The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-07
AN USEMENTS.


The wealth of romantic material afford
ed by the long and painful struggle OF
Cuba for independence has as vet only
been touched on the surface by play
wrights who have chosen these themes as
the subject OF their writings, although
the number Of plays which nav already
been called forth by real or fancied
/ events in that contest is large and in
/ creasing. None, however. has been more
d~eseryedly successful or has seemed more
completely to meet and satisfy the popular
demand than Paul Gilmore's new re-
mantle drama, .sThe Dawn of Freedom
which will be presented for the first time
in Jersey City at the Academy Of Music
all next week, the engagement beginning
with the performance Monday night and
including the customary matinees.
Mr.. Gilmore. the author-actor under
consideration, makes on this occasion his
first bow to local theatre-goers as a star,
although he has often appeared here in
leading subordinate positions. Patrons of
Chauncey Olcott during the past three
seasons will cherish agreeable memories
of Mr.. Gilmore as that actors chief sup
port, and those who remember the admir-
able road companies which, under the
Frohman management, presented the
principal Lyceum successes throughout
the country, and, still earlier, the original
productions of .The Ensign and I'm Old
Kentucky will not have forgotten the
conscientious young player whose efforts
and achievements were even then the
basis of predictions for future success.
He is undoubtedly the youngest star now
before the public, having only passed by
a few months the t~wenty-ffth anniversary
of his birth.
1.-The Dawn of Freedom" having for its
foundation stone the patriotic love of
eountry-a theme surely dear to all
American hearts-was written a consider
able time before the outbreak of HOSTILE
ties between our own Government and
that of Spain, but when actual events in
the war suggested a fitting and powerful
climax the drama was to a certain extent
revised, so as to bring the action down to
the historic close of the struggle, and to
afford an opportunity for a infinitely ac-
curate and ~grandly impressive represen-
tation of the destruction of Cervera's fleet
by the American warships in the its futile
attempt to escape from the bottle of
Santiago Bay. It's first presentation at
the Fourteenth Street Theatre, in New
York, last autumn, was one of the most.
complete successes, artistic and popular,
of the season at that house. Seldom in
deed is the metropolitan press so<unani-
nous in praise Of a play of this character.
That suspicious beginning has been fol-
lowed by precisely similar experiences in
Chicago and Boston, where the piece has
enjoyed prosperous runs, and it comes to
Jersey City with its original strength
greatly augmented by the universal COM
mendation which has been everywhere be-
slowed upon it.
1t is promised that the scenic features
of THE Dawn of Freedom will surpass,
in correctness and magniicence, anything
of the kind ever shown here, the scene de-
picting the great laval battle being
especially realistic. Mr.. Gilmore is still
supported by the original admirable COM
pany which helped to make the piece a
success in New York and elsewhere