New-York tribune., 1907-12-05
THE DRAMA.
~TEE wARRENS OF VIRGINIA" ."
Belasco Theatre.

e'' - E3alasco Theatre, the interest i N'N
+-ota5 on the character OF a eet'ei ~ go
-. q .4o Southern -Confederacy 1o"''iU ' =
VIC "a o-s.sn' Civil War. and on the cohuuCt u
y, % ,1,tar in a well contriVed ehlefse"C.' -
i - she confict.-perennial as u
- between love and DUTY Aie 90.
p.,,g and IL illustrates. IN a manner '
lnteles and pat hetic the contrasts q CIT
Is a D'.- and the yicissitudes Of doTnesuo eN-
that necessarily. were lhcloeht ~ '
te..e- condition OF frateTnal STRIFE uleh PIe|'-
- ,n this country The play IS 'o'' III Aii9 80.
e,'- r,oIirfcal OF sectional. II has no dlaacl'c
e4t.. :. does not discuss the war 1t does NOT
.oo..e either union or disunion II teI4s d s~oiH'
- necessarily therefore, it portrays charae'eIS
rs --edouoinant element in it is picture but Il
.oIns much incident. of a kind more notable 1oF
tr.- .ton novelty and some its situations are
caught with the dramatic element OF suspense
Its special charm is a sweet and gehue coIiiesD0
atmosphere.
Tho action is supposed 10 pass during the twenty
.o,- hours Immediately preceding the surrender OF
.ba Confederate army, at Appomattox, AprlL =
1858 and to close i've years later ACT tTSI
occurs in e woodland glade. near TO the aooce
of the warrens Of Virginia Acts second anu
,,,frs r,roceed in a room fl that dwelling -fCL
fourth and last. IS placed in a rose garden adJa-
cant 70 the Warren home. General Warren, a CON
<ederate commander. is i'll broken by care ana pEl
walton and lie has been ordered from the helo' lot
rest. General Griffin, Union commander mas
sccsses TO the request Of General Lee that warren
.+ou1a he nass.d through the Union lines TO his
home warren's daughter, Agatha trying 10 feaCh
the Confederate forces with such little Fehef as te
HEarren family could supply, has been stopped pS
lieutenant Burton, q Union officer,-known to her
before the outbreak of the war-who loves her'
.n5 rbo is by her beloved, although she mas
-epulsed him. Lieutenant Burton, in turning
Agatha back TO her home, begs the privilege
of visiting her. if he obtain leave of absence
Int his request is denied. General Warren now
ever on the way his dwelling, meets with Bur
ton and consents to r. proposed visit and suP s'g ar
rival is vital them while the stoppage OF 1t IS
equally essential to the forces Of the Union STRAIT
agera is planned a bogus dispatch is prepared
ordering the interception Of the train at certain
point and IL is desired that this dispatch be capt
;red BY the Confederate commander, so that he
viii he deceived by il and viii send the train an
other way. The Union commander utilizes Lieu
tenant E3urtons wish to visit his sweetheart, ana
con1pels him carry the dispatch,-having pre-
riously escertained that movement OF the Con-
federates is intended which will insure Burton
Capture at General Warren's home Various rea-
sons constrain Burton TO carry the dispatch,-al-
though his expectation is that he VIII pe
shot as a spy When the scene SHIFTS 10
the Warren home Agatha and Burton meet and
they plight their faith lovers. Burton Is capt
,red rv the Confederates but Agatha has obtained
the dispatch and has concealed it in her shoe ier
purpose is to shield her lover; but General warren
surmisfng that she knows where the document IS
concealed, appeals to her in such a way that she
breaks down and surrenders it The General Is oe-
ceived The supply train IS dispatched IN a wrong
direction and is captured by the Union forces. The
conduct Of Burton thereupon IS stignatlzeo as
grossly d!shonorable; Agatha renounces MIN;
and making no defence, he is likely 10 be
shot The surrender Of the Confederate army
terminates the war. and thus Burtons NE
is saved. After the lapse. Of five years ne
once repairs to the Warren nome ana re-
ness his suit for the hand OF Agatha At first MS
prayer is that the girl stlil
loves him The talk of the lovers is heard by Gen
araI Warren who appears all the while TO ha7e
heen asleep and presently the father recalls TIE
aeparttnS lover and. for his daughters sake con-
eents TO a reconciliation and marriage: ana thus
A pretty picture Of happy love and peace is made te
close an ordeal OF trouble and grief It seems
+v that some device could not have been found TO
make the young soldier the dispatch without
being aware Of the treactery that was intended.
He is forced act in dishonorabie manner
and he forfeits all sympathy IN the action OF the
play.
There is no limit 10 the pathos of confictng
en,oons that can be pictured. incident to war, and
especially TO a civil Some OF that patnus IS
indicated at moments in this drama The little cli-
dren concocting letter 10 their soldier brother'
the aEunized lover, who, while waiting for the mo-
r,ent in which the trick 20 which he has lent him
self viii be accomplished, is fondly treated by lne
girl whom he loves. and toward whom ne feels tal
he has been deceittui the worn, tn suffering Con-
federate general gleefU. in his supposed triumph
waiting for the safe arrival Of the supplies that
viii relieve his wretched troops. and sitting with
his wife by his and their Two young children
Al their knees: the blind, almost insane, fury OF
that deceived resentful old man, when he learns
OF the capture OF those supplies-'hose incidents
and others like 10 them are exceedingly ehecuFe-
There is excess OF dialogue and there Is
TOO much attention 20 unimportant detail delaying
the action The incident OF the fathers kn6e-n1s
TO his daughter is copied from Wills's splendid
play Of Charles Tin Which the betrayed king. IN
similar situation begs Murray to bring his forces
TO the rescue of the royal arms. The opening in
cfdeut-the meeting Of the Union and the Confed-
Of Boucicault's Belle Lamar" The acting
IS in several instances, superb MI Keenan,
IS in appearance. true 10 the Indicated ideal
Of Warren The best moment of his per-
forrance is the outbreak when Warren Is ap-
pr,sed of the loss of the train and cannot
believe that his has obeyed orders MISS
Walker is handsome and winning, and in the
lighter moments OF the play she acts with pleas
ing effect II IS not unreasonable TO expect that Il
Young woman who has suffered the anxiety that
Agatha Warren has suffered, during four years
of war and five years Of subsequent grief
should show some Of IL in her couh-
tenance and manner. That point Miss walker mas
overlooked In The scene OF furious repulse Of her
lover she is inadeQuatesuIplyin vociferation IN
rtesd Of force Miss Walker has lately made known
70 the pblIc the fact that Mr.. Belasco has taught
her 10 fee: If she will learn, either from MT
Relasco or from some other source, how 10 make
her audience feel her performance VIII be I'M
rro,es and a handsome and apparently earnest
young woman will justify her present prominence
-. W. w.