Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-14
THE THEATER.
LAFAYETTE Theater.

At the Lafayette Theater last night
large audience patiently awaited the ar
rival of two trunks. which were lost some
where out on the railway. These trunks
contained costumes which were wanted to
lend the proper wartime atmosphere to Mr..
Hacketts new play, THE Crisis" A late
hour was reached before the curtain was
rung up, but it was a patient and a SYM
pathetic audience Most of its members
had heard of Mr.. Hackett's mortal enmity
to that theatrical monster, the syndicate.
who haunts actors, devours their profits,
and, if they are not good, chases them out
in the woods. far, far from home. There
was probably suspicion that the syndicate
had waylaid the trunks somewhere in the
wilderness between here and Philadelphia
and was sitting on them. grinning in ghoul-
ish glee at Mr.. Hackett's discontinue. But
Mr.. Hackett was not daunted. Mr.. War
ner, his manager. explained the situation
and begged the audience to make allowance
for the absence of correct costume In one
or two cases, which the audience did. 1t ap-
plauded enthusiastically and sighed in gentle
ecstasy as Mr. Hackett, with calm majestic
beauty, crushed vice beneath his heel and
spent the last 500 he had in the world to
purchase a slave girl and set her free. The
deficiency in costume was easily excused
and soon forgotten. 1t worked hardship
chiefly in the case of Brigham Royce, who
of the auditor to invest him with the uni
form of a confederate colonel. However,
Mr.. Royce as Clarence Colfax, the hero's
rival, proved to be abundantly able to take
care of himself. His part, while not ap-
pealing to the sympathies, required artistic
discretion and emotional energy, and these
qualities were supplied in a highly COM
petent manner The play presents col
lection of familiar melodramatic incidents
which are quite as effective as the costumes
mind
times. There is a little of everything in
THE Crisis from Uncle Toms Cabin to
Shenandoah" There was that trusty
friend, the colored woman, whose family
was being broken up by slave auction.
The temptation to step over the footlights,
take her by the hand and tell her to cheer
up, that it would all be right in the last
act, was hard to resist. Then there was the
evasive dialect, whose politics gave way to
her love for northern man. Dear girl!
Long may she chirp and fiutter unterrified
by the din of mimic battle! And the rude
man who holds the mortgage and who will
drive her father to ruin unless the girl
consents to marry him. How We have
missed him all these years! 1t was for
Mr. Hackett to stretch forth his courageou
arm and rescue him from the limbo of 10
800. This mercenary villain grimaced
in unholy joy and writhed in the throes of
retribution in way that must warm the
cookies of the frostiest heart and waken it
d d
juvenile thumps.
But it was not the play that the people
went to see. 1t was Mr.. Observation-Disclosures
and self-contained, capable of sacrifices
that would make the hero of a Sunday
school story hide his diminished head, and
serenely beautiful whether in the flush of
victory in the depths of disappointment.
In this play he takes for his text the war
dramatistS tme-tried motto, What is Mill
tary Discipline Among Friends?' and ad-
heres to it with an abiding and well-found-
ed belief that whatever the government
might say to such dongs the audience will
be with him from start to finish
The production has a strong pictorial
value. The old-time costumes are most
gracefully displayed, and the discussions OF
Abraham Lncoln's candidacy and election
revive with vivid effect the scenes of a mo-
mentous and Soul-stirring epoch. ThOS. y.
Hall gave finely dignified and yet spirited
picture of the southern aristocrat. The story
abounds in character roles which in several
instances are marred by too much obvious
to make an impression. The play,
while not of type to command interest,
either on the score of novelty of. literary
quality, must from the demonstra lions last
night, be credited with strong popular APP
peal. Mr.. Hackett was called before the
curtain repeatedly, and was compelled to
make speech. He alluded to the fact that
that the audience understood why he was
not playing at one of the other theaters.
He thanked the audience for being present,
and. judging from the applause. the salts
faction was quite mutual. If the business
of last night is maintained through the
week land this, of course, will depend on
the public estimate of the merits of his en-
Mr.. Hackett will not be en-
titled to the slightest consideration on the
score of martyrdOm.