The record-union., 1897-01-15

At the Metropolitan Theater last ev-
ening a very large audience welcomed
Joseph Grisner and Phoebe Davies, the
old favorites, and their large company
in the sensational and spectacular mel
odrama Humanity" The two leaders
received a warm welcome from their
many friends. The troupe supporting
them is a good one, well balanced ana
capable. OF the stars this community IS
too we'll informed concerning their ORA
matte ability, to call for any remark
now upon their work. other than THIS
that they were. as of old, faithful, earn
est, intelligent and pleasing in all they
did. They bore the burden of the play;
around them as hero and heroine the
most of the sentiment and interest CEN
tered, and of them is exacted most OF
the stimulation of the heroic and the
love passages. The comedy parts are
admirably sustained by C. j. Williams
and Gus Mortimer. The piece is ex-
oeptionally we'll mounted and intro
duces some of the best stage effects
ever seen here. Notably effective IS the
scene in the fourth act Where roof IS
blown from a building and the struct-
ure shattered by the explosion of
SitSD S6iEGu III the IlICfA VI e+AtA~ ~
heroine and cast through a window to
save her lover from death. Whlie ORA
matte license runs to the extent of per
mitting a good many impossible things
that scenic effect may not be marred,
it did seem absurd to see slight ana dei-
iCate Phoebe Davies lift, carry ana cast
through a window a twelve-inch snell
with burning fuse, when, according 10
all knowledge on the subject, such a
shell should weigh 80 or 200 pounds at
the very least. But these things an au-
| dience overlooks when they are folloW-
| ed by such a sensation as resulted For
really the explosion, the fall OF the ROOF
and the wrecking of the building, made
up one of the most Startlingly reallstlc
| scenes ever put upon any stage. 1t
| worked the audience UP to the top
notch of excitement, and not a few
| women screamed in alright and some
hid their faces, forgetful that 1t was all
| stage cunning. But, then, that was
| what they went to the theater for
sensation, and Humanity" gave them
| plenty of it. In the first act the novelty
| is introduced of a troop of mounted
| English hunters with a pack of seven
teen dogs. There is also a broadsword
combat in the third act between two
| troopers on horses that evidently are
we'll trained for the work. 1t was, in
| deed, very superior piece of work. In
the third and fourth acts there is an
| attack and defense of a house in Boer
| land by troops that is well planned and
| executed with remarkably close ap-
proach to reality. Good, wholesome
sentiment threads the play throughout
all the acts. 1t is modest, clean and ap-
peals to the best and warmest sym
pathies. The play is full Of action,
while brimming with talk. There is no
| tagging, no decadence of interest and
rsothing wearsome about it. The piece,
| indeed, is one of excitement and sensa-
| ton from opening to close. The villain
| of the play is altogether overdrawn;
| such a rascal could scarcely be such an
ass. He has not even the discretion of
the coward while he has all the cour-
age of the heartless criminal. But his
| eccentricities seem to be demanded by
| the situations created, and these must
! not be marred for the sake of a rational
villain. Humanity" is a powerful mel
odrama. It's scenes are all laid in Eng
| land and in South Africa; it has to do
with the earlier war between the Brit
ish and the Beers and presents each of
the contestants in such light as to fair
ly divide the sympathies of the auditors
between them. 1t is a play and a spec
tacle we'll worth seeing, and ought to
| draw crowded houses tonight and AIT
| the Saturday matinee. Saturday night,
for the first time here, the Grismer-
Davies company will produce the com
| edy and drama, THE New South"