The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-04-18
TWO EVENINGS OF THE DRAMA.
The Elkton Dramatic ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
lent Acting-HandsOme Scenery-APpro-
PIRATE Costunes-A Splendid Orchestra,
IT,


pirate Costu,nes-A Splendid Orchestra,
Etc, Etc.
The piay-loving portion of this commu-
nifty was this week treated to two decidedly
enjoyable evenings by the Elkton Amateur
| Dramatic Association. The weather upon
the first evening was positively eastly-of
such nature that the greatest attraction
III the world would likely fail to Graw out
a large audience; yet, notwithstanding this
| fact, the house was hree-fourths filled.
Upon the second evening" Thursday there
was no reason in the world why the house
should not have been crowded, and we So
expected to see it. The audience upon the
first evening was delighted with the per-
| formance, and the excellence OF the plays
produced and the admirable manner in
| which they We're cast and rendered had
| gone forth and been repeated from mouth
to mouth; yet there We're lew, if any, more
present on the second than upon the first
evening. We cannot account for this upon
any other hypothesis save the impscuni-
osiry of theatre-goers in this community,
|
cause, for if a circus were to put up its can
vas here tomorrow it would be crowded
We don't know the cause, and as
we are not much at guessing, we give it
| up. The members of the Association spared
neither pains nor expense in perfecting the
arrangements for the production of the three
| plays rendered. The scenery was appro-
| pirate and handsome The costumes in
| nearly every case were exactly what they
| should be. The orchestra, led by Richie,
was the best ever inside the building, and
the members of the company were well up
| i'll their parts.
| There is one cause which tended no doubt
to keep down the size of the audience,
! we had almost forgot to mention-that is,
the farmers are all very busy at work now
blowing and very rarely will one be found
| who will drive his horses at night after
days work at the plew. 1t was noticeable
| that there We're very few country people
| present either evening.
During the two evenings three plays were
| rsnaered-the drama of Robert Macaire,"
with a different atter-pece each evening.
The cast in ''Robert Macaire," which We
| have given before, as follows: Ger
meuil Ga wealthy farmer), Henry NJ. Nc
Cullough; Dumont Gan inn keeper), II. NJ.
Nicols, Jr.; Robert Macare (under the as
sumed name of Redmond), E. f. Taggart;
jacques Strop (under the assumed name of
Bertrand), Harry G. Hurn; Charles (the
| cd cd of
| Pierre (head waiter), Il. ID. Rowland; Ser
seant Loupy, r. E. Strickland; Marie (the
deserted wife of Macalre), Miss Annie j.
Smith; Clementine, Miss Lizzie Hutton;
| gendarmes, walters, villagers, SC. The
opening scene of the drama is the gathering
at the inn of Dumont to witness the mar
riage of Charles to Clsmentine daughter of
Gsrmeuil. About the time of the beginning
| of the festivities on the day previous to the
wedding Macaire and Jacques Strop chance
that way, and put up at the inn. and about
| the same time Marie, outcast and friendless,
| is found upon the highway and brought in
and cared for. Macaire and Strop witness
| an interview between Germeuil and Du-
mont, and discover that the former has in
his possession a large amount of money.
| That night they murder and rob him, and
| Marie is charged with the crime. The char
acters of Macaire and Strop are discovered,
and in an attempt to escape the former is
shot, and before he dies is reconciled with
his wife, confesses the murder, and all is
happy. This is the plot, very briefly stated.
All the characters were admirably sus-
tanned, Miss Annie j. Smiths Marie, and
| Miss Hutton's Clementine, were almost
faultless, save that in the first named case,
the force of the character was somewhat
The male characters were also all that could
be asked for. Mr.. Mccullough personates
the elderly gentleman to life. Mr.. SCOTS
Charles was excellent, and Mr.. Bowlands
Pierre, very amusing. Mr.. Nicols looked
the hospitable host that his prototype was,
and Sergeant Loupy commanded his battal-
ion of gendarmes like an old soldier.
Mr.. Taggart's Macaire, was so lifelike
that his audience were ready to believe
that the cold blooded william himself was
kept the audience in roars of laughter when
ever he was upon the stage The breakfast
scene with the Gendarms was simply side
splitting. Altogether the play was most
admirably rendered.
For an afterpiece on Wednesday evening
the farce of ga Regular Fix was rendered.
The cast was as follows: Mr.. Hugh De
Brass, Mr.. Johr S. Writ; Mr.. Surplus "a
| lawyer, Mr.. George Il. Ash. Charles Sur
plus CHS nephew, Mr.. Henry NJ. McCul-
Tough; Abel Quick CLERK to Surplus), Mr..
K. ID. Bswland; Smiler Ga Sheriff's Otficer)
Mr.. H. NJ. Nicols, Jr.; Porter, Master H.
Nelson; Mrs. Surplus, Hiss Annie j. Smith,
Emily, Miss Lizzie Merritt; Mrs. Deborah
| Carter (housekeeper to SurpluS), Miss
Nettie Mcfarland; Matilda Jsne, Miss
Lizzie Hutton. This was an exceedingly
| funny little play, an excellent cure for dys-
pepsia and melanchola. OF the acting of
Air. Writ as De Brass, too much cannot be
said in commentator. He did it, as he
does all that he undertakes, like an old
veteran on the stage. His manners are
easy and graceful, and he enters fully into
the spirit of the character, SO much so that
to his audience 1t does not appear to be
| representation they are witnessing, but the
vertaDe De Brass himself before them. Had
Mr.. Writ adopted the profession of an actor
instead of becoming disciple of the law
he would certainly have taken fully as
leading place in that profession as he has
in the one he adopted. All the other char
acters were eXcellently sustained. Mr.. Geo.
K. Ash's, "Mr Surplus" ranking second
only to Mr.. Wirt's De Brass.
The afterpiece for the second evening was
also side splitting little farce, entitled
''The Widows Victlm.'' For this the fol-
lowing cast Of characters was made: Mr..
Twitter "a married gentleman-sxtremel
irritable and jealous), Mr.. Z. +. Taggart:
Mr.. Byron Tremaine Pelham Podge Ga
single sentleman-extremey polite, fash
ionable and nervous), Mr.. r. D. Rowland:
Jeremiah Clip Ga BARRIERS Clerk and Anna
teur Actor--extrenely initiative, useful and
impudent), Mr.. George Il. Ash; Mrs. Rat
Teton Ga young widow-extremely hand
some accomplished and irrssistible). Miss
Lizzie Merritt; Mrs Twitter Ca married
lady-eXtremey amiable, forgivinp and af
fectionate), Miss Lizzie Hutton; Jane Chat
terley Ga lady's maid--extreme,v sensitive
literary and atfectionate), Miss Annie
Jane SMITH In this play every
character has something to do, there
being no figure heads. Mr. Byron Ire
maine Pelham Podge, "a dude of the dudes,
IN his efforts to make love TO tina charming
IL lttl at