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Show Theatre. "Struck Oil," written for Mr. J. C. Williamson and Miss Maggie Moore, and presented last night for tho first time anywhere, will be one of the most popular dramas on the American stago. The plot is excellent, excel-lent, and the piece is far above the standard of a class of play3 that of lafe years has won ephemeral popularity popu-larity through adventitious aids, such as concert scenes, banjo picking, clogging, clog-ging, and otiier adjuncts of variety performances. " Struck Oil" is a dram. i, and while thero are incongruities incon-gruities in it, there is aj m ioh that is really good that we overlook its defects; de-fects; and yet those very defects, such aa the absurdity iu Stofiel's being drilled and in his compelling the ollicerol'the day to go through a part of the drill, take immensely im-mensely with the audience and create roars of laughter. Briefly told, the plot is: A ; Pennsylvania Dutchman, not over well to do in tho world, becomes be-comes a subs ti tu to for tho owner of the farm on which he lives, to go to the war, receiving a deed of the farm and a hundred dollars; and this to secure se-cure a home for Idi 'wily and daughter. daught-er. Ho hides the deed, goes to. the war, is wounded, becomes crazv through an injury to his brain, and has an operation performed which restores consciousness but not memory. mem-ory. Oil has, meantime, been struck on his farm, and its former owner, a hypocritical deacon, swears he never gave a deed of it to Ins war substitute, aud sells it again. Tae good - natural Dutchman, through a series of interesting inter-esting incidents recovers his memory, finds the deal, finds himself a millionaire, mill-ionaire, and sees his scoundrelly landlord land-lord march off a prisoner. Ttiore is much of comedy and much of pathos in the drama; and the parts were all well sustained last night, Mr. Williamson, William-son, as John Stoffel, doing some .splendid acting, while Miss Moore was excellent as his daughter Lizzie. That inexpressibly funny farce, "The Chinese Invasion," followed.- The house was crowded. The same bill will be repeated tonight, to-night, and should, draw another bumper house. |