The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-07
At St. Paul Theaters
sway Down East at the Metropolit,

the story of the pastoral play, 'Way
Down East" which opened a week s
engagement at the Metropolitan last
night. This is not the first appear
ance of the play in st. Paul by any
means, but it seems to retain its pop
ularity if the crowded house which
witnessed it last night can be taken
as criterion.
There were the same old farmyard
and kitchen scenes, the stern but kind
father, the loving mother and the he
role son who was willing to sacrifice
everything for the girl he loved, even
though the world had turned against
her. Finally there was the usual for
giveness, the consent to a number of
marriages and the necessary happy
finale to the whole trouble.
The play, for its kind, was we'll
enough produced, and numerous times
the applause was almost deafening,
While at other times scores of women
In the audience might be detected
Wiping tears from their eyes, shed
in sympathy for the unfortunate girl
in the play, whose acting, it might be
said, was very good.
The scenic feature of the entire pro-
duction is the realistic snow storm in
the third act
The cast this year is larger than
OF the principal roles are filled by the
same persons who have been seen
here in the past in the same produce
ton.
Miss Phoebe Davis, as Anna Moore,
was exceptionally clever, and de-
served all of the applause bestowed
upon her. Marion Chapman, who as
sumed the soubrette part of Kate
Brewster, was also good, as was Sarah
iTn'c
flscher, as the squire, and John Bren-
nan, as Hi Holler, were both salts
factory, while the minor roles were
entrusted to capable players.
Way Down East is the production
of Lottie Blaire Parker, the play hav-
ing been elaborated by Joseph r.
Grismer. 1t has always been popular.
ing at the Metropolitan during the
rest of the week, with the usual
Wednesday and Saturday matinees,
and special Labor day matinee this
afternoon.
"The Price of Honor" at the Grand.
1t is melodrama, inconsistent and
improbable, but the audience applaud
ed until the chandelier shook The
women Wept at the tribulations of the
heroine and the gallery Kissed and
hooted at the villain and the villainess.
From the viewpoint of the audience of
last night the piece is a great success.
The play is very suggestive of a re
modelled version of "The Fatal We'd
ding"
Like the latter, it contains an inter-
rupted wedding at the foot of the altar,
where the villain pleases the audience
immensely by shooting himself. 1t
contains similar garnet scene, in
Which child of eight carries the
weight of the situation and makes
heroic speeches in language such as
would be used by a woman five times
her age.
The bootblack hero, with remarka-
bic forethought, carries sand in his
pocket for the performance of a sand
Jig when words fail him and something
has to be done to hold the scene. But
the lovers of melodrama seem not to
mind these little digressions and in
cons1stencies, which probably accounts
Tor the laXity of the melodramatist
The story of this play opens in a
New York department store. The
hero is one of the house detectives and
the heroine is a cloak model. The sis
ter OF the hero is an adventures in
/ league with the villain, who is a floor
walker or something of the sort. These
two incidentally show the methods of
ShoPilileIS anu get away with silks
and other valuables.
The heroine shoulders the blame for
the thefts in order to spare the hero
the knowledge of his sisters depravity.
The villain pursues the heroine
through two more acts, not forgetting
TO make use of a mock marriage and
attempts to purchase the Woman's si-
lence. Naturally she spurns money,
and then the villain has recourse to the
poison and fire methods of Kidding
himself of her.
The fire scene is well done.
But the bootblack hero, after being
chucked out of the window, comes back
by the same route bringing the chief
hero with him, and together they res
cue the heroine and the child" From
the fire they depart in time to inter
rupt the wedding of the unscrupulous
couple. Needless to state, all ends well,
Tor virtue and yillainy pays the price
OF honor in the last act.
The company is adequate and the
stage settings all that could be desired.
The piece continues throughout the
week, with the usual matinees and a
special matinee today.
THE Blue Ribbon Girls" at the Star.
The advance notices of 1.-The Blue
Ribbon Girls" did not do full Justice
to the attraction.
Singular modeSty on the part of the
press agent. In most every detail the
performance is just a bit better than
the good average. There is evidence
of desire to elevate the tone of bur-
lesque and to introduce a few CLEANS
of intelligent wit. A song by Miss
Russell contains the purely sentiment
al statement that the gallery is the
jury box" of the burlesaue theater
The man in the box office, however,
says that the parquet pays the salaries.
Those in the loft and on the lower
floors found plenty of entertainment
In yesterdays performances. This
company has struck a fair medium
The female MINISTRIES applying the
burnt cork 'in full view of the audi
ence," which they did with noteworthy
alarcity, were a hit. They departed
alacrity, were a hit They departed
from none of the traditions of min
strelsy and the jokes introduced car
ried union cards.
But the olio's the thing in this show.
1t begins with J. Bernard Dillon, big
in body and voice, who does a rough
guy turn. He looks the part His
songs are clever, especially the one
Just Like Teddy Did" Frey and
Fields in a sketch called 1.-The Wrong
Man" also contribute some new things
in comedy and some very clever dane
ing. Glenroy and Russell have a some
what similar. turn. Miss RusseIrs ma
1nI 10 l.,