The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-15
ADJUSTMENTS.

The meeting adjourned till next
Thursday.
AMUsEnENTs.
This evening at the Clunie Opera
house the greatest Of all war dramas,
Shenandoah" 1t is to be produced by
the Jacob Lift management, which re-
viewed it at the Broadway Theater.
New York, last May. Bronson How
ards famous piece was first given to
the public in Boston in 1889, and it's
lease of life is apparently as good to-
day as it was after it's wonderful initial
success. The same company that Mr..
Lift organized for it's revival in New
York will appear here tonight. There
are twenty seven speaking parts for
the stage, and with figure parts, must
clans, machinists, ETC., forty-two people
are engaged in the play and large
corps of supernumeraries, likewise
twelve trained horses are used, and
several others with them. There is a
skeleton battery of light artillery en-
ployed in the action of the play, and
section of signal corps, cavalry to
the capacity of the stage, infantry in
large number, and a double fife and
drum corps. The most exciting spec
tacles of the play are the battle of
Cedar Creek, the mountain torch sig
mailing, the ride of General Phil Sheri-
dan and the bombardment of Fort
Sumter. The chief scenes are Charles
ton Harbor in 1861, Tree Top Noun
tain and the Headquarters in the
Field" There are throughout the melo-
drama many threads of delightful
comedy in a love story. The Jenny
Buockthorn of the play, perhaps the
most charming character in it, is as
sumed by Julia Bachelor, while Alice
Neal is the Madeline West of the story
Basil Booth personates General Sheri-
dan and Louis Hendricks is the General
Buckthorn of the drama shenandoah"
is thrilling play, one of deepest in
terests throughout and never fails to
rouse patriotic spirit to the boiling
point. 1t is only a mimic show, yet it
is so realistic that usually the audi
ences forget it is all stimulation and en-
ter into it's feeling, it's tears and Joys,
it's wit and sorrows, its battle spirit and
martial ardor, as if it were all real.
The play depicts graphically, and yet
without exaggeration, some of the stir
the Rebellion. 1t amounts in several
instances to a fine military spectacle.
probably the most effective and strik-
ing ever put upon the stage. The author
has carefully shaded his work. so that
without loss of effectiveness and with
out doing violence to the truth, there
is nothing in it to CRATE harshly upon
the sensibilities of Southern people;
none OF the bitterness of the contention
out OF which the war was born is with
in it, yet it is full of patriotic fervor
and devotion to the indivisible union and
the National flag. It is, we incline to
believe, a stimulant to patriotism, a
real lesson in patriotic duty doing, as
1t certainly is a wonder of stage craft
The fact that it lives and draws to-
day as we'll as it ever did, is the best
proof of its worth and right to live.
The company which gave it for two
weeks at the Columbia Theater in San
Francisco recently will be here in en-
tirety. All the scenery-a carload
carried for the play will be mounted
here. While the Clunie Opera House
stage is six feet shallower than that
of the Columbia Theater, the sets"
will be dressed more to the front. and
thus all be worked in. There may be
some difficulty in using all the trained
horses, for such use demands plenty
OF run away" and side room The belief
of the management is, however. that
the matter will be managed satisfac-
torily Originally no cavalry at all was
introduced in this play, and only one
horse was on the stage, that ridden by
one of the generals. So, too no artll-
lery was at first used the stimulation of
It's war being held to suffice. Now,
however, both artillery and cavalry
have been added to the effects. One of
the horses now used, that to represent
Sheridan's famous Jack" has had a
longer stage experience than any horse
in the theaterical business. He made
his debut in "Old Kentucky" and acted
as Gold Molasses' in the County Fair.
He is so we'll trained for stage work
that he can go upstairs and turn around
in five-foot room.
The Shenandoah company does not
leave. the city tonight, say the man
agement, so that no fear need be en-
tertained that there is TO be a hasty per-
lormance, or such shearins ae the play
as is necessary ito carcn the late train"
The audiences at the Clunie OPERA
mouse are getting into a bad habit
again-that of coming late. They have
been led into it by the MANAGEMENT.
which has permitted companies to drag
along the wait" before the curtain.
until it is often half past before the
canvas rises. Wednesday night. for
instance, those who came in season had
to sit and twirl their thumbs in the
aim dimness full half hour before the
orchestral leader "bobbed serenelv from
down below" There is no sense in
TINS, no excuse for it. People here. if
not IN the larger cities, would Infinitely
prefer, especially in the long winter
evening season, to have a performance
begin at and end that mucn .arljer
certainly the orchestra should strike its
first note at 800 and the curtain should
rise at S:1o sharp. For a time this
rule would surprise many late corners
but when well understood the neonle
would conform to it. They come Ia re-
now Tor no other reason than that aris-
ing out of the knowledge that the NAV
Will not begin until half an hour aftar
the time when it should. In most Other
cities S:l5 is the infexible rule for the
curtain to rise and sos for the orcbes.
ira TO hrealx tho Too