Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-06
FOR THE NOBILITY.
Countess and Duchess Have
Sole Possession of the Stage.
While THE Heart of Chicago PaIpitates
at Lothrop's-Gossp of Plays and
Players.

The upper class will have its turn in
the dramatic mirror of the Worcester
stage this week, which will be given up
to the Countess Ealeska and the Ouch
ess Of Milford, Julia Marlowe will por-
tray the first named on Monday night,
and on Thursday evening the affairs Of
the other better known as 1.-THE sport
ing duchess" will be handled by a com
petent company. These are the only
attractions of the week at this house.
as Primrose and West, who We're
booked for Friday and Saturday, trans
terred their date at the last minute.
Lothrop's stage will be occupied by
another and the latest of Lincoln j.
Carter's enterprises, THE heart of Chi
cago."
JULIA MARLOWE.
The coming of this beautiful and
talented actress is probably as strongly
anticipated as any character event of
the present season. Miss Marlowe is
considered the best exponent of Shalzs-
pere's heroines of the present day, and
her excursions into the realm of stan
dard and romantic drama have not de-
tracted from her reputation.
Welcome as Miss Marlowe's engage
ment would be under any circum
stances, it is doubly so this year, when
she comes triumphant from New York
engagement in which she signally at
tested her greatness, successfully meet
ing challenge to her genius and su-
periority in classic drama, and with the
production of new play, which, from
all accounts, has won success absolute
and complete.
Her new play, 1.-THE Countess Valeska,' -
is a romantic drama full of dash and
movement, and whose story of love and
patriotism is powerfully sustained until
| the final fall of the curtain AS "Val-
eska, Miss Marlowe has a role that
calls into admirable display her youth,
beauty, sympathetic grace and emotion
| al strength. It is part in which her
fine, womanly charm, admirable grace
of manner, and distinct power are OBJ
served to the very highest advantage.
There are critical situations in which
She rises to splendid heights of ex-
preston and shows the dominance of
her impressive personality.
Briefly outlined, the story of the play
is as follows;
''The Countess Valeska is a beautiful
young woman who is passionately de-
voted to the cause of Poland, and is
ill6iloSly 10y al W 4NdpOttOil, ny WHOM
that cause is espoused. She loves a
Prussian officer, one of Napoleon 5
enemies, and secretly harbors him, dis
guiSed as an oYerSeer on the night be-
fore the battle of Freidland, when Ma
poleon had established his headquarters
in her castle. The identity of the over
seer is suspected by the military rep
resentatiye Of the emperor in command
of the castle, whose eyes are all the
c1 ha
and is stimulated by jealousy. The
Prussian fugitive, not content with re,
fuge, enters into a conspiracy to kill
Napoleon-his chief colleague being his
father, who has obtained entrance to
the castle of Valeska in the disguise of
a shepherd-and so resolute and obsti-
nate is he in his impetuous and fana-
tical course, that me illustrates all Va
leska's generous endeaYors to save him.
until at last, by his vehemenee, she COM
pels her TO alarm the garrison and de-
liver him up to his foes. He escapes
court-martial and sudden death by de-
feating his French custodian in a duel
The further development of the story is
strongly worked out, but as it will un-
doubtedly mar the enjoyment of those
who witness the first performance of
the play to go into further details, adj
dltional particulars are withheld for the
present.
Miss MarloWe has a splendid support
ing company and the production is said
to be a very beautiful one in point of
settings, costuming and accessories.
"'THE SPORTING DCHESS'
This interesting English melodrama,
when it was presented here for three
nights last year, made one Of the big
gest hits of the season. It came with
the prestige Of an enormously lengthy
run at the Academy of Music, New
York, and it was also reported to con-
tain a scene which for riskiness was
rather more daringly startling than any
thing previously attempted in a respect
able drama. The suggestiveness of the
famed episode proved much exaggerated,
as such things always do, but the public
who ffocled to see it found instead an
interesting play, beautifully and elabo-
rately staged and a superb company,
clad, men and women alike, in the most
perfectly fitting and altogether regal
costumes that ever bewildered the gaze
of poor provincials. Harry Lacy was
the villain, and fine one he was, too;
Agnes Booth played the sporting duch-
ess and Louis Massen, Cora Tanner and
Joseph Wheelock were in the cast This
year the names of the players are not
SO noted, but the rich costumes, the
strong situations and the elaborate
scenes remain as before. A military
ball ana the great Derby race will be
remembered vividly among the IA spe-
cial stage pictures.