The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-11-06
BARRE PEOPLE IN DRAMA.
Presented "The Man from Virginia" at
Opera House Last Evening.

A drama strongly favored with the es-
sence of the old far West is "Ihe Man
from Virginia." four.act piece credit
ably presented by local talent actor peo-
pie in the opera house last evening. The
play, as 1t was interpreted by a finely
drawn cast, was another piece of the sort
that has been staged with varying de-
grees OF success in the past few years.
In one way and another, last evenings
production was considerably better than
the average and an audience that occu-
pied the greater part of the house was
quick to pick out the brightest features
Of the four-act western pastoral and APP
plaud literally. The presentation served
as fresh reminder, too, that there is a
wealth of dramatic talent in Barre and
that under propitious circumstances IT
can be developed in such a measure as
to be capable of entertaining in fine fash
ion
Members of the civic department Of the
Barre Woman's club, under whose aus
pices the piece was produced, have ample
reason for feeling gratiied over the ini-
tial appearance of the company and the
indications are that the players will re-
ceive deserved recognition from another
large audience on the occasion of their
second performance this evening. The
advance sale of seats bears out the pre-
diction that the public will be much in
evidence in the opera house when the
curtain rises at 8:l5.
The drama was written by Bruce
Chesterman and the participants were
well trained for the production by the
author. No exceptions are to be made in
the statement that every member of an
unusually well balanced cast interpreted
his or her part intelligently. In no in
stance was there faltering in the lines
and some very dramatic effects were OBJ
tanned when hesitances and miscues
would have been fatal. As the title in
dieates, the story of the play centers
around the arrival in the gold fields OF
the Sierras of young man from Vir-
ginia. The leading male role was handled
by DIR. Howard II. Reid as Randolph
Page" and the threads (which bound the
plot together semed inevitably to draw
that character and the heroine, "Joy," in
terpreted by Miss Frieda Hooker, nearer
and nearer together. Most Of the hap
penings occur in the region around Wild
Cat, Cal, in that year of grace in the
West and disgrace in the South, 1869.
Four acts served to introduce grizzled
prospectors of the Nevada rangers, sol
diers of fortune and other characters
typical of the period. There were excel
lent lighting and scenic effects and very
musical numbers were played
by the Christopher Columbus band, com
posed of young Italian musicians, who
were led by Prof. p Gropelli.
The cast of characters was drawn as
follows: Randolph Page" from Virginia,
DR.. Reid; "Col. Green" from Kentucky,
DR.. F. NJ Lynde; "Old Missouri" a.
forty miner, Charles L. Hoernle; "Jack
Logan" renegade. c. l.. Brown; "Bill
Potts" of Potts place, James M. Dun
can; mike Kelly. from the old sod,
John Duncan; Cyclone Jim," stage driy
err, Perry oliver; Snowfall" the Colo
nel's 1nigger,' George A. Shepard;
"Crimps," holy terror, George Faulk-
ner; patches" school kid, Miss Hazel
Alaekay: molly Bayne," from Boston,
Miss Edith Watson; "Billy," a young
heathen, Mrs. Florence Bottiggi; 'Brid-
get" cook lady, Miss Mary Mccarthy;
born before Denny, Miss Doro-
thy Rounds; Denny" born before Mick
ey, Miss Alice Bradford; Mickey" born
after Denny, Miss Dorothy Boyce
sJoy." a girl of the hills, Miss Hooker.
Sponsors for the production are indebt-
ed to the young Italian musicians, who
so literally to the success of
the efirst night" TO Howard lockwood
Of the lockwood studio, and to Others
who assisted materially in various ways.