The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-21

ER's DAUGHTER. Bronson Howard's ~
mantle drama was presented for the nrs'
time In Richmond ut the Richmond Theatre
last evening. 1t was very handsomely put
upon The stage by Mr.. Golfers strong com
pany, OF wbirh the following IS the cast:
John Strebelow, F. G. Bangs; q. Wash.
ington PhIpps, Charles WaIcot; the Count
de Careiac, signor Majeroni; Lawrence
Westbrook, Il. L. Tilt0n; Mr.. Babbage,
Harold Forsberg; Harold Routledge, A. Il.
Stuart; Mr.. Brown, Joseph A. Wilks; DIR.
Watson, George B. Dickson; NJ. M0ntvll-
lais, Walter Collier; JerroId, I. Mcbride
Lillian, the Bankers Daughter, Miss Annie
Boyle; Florence ST. Vincent Brown, Mrs.
Charles Walcot; Mrs. Fanny Holcome,
Mrs. Mary Bankson; Lisette, Miss Lizzie
Hudson; NataIia, Lillian's daughter, little
Edna Bankson.
There was, considering the inclement
night, aud the operate attraction at the
Mozart a very fair audience present, and
they testified their appreciation Of the per.
formance by frequent applause.
The play is clever OF its kind, being q
siX-act romantic drama, In which the
author has happily succeeded In giving to
the plot coherency and naturalness, and,
above all, an interest that Is kept up
throughout. Ii has, moreover, some fine
dramatic situations and good dialogue.
10 the opening act "Lawrance West
brook" the banker, induces his daughter,
Lillian, TO marry John Strebel0w, thereby Sc
himself from ruin.
In the second act, the scene being changed
to Paris, Lillian Is the wife OF John Strebe'
low, but has still In her heart. unknown TO
herself, lingering love for Harold Rout-
ledge, whom she had Tilted 10 marry Strebe-
low for her fathers sake. De CarOjac, whom
Lillian had rejected in America, still pur-
sues her with jealous eye, and is q witness
to her meeting with her oti lover, in which
she explains for the first time the reason
why she had abandoned him.
In the third act mt the house OF the Amer l.
can minister "a scene which was beautifully
set last EVENING", De Carojac taunts Harold
Routledge with his love, and Harold, to
keep LiIian's name out OF the affair, cbal-
lenges De Carojac for insulting words about
America and the flag. They fight, and
Routledge is mortally wounded, Lillian ar
irving on the scene only in time TO see bin
fall. Her love is discovered, but StrebeIOw,
knowing his wife's purity and loyalty, de-
clares bis faith mistaken and tenderly
takes her home. There in her b0udiOr
be learns from her lips how he and she had
been deceived by her father. Lillian had re-
fused to accept bis proposal unless her
father would tell him frankly that she had
only ber hand TO give. This was not done.
The father even denied that Lillian knew oi
his financial embarrassments, and Strebe-
low was confident that be bad no rival in the
affections of the woman he loved. Discover
ing now their common misery, he leaves
Lillian, telling her that he will never see
her again until her heart speaks to him and
calls him back TO her. In the last act Lillian
is de,olate and almost hopeless. She knows
that her feeling for Routledge was only Il
schoolgirls fancy, and that she has grown
to love her husband passionately; but her
wOman's pride will not permit her To recall
him. The artless wiIes OF her little daugh-
ter bring father and mother together again,
and everybody is made happy.
| All the parts were well lmpers0nated, and
the company has in II not one star alone,
but four or five. To many OF his friend,
land they are numerous in Richmond) who
had known Mr.. Bangs only in the Roman
toga Of the old standard plays. it was a mat
ter of surprise TO see in HIM so easy and ef-
fecLive an actor in the modern school OF
drama. He was called before the curtain
last night at the end Of the 6ith act, and
when it went down on the last scene OF the
play the boys in the gallery shouted
for speech from him. Mrs. Walco'
is consummate actress, and filled the rae
OF Florence with clever conception and
fine effect. The acting, too, Of Mr.. WalcOi
was capital. Signor MsjerOni is an artist OF
decided ability, and he gave 10 the Count
de CarOjac" an intensity that must have
more than satisfied the ideal OF the author
Miss Aunie Boyle is a pretty, fresh, young
actress. and in some scenes her impersona
ton Of Lillian was very good indeed. We
thought at times she oyerdld slight
ly the parting scene in the fifth act
Tie Babbage OF Mr.. Forsberg was well
conceived and acted, while in the "Mr
Brown" OF Mr.. Wilks the exaggerated ut
terlnces of the d crepit old man did no
always find a correspondence in action
The other roles were acceptably filled.
The Bankers Daughter will be repeated
to night, tomorrow night, and Saturda!
matinee. 1t is good play, handsomel,
performed, and well worth seeing.