The evening times., 1899-01-17
AT THE THEATRES.
Lafayette-"The Rev. Grifith Daven-
port"

Lafayette-"The Rev. Griffith Daven-
port"
The fifth of the important first produc-
tions that have been vouchsafed Wash
ington this season was given last night at
the Lafayette before an audience SO little
inclined to being critical that at one time
the star himself was constrained to re-
buke its members for premature enthusi-
asm. The production was THE Rev. Grif-
fifth Davenport" and the star was James
A. Herne.
This latest effort of the man from whose
master knowledge of human nature came
Shore Acres is most pretentious affair
far more pretentious than it need have
been. But Richard Mansfield has set the
pace this year in his presentation OF 'Cy-
rano de Bergerac," and it is difficult for
lesser lights to understand that play and
player in this case are of a sort not east
ly initiated. Mr.. Herne deserves great
credit, however, for the lavish expendi-
ture he has risked in putting on the stage
work so elaborate that failure in the big
cities would mean great loss, since moving
about the one-n!ght stands would be i'm
possible. The scenery used in the offering
is really beautiful and to a certain extent
necessary-which is more than can be said
of the enlarged company that is constant
ly being brought to the stage on the slight
est pretense.
THE Rev. Griffith Davenport" is an
adaptation of Helen Gardeners novel,
An Unofficial Patriot The book is a
sociological and psychological one of a
sort that promised few opportunities to
the dramatist, and accordingly it is not to
be wondered at that Mr.. Herne's vehicle
is strongest in the few incidents he has
created and weakest when it is most like
its source. Thus the agitation of the
slave question so much in evidence be-
tween the covers of the volume has prov
ed most dangerous to the playwright the
story of the man whose idea of duty per-
suaded him 10 first free his blacks and
move North and afterward to conduct an
army through his old State contains 100
few possibilities and too little heart in
terest to count, and every bit of the other
Patriot material which has been so
generously crowded in fails entirely of its
effect. The strong love which is made TO
exist between husband and wife the sui
eide of a prosecuted slave, the manner in
which Davenport and Lengthy Patterson
defy those who threaten to drive them
from Virginia and the capture of the ia
ther by his own son are the powerful bits
of the piece, and without exception they
are the creations of Mr.. Herne.
Unfortunately they are not numerous
enough to lend more than passing interest
to rather shallow story that is almost
entirely without power and that hinges on
question too far past to arouse strong
Feeling and too near to be handled except
with care. Whatever ones inclinations
might be 1t is impossible to write of The
Rev. Griffith Davenport" as was written
of The Christian" and ''Zaza' and "On
and Oh''-a success.
The two most enjoyable features of last
nights performance were the portrayals of
Mr. and Mrs. Herne. Both were clear cut
highly artistic and strongly faithful TO
nature. Bert Young and Robert Fischer
were also notably fine, while Sidney Booth,
Newton Chisnell. F. n. Cornell. Logan
Paul, Lawrence Merton, Joseph Hazleton
John w. Bankson. H. G. Carleton. E. p
Sullivan, Thomas NJ Hunter, Warren Con-
Ian, Theodore Hamilton, Julie a. Herne
Chrystal Herne, Helen Robertson. Sadie
Stringham, Rachel Blake and others ap-
peared TO greater OF less-principally TO
greater-adyantage Matinee Saturday
only.