The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-22
"rnE HEART or mARr1AND.D

David Belasco's enormously succesS- ful melodrama, "The Heart of Mary land" with Mrs, Leslie Carter and 0 splendid cast, was presented at the Hyperion theater before a large audi ence last evening. The piece has been one of the most extraordinarily suc7 cessful melodramas of recent years, and Mrs. Leslie Carter, for the exploit ation of whose peculiar talent 1t was written, has made considerable fame out of 1t. It played long engagement in New York last winter and has prov ed equally popular on the road. It is now booked for the Adelphia theater, A specially selected cast will support Mrs. Carter In the London presentation and New Haven enjoys the privilege of seeing this cast. It numbers such well known actors as Maurice Barrymore, 10. J. Morgan, Frank Mills and Odell Williams. MT. Barrymore and MT. Will Hams were in the original cast. Messrs. Morgan and Mills are leading members of the Lyceum stock company and are specially engaged for London, as is also Miss Minnie Dupree, who is a clever actress in ingenue roles. She was last
 seen here in 1.-Two Little Vagabonds, !"
 The play is a tremendously clever
 melodrama, built on extremely modern
 lines. Belasco has long been known as
 one of the most ingenious dramatists
 and complete master of stage
 craft. He has studied Sardou to
 excellent advantage. The scene in the
 prison in the third act is most effec-
 lively written and might have been
 written by Maitre Sardou himself. It
 gives a great opportunity for an act
 ress. As Mrs Carter is obviously an
 imitator of Bernhardt, one could not
 help but think what the great French
 woman would make of the splendid cli-
 max. The whole piece is compact with
 good acting scenes and fine lines. Pre-
 scented with such a competent cast as
 was seen last night it cannot help sue
 ceed wherever the mefodrama has it's
 public. It ought to go at 'The Adel-
 phi"
 Mrs. Carter, like Mrs. James Brown
 Potter, is a curious composite of vari-
 ous actresses methods. Perhaps Bern
 hardt in the best moments and Olga Nethersole in the worst. Mrs. Potter has succeeded by this course and Mrs. Carter probably will, too. She is in sincere but very effective, and the bel fry scene is almost as narrowing as Clara Morris when she rolled down the steps in Romeo and Juliet" or per haps the horse-race in "The. Sporting Duchess"
 Maurice Barrymore was heroic and attractive as usual He can make a
 good effect with the most tryingly he-
 roic situation, and this quality has al- ways been his strong hold. There, is
 no one on the stage so well fitted for the part. Edward J. Morgan as the villain, in this instance spy, did the best work of the evening. He has of late done capital work in the Lyceum company, and during Hackett's illness played his parts. He is a most talent ed man and one of whom excellent
 things are expected. Last night was his first performance of the role, but it was delightfully."- finished and well considered Frank Mills Is another | man whose work at the Lyceum is con- stantly improving. His acting was for merly marred by self-conscious man. ner which he has now quite overcome. 1 His work last night was good both in | the serious and comedy parts Harry Harwood who was for several years with John Drew, was dignitied and commanding as General Kendrick Odell Williams, who is always a capa- l ble comedian, made much of the role l of the provost sergeant. The small | but trying role of Lloyd Calvert was | we'll acted by Malcolm Williams. Min I nie Dupree is always efficient in inge- | nue roles. Miss Helen Macbeth and | Miss Helen Tracy were competent. | The mountings were good and the | belfry scene was as wildly narrowing
 as one could wish. It is the "Curfew
 Shall Not Ring To-night'' of our child | hood "come true.'
 | The piece is to be repeated tonight
 and twice tomorrow, and is well worth | seeing. It is replete with thrilling sit |