The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-01
"swEET LAvENDER."
Pinero's Delightful Play Brilliantly Pr
sented ut the Opera-house.

Pinero's Delightful Play Brilliantly Pre-
sented ut the Opera-house.
"sweet Lavender at the Seattle opera-house
last night drew an audience nearly a. large and
quite az enthusiastic az that present at "The
Wife, the night before In this second per-
Torrance of Frohman's Lyceum Theater Com
pany the effect of Mondays brilliant success
was deepened.
The cast was a. follows:
Horace Bream, young American
Geoifrey wsdderburn, OF wediderburn. Green
d Hoskett, bankers, Bafnchester. ......:.
Clement Hale, his adopted son. studying for ,,r.
Dick phenyi. barrister. Nv. j. LsNoyns
Dr. Delaney, a fashionable physician :n..
Mr. Bulrer h.trdre..er and wif Enssss ormon''
Minnie GiIfilian, niece of wedderburn.-
Ruth Rolt, housekeeper and "Iaundrsss' at
Three Brain Court Temple w:,,o,
Lavender her daughter Ars ch piie shsnnon
Mrs Gilfllian, q widow, wedderburns sis
ter, mother of Minnie $3.50. Mrs. T. Whifen
This play, by A. W. Pinero, luckily depends
very little upon scenic appliances, though OF
course it Is capable of being superbly set. But
the interest Is in the drama ITSELF The plot In
its essential elements 10 by no means q new one,
and indeed it may be said that there is not a
single novel situation in it. This fact,
however, does not render It whit the
less enjoyable nor lessen its excellence
as a fine literary production. There are no
novel situations in life itself, for men love ana
lose and win and weep as they have done for
countless generations, and yet the world is as
full of romance as ever, and he who can weave
these worn, old threads into some such pattern
as that OF "Sweet Lavender" can write Q play
which will touch the heart.
The story is of young barrister, Clement
Hale adopted son of Godfrey Wedderburn,
banker. Hale, who 10 living in chambers at the
Temple with Dick Phenyl, falls in love with the
housekeeper's daughter, Sweet Lavender. At
the same time, his foster fathers sister, Mrs.
Gilillian, wishes him to marry her daughter
Minnie. But Minnie and Clement are
really not in love, and the former finally
accepts Horace Bream, the young American
swell who is doing London. Godfrey wedder-
burn ia opposed to having his son Clement
marry beneath his station, but the bank fails
and wedderburn and Clement are then left as
poor as the housekeeper and his daughter. Mr..
Wedderburn also discovers at the end OF the
play that Mrs. Rolf, Lavenders mother, is an
old love of his, and that Lavender is his own
daughter. general reconciliation follows, In
which the true daughter marries the adopted
son.
The play is an uncommonly clever one, and
the dialogue bright and sparkling The action
is rapid. the situations natual and the whole
coherent. Mr. Pinero has carefully pruned
away all excrescences everything that does not
go toward direct development of the plot that the
drama has much of the compactness and COM
pleteness in which such French writers as
Octave Feuillet excel.
The presentation was admirable in every re-
spect. Each member of the company was intel
igent, some of them were much more than that,
and as a result the production was smooth and
balanced.
Miss Georgia Cayvan as Minnie Gilfllian was
more charming than as Helen Truman in "The
Wife" She was no more beautiful than on
Monday night, but the part was more vivacious
and gave Miss Cayvan, who is naturally rather
dashing, better opportunity for the display OF
her powers. She was bewitching in manner,
and her love-making with Horace Bream while
amusing yet showed exquisite grace and feeling.
Among the men the chief honor was due to
W. J. lie Moyne, who was perfect az Dick
Phenyl-jovial, true-hearted, kind az q woman
and hopelessly fond of liquor The humor and
the pathos were mingled SO closely and so skill
fully that it was hard to tell where one ended
and the other began.
Mrs. T. Whiffsn was also perfect in the less ex-
acting role OF the scheming Mrs. Gilfllian. K.
j. Radcliffe was q clever, and at times, brilliant
Clement Hale. In the scene where he declares
his intention to marry Lavender in spite of his
fathers opposition, he was at his best. Mr..
Cnarles Naicott, as Geohrey Wedderburn,
and Mrs Walcot Al Ruth Rolf, more than
once moved the audience almost to tears The
part of Lavender was almost too quiet for Effie
Shannon; but yet she was a graceful and q
"sweet Lavender" Herbert Kelcey acted intelli-
gently as Horace Dream, but still he posed too
much and felt too little.
Tonight will be given "The Charity Ball" one
of the best plays now on the American stage
The cast 10 a. follows:
John Van Buren,, the rector. =. Herbert Kelley
Dick his brother, .............N Nelson Wheatcroft