The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-03-04
MUSIC AND DANA.
Money Mad.

Money Mad.
''Money Mad" Steele Mackaye's melo-
drama of Standard theatre fame, will be
produced at the Portland Theatre on this
and Saturday evenings, with Saturday
matinee. Since the piece was last seen
the dialogue has been revised, the dra-
matte situations re-arranged and the eli
makes strengthened. All the scenery
is the same as it was in the original pro-
duetion A number of specialties have
been introduced. Some plays are built
around sawmills, others have live dogs
and horses as the principal feature, still
others depend on tanks OF real water for
an excuse to live. "Money Mad' has its
bridge. The play is one of those strange
things that are called melodramas. Most
plays of this pattern come from England,
but this one is of native growth, and for
that reason an improvement on the inn
ported article. 1t was written by Steele
Mackaye, who is an excellent dramatist.
Therefore it contains none of the crudi-
ties and roughness that are supposed to
cling about melodramas. Still even a
skilled stage writer could not build
play of this sort and always be- consist
ent and sometimes Mr.. Mackaye wan
ders away from things probable inf"Mon-
ey Mad" The play opens with a con
ventional struggle between the villain
and the hero for the possession of the
heroine. The heroine chooses love rath-
er than riches, and of course that is
where the trouble begins, only to end in
the very happiest of fashions after five
acts of suffering.
The County Fair.
One of the sensations of the current
theatrical year will be the holding of
1.-THE County Fair at Portland Theatre,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday of next
week. The central figure in this play is
an elderly spinster, prim, prudish and Sc
verely practical, by name Abigail Prue.
Her quaint humor springs from guile
lessness, and her sincere anxiety for the
welfare of those about her is touching
and amusing. Abigail adopts two waits,
Tim and Taggs, who she finally discov-
ers are relatives. Tim has been jockey
and he soon learns that Miss Prue's colt
Cold Molasses has speed and trains him
for the big race at the county fair. Abb
gail is threatened with the loss of her
farm through foreclosure of mortgage,
but Tim wins the race and purse, and so
averts the calamity. In one scene are. a
husking bee and an old fashioned coun-
try dance, but the Overwhelming episode
is a running horse race. Three flyers
are ridden by jockeys at full tilt. The
realism and the thrill of this scene are
astonishing. The sale of seats has be-
gun.
Cynthia's Lovers.
On next Monday. and Tuesday evenings
at Portland Theatre, Charles Barnard,
author of the County FAIR will pre-
sent his latest success, 'sCynthia's Low
ers.'' The comedy is beautiful story
of rural New England life with a beauti-
full love story running through it, replete
with fables and humors. The company
is very strong and they carry all the
scenery and mechanical effects used in
the production.
A Parlor Match.
Evans and Hoey will produce the great
success, "a Parlor Match" in the Stock
bridge Pops next Wednesday, and as an
extra ON Thursday next. The Provi-
dence Dispatch says:
1t is not difficult to class Messrs.
Evans and Hoey. They are the best
comedians working in this line in this
country. Mr.. Evans, as 1. McCorlzer, the
book agent, gave a performance delight
full in its neatness and screamingly fun
ny in every one of those antics charac-
teristic of all his work Mr.. Hoey is
irreproachable in everything he does.
He is extremely droll and his humor is
of that quiet nature which never fails to
cause uproarious merriment. His new
topical song is the best he ever had, and
was received with shouts of laughter.
The company, in every member, is far
above the average, and renders perfect
At the performance of the 'Ancient |
Mariner" by the Haydns the solo parts
will be taken by Mrs. Fellows, soprano;
Miss Eta Rice, contralto; Mr.. Barnard,
tenor, and Mr.. Merrill bass.