Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-13
A HOLY CROSS PLAY
"The Upstart" to Be Given at the
Theatre Next Month.
The Cast and Argument Of the Three-Act
comedy-An Augmented Orchestra
to Furnish Music.

Rev. c. c. Jones, S. j., who has had
charge of the annual dramatic program
at Holy Cross, has made final selection
of the cast which will present 1.-THE Up
start" a comedy in three acts, at the
theatre, April IS. The play is an adap-
tation of Moliere's lie Bourgeois Gem
tilhomme." In past years the students
Of the college have presented one of
Shakspere's plays, but change was
made this year, and it is believed the
choice will prove satisfactory to the
friends of the college. Fr Jones has
had the cast at work for some time, and
they have now reached point in their
work where some encouragement is Of
fered their tutor. The cast will be as
follows
M. Jordan. ambitious to associate with
persons of distinction,
Edward j. Hussey, '99
Old M. Jordan, his uncle
w. B. Mccarthy, 1900
Cleon, suitor for the hand of Lucilla,
daughter of old NJ Jordan,
Joseph A. Mulhearn, 1900
Corveille, his roguish valet
William H. Lehy, '99
Dorimenes, the marquis,
Michael J. Costello, 1900
Doranto, count in reduced circumstan-
ces ............ John f. Mcdonald, '9S
Nicholas, a faithful but saucy servant,
in M. Jordan's family,
William A. keefe, '99
A professor of philosophy,
Joseph H. Gamer, SO
A music master William A. Buck '9S
A dancing master .Theo. McSheelny, '9S
A fencing master .EdW. ]. Murphy, 1900
A student of music
Edward j. Farrell, 1900
A master tailor Timothy Houlihan, '99
The tailor's assistants,
John J. Walsh, '99
James A. Foster, OF
Harry Austin '01
Two lackeys attending old M. Jordan,
Charles Rolfe, '99
William J. Fox '99
Musicians ......James e. Brennan, 1900
Fl. Mccormack, 1900
Dancers ...........James f. Donelly, '99
Francis Monahan, 1900
John McAllister, 80
Joseph Murphy, 1900
Two pages, attendants of Cleon as the
suitan's sons,
Allan e. BrowsmitGl '02
Joseph Girardi, '03
Inc mufti ...........John Maloney, SO
DerYishes ....Terence McNulty, 1900
~ James Flood, SO
The dancing Turks,
Francis H. Maxwell, '99
Joseph Hackett, '99
John McTIgue, 1900
Robert Wrenn, Of
The argument of 1.-THE Upstart." as
adapted, is as follows:
In the first act Jordan is waited on bv
the professors of philosophy, music,
dancing and fencing, each Of whom
claims that his art is the only one
worthy of an intellectual man. Jordan's
money is the attractive bait for all of
them. After a heated debate, the pro-
fessor of philosophy drives all the other
professors from the room at the point
of the sword. The act is replete with
singing, dancing, fencing, and ends with
a lesson in philosophy. The second act
shows Jordan in another light He has
an interview with his tailor who with
his three assistants clothe Jordan in a
style becoming a person of distinction.
Here Is met for the first time old Mr..
Jordan, who is bitterly opposed to the
trousseau of his nephew. Nicholas. the
old, faithful, but saucy serving man,
speaks his mind plainly. Jordan's en-
deavors to teach Nicholas philosophy
and French are ludicrous in the ex-
treme. Count DoTanto, a nobleman in
reduced circumstances, finds Jordan an
easy mark, and promises, for a none
tary consideration, to introduce him to
the king. He gets the money, much to
the disgust Of the old uncle.
The third act introduces Cleon, Lucil-
las lover, and his roguish valet, Cor
vielle. Jordan refuses the hand of his
niece to Cleon, and swears that she
shall marry no one but a nobleman
Corvielle takes his cue from the state
ment and prepares a little surprise for
Jordan, who readily falls into the trap
laid for him. The Marquis Dorimenes
condescends to dine with Jordan, who
is very highly 1attered by the visit of
the marquis. Old Jordan takes a hand
in breaking up the festivities Cleon
now appears as the sultan's son, and
Corvielle helps him as interpreter. The
mufti the dervishes and dancing Turks
admit Jordan into the royal ranks Of tine
Mamamouchis. Old Jordan is told
Cleon's secret. and Cleon wins Lucilla.
Jordan is foiled in his own game.
The play draws a great deal of its
exquisiteness from the extravaganza of
the period in which it is set, namely,
the period of Louis Quatorze. In Mr..
Jordan, Moliere attacks the folly of
strutting about in the dress of Mama
mouchi-of becoming a somebody, of
wearing a nicely embroidered coat, of
being the cynosure Of an admiring set
of gapers the desire of showing off
ones personal air and graces; of pre-
tending to be more than one really is;
of taking a title to which one has no
right; of wearing colored ribbon which
one is not entitled to fasten to ones
buttonhole: of pluming ones self on ina
ginary intellectual conquests-all these
follies are characteristic of the purse
proud vulgarian who desires to ally
himself to a noble family
The preparations for the play are pro-
ceeding admirably. Prof. D. j. Boyle
is instructing the dancers and Prof. H.
B. Wentworth, physical instructor at
the college, is instructing theSmembers
of the cast in the art Of fencing. Sew
eral exhibitions of fencing will be given
during the action of the play. The mu
sic will be furnished by an augmented
orchestra under the direction of j. N.
Truda. The program to be rendered is
as follows: