Shore Acres (play)
Shore Acres is four-act a play written by James A. Herne. The play debuted at McVicker's Theater in Chicago on May 23, 1892, initially under the title Shore Acres Subdivision.[1] Later in the Chicago run, it was retitled Uncle Nat. In February 1893, the play opened as Shore Acres at the Boston Museum, where it ran for several months. Following the play's success in Boston, Henry C. Miner staged it on Broadway, where it opened at the Fifth Avenue Theatre on October 30, 1893.[2]
| Shore Acres | |
|---|---|
 Poster for an 1898 production | |
| Written by | James A. Herne |
| Date premiered | May 23, 1892 |
| Place premiered | McVicker's Theater, Chicago |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | A lighthouse in Maine |
Cast and characters
The characters and opening night cast from the Broadway production are given below:[3]
| Character | Broadway cast |
|---|---|
| Nathan'l Berry (Uncle Nat) | James A. Herne |
| Martin Berry | Charles G. Craig |
| Joel Gates | George W. Wilson |
| Josiah Blake | Franklin Garland |
| Sam Warren | David M. Murray |
| Captain Ben Hutchins | Phineas Leach |
| Dr. Leonard | James Barrows |
| Squire Andrews | Alden Bass |
| Tim Hayes | Carl Fey |
| Young Nat Berry | Charles B. Hamlin |
| Ann Berry | Grace Gayler Clark |
| Helen Berry | Katharine Grey |
| Perley | Lizzle Corner |
| Mandy Gates | Florence Richards |
Reception
The New York Times gave a positive review to the Broadway production, calling it "more than worth seeing".[3] Critic Alan Dale gave it a positive review in The Evening World.[4] The New-York Tribune reviewer disliked Herne's use of theatrical realism, saying the play was dull and filled with an "interminable mass of insipidities and platitudes".[5] The reviewer for the The Sun thought parts of the play were boring, but overall it was "an excellent work".[6]
Adaptations
The play was adapted into a silent film, also titled Shore Acres, in 1914. A second film adaptation, again titled Shore Acres, was released in 1920.
References
- "Amusements: McVicker's". The Daily Inter Ocean. May 24, 1892. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- Herne, Julie A. (1928). "Biographical Note". Shore Acres and Other Plays. New York: Samuel French. pp. xxiv–xxv.
- "Shore Acres Pleases Them". The New York Times. October 31, 1893. p. 2.
- Dale, Alan (November 1, 1893). "Shore Acres". The Evening World. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Drama: Shore Acres". New-York Tribune. October 31, 1893. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Last Night's New Plays". The Sun. October 31, 1893. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- "Shore Acres" at the Bayles-Yeager Online Archives of the Performing Arts