Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-04

aFriepds," four-act drama by Edwin
Milton Royle, was performed for the hrst
time in Pittsburg at the Alvin Theater last
night. 1t is the work of q young man, and
it is a new play, although the material OF
which it is built has served for many an
other dramatic edifce. The play is, inter-
esting from beginning to end; so far it is
unusual and admirable. There are no
scenes that positively bore one, and there
are many that are amusing, and one or two
that are honestly moving, in "Friends. "
Fairly it cannot be said to be the great
American play which We have waited tor,
10, these many years. but it is remarkably
clever first attempt, and decided improve
ment upon the plays of its class which are
yearly imported from England, and which
usually require several tanks, rolling
mills. steamers, balloons railroads or
other realistic agents to buoy them
up. Mr.. Royle is entitled to the credit OF
having created three or four reasonably
life-like characters and plot with rather
novel motive, namely the self-sacrlnclne
love of one man for another. Not every
dramatist can say that his first effort is re-
markable for its coherency, its direct, we'll
iointed story and its crisp dialogue, but
Mr. Royle can say all of this, or believe
others if they tell him so.
The story of Friends" very briefly runs
thus: A musician and poet, who live in
a garret on the divine afflatus and such fill
ing food principally. fall in love with the
same prima donna, Marguerite Otto The
poet, John Pdden, has such a real affection
for his chum Kd,je, the musician, that he
allows the latter a clear course for the
rafr q
love, but her father who is an opium-eating
old drunkard and an embezzler to boot,
wants her to marry a wealthy rascal named
Hunting. Papa Otto sits down on haiJeS
suit and makes Marguerite give him up for
the rather thin reason that her mother was
not properly married to some German
nobleman in her youth. Then Hunting plies
the old reprobate Otto with whiskey and
opium and conceals him in his chamber.
Thither Marguerite comes to see her father at
night, and is found there by harje who
denounces her as a light woman. At this
moment Paden show up Hunting'S netarious
treatment of old Otto, and Hunting in the
Bcuflle tries to shoot Kdre but is disarmed
bv Pades. The flash of the revolver, how
ever, blinds Karje OF course, Hasating'S
vlllainy is patent to all, and it is easy for
Padee to bring Marguerite and her blind
lover together.
The opening scene of the play, showing
the vicissitudes of two young Bohemians,
reduced to one decent suit of clothes be-
tween them, is broadly humorous. Some
of the incidents are even farcicaL Pddes
disguises himself as his landlady, and not
the most delicate joke in the world is his
attempt to attain a feminine fullness of
contour by stuffing a hustle into the
bosom of the dress. In act III
the atmosphere remains mild and
musical. A terrific change comes with act
III, which is melodramatic enough to lead
up to one of the largest-sized tanks or even
an express train 'dashing across the stage
at full speed The finale of this act would
be lurid enough without the red fire. In
idyllic. So the spectator is likely to be a
little puzzled to explain what kind of play
he has seen. The strong points are as has
been said the dialogue generally, the situa-
tions sometimes and smaller episodes
oftener still
The play was we'll acted last night. The
author, Mr.. Royle, also filled the chief
role, that of the poet. Mr.. Royle's acting
is like his play, good in spots, very good
now and then. He makes the Bohemian
poet a great deal cleaner than we have ever
found him; his hair nicely oiled and parted
in tine middle, his mustache ''divinely"
curled, even when starvation is looking in
at the door, and air more buoyant and
optimistic than the premises appear to war
rant His encounters with his brusque but
generous old father were as good as any
thing in the piece. Tt is pleasant charac-
ter, however. all through, and Mr. Royle
puts much life into it, and on occasion a
softness as winning as it is never
theless masculine The other friend,
hdrje the musician, happily falls to Lucius
Henderson, who really plays admirably
upon the piano. Mr.. Henderson presents
bundle of nerves and acute sympathies.
Incidentally he played Liszt's sixth rhap-
sody SO we'll that the audience applauded
and he gave the Swedish We'd
ding Mar n" with delightful delicacy of
expression. Another musical air that
figures prominently in the piece is Tosti's
''6Sod-bye," a lovely thing, which Miss
Selena Fetter sang In the second act Miss
Fetter played the prima dopna Marguerite
with much truer appreciation of the
typical stage goddess than most actresses
q lovable woman in the first and lady in
the second. Miss Fetter's repression of
tone in her short passionate scenes was
highly artistic, and she made some of the
strained passages seem almost natural Mr.
Theodore Hamilton was excellent as John
Pddea, .sr. The delirium tremens is
not any pleasanter on the stage
than it is off, but Joseph Wheelock
depicted it and the effects of opium-eating
with fidelity, and as that was all he had to
do he is entitled to everybody's sympathy.
Mr.. Handyside was pretty good in the con-
ventional and strictly impossible character
of the wealthy villain. The scenery pro-
vided by the Alvin Theater was very good.
A large audience showed every symptom of |
enjoying the play. and several curtaln-calls |
were rendered the actors |
The Duquesne Theater.
Taken in its entirety the revival of 1.-THE |
Tarfar,, nj h~ L