Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-20
THE PIT BREAKS
BELASCO RECORD
GREAT PRODUCTION OF A BIG
PLAY, WELL DONE
George Barnum's Mob Is All That the
Most Mobbish Could Desire-Stone
as Curtis Jadwin Surprises His
Admirers by Fine Work

"The Pit" which the Belasco play
ers gave for the first time anywhere
by stock company last night, is an
intense drama of commercial life, its
locale being in Chicago, that most
modern, Grass and businesslike of the
cities of today. It's action is laid in the
present and its topic is the ever-in-
creasing grip which business, especial
ly the sort OF business that many call
gambling on the board of trade" gets
even on the best of the men who play
at It,
The story was written as a novel by
the late Frank Norris, and was trans
formed into a play, the great scene of
which, for advertising purposes, is the
wheat pit on the board, but the really
dramatic episode takes place in the
offices of the brokers just preceding
that mob-infested arenas view. The
tense and tragic air which prevails in
this act far SurpaSses for dramatic
value and human truth the noisy dem
onstrations of the next, on the floor of
the exchange, and is in reality one of
the fine things of contemporaneous
play writing.
1t is needless to recount in detail
now the full story of "The Pit" The
drama was done here at another
house only a short while back and is
still familiar to playgoers. In reality
there are but two great parts in it
those of Curtis Jadwin, the man who
becomes so absorbed in the game that
he forgets wife, family, promise and
pledge, everything that he holds most
dear, simply to play it, and of his
wife, to whom he has given his word
never to deal again, only to break it,
The host of minor characters afford a
background for the drama of these
two, and are auxiliary to the action
in every way, though valuable as types
and necessary to the full telling of the
story.
There is a moral, of course, and it
lies to the surface gazer in the re-
demption of the man by suffering
through the loss of his fortune, and in
his wife's faithfulness to him and her
uplifting of him after almost failing
him when he is "broke" and down,
well nigh out.
But the real moral is not in the
final act, but in that one preceding the
pit scene, and is emphasized more by
the derelict who drifts in for a last
whirl than by either Jadwin or his
spouse. And this moral is: Keep out
of the game; it's votaries lose when
they win, and they never win.
OF course, Lewis Stone plays Jad-
win, the part in which Wilton Lackaye
appeared and Amelia Gardner has the
role of his wife, in which Jane Oaker
was seen here formerly. Mr.. Stone is
a surprise in the leading part; not
that much was not expected of him,
but because he does so much more
than anyone thought possible. Of
course, comparisons are made wholly
with Wilton Lackaye, and as the lat
ter is a powerful man in physique, as
the author indicates should be the
NJ Ill IaN
discrepancy was feared. Instead of its
being apparent, Mr.. Stone seems to
grow in stature and bulk until he lit
orally dominates the stage, and he
rises to the crisis in the drama in
superb fashion. In fact, many as are
the fine things that this sterling actor
has done here, in nothing has he sur
passed this portrayal.
Miss Gardner lacks one thing to
make her role as Mrs. Jadwin all that
could be asked-she is not young
enough. She overplays on the emo
tional side. Otherwise her work is true
and excellent.
OF the great host of minor parts it
is impossible to chronicle more than A
few and these not in detail. But mem
tiop must be made of the excellence of
Howard Scott as Corthell; Yerance
especially as to his naturalness in the
part of Gretey; Vivian as Landry
Court, a clever piece Of acting; Harry
Glazier as Crooks and George Barnum
in a bit which he did with his ac-
customed art and fnesse. Beggs as
Charles Cressler was not satisfactory,
but he thoroughly redeemed himself as
Hargus, which proved an unusual de-
pection
or the women Marion Berg was
good as she ever is, as Page Dear
born, a saucy GIRL Margaret Lang
ham, after a long vacation, appears
again as Isabel Gretey, and the Miss
Curtis Of Jessie Norman, barring a
staginess that she should eliminate,
isn't bad. The host of others fit in
well and there is scarcely a weak spot
In the cast.
OF course "The Pit" wouldn't be
worth mentioning If II were not for
the big scene-the mob George
Barnum fairly revels in mobs, and this
one, In the Chicago wheat pit, has cost
him his voice and peace Of mind for
the last two weeks. as well as host