Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-28
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
The DRAMA.

greeted the beautiful and gifted TRACE
iienne, Miss Mary Anderson, ON her ap-
pearance at Fulton opera house last even |
ing, after years absence, during which |
new laurels have been added to her brow,
now adorned with fame's brightest chap
let, which she wears right royalty, the un-
disputed queen of the American stage.
Before the doors were opened every seat in
the lower portion of the house had been
sold to bona .fde purchasers, and during
yesterday the diagram of the gallery was
thrown open for the accommodation of
persons who, unable to secure seats down
stairs, were fain to ego up higher. "
The most cultured society of
Lancaster was represented in the brilliant
assembly that crowded tho opera house
from pit to dome, and nothing was want
ing to give to the scene an animation that
has not been witnessed at any similar gath
ering within the walls of the opera house
during the present winter. 1t was pre-
eminently the audience of the season, as
the appearance of this talented young
woman was the event that has signalized
local dramatic annals.
Miss Anderson has twice before favored
this community with her presence, and no
living actor or actress has 4 warmer place
in popular affection here. The young man
swears by her charms and the approval
and admiration of his sister has gone out
to her without reserve. In the spring of
1877 she made her initial bow before an
audience suspicious of the suddenly
achieved reputation that had preceded her
and ready to take account Of the first flaw
in her work. Her triumph here was as
complete as the hundreds that had crowned
her efforts elsewhere. As the heroine
of Shakspeare's romantic tragedy
of "Romeo and Juliet" she leaped
securely into the favor of her audience and
received the seal of their appreciation.
That success was emphasized year ago,
when, as the heroine of of Halms's idyllic
drama of "Ingomar," she vanquished by
her charms the fierce barbarian and carried
into captivity with him a whole houseful
of unresisting spectators.
The play of Evadne," in which she
was underlined to appear last night, whilst
an old one, was one very little known
among play-gOers hereabouts. 1t was writ
ten by Richard Shiel, an Irish lawyer and
dramatist, and since the days of Miss
ONeil there have been few actresses who
have been competent to reproduce the au-
thOr's conceit of pure and gracious woman
hood which is embodied in the title role.
The plot and movement of the'play may
be summarized as follows: Evadne is
the daughter of a once powerful noble of
the kingdom Of Naples, who fell in battle
fighting for his sovereign, and sister of
Colonna, worthy son of a noble sire, proud,
high-spirited, and animated above all
things by indomitable love for his
sister. Eradne loves and is beloved
of Vicentio, but the King having fixed
his lustful eyes on the charms of his de-
liverer's fair daughter, determines to win
them to the qualification of his unholy ap-
petite. To this end he invokes the as
sistance of Ludouico, his favorite, whom
COlonnG had denounced as a traitor to his
sovereign, and whose own suit for Euadne' 5
hand had been scornfully rejected. Lu-
douico, inspired by motives of revenge and
ambition, eagerly assents to the King s
proposition to secure EDadne to him. His
purpose comprises the alienation of Ticen-
tio's affection from Eyadne the formers
death at the hands of the enrased brother,
ColOnna the arrest of COlonn0 and his
sentence to death by the KING s command !;
overtures from the King to the prisoner Of
fering him pardon and release at the price
of Euadne' honor COlonna in terrible rage
is of course to reject this proposal, and by
Ludouico's counsel to murder theEing, upon
whose death he (Ludooico) as next in au-
thority will proclaim himself sovereign and
have obtained the qualification of his thirst
for revenge and satisfied his ambition for
power. BY means of forgery and treach-
erous deceit he contrives to make Vicentio
believe that Eradne has proved false to
him and transferred her affection to the
King, and Vicentio seeking the pres
ence of Epadne overwhelms her
with reproaches for her perfidy and re-
nounces her forever. Euadne, being found
Frustrated by grief and sense of insulted
innocence by her proud and passionate
brother, refuses to tell him the
truth, whereupon COlonna seeks it else
where, and, learning it, resolves to avenge
his sisters injury in Nicentio's life-blood.
They meet in mortal combat. Colonna
stabs Vicentio as he believes to the death,
and is borne off to prison and sentenced to
be beheaded. Then come the foul over
lures from the King. The maddened
brother falls into the trap set by the
crafty Ludouico, affects to accede to his
sovereign's proposal, and resolves on his
murder. Thus far the traitorous Ludouico' s
schemes have been completely success
full Their consummation is defeated by the
appearance of Euadne just as her brother
is about to seek the Kings bedchamber to
slay him. Eradne pleads with her brother
not to carry out his terrible design and
concludes by demanding that he send the
King to her. COlOnna wOnderingly and
reluctantly complies, resolving to conceal
himself within hearing, and to. kill
them both should the barter of his, sisters
honor be effected. This scene between
Eradne and the King in presence of the
statues of the formers ancestry is the
most effective in the play. 1t is at this
juncture that the daughter of a noble line
rises to the supreme height of outraged
wOmanhOod and her impassioned utter
ances, whitening scorn and magnificent
defiance cover the Knn with confrS;op