The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-11-04
BURR OAKS,
A short Sketch of the New Play
= That Appears at Woods Opera
House Monday and Tues
day, Nov. Sd and 4th.

A sensation Il play that does not oulrsga
the intelligent sens. Of probability is some
thing bot commyn. This is precis ly what
"Burr Oaks" as given at the grand Opera
house last evening, mSy be rmed.
deals in part with a superlatively Ameri
can Them, the heroic boys in blue and the
despicable bounty jumper, and i, j, written
by two Americans. But since the days Of
Boucicault's romantic Irish plays 10th ng
has been seen irpm the pen of an Ameri-
can author which is as picturesque and al
The same time sers tional. L. has been
compared to the "Silver King" and is
strongly suggestive of that popular p ay /;
but the similarity, if similarity it can be
called, il only in the senti mentsl episodes
of "Burf Oaks" return to his wife am
child, and is no doubt purely accident.l
The ar,ling aud chief incidents of the pic
are within the bounds OF probability.
Burr Oaks" loves his newly made bride
but seeing her in a lonely place with a
former lover, who has followed her, he at
tenn pts to strike down the man whom he
telieves to be his enemy. The blow, how
ever, is received by the young husbands
own grandfather. Believing himself a
murderer he fees, after bidding HE wife
adieu, and enl SITS. He is reported killed,
add for nine years the lonely wife watches
her little by grow up 10 a bright lad
who's. features ever recall % her tie dear
absent one Act /. Depicts a beautiful
home scene in the lowly hut of the young
c uple. Act III. Is the seine OF the return
Of the blue coa,ei wsndeTer. The mention
of the name OF the Will e In which lie is,
revesls to him that his wife may be N. ar.
The old tsvern-kespsr gives him shelter,
but he rushss out TO escape being nesr
those whom he loves, but TO whom he
does not speak. He manages to kiss
his wife's hand, AMI the child il
taken to bed. When the old tavern is
wrapped In silence, everybody having gone
10 bed, be returns 10 kiss his child, and
when he comes out of the lstter's room,
the inmates Of the tavern, among whom is
the bounty Jumper ard thief, assault him
under The telief that he is robb-r, snd
amid TIE excitement, "Burr Oaks" cries
out: Eyes, / am a thief i have stolen
kiss from q child" The eff-ct is good and
the audience re..demanded The rabltau, as it
did sIl in the play. His wife does not
know him, but the next morning she re-
c.ives note to meet him In the Iuirs of sn
old mill. Here 'Hartst )ne," the villain,
meets her. "Msrgie," the vile, is abou; 20
be throttled by the villain, but "Burr Oaks"
rescu,s her, aud The recognition of ihe hus-
band by tie wife is effected. The villain
thu Jumps from the door Of the oil mill
But Burr Oaks" rescues him in a water
scene, river into which they have swan
from the old mill, and perche1 on a CON-
venisnt rock in Underwater, With the de-
voted wife IN a boat rowing To her hus-
bands rescue, he cries out. 81 have saved
him TO save myseliw Ii the last act
everything Turns out satisfactorily. Poetic
Justice is done ali sround, and the suiii or
rises from his Or, M tic feast feeling that
ne may have slightly CveIlC AIDED himself,
but, rs at-d al .bs beginning of this sr,i-
Gle. with his weiI-formed sense If suffi-
cheney moi al all outraged. This is nece>-
ssrily on'y brief outline OF the play. /
is full, uot surfeIted with sent meaI, Its mo-
tive Is huplan anG Is s. mes are pathetic,
but freely relieved with comedy Tie char
acters are we'll drawn and well acted
PictoTial!y the Pic. commands the fullest
sdmirai0 The scene painter is CON-
Spicuous in the play. 1t Is noteworthy,
however. that the artist of tn. brush hiss
not "written up "Burr Oaks" hut that
the rum, rous beautiful picturss and high
ly effective tableaux shown tall naturally
INFO their places as parts OF harmonious
whole. Ii is cer,ain that more luxnrl-
O us or more eifeciive stage .tIirg has EOr
been shown on mis- stsge, as shown ty the
f.quelt enthusiastic demonstrations OF
approval iLdulged in By the great gather
ing of sightse-rs which witnessed the melO-
drama. -Brooklyn Esgle. September 10.