The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-26
in THE THEATRES
BLANCHE WALSH TRAVELS
"THE STRAIGHT ROAD"
Strength and Weakness of the Clyde
Fitch Melodrama Playing at the
Newark-It Is Well Acted.

Miss Blanche Walsh appeared in Clyde
Fitch's play, T Straight Road" at the
Newark Theatre last night, and an audi
ence which was by no means of holiday
week proportions applauded her protraySA
of Mary O'Hara, a girl of the slums: en-
joyed the snatches of clever dialogue,
laughed at the low comedy part of Mrs.
Finnerty, became properly thrilled at the
theatrical climax of the third act and left
with the satisfaction of seeing virtue
triumphant over villainy, according to the
laws and regulations of conventional melo-
drama.
Though the play, starting out with
genuine dramatic vigor and the illusion of
reality. weakens considerably in the last
two acts, it Is still a moderately effective
piece of writing, and the clever lines OF
the dialogue cover up much Of the ar
tificiality of the situations.
The story is of the redemption of a life
from degradation. Two influences act
upon 'Moll' O'Hara, for good and Tor
bad. Miss Ruth Thompson, a wealthy
young woman in charge of a mission
house near Houston street, New YORK
reclaims the girl from her low, drunken
ways. Douglas Aines, engaged to Miss
Thompson, but with an eye for Marys
physical attractions, attempt TO force his
attentions secretly upon her. His fancee
is blind to his actions, but not so Miss
I.anner. a friend of both, who tries TO
disill.S usIh her, but fails. Miss Lanner
kndyws but Miss Thompson loves him.
amt he1et it go at that.
Nthen the action begins, "MoH' mas
juSI bee run in" as the result OF a raiu
onFJthe .aloon of "Bill' Hubbell. She is
brd5ght into the mission by a policeman
alotg with Others concerned in the scrap.
BorA. OF al bad mother, she has lived her
whole life in the gutter, with all the evils
of drink, foul language and hopeless pow
erty as a part of her daily existence. But
she has kept herself unsoiled In the most
important particular of womanly virtue
Miss Thompson's appeals to live a better
life fail. Even her attempt to awaken
The sense of motherhood and the love or
a man In "Mollp meet with contempt,
nor unmixed with strong words. But
when little cripple Mike Finnerty Is placed
in her arms and she is left alone with the
chaps tiny hands clinging to her neck,
the good in her rises to the surface and
the dawn of a new life comes.
Some months later Mary is presented as
a much better sort of a girl. She is work
ing IN "a facIOlS-d pldSt DthiiiS ~
bv Douglas Aines-and is happy. She is
al Miss Thompson's home on the Hudson
and there BIZ Hubbell comes to WOO
and win her. No sooner is their engage
ment sanctioned by Miss Thompson than
Ainea attempts to bring his ignoble inten-
lions to n eonsummation. Being caught IN
the act of trying to kiss Mary by MISS
Thompson, he lies out of 1t and planes
the girl. Mary is banished, but not be-
fo-, che, hoe obtained Miss ThOmnSOnS
promise to call at Mary's room in New
York the next evening, and has consented
to receive Aines there half an hour GARNER
her plan being to prove to Miss Thomp-
son that Aines is a ~scoundrel, and 80 save
her from the misfortune of marrying hlm'
But her well-intentioned scheme goes
astray, for when Aines calls the person
who enters is not Miss Thompson, but
her honest lover, Hubbell. TIL result IS
tina Mary, scorned by all, is left alone IN
her room to fight it all out for herself.
She decides. since her attempts to do
right have SO lamentably gone astray, to
return to her old drunken life. She raises
a glass of whiskey to her lips, but, in the
act of draining it. her eyes fall Upon the
picture of the Virgin Mother upon the
wall. She throws away the glass, falls
upon her knees and prays.
Miss Walsh made the part of Mary
O'Hara strong and effective. She was first
truly a girl of the slums, and portrayed
the hardened sinner with hope dead, in a
most life-like manner. 1t was not pleas
ant, but it was a splendid impersonation.
The moral progress upward was worked
out with equal regard for truth in acting.
Miss Walsh lifted the melodramatic situa-
tion of the third act out Of the common
place. a thing which 1t required a good
actress to do.
The other parts were capably acted. Miss
Alma Kruger, as Miss Thompson; Miss
Ina Brooks, as Miss Lanner; Miss Jessie
Ralph, as Mrs. Finnerty; William Travis,
as Douglas Aines, and George w. How
ard. as bill" Hubbell, besides the lesser
characters. The lines allotted to Mrs. Fin
nerty afforded much laughter, Miss Ralph
making the part very amusing.
The Straight Road" cannot be ranked
with Mr.. Fitch's best work, as given us
in such plays at 1.-The Girl with the Green
Eyes '.Her Own Way" The Climbers"
and THE TRUTH but II has many char
acteristic Fitch touches and its very COM
bination of strength and weakness Is
typical of the author. The picture OF
East Side life IN the first act is photo
graphically correct and representative of
Mr.. Fitch's gift for transporting eontem-
poraneous conditions and situa ions to the
with a complete illusion of reality.
The characterization of "Moll' is also
good ard vigorous at the start, and there
are def touches in the drawing Of one or
two other characters Douglas Aines. how
ever, Is a typical example of Mr.. Fltch's
male types, in the representation of which
he is as ineffective as he is clever In
the drawing of women. Any type of man
hood not utterly ~despicable and mascu-
lated seems beyond him. Such characteri-
cation as he gives us in this play is not,
moreover, well sustained to the end, and
the Illusion OF reality in the earlier acts
Is dispeled in the crude and weak sensa-
and the mawkis morality Of the
concluding act.
The scene in which the picture Of the