''Shore Acres'' is four-act a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

written by

James A. Herne James A. Herne (born James Ahearn; February 1, 1839 – June 2, 1901) was an American playwright and actor. He is considered by some critics to be the "American Ibsen", and his controversial play ''Margaret Fleming'' is often credited with havin ...

. The play debuted at

McVicker's Theater McVicker's Theater (1857–1984) was a playhouse in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Built for actor James Hubert McVicker, the theater was the leading stage for comedic plays in Chicago's early years. It often hosted performances by Edwin Boot ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on May 23, 1892, initially under the title ''Shore Acres Subdivision''. 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 Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, where it opened at the

Fifth Avenue Theatre Fifth Avenue Theatre was a Broadway theatre in New York City in the United States located at 31 West 28th Street and Broadway (1185 Broadway). It was demolished in 1939. Built in 1868, it was managed by Augustin Daly in the mid-1870s. In 1877, ...

on October 30, 1893.

Cast and characters

The characters and opening night cast from the Broadway production are given below:

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' gave a positive review to the Broadway production, calling it "more than worth seeing". Critic Alan Dale gave it a positive review in ''

The Evening World ''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.'' History The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was publ ...

''. The ''

New-York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

'' reviewer disliked Herne's use of

theatrical realism Realism in the theatre was a general movement that began in 19th-century theatre, around the 1870s, and remained present through much of the 20th century. It developed a set of dramatic and theatrical conventions with the aim of bringing a greate ...

, saying the play was dull and filled with an "interminable mass of insipidities and platitudes". The reviewer for the '' The Sun'' thought parts of the play were boring, but overall it was "an excellent work".

Adaptations

The play was adapted into a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

, also titled '' Shore Acres'', in 1914. A second film adaptation, again titled '' Shore Acres'', was released in 1920.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*
Shore Acres
at the Bayles-Yeager Online Archives of the Performing Arts 1892 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays Plays by James Herne Plays set in Maine