Sweet Inniscarra

Sweet Inniscarra (1897), a play by Augustus Pitou. [14th Street Theatre, 104 perf.] Gerald O'Carroll (Chauncey Olcott), an Irishman raised in London, comes to the small Irish town of Inniscarra, where he falls in love with the local schoolteacher, Kate O'Donoghue (Georgia Busby). Her father objects to their romance and attempts to have Gerald shanghaied, but Gerald escapes and returns to Inniscarra in time to prevent Kate from being forced into an unwanted marriage. This play, interlarded with a few Irish‐style songs, was typical of the romantic dramas in which Olcott and his competitors trafficked so profitably for many years. As the working‐class Irish deserted the theatre for films, this sort of play disappeared.