The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-10-13
THEATRES

Mr.. Shipmnn's New Play, "On PAROLE
Two scenes of unusual strength stood
| out In the production of ON Parole,
the Montgomery Theatre last night In
one was the vigor and thrill of &C
| ton. The other was a scene of bra
very and courage under the weisht
were scenes dramatic to the point of
the intense; both appealed to the
stronger and more virile emotions OF
every man and woman who appre-
ciates the glory of the romance.
1t was in the third act that Cha
| lotte Walker. as Constance Pinckney.
the Confederate spy. held prisoner
by Federal office, ard knowing her
| brother was approaching to capture
the Unionist whom she had come to
love. sought to penetrate the lines
brother from hs purpose: Brought
permitted to go. She assuied her cap
y sGe s the rep tai Ht Of D the confed
crate fore. under her brother an in
slant later broke tnt faith Of the Fed
eral w n had trusted to her Pride hs
sure ldared his sw ord and drawing to
full height, said.
Il compliment Miss Pinckney upon
In the last act of the play. news
stead that Lee had surrendered. Ar
was unbelievable and crushing. Inn
mediately afterward came the news
that the son of tho house was reported
missing" The blow was great. but
en- family was equal to it. Broken:
crushed. each man and woman sought
to cheer the other and to pretend
brother and son would be saved.
These two scenes represented two
entirely opposite aspects OF the war
and grief and sorrow in the home;
ina both were presented with equal
strength and dramatic force is evil
this strength and this dramatic real
| ity was not confined to any one part
of The production, but was sustained
| throughout. in every scene every s't
On Parole" is a drama of great
force. Strength and reality are its
chice characteristics. 1t has the at
mosphere of war times. the patriotic
| fe1, or. the intense love of cause. 1haf
the most has been made of the dra-
no wise takes from it's fidelity to life.
That it is romantic in no wise les
sens the appreciation of the reality 81
scenes depleted In no place does It
descend to the level of melodrama, anc
nowhere does a line ring false with
overdone emotion or. sentiment. a.
Perhaps one criticism may pe hiouo
in that the play. SO far as the plot Is
| to be considered. is not wholly orlgi-
nal 1t has the same elements wnlcn
we have seen in other war ORA mas
There are the female Confederate spy
and the Federal officer with whom she
| must fall in love. AS In other plays
she expresses her contempt for MIN ana
later yields to his brave and soioierly
qualities 1t Is necessary also that ne
must capture her and be sWerVed from
the strict path of his duty by his de-
| yotiop SO far other dramatists nave
In the soldier brother and the faith
full negro servant there are two eie-
| ments which are common 10 o.nsr
plays. In plot and the characters en-
ployed the ground has been gone over,
in part at least. until 1t has become
recognized as almost the classic style
of the Civil War drama. ..
But when this has been said 1t has all
been said Even handling this mater
ial, the author has introduced an en-
tirely new attitude In that ne presents
| it with a strong appeal to the southern
thy of the man with Union tendeacles
To this extent ne has changed the orol-
nary use of this material.
ION Parole" is making It's hrst ap :
rearance. having be- n played less than
a dozen times before it's production on
the Montgomery, stage last night. ne
setting of the play is laid In Elrglnia,
the time included is the year between
April, 1864 and Lees surrender. con-
stance Pinckney, carrying dispatches.
is pursued by Federal troops under M.
the cabin of "a former soldier who had
served with her father in the Mexican
War, sends duplicate of her dispatch
through the old man IS messenger, dis
suises herself as country girl. and Ia
this guise receives the Union ofhcer
when he arrives with his troop. In a
short conversation; she SSxPrt5tsbest hsc
ing her scorn. end her evident station,
the officer Is impressed by her beauty;
She misleads him as to the shortest
he seems bound. and taking shorter
road reaches home before him.
When Dale reaches the Pinckney
manor he is met by Constance. Her
change of costume does not deceive
him, and he remains at her fathers
house, partly because of his growing
love and partly because OF his feeling
that ne must perform his duty. Later
her Identity. and upon his request she
gives him her parole. Prior to this.
however, she lad arranged for her
brother in the Confedeate service to
capture the Federal party which has
occupied the Pinckney premises. Re-
rentinG of her plot, she begs Dale to
leave, and failing in that seeks to pre-
vent her brother from carrying out
his plan. Her efforts are frustrated
by the arrival of the brother, which,
in turn. causes tie Federal to think
her parole had been merely a clever
bit of acting to make him her dupS
The closing scene Of the play is in
the Pincleney gardens. There the
rews of the surrender of the Army OF
Northern Virginia Is received and
there it is learned that the SON of the
house, Captain Robert Pinckney Is
missing. When his loved ones have
given him up for dead, he is brought
back to his nome by Dale. who. in the
meantime has risen to the rank Of
Colonel. The Kindness of the Fedora.
toward her wounded brother softens
the heart of the Virginia girl. and the
expected conclusion Is accomplished.
Tie cast which presented the new
Shipman play was exceptional. Every
role was presented with distinction
and individuality. Miss Walker, as
Constance. was the model type of the
srdnnt Snutherner of fiction. Coura-
Eeous. spirited. charming. captivat-