The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-12
PLAY BILLS THIS WEEK
SOL SMITH RUSSELL, HAcKETT AND
DE ANGELS AT ENGLIsH's.
Grand Stock VIII Put ON "ToO Much
Johnson"-HeIene Mora at Park
Pat Reilly at Empire.

Sol Smith Russells new play. Hon. John
Grigsby" which ne brings to English's for
two performances Monday and Tuesday
nights, has taken the place Of all other plays
IN hiz repertory this year and Is being
spoken of as one of the best comedies he has
presented in several years. It was written
by Charles Klein, who wrote The District
Attorney" that was played here by the stock
company this season, and also DIR. Bel
graf" in which Wilton Lackaye began his
starring career. Klein also wrote the libret-
tos for De Wolf Hopper's "El Captain and
likewise his new opera THE Charlatan"
In the early years Of Sol Smith Russelrs life
he came to know the rugged Western char
acter unusually we'll, for when he was four
teen he left his home in St. Louis and went
up to Illinois, in which State he afterwards
enlisted in the civil war. Mr.. Russell has
always thought there was fine material in
that decade before the war, when men felt
SO intensely on the slave question. Without
any suggestion from Mr. Russell, Charles
Klein submitted to him during the summer
the scenario of play, in which the leading
character is an Illinois lawyer who has sud
denly been elevated TO the supreme bench
and whose convictions are against slavery.
though the party and the men who have
given him the judgeship are for slavery. He
has not pledged himself, and, therefore,
when they come to ask him how he will de-
eide on law that will be brought to him
on question of constitutionality, he says
that as it would make Illinois a slave State,
he will declare it unconstitutional. There
is strong love interest in the play, but it's
particular strength is the faithful way in
which the ante-bellum day atmosphere is re-
produced. Men who are financially inter-
ested in the slave question are prosecuting
"a young woman named Meg Ronalds, with
whom Grigsby has fallen in love, and when
Grigsby refuses to aid in the establishment
of a compromise bill, a warrant is got
out for the arrest of the young woman for
violation Of an old blue law. Grigsby is told
that he can save her from disgrace if he will
resign in order that man more favorable
TO the plans Of the political leaders may be
chosen. He refuses to do this and then his
enemies show him that they can prove ne
bought his nomination, so that Grigsby sees
no way out of IL but to give up the judge
ship and let the politicians choose one who
will be absolutely SubserVient. Circum-
stances turn up, however, that show up the
slave sympathizers and the judge triumphs
over the SchemerS In the staging Of the
play no expense has been spared, and in
the costumes every attempt has been made
TO make the play a faithful reproduction of
the times represented. The dialogue is bright
and crisp, and Klein has shown considerable
cleverneSs in getting at the early Western
ideas. One of the hits of the play is scene
between two veterans, one of the war of
1872 and the other of the Mexican war. At
this time this is particularly interesting, as
It shows that there was much the same
feeling between veterans of different wars
then there is between the veterans of the
two wars that have taken place since then.
THE Little War" of that day was the Mex
lean war and the big War the war of 1872
The company is efficient and contains
among others Alfred Hudson william
Sampson James Lackay, Lionel Barrymore,
Florence Rockwell, Lila Convere and Fanny
Addison Pitt.