The record-union., 1896-11-27
ADJUSTMENTS.

There was a fairly good and
demonstrative audience in the Metro
polftan Theater last night to witness
the Sidney Ellis Company in Donnelly's
play, Darkest Russia The piece is
very handsomely mounted and has some
OF the most effective stage fittings and
change scenes that have been worked
mere in long time. In the third act, for
instance. there is revolving scene that
Is a gem in it's way. The play, which is
to be repeated tonight, is one of the
most pronounced sensational construc-
tions of the time. 1t is story of in
trigue, nihilism, love, political chicane,
revenge, treachery and the triumph of
virtue over vice imaginable 1t opens in
Russian palace and closes in a ST.
berian exile station. 1t involves Off
GERS, nobility Ministers of Police, proud
women, devoted lovers, treacherous
friends, plotting pihilists, heroism,
courage, privation, condemnation,
prison chains and injustice, and finally
justice and happiness. It is, in short,
full of romance of the modern sensa-
tional novel style, that deals with the
intrigues and tyranny of monarchical
courts. the ways of the secret police. the
administrative sentence ito Siberia, the
arts of bold, shrewd and designing
woman, and of self-sacrificing women,
too, as well as the wit of a travelling
American of the sort novelistS delight in
depicting in character sketches for the
delectation of foreigners and to tickle
our pride. There are two low comedy
characters in the play, both well taken,
and one of them oy Mr.. Ellis. who cap
italy fills the bill of the bold witty, devil
may-care American abroad, who woos
and wins a rich European widow, and
gratif1es his taste by spending her
money relieving unfortunates whom
Russian severity has visited 1t is an
intense play, and keeps the auditors in
telligence tense from the opening to the
close; withal, the romantic story is one
not so much improbable as one might
at first suppose, though there is enough
of the purely imaginative to make it an
eye-opener. The people of the company
are numerous, but not notable for spe-
cial dramatic genius, though it is to be
said that more faithful effort to in
terpret the text We have not witnessed.
Mr.. Ellis Septfmus Cobb, character of
the oldest sort-one that is forever get
ting into scrapes as Americans abroad
with nothing to do are supposed to do
is as full of wit and drollery as anyone
could desire. His foil is Madam Jor-
dan, a French widow, who copies Cobb's
AmericaniSms with the most ludicrous
results. NJ. ]. Jorden's Minister and
courier is well taken, a paSsionately
vigorous character, as full of energy as
fnfl Y a. 6nff fc 1fx
Hams Colonel Nazimoff proves him to
be an actor of quite good ability; it is
the best read character in the play. He
has excellent stage presence, a good
voice and an intelligent realization of
the demands of the part. Sc, too, has
Miss Herman of the very trying role
Of Ida. Miss Byron's Countess, the
cold, hard, cruel and scheming female
politician, who has weak and cow
ardly husband under her thumb in high
official station, is read with much
strength and feeling. The play is one
{ the order that does not command high
admiration for its literary merits, but
ought to satisfy the most exacting taste
of those who desire to see lurid, livid,
modern novel on Russia from the stand
point of the imaginative romancers, pre-
sented in dramatic form, handsomely
staged and with every detail worked
out with fidelity