Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-06-06
tn. METROPOLITAN 1HEArER.

Miss Claxton did not have 80 good house
on Saturday night as on Friday, but the play
was one which would have rewarded attend.
ance better than The Two Orphans" which
everybody is familiar with. 1.-THE Doubls
Marriage" is a dramatization of story
which Charles Reads first published under
| the name of "White Lies" It is very ex-
citing and well wrought drama, and the COM
plications of the plct are so great as to fix the
attention of the audience from beginning to
| end. 1t abounds in emotional tableaux, and
the story is developed with SO much skill that
it is scarcely possible for those unfamiliar with
it to guess the nature of the denouement in
advance. It was on the whole very well
PLAYED, and owed its success largely to the
! fact that Miss Claxton has succeeded in
getting together company OF conscientious
| and really capable actors and actresses. Miss
| Claxton herself was suffering from a severe
| cold, and as o consequence she was compelled
| to tone down her voice to such al extent that
some of the more impassioned parts of the
play were unduly softened Her Josephine,
nevertheless, was a very acceptable piece of
acting, and exhibited her special talent much
more strongly than the part of Louise in
| "The Two Orphans The Rose of Miss
johnson was also extremely good. This lady
has the ability to rise high in her profession.
The Jacintha of Miss Dollie Pike was an
agreeable and lively presentation of a
soub,ette part Mr.. Stevenson as Du Jardin
acted with less animation and energy than the
role seems to callfor, bat otherwise acceptably.
The Captain Raynal of Mr.. Edward Arnott
was exceedingly well done. This gentleman
is decidedly the strongest actor in Miss Clax-
toms company. Mr.. Gilbert made very
amusing part of Dard. Mr.. Burke as
Edouard Riviere came nearer the obnoxious
Characterization of ''stick" than was pleas
emit to witness. The other parts were all
respectfully filled, and the play was generally
well mounted. In fact there was but one
serious drawback to the evenings entertain
ment, and that was the orchestra. The
music was simply excruciating. The same
venerable tunes of whose dreariness in
Vulnerable sensitive cows must have died
in the past, were droned out in obstinate and
unimaginative iteration all through the even
ing. An orchestra which thought a modern
mazourka appropriate music for the Battle
Of Bosworth Field might indeed be expected
to do anything, but there is no reason why
the public should be constrained to sit and lis.
ten to its dismal discord forever. The
waits between the acts were much shortened
on Saturday, to the great relief of the audi.
ence. On Saturday afternoon Miss Clax-
ton PLAYED "Frou- Frou" to full
house. II is pity that the pro-
gramme had not been more
judicious one If for example the company
had opened with "The Double Marriage"
giving The Two Orphans" for the matt
nee, and "The Guv'nor on Saturday even
ing, there would have been no empty seats
on the latter occasion. Managers. if they
only knew it. can always fill the theatsr here
by giving the best and freshest plays in their
repertoire, but they cannot do 30 by billing
old pieces, in which nine-tenths of the the
ater-goers have seen a score of pop
ular actors and actresses. If we
are never to have a respectable theater in
Sacramento, it would seem at least possible
to compass the acquisition of some fresh seen
cry and a new drop curtain. Miss Clax.on
brought some new scenery with her, and this
did much to help along her performances. Mr..
Keene was obliged to use the old scenery, and
it sensibly damped his acting. AS for the
present drop curtain, it has become such an
eyesore that if there is any pride about our
Weather citizens they ought to raise sub
scription for new one.