The Portland daily press., 1890-10-21
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
RECKLESS TEMPLE

acts. written by Mr.. Augustus Thomas, was
produced at Portland Theatre last evening
for the first time In any city, by Mr.. j. M.
Hills selected company from New York.
The story of the play in brief is this:
Judge Hamlin, an ex-judge of New York,
has son, George. aged about % years. and
Dana, girl of 16 years, the latter a thor
ough home girl, sweet and unaffected.
George Hamlin and Edgar Temple were col
lege classmates. Edgar Temple is young
man Of great ability, a lawyer by profession,
whose hair turned white at the age of ten
years because he saw his father kill man.
The act of his father has injured him In the
eyes of society, and he has become cynical
In consequence and seeks Bohemian socie-
ty for his amusement. One day it happens
that creole by birth, named Jean Clautice
is put on trial for the murder of man, and
Judge Hamlin has been retained for his de.
fence Clautice's sister was betrayed by her
lover, and died, leaving child. That child,
while quite small. was abused by the man in
whose family she was employed, and Clau-.
tlce, having ascertained her whereabouts,
and witnessing her i'll treatment, has killed
the man who was i'll treating her. Judge
Hamlin being unable to defend Clautice,
Temple undertakes the defence, and Clau-
tice Is acquitted. But Clautice believes that
the betrayer of his sister was George Ham,
lin. Temple knows that he was, but he re-
solves to shoulder Hamlln's guilt and de-
clare himself the girls betrayer. All shrink
from him except Dana, who believes ia him,
and by her love takes all that is cynical and
vicious In his nature away from him, But
Judge Hamlin orders him from his house.
He goes. Jean finds Temple in his rooms,
brands him as a coward and strikes him.
Temple demands that duel shall be fought.
or rather that the one who draws marked
card from hat shall commit suicide. Jean
draws that card. Jean attempts his life, but
fails, and Dana nurses him back to life. He
then learns that it was George Hamlin, not
Temple, who betrayed his sister, but he de-
tsrmines to let Hamlin alone. OF course the
play ends happily. There are several other
characters introduced. each one of them
having his or her part in the development of
the plot.
The manner of Its presentation and the
warm appreciation shown by the large audi
ence must have been source of qualification
to the enterprising manager.
Mr.. Hill has spared neither pains nor ex-
pense in the formation of his company, and
the result is a combination of artists who
will. In all probability. carry Reckless Tenn
pie on the food tide of popularity for long
time to come. OF course the interest of the
evening conferred upon Barrymore, for whom
the part of Edgar Temple was especially
written. He was received warmly by the
audience, and his creation of the new role
was exceedingly strong. He is good, all
through but does by far his best piece of
work in the third act (by far the strongest of
the play) His figure and face are splendid
for the part. his voice fine, but his enuncia
tion perhaps trifle indlstinct. Doubtless
considerable of this was due to the nervous
ness incident to first performance. His
portrayal Is artistic In almost every respect.
At times he is grand. Miss Caroline Hill
will make the success of her life as Mrs.
Bllingsby. Her presen tation of that char
acter was artistic In the extreme, and won
the heartiest applause from the audience
The author has certainly been generous to
Mrs. Billingsby, and Miss Hill improves
every opportunity he has given the part with
a freshness and brightness that Is delightful
There is nothing to criticise in Miss HilPs
performance. Charles l.. Harris has a fine
part in Judge Hamlin. and plays with digni-
ty and force. Especially pleasing is his
work in the third and fourth acts. The
Judges friend and physician, Dr. baldwin,
is well done by Charles Smiley. The part
of Jean ClautIce in the hands of ap ordina-
ry actor would be failure, but Mr.. Joseph
Holland plays 1t finely. His recitals of
jeans story In the first act is beautiful, but
his opportunity is also In the fourth act, and
he makes the most of it. 1t would be hard
to better Mr.. Hollands performance. Frank
Lander has evidently caught the authors
meaning in the character of George Hamlin,
and his work would be hard to criticise. The
part of Dana, his sister, is undoubtedly one
OF the hardest in the piece, and 1t takes an
artist OF much ability to do it at all. Miss
Dallas Mclean, though suffering good deal
from nervousness. gave the part very good
portrayal. Her best bit was in the last act,
and her pathetic little dream song here was
exquisite. In the scenes with her father she
was particularly happy. Beaumont Fife,
the society dude, in the hands Of Mr.. Bel
KNAPP, received very creditable interDrcta-
tion, and the character is a strong one. Mr..
Forester gave delightful little bit of char
acter acting in his small part of the old col
ored servant, and Miss Bowling, Miss Cum
mings, Mr.. Pascoe and Mr.. Patten were
good respectively in the parts of Miss Tur-
ner. Miss Newcome, Granville Orion and
James.
The performance as whole, earring the
bitches and long waits always expected on
first nights. was very pleasing. The audi
ence was in hearty sympathy with the play
erS At the end of every act the performers
were called before the curtain, and at the
close of the third act the author had to APP
pear and bow his acknowledgements. AS we
have said, the third act is by far the strong
est OF the play; the climax here is grand,
the tableaux perfect. 1t is an act that
arouses the energies of the players to the ut
most. and 1t Is sure to create great enthusi-
asm. The play improves steadily from the
first act through the third. In the first two
acts continued performances will probably
cause some changes in the dialogue which
will be an Improvement. and the last act
might be made little stronger Reckless
Temple is success from the beginning.
The play is strong, the dialogue as whole
bright and witty, aud the situations ex-
tremely realistic. The company which Mr..
Hill presents is without question one of the
strongest in the country. All in all, last
nights performance was certainly fiatter-
Ing success, Everybody who went last ]
night should see Reckless Temple again
Wednesday or Thursday evening, and the
little flaws noticed last evening will not be
discernible then. Portland people should all
embrace the opportunity of witnessing this
finished production of what will undoubted-
ly prove one of the big successes of the sea-
son.
A DARK SECRET.
This play, with its wealth of incident, its
river of real water, its famous oarsmen, its
vocal quartette, etc., will be seen at Port
land Theatre next Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday evenings, Many new features
have been added. The first act, represent
ing Clayering Court, is enriched with
foontain of real water, which sparkles in the
rays of the calcium. The regatta scene is
alive with beats and gaily dressed women
and children. The Herbert Brothers. in
their acrobatic feats, and George Hosmer in
his racing shell, winning the diamond SOULS
for his friend Brooke, altogether form an
ideal pictuee of an exciting day at Henley