Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-11-26
THE STAGE
IN GOTHAM.
+. Sherlock Holmes a Marvellous Theat.
ricaI Hodsesodge---The Coming Pro-
duction Of sBen Hur."

gramme of the Garrick Theater de-
scribeS as a drama in four acts by
William Gillette and A. Conan Doyle,
and which is further referred to as be-
ing 81 hithertc unpublished episode in
the career of the great detective and
showing his COL nection with the strange
case Of Miss Faulkner" is about the
most mixed up mess that has appeared
on the stage OF first class New York
theater during the past decade. Still
1t is, in spite of its technical impossl-
bility, success of the first water, and
it is not improbable that 1t will remain
at the Garrick Theater during the re-
mainder Of the present season.
There is not single scene or single
character in the play OF Sherlock
Holmes which could by stretch Of inn
agination or partially 10 the distin-
guished actor-author be considered as
even vaguely resembling any phase OF
life with which normal human beings
are familiar Every speech, every act
of every character is as artificial as
@Dupee; the stage people are always UNI
1erstood to be mere puppets; the ar
sangement of everything is man1feStly
adjusted to admit of the absurd quiet
heroics of the central figure, and still L
defy any one with red blood in his
geins to sit through a performance OF
sherlock Holraes' without becoming
deeply interested in what, for want OF
better term, mast be called the plot OF
1he play.
For one thing, the piece is radical
departure from the beaten path which
dramas designed for exploitation at first
class theaters lave for many years fol-
lowed. 1t contains villains galore, and
even the hero is really only cheap
lrickster who redeems himself IN
measure at the last by confessing to the
Innocent girl he has duped that his dis
honorable conduct was all in the line OF
business and that if it had not been
&or his promise he would have given
ND the effort to get hold Of the papers
which are necessary feature of every
cav melodralnatic "shOcker" like
sherlock Holmes" Then the gallant
detective who has won the girls con-
Adence through her heart has the auda-
.dty to appear to be willing as the final
curtain falls to consider himself wor-
Shy husband for her instead of speedily
,oetaking himseif to the nearest bridge
and permitting himself to fall to some
convenient and Jagged rock far below.
Still Sherlock Holmes" permits Gill
lette to shine as an actor, and that is
more than can be said, so far as l am
aware, of any play which he did not
himself write.
Some persons contend that Gillette is
ntl
he were given the most unimportant
role in some play selected haphazard
he would butcher 1t as horribly as the
most pulled up graduate OF school OF
acting. In reality Mr.. Gillette has
made a reputation and won following
tor himself by reason OF the fact that
no actor on the American stage could
have surpassed him in those roles with
which he has in recent years been iden-
tified. That is due to Mr.. Gillette's
marvellous appreciation of his own lin
t.ations, as we'll as his unquestioned
ability as a playwright. He has so ex-
ectly fitted himself that it has not been
necessary for him to act at all. All he
aas had to do was to walk on to the
stage, light cigarette, cigar or pipe,
puff away at it and reply in an imper-
rurbable monotone to every question
asked. And that it precisely what he
does in sherlock Holiness and that is
precisely why he has scored great
success in the title role.
Of one thing, however Mr.. Gillette's
friends should warn him. At two or
4hree points he seems to be tempted to
20 in for Evolutionary effect, and when
lie does that he is nothing less than
amusing, especially if he happens to
Tish to be serious. At such times he
uses the same old "toneless monotone, >"
but he also gives a very very bad imi-
cation of Henry Miller's peculiar but al
eEays effective declamatory method. Mr..
Gillette should go no further in this
departure; in other words, as the gam
oilers put it, he should stick to cases."
lie has won fame and fortune in the
cid way simply because he never tried
80 act, and if he now sets out to be
Segular conventional performer he is
2ertain to drop with a dull, sickening
shud.
There is no love story in Sherlock
Holmes" and that is perhaps the great
asst weakness of the play. Still, other
Eelodramas have succeeded without.
.ove-making, and Sherlock Holmes"
will repeat that experience. 1t is true
that Sherlock toward the close does say
something to indicate that he is not in
different to Alice Faulkner S charm of
xerson and manner, and that he does a
little later permit himself to be won by
Ger, but those ''bits" are so brief as to
gcaroely be worthy of being called epi-
CODES. AS strong success as Sherlock
sIolmes" undoubtedly is from the box
office standpoint, its hold upon the pop
glar fancy might be greatly strength
sned by the injection of d little more Of
Geart interest into the earlier acts.
OF the players, Mr.. Gillette, as I have
already said, was-Mr. Gillette, except
DOR the few unfortunate moments when
ae was sort Of misft Mr. Henry Mill
ar. He fits to the character of Sher-
sock Holmes to IT. or the character
ats him to at" whichever way you
prefer to have it. At any rate his per-
>ormance leaves very little to be desir-
I'd. Miss Katherine Florence played
The impossible heroine, Alice Faulkner,
as we'll as such an absurd role could be
Qayed. Judith Berolde, regal beauty
shat she is, made an adventures who
xnight easily have hoodwinked even so
-smniscient a detective as Sherlock