At the grove a
series of historic tableaux presented the principal personages in
significant pictures, and these were accompanied by Old English ballads
and Shakespearian songs. The finale was a stately minuet, beautifully
danced by four couples. They had been drilled for weeks by Miss Russell
and as she was more than satisfied with the performance, it was, no
doubt, nearly perfect. The audience seemed to be of that mind as they
refused to disperse until the minuet had been repeated.
The following season we had a smaller pageant, the costumed personages
being the characters in Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's
Dream." This was the most important play ever given in the grove, and as
an out-door production, it antedated any similar performance in America.
I have seen "A Midsummer Night's Dream" given in the open several times
since, but the magic of the first impression has never again been felt.
With all our love of recreation, there were no sedentary games in our
repertoire.
Pages:
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101