Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-07
THINGS DRAMATIC.

"Shore Acres" James A. Herne'S de- lightful pastoral play. was produced for the second time in Birmingham at O'Bri- en's opera house last night to one of the best pleased audiences of the season.
 'Shore Acres" portrays rural New England life in a beautiful manner. It has no villain, but an unfortunate chain of circumstances leads to domestic com plications which drive the daughter from her home.
 The play opens with the presentation of a magnificent scheme for attaining wealth. Josiah Blake, postmaster and storekeeper, who has accumulated con- siderable wealth, conceiVeS a scheme for booming Shore Acres and thus enrich ing himself and Martin Berry, the owner of Shore Acres. Berry agrees to divide his land, the old family homestead, into town lots, and to secure the money to do so mortgages his home.
 Blake loves Berry'S daughter Helen and asks her to marry him. She loves Sam Warren, but her father objects to him and has ordered him to keep away from the house. Warren decides to go west and there try his fortune, but be- fore he departs is charged with stealing $100 from Blake'S safe. Before he can be arrested he and Helen are hurried away by Helen's Uncle Nathan'l. They are away for eighteen months and in the meantime the boom has collapsed and the land company failed. The mortgage Su on the homestead is almost due and Ber- fy sees inevitable ruin. It Is Christmas eve and Sam and Helen return and are welcomed by Helens father who for, gives all, and in so doing, confesses his ruin.
 At this point Uncle Nathanl receives letter informing him that back pension money due him would be forwarded on receipt of instructions. He takes up the mortgage on the farm, and then seeing all h1DDV and once reunited fl fly retires to his slumbers
 Uncle Nathan1 a good, whole-soued man, whose heart knows no other sen- timent but love and kindness, is quaint old character often found in rural dis trcts. The world is the better for such men as Uncle Nathanl having lived. MT. Archie Boyd, who for years played the leading role in the "Old Homestead" |" was Uncle Nathanl Berry, and there is perhaps no other man so capable of fill- ing that part
 MT. James Lacaye was very clever as Martin Berry and so was w. H. Burton as Josiah Blake. Ed J. Connolly was good as Joel Gates and Will J. Dean did well as sam Warren.
 Miss Polly Poland King was capital as Martins wife, and Miss Caroline Frank lin cleverly played the role of Helen, Martin Berry's daughter.
 The entire company is made up of good material and their production of "Shore Acres" merits liberal patronage.
 ''A Breezy Time'' Tonight.
 Fitz and Webster in "A Breezy Time" will appear at O'Brien's opera house to- night. If you want to go to the theater to be wrought up and to have your nerves set on end by narrowing and tear-producing situations you are eau toned to avoid "A Breezy Time" It is announced by the management of this piece that it contains absolutely no mor- al lesson. social satire, or story of con temporaneous human interest. It was not put together for the purpose of ele- vating the American drama, and it was not calculated to make dramatic critics get out their best set of ethics and rules of construction. The purpose of the piece is to amuse by means of a series of clever speciality performances, devoid of suggestion" and executed by per formers of the very best ability. The piece is in point of fact an olio. In it there are lots of pretty girls catchy mu- sic unctous comedians and graceful dancers. There is a slight story, but 1t is so unimportant that it is not worth mentioning. F. B. Fitz and Kathryn Webster are the principal members of the company. Of the former 1t Is suffi-