Seven Short Plays Part 36

FIRST PRODUCTIONS OF THE PLAYS

SPREADING THE NEWS was produced for the first time at the opening of the Abbey Theatre, on Tuesday, 27th December, 1904, with the following cast:

_Bartley Fallon_ W. G. FAY _Mrs. Fallon_ SARA ALGOOD _Mrs. Tully_ EMMA VERNON _Mrs. Tarpey_ MAIRE NI GHARBHAIGH _Shawn Early_ J. H. DUNNE _Tim Casey_ GEORGE ROBERTS _James Ryan_ ARTHUR SINCLAIR _Jack Smith_ P. MACSUIBHLAIGH _A Policeman_ R. S. NASH _A Removable Magistrate_ F. J. FAY

HYACINTH HALVEY was first produced at the Abbey Theatre on 19th February, 1906, with the following cast:

_Hyacinth Halvey_ F. J. FAY _James Quirke, a butcher_ W. G. FAY _Fardy Farrell, a telegraph boy_ ARTHUR SINCLAIR _Sergeant Carden_ WALTER MAGEE _Mrs. Delane, Postmistress at Cloon_ SARA ALLGOOD _Miss Joyce, the Priest's House-keeper_ BRIGIT O'DEMPSEY

THE GAOL GATE was first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 20th October, 1906, with the following cast:

_Mary Cahel_ SARA ALLGOOD _Mary Cus.h.i.+n_ MAIRE O'NEILL _The Gate Keeper_ F. J. FAY

THE JACKDAW was first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 23rd February, 1907, with the following cast:

_Joseph Nestor_ F. J. FAY _Michael c.o.o.ney_ W. G. FAY _Mrs. Broderick_ SARA ALLGOOD _Tommy Nally_ ARTHUR SINCLAIR _Sibby Fahy_ BRIGIT O'DEMPSEY _Timothy Ward_ J. M. KERRIGAN

THE RISING OF THE MOON was first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 9th March, 1907, with the following cast:

_Sergeant_ ARTHUR SINCLAIR _Policeman X._ J. A. O'ROURKE _Policeman B._ J. M. KERRIGAN _Ballad Singer_ W. G. FAY

WORKHOUSE WARD was first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 20th April, 1908, with the following cast:

_Mike M'Inerney_ ARTHUR SINCLAIR _Michael Miskell_ FRED O'DONOVAN _Mrs. Donohue_ MARIE O'NEILL

_A Selection from the Catalogue of_

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS

Complete Catalogues sent on application

The Golden Apple

A Kiltartan Play for Children

By Lady Gregory

Author of "Seven Short Plays"

"Our Irish Theatre"

"Irish Folk-History Plays," etc.

_8 Eight full-page Ill.u.s.trations in color_ _$1.25 net._

This play deals with the adventures of the King of Ireland's son, who goes in search of the Golden Apple of Healing. The scenes are laid in the Witch's Garden, the Giant's House, the Wood of Wonders, and the King of Ireland's Room. It is both humorous and lyrical, and should please children and their elders, alike. The colored ill.u.s.trations have the same old faery-tale air as the play itself.

Irish Folk-History Plays

By

LADY GREGORY

_First Series. The Tragedies_

GRANIA KINCORA DERVORGILLA

_Second Series. The Tragic Comedies_

THE CANAVANS THE WHITE c.o.c.kADE THE DELIVERER

_2 vols. Each, $1.5O net. By mail, $1.65_

Lady Gregory has preferred going for her material to the traditional folk-history rather than to the authorized printed versions, and she has been able, in so doing, to make her plays more living. One of these, Kincora, telling of Brian Boru, who reigned in the year 1000, evoked such keen local interest that an old farmer travelled from the neighborhood of Kincora to see it acted in Dublin.

The story of Grania, on which Lady Gregory has founded one of these plays, was taken entirely from tradition. Grania was a beautiful young woman and was to have been married to Finn, the great leader of the Fenians; but before the marriage, she went away from the bridegroom with his handsome young kinsman, Diarmuid. After many years, when Diarmuid had died (and Finn had a hand in his death), she went back to Finn and became his queen.

Another of Lady Gregory's plays, The Canavans dealt with the stormy times of Queen Elizabeth, whose memory is a horror in Ireland second only to that of Cromwell.

The White c.o.c.kade is founded on a tradition of King James having escaped from Ireland after the battle of the Boyne in a wine barrel.

The choice of folk history rather than written history gives a freshness of treatment and elasticity of material which made the late J. M. Synge say that "Lady Gregory's method had brought back the possibility of writing historic plays."

All these plays, except Grania, which has not yet been staged, have been very successfully performed in Ireland. They are written in the dialect of Kiltartan, which had already become familiar to readers of Lady Gregory's books.

New Comedies

By

LADY GREGORY

The Bogie Men-The Full Moon-Coats Damer's Gold-McDonough's Wife

_8, With Portrait in Photogravure. $1.50 net. By mail, $1.65_

The plays have been acted with great success by the Abbey Company, and have been highly extolled by appreciative audiences and an enthusiastic press. They are distinguished by a humor of unchallenged originality.

One of the plays in the collection, "Coats," depends for its plot upon the rivalry of two editors, each of whom has written an obituary notice of the other. The dialogue is full of crisp humor. "McDonough's Wife," another drama that appears in the volume, is based on a legend, and explains how a whole town rendered honor against its will. "The Bogie Men" has as its underlying situation an amusing misunderstanding of two chimney-sweeps. The wit and absurdity of the dialogue are in Lady Gregory's best vein. "Damer's Gold" contains the story of a miser beset by his gold-hungry relations. Their hopes and plans are upset by one they had believed to be of the simple of the world, but who confounds the Wisdom of the Wise. "The Full Moon" presents a little comedy enacted on an Irish railway station. It is characterized by humor of an original and delightful character and repartee that is distinctly clever.