The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-15
AT THE THEATERs.
AT THE THEATERs.
METROPOLITAN.

To a playwright ambitious Of writing
successful play-and what playwright is
net?-it would only seem necessary to
pick out a vine-covered old farm house,
with all its homely associations and then
dig out of some seldom-used closet under
its low shelving roof skeleton. The
skeleton need only dance its uncanny jig
q brief while before the footlights, and
when it is put back in its hiding place
the curtain can fall on the farm house.
its occupants as serene as they were be-
fore the bony persons freedom, with
only chastened sorrow perceptible III
the atmosphere about the house. Such
wise playwright was she who wrote
WAY Down East" There is the pas
toral scenery, there are the musical farm
hands, and there are the melodramatic
touches. Last evening there was touch
that was a little better than the melo-
dramatic, however, one that quite reach
ed the dignity of the dramatic.
The play deals with the familiar story
of the betrayed woman, but it has a more
cheerful ending than is usually given to-
such narrowing tales, and one feels that
the writer has preferred to give play to
her own sense of justice rather than sub
nit her herone's fate to the thumbs Of
the world-that are not often turned
down
The company that presented Way
Down East last evening is a very ca
pable one. Miss Phoebe Davies, who in
the opening scene appeared rather eIo-
cutionary in her methods, acquired more
repose as the play moved on, and her
denunciation in the third act Of the vii
lain who had ruined her and the friends
who had turned against her was decided
~ good acting It brought Miss Dayies
before the curtain three times. Odell
Williams was most natural squire,
hooking and acting the part perfectly. Hi
Holler, the chore boy, was faithfully rep
resented by George w Leslie. H. II.
Forsman made an admirable Prof. Ster-
ling, as did Miss Ruby Bridges a lovable
Kate Brewster. his sweetheart. Nature
never intended that Earle Ryder should
play the part of a villain. TIe Is alto
gether too wholesome looking to portray
the sinister stage type. However. in real
life villains are really good to look upon,
some of them, and Mr. Ryder does his
best to give a cynical reading to his
lines. Kirkland Calhoun as Seth Holcomb
and Charles A. Burke as Rube Whipple
We're two very funny characters.
Not the least important part of the
play is the singing. quartette consist
ing of Theo ]. Doucette. bass; Miss Car
oline Forsman. soprano; Adah NJ BRYANT
alto, and E. W. Hoff tenor, sing some
eld-tin1e nelodtes and sing them We'll
Some of the scenery is decidedly novel,
as. for instance, that in the last act,
where a maple sugar shed In a New
Hampshire forest is shown. The farm
house and its surroundings are faithful
" and picturesquely represented
The play will be presented the remain
der OF the week, with the usual Wednes-
day ard Saturday matinees.
GRAND.
Great pleasure and interest await pat
rons of the Grand this week in the at
tractiye presentations of the brilliant MIL
itary spectacle, Shenandoah" the initial
performance of which was rendered to a
good and appreciative house last night.
The play differs from the original in that
it now possesses the complete distinction
of a military spectacular produc ton. h
is we'll staged, and in the hands OF 81
good and nicely balanced cast Of charac-
ters
The play opens with the first firing upon
Fort Sumter. and leads The spectator In