The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-09
Hghes. of all Ieavenng Power-Laes U. S Govt Report
R3H!Az.!!! R RsslHS
ABSOLUTELY PURE
ANIUSENENTS.



Denman Thompson's native American
play. ''The Old Homestead" as presense1
at the Seattle theater last night was =
splendid success. The house was hiisu
with an audience that appreciated the
clever representations OF the CENTER sac
of the New England Yankee. and especlai-
~ the wonderful transition from numor
70 pathos of George w. Wilson as Joshua
whitcomb. the central figure OF the play.
The Characterization were exceileht Will
out exception. and all won merited APP
plause. The singing OF the male oounis
quartette was far ahead Of anything heara
here in many a dag. and was ehcoled
again and again. r. J. jose, the counter
tenor and soloist. was splendid.
The stage setting and scenery were true
TO life, particularly the vision Joshua mas
of his son in a New York barroom' so
wildly and beautifully given by the aid
of the stereopticon. The play is genuinely
American. being written by an American
and dealing with distinctly American
characters and for this reason is douoiy
refreshing to those who have seen niue
but foreign plays of late. There can De
little doubt of the success of the company
during its stay in Seattle
OF course, through all four acts George
Wilson as Joshua Witcomb is the star,
but in the first act J. L. Morgan as Eb
Ganzy, the overgrown gawk or farm
boy who continually whistles, created
much amusement. and Cy Prime, VINO
courted Aunt Matilda Whitcomb kept the
house in a roar. The dialogue between
Happy Jack who was depicted by Frank
Thompson and Joshua was full OF Wit and
touches of pathos that brought tears IN
the midst of laughter. In the storm scene
with which the act ended the thunder,
lightning and especially the downpour or
rain were wonderfully true, even to the
beating Of the water on the ground, which
could he distinctly heard.
Marie Kimball as Aunt Matilda,
Blanche Dayne as Rickety Ann. Ethel Or
monde as Annie Hopkins, Minnie Luck
stone as Maggie O'Flaherty. and Augusta
Schiller as Nellie Freeman were all good.
In thu second act, representing the Hop
kins mansion in New York city, Joshua
kept every one laughing harder and hard
err, till the climax when he thought the
house afire and burst in en- dishabile on
the singing of the Midnight Fire Alarm"
which r. e. Rogers as Judge Patterson
gave with true expression.
Those who knew Grace church recog-
nized it in the third act Immediately, for
its appearance was perfectly reproduced.
No New Yorker could doubt for a mo-
ment where he was, for the familiar APP
pie vendor, the Salvation Army, the
copper" the bully all were there on the
pavement before the grand old ediflce,
from which issued the sweet strains of
sacred music and the voices OF the singers
of the Palm service, rendered by r. j.
Jose and the "Old Homestead" choir.
In the fourth and last act Charles Fl.
Clark as Seth Perkins and W. NJ Cressy
as Cy Prime convulsed the audience by
their antics. They were marvellously
made up and perfect in their parts. The
singing was delightfully."- sweet and sad,
and every one from Pat Clancy to Eb
Ganzy and Aunt Matilda to Rickety Ann
did nobly. The scene ended with the jol-
Hest kind of old-fashioned breakdown,
celebrating at once Christmas eve and the
return of Reuben Whitcomb