The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-07
SHOE WORKERS. BENEFIT.
Marlboro Strikers Take Testimonial al
the Worcester Theatre.

The announced benefit to the striking
shoe workers of Marlboro took place
at the Worcester theater last night and
was a decided success. The audience
was full of enthusiasm, both because
they enjoyed the play, and because they
had heard Of the gratifying triumph of
the labor mayoralty candidate at the
scene of the trouble.
Though the few empty seats around
the fringe of the orchestra would have
looked better filed, the house would be
cassed as very large for the gallery
was packed, and the balcony and boxes
we'll filled. The agents of the Shoe
Workers Union, Messrs J. H. Murray,
Is. z. Dorsey and p. j. Burns, accom-
panied by Treasurer j. j. Dalton. OC-
cupied the lower left hand box by cour-
tesy of the Modern Merchandise Com
pany, the purchasers and over them
were delegation from the Worcester
Cigars Makers Union. In one of the
lower right hand boxes sat a quintet
from the Denholm & Mckay Company,
and in the other were Manager H. r.
Reinhold of the Worcester Brewing
Company, with NJ A. Henry, T. f. Ma
gown, p. F. Doyle and NJ w. Leyden,
Of his employees.
The Ragged Earl" is the best play
Andrew Mack has had yet, and one
which will be long kept in his roper
toire. 1t is a fine specimen of what an
Irish play ought to be-a little senti-
ment, a trifie of poetry, plenty of dash
and action, a few bits of melody all
cemented together with rich, rollicking
wit and quaint Irish dialogue. It's
nOSSihilitipc NAV he Gean from the
story.
Gerald Fitzgerald, the earl of Kill
dare, through careless and improvident
habits has fallen into such financial
straits that he is known as THE
Ragged Earl" Kathleen Fitzmaurice
an attractive young woman, dons the
disguise Of a boy and fees from her
stepbrOther's house to escape being
welded to a distasteful suitor. AS she
is oVertaken by her brothers retainers,
Gerald rescues her and brings her to
his house, believing her to be a boy
Here she learns to love him, and on
learning Of his betrothal to another Is
induced to return home and to her own
approaching bridal. Gerald, still il
ignorance of her sex, follows her, and
after a number of exciting scenes, dur
ing which he learns her identity, ano
the lovers plight their faith, he over
comes the tremendous odds and bears
his lady home in triumph. The last
act is devoted to a lot of pretty love
making and smoothing the way for the
happy pairs prosperous future.
Mr., Mack appeared in excellent
spirits and voice last night. The par
of Gerald is a fiaWless fit for him, anC
he plays 1t with quiet dignity anC
force which was lacking in his earlier
work and marks him as better actol
than was once supposed, He sings tht
old "Cruiskeen lawn" and three new
songs in the piece, all of which are
pretty enough to win lasting popularity
Annie Ward Tiffany was warmly wei
coined on her entrance as an old nurse
with an abiding love for Gerald anC
constant defiance for all his enemies
which she PLAYED in her usual unctu
Gus style Josephine Lovett was grace
full and winsome as the sweetheart, anC
her small sister Una was played by {
rather explosive child actress. Edwin
Brandt's role of a minor villain was
hardly worthy of his abilities, and B. T
Ringold exaggerated an old man char
acter part.
The sale of seats for the new Scan
dinavian opera, "Fridthjof and Inge
borg" goes on at the box office this
morning, from c, F. Hanson's music
store, where it has been progressing
| briskly for some time past The oper'
will hold the boards through the las
| half of the week, and will be FOLLOWED
on Monday by the Empire Theatre
| Company, in "PhOso; or, The Con
uuerors"; on Thursday by the Russell
| brothers, in "a Reign of Error" and OF
Friday and Saturday, by Primrose
Dockstaders Ministries.