Sag Harbor (play)

This article is about the James Herne play. For the New York village, see Sag Harbor, New York.
Sag Harbor
Written byJames A. Herne
Directed byJames A. Herne
Date premieredSeptember 27, 1900 (1900-09-27)
Place premieredTheatre Republic
Original languageEnglish
SubjectLife in a seaside village
GenreComedy
SettingSag Harbor, New York

Sag Harbor, sub-titled An Old Story, is an 1899 comedy, the last play written by American author James Herne.[1] It has four acts and three settings,[2] all within Sag Harbor, New York, while the action covers a two-year time span. The play is a rural comedy, with two brothers competing for the same girl, and an older widower wooing a shy spinster. The play avoids melodrama, emphasising the realistic nature of its characters, though as one critic pointed out they occasionally do unreal things.[3]

The play was produced by Liebler & Company, with staging by the author, and sets by Gates and Morange and Ernest Albert.[1] Herne and two of his daughters, Julie Herne and Chrystal Herne, were among a cast that included Lionel Barrymore, Forrest Robinson, and William Hodge.

Its performance started with an extensive tour beginning October 1899[4] that was cut short in April 1900 when James Herne fell ill.[5] When it did arrive on Broadway in late September 1900, critical appreciation was mixed; while the characterisations were praised the dramatic action was not,[6] and some reviewers thought Herne had handled the same themes better in Shore Acres (1892).[7][8] The New York public was also indifferent;[9] the Broadway run closed December 1, 1900.[10]

  1. ^ a b Mantle, Burns; Sherwood, Garrison P.; Chapman, John Arthur (1944). "Sag Harbor". The Best Plays of 1899-1909. Dodd, Mead & Co. p. 372.
  2. ^ "Music and Drama". The Portland Daily Press. Portland, Maine. February 3, 1900. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "News of the Theaters". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. March 20, 1900. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "'Sag Harbor'". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 25, 1899. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Sequels to Columbia's Burning". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 3, 1900. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ ""Sag Harbor"". The Brooklyn Times. Brooklyn, New York. September 28, 1900. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ ""Sag Harbor" Is Charming". Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. September 28, 1900. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Sill, William Raymond (September 28, 1900). "Good Company in Herne's New Play". The Evening World. New York, New York. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Herne, pp.xxvi-xxviii, "Biographical Note" by Julie A. Herne
  10. ^ "Theatre Republic (ad)". New-York Tribune. New York, New York. December 1, 1900. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.