Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-11

/ Hoyt is chiefly known still as the writer
of farces-plays that are built upon pat
tern patented by their author and more sue
| cessful than any other form of contemporary
drama. But he has in the last two or three
years shown that he is ambitious to figure
as playwright of great dignity, and ga
| Midnight Bell" and ga Texas Steer" es-
pecially the former, contained serious in
terest and character and plot far more care
fully drawn than any of their farcical pred
ecessors had boasted. But "a Midnight
Bell" was not exactly in tune, and
ga Texas Steer ran back kwards sometimes;
Mr. Hoyt seemed hardly sure of his legs OH
the high seas of legitimate comedy. But
he evidently did not despair, for last night
at the Duquesne Theater he exhibited q
better work, as it seems after but one faulty
rendering, than anything he has vet done
The play is called "a Temperance Town"
it is matter of superstition with Mr..
Hoyr, apparently, to use the indefinite
article "a" for the initial word of all his
titles. He can afford to be superstitious.
ga Temperance Town." the programme
informs US, "a more or less truthful pre-
sentation of certain phases and incidents of
life, relating to the sale and use of liquor,
The description is more truthful than most
programme guide-posts are. The treatment
of much of the life is really faithful, and
though q rich wash of humor covers the
picture, many of the characters are true to
nature, to Vermont nature especially. The
plot of the play is not deep nor of much
importance in reality. A clergyman and
collection of cold water cranks
are pursuing crusade against
liquor in the village. The daughter of the
clergyman tries to give the saloon keeper o
tip of the threatened raid, and does actually
minister to the rumseller's sick child. Her
clerical father discovers her sympathetic
action and turns her out of doors on Thanks
giving Day. She falls on the snow outside
the church in which her father is denounc-
ing the drinking man as heartless brute,
and the town drunkard covers her with his
coat and tEcn carries her home. The
contrast between practical and i'm
practical humanity is sharp, of
course, and the morality, if
trife shaky, is not devoid OF
real value. The curse of any sort OF crank
tyranny is pictured in clear colors; and the
hypocritical reformer is lashed without
mercy. This will be fully appreciated in
Pittsburg. and the enthusiastic applause of
last nights audience showed that the play
appealed strongly to local sympathies.
The performance began at 10 minutes to
9 owing to the train bringing the company
being late. The play was well acted
on the whole, though some OF the
cast are tar above their fellows. The
work OF George Ober, first as the oldest in
habitant and then as the judge, was excel
lent. Better character acting has not been
seen here for years. His senile song II
feel as young as L used to be" was framed
in wealth Of graphic expression and by
play, all illustrative of q clipper old age.
George Richards was almost as clever as
Mink" the town drunkard, and Eugene
Garfield was as grotesque as ever in one OF
his familiar boyish roles which
permitted him to sing "When Pop
was a little boy like me-" Miss
Elsie Lombard was very sweet and natu-
rally powerful as the clergyman's S daughter
and Miss Evelyn Proctor was clever in a
light role. ALI the play was spplauded
loudly,