THE MINER’S DAUGHTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7404, 27 December 1887, Page 2

THE MINER’S DAUGHTER.

Mi-a Carrie Swain, whose advent hither has ; eon looked forward to with much eagerness by playgoers, owing to the highly favorable reports of her'tab nts which ha'.c during the past twelve months reach'd ns from Australia, made her first appearance at the I*, inecss’s Theatre last evening. Of the two pi pvs with which Miss Swain’s name has been most in inutely associated during her long and brilliant 'Casons in Melbourne and SyJmy, that chosen (or h.r opening pniforrmnce hero w*B ‘The Miner’s Daughter.’ This w rk, as we gather from the programme—without witch as-istance we should have scarce!} realised lire fact—is a“i net'ea! idyT’st ecirlly written (or Miss Swain by Bret Harm, and the stamp o( cbaraitcrs to be fuuid in the great American humorist's piav mty be fathered (rein the (11.twine Iha r( thecas’: -Mah(tha pride of the diggings), Carie Swain ; Yea Bill (a 8 age driver), Mr Oeor.e l.' Cpolii; John Grey ((be S'hoelnuiater), Mr I’hi'ip Stuart ; Old Sa Ph (father > ( Mab, an old drunkard), Mr J. U. Joyce ; Judge Hecswb get (a shining border I'glit). Mr \V. It. brake ; Pedro VValters (a Mcxioui gie.-eri.Mr D’Oouy Ogden: Templeton Fake (proprietor of a Iraet-Ilirg show), Mr John Forte ; M's Sud hj, M'SS Helen TergU'; Wylie Merphcr, Miss Isahi.l Stunt. In addition to this-' there are a crowd of gold-digger o , liar tender 0 , and oilier adjunct; to a digging e v.umui.i y, 'file opining icenc is on tie lit Dorado camp in ’.he Nevada ranges, and here we are introduced to Mah, a v. ay ward young creature who applets to have Veil left pretiy w ell io her own dm ices so far ns biinginir up is concern!<l, her only surviving relative being her drunken old father. The schoolmaster, however, takes a strong inter' st io her, and endeavor* to instil some shadiness into her mind, while she is far from fi landless otherwise, for the rough diggers genmaliy make fjiiite a pet, of her. In all In r mischievous pranks she has tiuir hearty support, and anyone attempting any ii jury to tier experiences a bed time. She has three premies in Walters, Fake, and Mis Suiidi, who, wilh the view of getting hold of wmut prrpetty o which Mab is entitled alter the d'-a l !' ef her father, combine together to kidnap her and sei/.; certain papers which confer on the possessor the light to the property in (piesfion. The plot is not carried out without a good deal of sensational business, in which murder, abductions, and fire are prominent features; but eventually the schemers attain their object and enjoy their 111-gotten gains for a time. In the end, however, one of the tiio relents his part io the wicked work and “peaches," the result being that the two grosser malefactors meet with appropriate justice. The piece has not constructively veiy much to reoemmend It, other than It affo.ds opportunity for some extraordinarily cloyer acting on the part cf Miss Swain, and some very humorous bits of character-acting by some of the other members of the oompmy. Mab, as represented by Miss Sw in, is a perfi at picure of a light-hearted and, at bottom, good-hearted girl, though endued with a wilful temper that shows her at Units in a somewhat unfavorable light. In her best moods she is brimming over with mirth and fun, and best enjoys passing her time in dancing and singing, alternated with practising ml'O'.l vous jokes at the expet'So cl her most deto od friends, Mis* Bwain is a nimble dancer, while her singing is r«markable for ease and brilliancy. Her songs and dances la the wvtiy of tbo pl*y take lmtocn*ely> Vmt » deeper and more favorable impression oi her vuoal abilities is created later on, when she gives a most brilliant rendering ol Arditi's Wall?, song ‘ U;auf.y, Sleep,’ and sings In delightful stylo an American snug. • roily, the bows are in the corn,’ the coho refrain to which -he executes rdmfraMy. These two pieces last evening raised th- eUdience to quite a high pitch of enthusiasm, and it is safe lo say that they will bn c cored nightly as rapturously as they were last night. Mr Leopold has an excellent part in that of the ooDoh-driver Vuba Bill, who constitutes himself Slab's special “guardian angel." In the eaily seems be has plenty of scope (or acting of the bluff and manly detcription ; while the cio'lng toene affords him opportunity for a little of that broadly comic business in which he excels. A capital character is that of the showman Fake, and Mr Forde creates Intense mnuseuii nt by his mrck-tiavic bearing and inflated mam er of speech, while a ''medley” sene between himself and Mab la very clcver ; y worked out Mr Leake abo “shines’* in reality in hia part of the Judge, who insists on everything living done “according to the statutes ” tod whose quaint observations, and particularly bis method of conducting the business cf a diggings Court ol Justice, make him a great favorite of the audi nc i. in strong contrast to these two charaoteis sands that, of Ped;,o Naltero, the only thorough-paced villain of the play, mid Mr D’Orsiy Ogden is to be complimented very highly on the perfect manner in which he sinks his xiwfi personality in that t.f the treacherous Mexican. Mr Stuart ia decidedly stiff in the part ei the ichoohnaster, hut our old friend Mr Joyce gives an extremely effective representation of Ma'./s drunkfu father. Miss Fergus has amt particularly grab ful part in that of the plotting Mrs Smith, but she fills it to the general satisfaction;; and a word cf praise may ho awarded to Miss Stuart, (nr her -cry natur.'! impersonation cf the schoolgirl Clyde. In poiifltfsioii, wc may eiy that the play Is not without Its faults, Jin the first place, It, is spun out to so great a length that thme is necessarily a good deal ct lament as in thd business; then there arc also some ouch gl.irihg ii - oongnjities in the options rendered nee nary io order to show off Miss Swain’s aucompishnionts that it requires all tlist lady’s talent to carry tff the ro nea atcpessfullv. A lit!Jo farpicat, too, is the inevitably ready manner in which the Wbjcioan’a big dagger is always met bv his intended victim’s revolver Still, ‘The Miner’s Daughter' is well worth seeing, if only for the pleasure of witnessing the Capital work done by the principal ; and the play will doubtless hove a highly successful run. The scenic i fleets arc verv good notably that of the destruction by tiro of (tie sheriff’s house; while the orchestra engaged by the management is an unusually powerful cue.