The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-22
..The Dairy Farm" Mt. the Bijou.

2 T. 4
Those who have struggled with the ortho-
epic difficulties of truly rural and to whom
the expression suggests nothing more attract
i've than late hours and headaches, will prob
ably not appreciate "The Dairy Farm Ell
canor Merron's play at the Bijou this week;
but the man whose boyhood recolleotions CEN
ter about life a farm and who finds pleas
ure 1.-THE restrospect what he found disagree
able in the realization, will enjoy the play.
The Dairy Farm is truly rural play,
with one or two melodramatic, and therefore
strenuous, incidents to break the even tenor
of it's course. There is a rule in T h o u r
n a Office against saying that a play, or
anything else.4 for The matter of that. "holds
the mirror I'D to nature: and even it there
were not. the quotation would not be alto
4gether a1,t i'm this case. for Miss Merron has
not silvered her glass evenly, and the result
is an occasional distortion of the image that
caricatures rather than counterfeits the cee-
brated old dame. However, the good in the
play overbalances the bad sufficiently to make
adverse criticism seem caotious.
According to an announcement on the pro-
grams, 1.-The Dairy Farm is the "only play
in the history of the drama that has three
century runs in the principal cities of Amer
ica New York, Chicago and Philadelphia"
Moreover, Minneapolis also looked upon the
drama and found it good, for when the piece
was first presented here. last season. its re-
| cepticn was such as to warrant return date,
so that this is it's third visit.
There is little reason, accordingly, for an
extended review of the play at this time suf-
flee it to say that it tells a pretty love story
| in unconventional fashion and among uncon-
ventional surroundings; that its action occurs
| in the middle ffties, before the war, and that
an interesting touch is ADDED by the intro
duction OF "a brief political discussion during
which the hero of the play urges his friends
| to vote for Free soil, free men, freedom and
| Fremont. !"
! The company contains no star, but its mem
bers work together, and the result is a
smooth, even performance. Mac M. Barnes is
| the Squire Hurley. The part is along conven-
4 tional lines but Mr.. Barnes plays it effective
| ly. Sarah Newkirk is played by Sanah Ward
and Nathan Newnl:irk by John Milton. To.
gether with Louise Everts in the role Of
Lucy they made a pronounced hit with las
nights audience. Theodore Rock has over;
| drawn the character of Simon Crum, yet al.
lowing for the exaggeration, his work is con
/ sistent throughout. He has made the char
acter wholly despicable, which was Just wha
the author intended. Miss Helen Hartley a:
Eunice Jane Perkins, a later-day Mrs Mala
prop, and William r. Walters as a runawa.
slave, arc good in their respective roles.
i An innovation for which the management
should be praised is the absence Of q mall
quartet At the close sof the first act tn
4 farm hands come in from the field for sup
4 per, but they do not sing as they come. Will
this is a violation Of all accepted traditions, i
must be accepted as a step in the right sdirec
\ ton.
The scenery and properties, especial,
those of the first act, are well devised TO pre-
i serve the illusion of time. Anachronisms
oftentimes laughable in a production of thi
q kind, are not noticeable So
j -. S.. Lawrence