The Topeka state journal., 1901-01-25
AT THEPLAY LAST NIGHr.

Shenandoah as presented at the
Crawford last night by a company uss-
der the direction of Jacob Lift. Is
strong war drama but the company
which makes up the cast failed to make
the most Of the possibilities
Instead Of II horses only i've or SIX
were used and hardly enough room Tor
them could be found On the stage TEe
great battle scene OF Cedar Greek. the
retreat and the arrival Of Sheridan from
Winchester 20 miles away" was doIt-a
in a narrow lane about five feet wide
The brass cannon was dragged up SOME
plank 70 the top OF a Pile of boxes, a hlI'-
and fired at the enemy The retreatirE
soldiers tunbled through the lane on the
retreat until Gen Sheridan" bounded
over the stage on a real live horse ard
turned the retreat into an advance G
course battle scene on the stage must
be restricted but il was vivid enough to
satisfy every one When the battle vas
over the entire army climbed on the
stone walls, piles OF boxes and cheerats
as the curtain was run up and down
From some place other than has ye-
been found on a battlefield the warriors
discovered small Fourth Of July 10 cent
flags and waved them industriously.
The smoke Of hattie seemed to envei-
ope the whole country for a long time
after the war. The fourth act the Cne
following the battle, was supposed to be-
Washington, many miles from Cedar
Creek Some time had elapsed, the time
between the battle of Cedar Creek, tEe
surrender at ApDomatt0x and q few
months following but the smoke Of trs
battle ct Cedar Greek still hung Like
pail over Washington and from Wash
ington out into the audience Ine auCsl-
ence did not enjoy il, and the grip VIC
Tins started a fusillade Of coughing
The revival Of Shenandoah is going
TO New York city for a two weeks eEa-
gagemenr 4 record may be broken
One was broken at Wichita Wednesday,.
The company played to sos, the small
est house the piece has had SO the mar
s1 n Tr sIrT UrrfI
bably make a few changes IN the cast
before the great war drama reaches
New York Alfred Moore, as General
HaFerfll. was really bad. He talked and
acted ike John L. Sullivan IN a revived
of one of his heroic dramas Julia
Bachelner as Jenny Blackstone IA s.,
was somewhat relief Her lows
scene was amusing Otis Turner as
Sergt. Barker" did far better than his
superior officers, which is often the case
in real war a F. Buchanan as Cap
Heartease'' was positively painful but
there were so few that were not that
he could be tolerated
In Shenandoah" Bronson Howard
has given the theater going public blood
by the bucketful and In one place the
piece is positively gruesome. A young
officer is brought onto the stage with
his face made up into the ghastly
semblance of dying man and he is al
lowed to die for the edihcation Of the
audience and young Mr. Wright, VIC
was entrusted with the part initiated
death so well that the people shuddered
They even heard the death rattle as
he sank back on his pillow. A plain or-
dinary death on the stage when the VII
lain is shot down or smashed over the
head is bad enough but this was posi-
lively frightful-it is one Of the things
a person wants to avoid as long as pos
siole. Mr.. Wright is probably retained
in the cast because OF his ability TO die
well and after watching him through
one or two acts there was undoubtedly
a faint regret in some OF those in the
audience that the death scene was net
real
But when all this T. safd-when It IS
acknowledged that 1Tr- Jacob Lit sent
a weak and incompetent cast to the
west this year-stilI Shenandoah is
the most intensely thrilling war drama
ever seen in Topeka The third act with
all its shooting, its wounded soldiers.
bandaged heads and the decentralization
Of retreat brings one face to face WITH
the horrible realities Of war 1t would
have been strange indeed if there hssd
not been a spontaneous outburst Of ap-
plause following the scene The shoot
ing also aroused the audience from a
sort Of lethargy into which they had
fallen as result Of the death scene"
and the bad acting. What would have
been the result without the shooting is 4
too terrible to contemplate.