| Shore Acres | |
| Setting: | A lighthouse in Maine |
| Place: | McVicker's Theater, Chicago |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Genre: | Drama |
Shore Acres is four-act a play written by James A. Herne. The play debuted at McVicker's Theater in Chicago on May 23, 1892, initially under the title Shore Acres Subdivision.[1] 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, where it opened at the Fifth Avenue Theatre on October 30, 1893.[2]
The characters and opening night cast from the Broadway production are given below:[3]
| Broadway cast | ||
| Nathan'l Berry (Uncle Nat) | James A. Herne | |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Berry | Charles G. Craig | |
| Joel Gates | George W. Wilson | |
| Josiah Blake | Franklin Garland | |
| Sam Warren | David M. Murray | |
| Captain Ben Hutchins | Phineas Leach | |
| Dr. Leonard | James Barrows | |
| Squire Andrews | Alden Bass | |
| Tim Hayes | Carl Fey | |
| Young Nat Berry | Charles B. Hamlin | |
| Ann Berry | Grace Gayler Clark | |
| Helen Berry | Katharine Grey | |
| Perley | Lizzle Corner | |
| Mandy Gates | Florence Richards |
The New York Times 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.[4] The New-York Tribune reviewer disliked Herne's use of theatrical realism, saying the play was dull and filled with an "interminable mass of insipidities and platitudes".[5] The reviewer for The Sun thought parts of the play were boring, but overall it was "an excellent work".[6]
The play was adapted into a silent film, also titled Shore Acres, in 1914. A second film adaptation, again titled Shore Acres, was released in 1920.