The Minneapolis journal., 1902-04-22
AMUSEM MENTS
E. ss.'.YorI> stnte Folks ats,the Metro
ss6E - nOlitall a.satss :..ss

York State FOlks"s at the Metro
politan. .=5
Arthur Sidman's S good works live after him.
"A: quantity: truthful impersonator of the folk
who liVe$in the small towns Of central New
= ork, he contTiyed beforef efdeath overlook him
TO perpetuate in an idyllic drama the char
acters he knew so we'll and reproduced so
perfectly. 1t was only few years ago that
MI. Sidman contributed a turn in "a yaude-
Vile bill here that instantly struck every one
VINO saw 1t with it's truth, its sincerity and
us kindly humor. 1t was a York state sketch,
anu II contained the embryo OF the beautiful
pa pay winch is now being produced at the Met-1
E 1t is impossible not to recognize the debt
MT. sldman and his play owe to the pioneer
Of stagscrsf tas.e rural Drama that gifted master
Who smgs s j sp
onore Acres the effectiveness of q return
TO natural methods But Mr.. Sidman has
zone s,er. farther than the founder OF the
ting backs to real life. He has not founu it
necessary to introduce either the nlawkish
nleloaramatlc nl a1.s I touches Or the ;mposs bic
tba Herna the in the city thar
taken sel a few apparently commonplace incidents
out out OF Htne llves OF some quaint hut very
human a. pa A. villagers and out Of them woven a
Pay. o! compelling interest and convincing
sympathy. Inc story is simple and unaffected
T7suen one as might happen IN any (rura
american community--and yet it powerfully
an obstinate old man used to having his own
way Ihere are no thrills save tpose that
naturally stir the heart when love ls winning
lts WonIen trlumphs over less worthy pas
slons. Ihere is no horseplay or bu1foonery
artlncially contrived by carlcatures OF rust g
characters, but the comedy flows as naturally
ana ana unrestralnealy as if there were no audi
ence whose laughter was to be won This
apsence OF conscious endeayor and OF stra:u-
ING Tor theatre effect is one of the plays 8
cnlel charInS, as 1t is one OF the finest acnleve-
hlebts OF, the playwright. For let 1t not be
supposed that because no creaking or whr-
ring is audible there is no machinery On
tne contrary, the machinery Which actuates
the play is SO cunningly devised as 10 ba
noiseless Fs5s. ?. =
Hhe just restraint under which Mr.. Sidman
put himself IN the devlslng Of the play and
tne working out OF it's characters mas also
had its due influence on the players in the
present company Fortunate is that play
wright who can impose upon those who en-
act mis- work the limitations that have ruled
ms own conceptions. The actors in York State
Folks impelEonate Mr. .Sidman's characters
| IN q reYerent spirit in that they never per-
mt :themselYes to reach for enecls or step
outside the characters they present
Ray L. Royce plays the part Mr.. Sidman in
tended for himselr-that OF the old village
| organlst and organ-bulder, whose long and
simple life has been sweetened by NOBLE and
uncomplaining self-sacrifice. He plays it with
mobility OF the man mostly by such little
| touches as the rescue OF the cat, which had
Pee been put out for the night, from, the rain.
not breath of malice in it, glows through
out the play, warming all who come within
Its radiance, and finally thawing out even the
by James Lackaye Mr.. Lackaye has in this
portrait added a companion masterpiece to his
wonderfully true Martin Berry in "Shore
Acres" :" His Simon Peter Martin is a marvel
sho1o oota ftf,,,
slstent from first to last. He is the: success
full man whose native obstinacy has been ted
upon the pride OF achievement until it has
overshadowed his whole character. MT.
Lackaye pictures the progress of the old man S
heart trouble and the part it plays in break
ing down his pride so that natural affection
may have it's just sway with fine art.
| Another notable mpersona tion is that ol
Ernest Lamson as the loquacious young horse
trader, whose jealousy of the dudish7 music
! teacher iplayed bys Osborn .searle) leads him
Mrs. sidman, who plays the girl over whom
4 the young men are at odds, exhibits probably
the most faithful York state dialect in the
cast and besides presents sprightly ant
pretty and: knows it. Lydia Knott is sweetly
interesting as one of the principals in the
love story around which the play turns, .ane
rises to her one opportunity for deep feel
ing admirably Kate Jackson, as her mother
beneath whose surface petulance is revealed
warm heart is very effective Rana9lpi
CutIlG# plays Tile opposite part To Inc girl II
manly fashion. These are the character
chiefly concerned in the telling of the; story
but the picture is filled UP with number 0
well differentiated and quantity humorou
j characters--the parsoR, the storekeeper, tn
Header of the band, the workers in the wagol
jworks, the adYan ceSagent of an ''Uncle Tom
4 Cabin show--all ,capitally done; Nor shoui
1.-the two little tots who play their parts s.
naturally and well be forgotten.
Few plays are so carefully and artfull,
Ii staged as York State Folks Mr.. Sidmal
4 gave all the-alittl details of his production
the most painstaking attention and they al
, contribute to the illusion which, for lack o
a better name, is called .'atmosphere.' Fac
I scene is true to life and original in concep
, tion. The $croaking of bullfrogs, the chirpin
l of crickets and the intermittent flashes of tn
u frehes in 'sMaple Lane" form striking ex
I amples of this phase of Mr. Sidman's stage
+ craft. 1t. is pleasant to know that - Yor
State Folks after its present brief stay,
coming back the latter part of next week t
I. ffllaout%its engagement