The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-31
FITCH'S "WOMAN IN THE CASE"
.uttNCHE WALSH, AS 4 DETEC-
TuIUTNSi POPULAR TRIUHPH
Not Drama Nur Comedy. hut story
ria, Of Absorbing Interest. with
Nerve Thrilling Third Act-Doroihy
Dor as Relengcful Chorus Gill

Nerve Thrilling Third Act-Dorothy
Dor as a Re,engcful Chorus Girl
long before the nrst curtain last night
o,ths Herald Square it was manifest that
rIyIe Fitch was not destined TO add TO
t rorriation as a writer Of either pure
,oriaiy or pure drama: but 10y the same
,.sap II was also manifest that he had got
,,Ii of story OF theatric interest and
emotional power that gripped the inten-
n.u aad held it irresistibly.
Tia third act developed a situation, the
use Of which has not been seen on our
stage. in respect Of absorbing. OF thrilling
interest since the famous third act OF
.rb. CAV Lord Quex.' Surge after surge
of ,ppInuae followed the curtain al d made
II e.liea, that this particular woman Will
remain n this particular case AS long as
tho present theatrical season holds
fine story is of a wife who turns detective
,..lge her husband from being wrongfully
convicted VI murder on circumstantial
evidence The accuser il a chorus girl.
Do order 10 elicit tho truth the wife takes
,r residence in the Tenderloin and makes
the re,engeful chorus girl bosom friend.
The scene in tho third act IL that in which
inter long and vain endeavor tho wife
ra-e with champagne and flattery-wit-
ne-sos having, of course, been stationed IN
the closet
The material here is not Of the most
promising order. The first two acts are
M bottom little more than preparation
for the great scene and the final act is the
lrefr-t OF explanations that husband and
ule lived happily ever after. And the
story as a whole is not without an element
If improbability. But it is only on an
a0efthought that all this comes TO mind.
The preparation for the great scene Mr..
r,ch laws briefly and logically, but with
great simplicity and truth. There are
many bright lines and some of his familiar
character bts-which are not. however.
allowed for a moment TO interrupt the flow
# the narrative and the cumulative emo
tOnal interest.
Ia the third act the canvas suddenly
hroadens Tho interior of a Tenderloin
Nat h. pictured with vividness and reality
" detail that raised a shout of recognition.
The wife Margaret, comes in harassed
by the strain Of the vulgar environment
she has been living in and driven TO the
verge Of despair by her failure 10 get the
requisite confession The lawyer appears
with witness and the two are seoreted.
Tho chorus girl, Claire, arrives from the
theatre with her party. supper IA served
and the men are got rad OF The two women
arc alone Then the duel begins. Mar
qorcf tries device after device. always
eading to the very brink of confession,
always bafIled at the critical moment.
One by one Margaret plays on the base and
trivial passions Of the woman she has learned
10 know by long and painful comradeship-
loquacity. vanity, hatred in all their mean-
est phases. Each failure brings. with its
added lot Of despair, an added revolt a. tho
-,rkeung task; yet the wife keeps on plying
the vine and the flattery.
Finally when Glare is swaying and all
Ettt Ia lrtra atT
the chord OF love. Up from the murk
n haseness comes n passion, base "a the
ra-t. but of overwhelming force. By this
time the audience was as still IA II the
theatre had been empty. The almost
drunken woman became quiet and sober
with passion, and her voice softened almost
~ q whisper. The voice Of the wife, bat
ting for the life of her husband, became
IT, yhostly echo.
When the truth came out. there was
silence of mutual awe. Then. with cry
NJ triumphant rage Margaret hurled herself
upon the poor wretch and shook her like
rat The audience drew ia first long
breath IN ten minutes and burst into APP
plau-e even before the curtain was down
An ovation of suoh spontaneity and force
has not been heard this season-perhaps
not in many a season.
The difference between this md the not
dissmar scene between Qucr and the
manicure Sophie il not 50 much a difference
of degree ~ Of kind. That was battle
, Of character the interest of which was
'arge!y intellectual-the stake being of
serious. but not Of paramount importance.
II was pitched in the key OF comedy, and
maintained there with mastery technique.
This IS story in which the characters
and the comedy interest are thoroughly
boriinated-incidental merely But the
stake is the life Of an innocent man and the
love Of n pure woman. II Is not necessary
10 say which is the greater artistic achieve
mentor which Is likely TO prove the moro
popular
I is not unlikely that the present play
viii be described "a melodrama. The
word will do rs well as any other, though
the play is not so near 10 the class of Raj
hes as It is 10 that Of Leah kleschna -
which properly speaking Is a character
portrait play "Ihe Woman in the Case
IS an emotional story play.
Miss Walsh sustained the role Of the
detective wife with her accustomed discre-
non and power In the drawing room
scenes she was graclously modulated and
simple, certain of her touches being of a
r inemcni and 11essc quite delightful.
~ the first curtain she failed Of complete
conviction but as il was q passage OF hys-
lerlcs in which her husband was dragged
b. he police from her arms, one suspects
That Mr. Fitch at least shared the short
Coming with her II Is hard to make mere
hr-'crcs momentous and impressive. Inc
Litht scene she carried WIN variety ana
power that have 10 be seen to DO appre-
GATED
The surprise Of the evening was the work
n Miss Dorothy Dorr "a the chorus girl.
II vas character Of plainly recognizable
traits. intense varied grotesque. One
may question whether the story would not
have gained FEASIBILITY and attractiveness
u she lad been more intelligent and less
vulgar But such as she was, Miss Dorr
played her 20 the life and with intense
dramatic feeling. II was the hit Of her
career and all but the hit Of the evening.
Mr.. Fitch comedy touches and character
Ht7 suffered and especially in the first act.
rom q lack OF skill in the acting Eleanor
arey as Marg1rcfs mother and Samuel
EDWARDS as q Yiddish man Of the Tenderloin
were tho only ones who scored
But on the dramatic side the cast was
strong Robert Drouct. the husband, has
gained IN force and sympathetic quality
since he played the husband Of the girl
with the green eyes His performance
as' night was admirable. George Fawcctt
.ai excellent moments as his counsel for
The defence. William Wadsworth gave a
finished sketch OF a faithful waiter.