The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-30
ROSEANNE A PLAY DEPICTS
 EMOTIONAL LIFE OF NEGRO

Roseanne,' play in three acts, by Nan Bagby Stephens of Atlanta, was given it's premier last night at the Greenwich Village theatre and it may De safely asserted that nothing quite like the second act of the play has ever been seen before in a New York theatre,' said message re- ceived in Birmingham yesterday.
 The play is a dramatic study of the emotional life of the negro as mani fested in his ordinary human con- taets and his religion It was p@o- ducec by Mary Kirkpatrick, formerly of Montgomery, Ala. The plot in it. self is fairly simple. Roseanne, woman of deeply religious nature, seeks to protect here sister, Leola, from what in white circles would be called jazz influences" But she has no hesttancy in submitting her to the influence of the preacher, Cicero Brown of Mt. Zion church in the su- burbs of Atlanta. Leola, the younger sister. knows in her mind that Cicero is a fraud but at the same time the spiritual side of her nature is under a sort of hypnotic dominance that Cicero exercises. The preacher wrongs the girl and forces her to steal Roseanne's savings. Roseanne learns the truth too late to save her sister from suicide under the wheels of trolley car. But Roseanne goes back to the church and denounces the preacher before his congregation.
 This denunciation comes as cli- max to the second act. But this has been preceded by scene or pro digious emotional eloquence in which the congregation and the preacher turn the full force of their orgiastlc zeal-expressed through choral slng- ing, schouts, groans and palsleu shakings of the body--on a recalet- trant sinner. He holds out for long time but finally "comes thro to chorus of hallalejl'hs. This scene was carried through with an aoan- it's head. Miss Stephens took her bows with the company when the audience shouted for the author.
 Southerners in the audience were impressed with the psycho1oglcal ae- curacy of the play and it's faithful reproduction of negro cadences. In the cast were representatives Of al most every southern state.
 For the first time in the history of the New York theatre fuli length play on a serious negro theme and containing nothing but negro characters will be presented on the boards of a local playhouse The play is "Roseanne" by Nan Bagby Ste- phens, the Atlanta musician ana writer. and it is being produced py Mary Kirkpatrick' an allmna r1,, oi of Agnes Scott college and formerly or Montgomery, Ala, and directed py John Kirkpatrick. her brother: graduate of the University of Ala bama Moreover, the cast headea pS Crystal Herne and John Harrison, viii be composed almost entirely oI southern born actors. One Of Us members is Chapel Corey Jr" ol Birming gham. .,,o
 The opening performance of Rose anne" will take place Saturday night, December 29, at the GreenWlch VII
 aRoseanne" is dedicated by both the producer and the author to MS MISS Louise Mckinney, instructor m Ens
 through Miss Mckinney that the e play was brought to the attention I1 1.,l, or | Miss Kirkpatrick, who as New hork $ s leading woman producer had alreaay had a number of Broadway sue cesses such as .a9 East and rnNn hMary ry the Third" to her credit. Inous Miss Kirkpatrick and Miss Stephens had both studied under Miss Me Kinney they did not become per