Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-06
DUkUIH Y.
The FIRST Public Prese ntation OF this New
Drama.

Inc riEsU Presentation OF tnlS new
Drama.
The audience at the Ooera House last even
ing to witness the new drama of dorothy"
written for and played by the Misses Banning,
WAS large and exceedingly apprcciative one,
being composed largely of oar best citizens
who were attracted both by desire to encour-
age the young ladies in their first public dra-
matte effort, and from curiosity to witness a
play of such novel construction as the one in
question, where two young ladies sustain all
the characters that appear before the audience.
Miss Ella Banning sustained three roles. name
ly: Hannah Curran, an old Qrakeress; Mrs.
rempleton, fashionable woman, and Dorothy,
q waf. Mis, iiay Banning portray ed two
characters: Catharine Curran, daughter of
Hannah, and Nancy Ann Pnngle, the village
gossip and milliner, who subsequently became
Mrs. Carbonoil, wife of one of the petroleum
kings.
1t can easily be seen that to represent per-
sonages of such widely differing habits, voices,
and modes Of action and expression, required
no ordinary caplc ~, but the Misses Banning
were fully equal to the exegencies of the situa-
ton. Tpey read their lines well, and in such a
manner as to win hearty plauditS and many
beautiful floral offerings from the audience.
The plot of the drama turns upon The sbduc-
lion of child "f birI. Curran. in revenge for
the IreSHOll piOClVilles OF ncr HUSBAND. Inc
loss Of the child and the knowledge that she has
disease of the heart make the old Quakeress
life Il painful on- but she keeps her secret
from her daughter, and carries it TO
her grave. The daughter subsequently
goes to Boston to her aunl's house. aud he
comes engaged to be married. On the eve of
her nupras she accidentally comes across =
letter and dress, by which she learns of the
possible existence OF Il sister, and, remember
ing her mothers counsel to her to act accord
lug to the 'ictates of her conscience at any and
every cost, she berolcaily gives mp her hance
and devotes herself to searching for her sister.
How that search is finally successful how III
the ~aif, Dorothy, Cathsrine discovers the long
missing one, hos he recognition is brought
about by the description of the waif of her
early years of a dream, would take too much
space To give in detail.
OF the play itself We cannot, in honesty,
speak IN praise. IL lacks in many dramatic
e-seutials-plur, dialO ne and situation. Toe
plot. If such 1t can DE called, is simply an al
most impossible affection of young lady for
sister OF whom .h- had never heard, and of
whose existence at all she had knowle dye
The dialogue is somewhat tedious and UNREAL
taking strange departures from common place
domestic gossip u heroic poetry or blank verse.
The lines given to the several characters So
long as to become wearisume, and there is lack
of wit we'll as lack of sense. There are no
dramatic SITUATIONS In the piay-nothlnS that
thrills an audience and ELECTS from it a genuine
enthusiasm or u spontaneous Uutburst of feel
ing. Lacking these elements, very much
doubt If II can be made success, nOtwit b
standing the uu1uestioncd ability of the young
ladies' who present 1t and labor hard To make
presentable What should never be presented.
AS drama it is radically defective. ana
slough it may constitute the framework. OF
he central idea, uf successful work, it can
not, III its present form, nope fer public favor.
We regret. for the sake of the Misses Banning
that they have been unfurtunate as TO SAY
their dramatic =. bur in a pIav little merit.