The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-19
lister WEEKS NEW PLAYS.
~.R NH ODRIMI AND TWO COMO
"" ,riEIS LAST NI0HT

alag n late Spring Season with Mech
fa,,, .tcross the Potouse." By An.
ST.. ruou and Edward M, Aifrieads
ss-.s,crd E,nborntciy at Froctor's.
,..,,r Monday brought about n marked
..,ysl in ,hc ,itical affairs. Besides the new
ru vi las, ryaning. several REVEALS OF old
..o. were Important. and altogether late
w. ,c season was started with much spirit
W',' ,roui,n rhc renewal OF Reilly and
ioo" ,, iiarrigan's. restored to that
s.se one Of ia characteristic successes In the
wa .,.rol " humor in our city life. The fresh
ppr.rinc a, the l}iiou brought into broadway for
W. sn'I o,st tin.n Fanny Rice and "A jolly Bur-
%.e"n conjunction Of merry actress and
pp,.,r srryir able farce that had already
rha shortened and amended version OF
.snooks" at the Union Square was distinct
.nroycment upon the original form OF Bar
ads New England comedy. Most interesting
= tho familiar theatrical things that began
s.,in, however were tho Charles Frohman
~ company in The Lost Paradise" at the
Sor,em opera House and tho game managers
sacial company In MIR. wilkinson's Widows I"
: porrmanu's. In these two plays we have
...in the lest serious drama and the best
.omic comedy from out OF tho past seasons
Humnhs in this city. They are alike in one
.t,onlor respect. In each instance for
sen niece provided the basis upon which
Ssver American drnmatist built UP work
,hIch became largely original before 1t was
somnle,ed De Mile in the drama and Gillette
= An, comedy distinguished themselves brill
nAnty.
The one important new drama OF last even
,,p was Across tho Potomac" u war piece by
Iprustus pi,on and Edward NJ. Alfriend. pro-
dured at Proctor's Theatre very carefully and
sfactiyely as to acting and scenery. 1t was a
.uccess in popular and melodramattc
vny The authors had not tried to
make another Held by the Enemy or
.sheran,loah." They had placed their work
On lower level. purposely and adroitly. 40 It
seemed They had filled 1t with commo-
Hon from soon after the start nearly to
the finish Little OF the very abundant filling
vas fine. and much was coarse. but all was
imbued with human nature. and the delivery
OF the matter to tho audience was by meth.
OILS so direct and forcible that there
eould DO no loss Of effect through
misunderstanding There were many per-
sons in the parquet who affected to disdain
this play, but they could not help being moved
deeply ut times by its more powerful scenes I.
end as for the folks In tho gallery. they were
delighted unanimously
The story Of Across the Potomac" reached
clear through the war. for 1t began in AIassa-
clu-e,ts homestead before the outbreak Of the
gel, ion. and ended on the day OF Ices sur
to aa The ,S psy In cS %hfa Is
yin be. In the present instance the
s nS%nh fS He spSssSna to
prisoner and she visits him in the guise Of a
nurse. He escapes upd Is recaptured with
sriMn2tns papers on nm. ana Is h eondisman ns
Ing things happen. Two minor couples
al aHt the IDEAS Readily Se saaasessed By 'f the
all they. are worth and little more: There
todes are nearly spoiled by being overwrought,
hut these faults are remediable. and after their
9Sa W smsr Win sba
likely to be eyer acted in Broadway
a S 81 esa S9st Yss sGeS Ths
Hse on a broad landscape At the time Of
shooting a trio Of spies was omitted,
By first night mishaps. But even SO. ACROSS
regulars from, Governors Island were en-
clustering OF Northampton recruits to the
representation OF an attack on the headQuar-
tiers Of a rebel genoa this latter scene being
pictured! the people on the stage were man.
aged with skill.
The members were good, bad. and Indifferent,
and the lnte termination Of the perform
ance does not permit Of PARTICULAR.
zation. Henrietta Lander and Alice
Fischer were the feminine leaders as
to roles and talents. Robert $. Hilliard had to
wear black patch over an eye that had been
burned by gunpowder at arehearsal.an II i'm
paired his good looks. until the hardships OF q
Southern prison did him much mimic damage.