
pels her to tell it that it is its father who is
with her. He then murders her and seizes the
jewels and escapes The chlld raises an alarm,
the murder is revealed and on his own child's
testimony Remand is convicted and sentenced
to the galleys Years go by. The child has
grown to womabhood as the daughter of the
Count D'Anbeterre by whom she was adopted
without knowing her history, One day she &C.
cidenty meets party of galley slaves and in
one of them recognizes her father, the con-
demned Remand. The murder and the trial
and conviction flash back into her mind, but
while she fully believes in the innocence Of her
father she has not the meaos of proving it. The
proof however is soon forthcoming. The real
assassin comes back to France personating the
dead Count de Moray and claiming the family
estates. and his Identity is revealed by neck
lace belonging to the murdered woman which
be had stolen with the Counts jewels.
Such in brief is the story, and the play of
which it is made the foundation is well pro-
portioned, abounds in powerful situations and
affords abundant opportunities for effective
acting. The manner in which it was brought
out last night was as whole deserving of high
praise. Mr.. e. X. Collier as Jean Renaud
carried off the chief hono1s. His impersona-
ton was a sipgnlarly well sustained and fin
ished one throughout. Despite the strong
tenn ptation to over-exaggeration which maLy
of the situations afford, his acting was entirely
free from rant and his simulated pathos and
passion could not be distinguished from the
genuine. In the scene where he discovers his
child.and again In the scene where he denounces
the spurious Count de Mornay as the assassin
of his wife his acting was exceedingly realistic
and appealed strongly to the feelings of the
audience. Miss Ii lie Eldrdge, who was last
seen in this city as the blind girl in the "rwo
Orphans" assumed the part Of Madeleine in
the prologue and Adrienne in the play proper.
Her acting was fair, but she has little magnet
ism and seldom arouses the sympathy of her
audience. Miss Meroe Charles as Valentine de
Mornay, the daughter of the Count, did some
fiue acting in the scene where she discovers
the necklace, though she is hardly equal to the
vivid portrayal of intense emotion. Mr. Lief
fngwell as the spurious Count de Mornay de.
picted the cool, designing villain very success
fully, making it what he should be, very dis
agreeable character. The Sergeant O'Rourke
of Mr.. Lamb was very funny and ridiculous.
Mr. Charles McManus was good duke, and
Miss Mary Hill sustained the title of duchess
with ease and dignity. The other characters
do not call for especial mention.
"a Celebrated Case will be repeated at the
matinee this afternoon and again this evening,
and all lovers of good plays and fine acting
should not miss the opportunity afforded them.