The record-union., 1898-10-16
ADJUSTMENTS.

The Sam T. Shaw Company closes it's
two weeks engagement at the Orpheum
tonight, producing the rafting low
comedy Farmer Stebbins." The en-
gagement has been an unqualified sue
cess. The Shaw Company is not pre-
tentious but it does what it essays to
do we'll. 1t has the merit of SINGER
.ty and faithfulness, coupled with orig
inality and a large degree Of all
around ability. Few if any road stock
companies are capable of producing
such a round and variety of plays so
Well as this. What the troupe needs
most is thoroughly good second lead
ing woman. Mr Shaw himself is Won
derfully versatile and is one of the
most conscientious and intelligent
young men of the stage to-day. He
has the courage to study and under
stand whatever Interpretation he un-
dertakes, and is above palming
off upon his hearers hasty and i'll con-
sidered work. The company will al
ways find a welcome in Sacramento.
Yesterday afternoon and last evening
the troupe presented, and for the first
time, Mr.. Cottrel's new play THE
Man From Tombstone" 1t cannot be
pronounced a success. 1t is decidedly
original, and has within it the material
for a cohesive and interest sustaining
drama. The trouble with it now is
that it does not sufficiently take the
hearer into its confidence. The mys-
terry is too closely yelled. 1t would be,
probably, conventional but assuredly
better, TO disclose to the audience the
motive at once and let the onlooker be
participant with the detective, the
makeup of whose character, by the
way, by Mr.. Lewellyn, was wholly un
detective-like. The comedy effects are
dragged in by the foretop and for
laughing purposes only. No comedy
effect is Dardonable which is wholly
unrelated to the story of the play. The
story is that of a free and easy, man.
ly, heroic and truthful Arizonian, who
is partner in mining adventures with a
business man of a more settled COM
munity. Unhappily this Man from
Tombstone" is quite too much given to
cocktails to inspire the confidence Of
his partners daughter an error that
Mr.. Cottrell can correct by cutting out
some of the coktails Nevertheless,
the young couple are engaged, whereat
a rascal who is seeking to duDe the
father sell him worthless mining
property and marry his daughter, is at
work to displace the Man from Tomb
stone" and uses as his aid an adven-
turess, his mistress, who is to win the
Arizonan, and it is vaguely hinted hat
she really loves him. But the elder
partner has a son long missing whose
Whereabou he has employed a detec-
tive to discover The Man from
Tombstone" by mere accident, finds
out that this brother of his fiancee is
a. man he has met in a duel in the
Southwest and has killed. Thereupon
he refuses to permit the girl to make
the sacrifice, and was about to become
himself the martyr of the situation,
when it is revealed that the designing
villain really shot the lost son. and that
the Man from Tombstone" is innocent
of his death The identity of the muir
derer is disclosed by his confidante. the
adventures, in fit Of passion and re-
morse; the rascal goes into the arr---
of the law and the Man irJsrr Tomb-
stone" into the embrace of his bride
But this story halts and limps in the
play; is not connectedly told. and lacks
lucidity and cohesiveness. The diction
is good. the sentiment pure, ana the
manly parts are fine The character of
the Arizonan is strongly drawn, and
that of the william equally so. 1t is in
architectural construction, not lines or
characters that the weakness of the
piece abides. That the Shaw Com
pany gave it for all it is worth is but
to- speak just praise. 1t deserves to be
said also, that Miss Garter. who is
unequal to anything else for which she
was cast during the two weeks engage
ment, in this play as the heroine was
really natural, inspired by correct con-
ception of the part, and gave it with a
spirit wholly unexpected and indicative
of earnest desire to deserve we'll and of
promise of attainment to higher levels
| of dramatic work