Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-18

good character bit as the epicurean and
flabby old vicar.
"The Hypocrites'' is one of the few
really big plays of the decade II you
like big plays you ought to see 1t.
I'm out of work now but I'm prom
ised a new place by the agents"
Florence Barker has to read that
speech in the first act of Chinatown
Charlie" at the Grand this week. Last
night, when she read 1t she didn't smile.
Perhaps it was too pat, for after this
week Miss Barker and all the other
members of the Ulrich company will be
dealing with agents, as the organlza-
ton will disband Saturday night
The season, however, will end in
fine. sensational blaze. Chinatown
Charlie" is a genuine thriller. Knock
out drops, opium pipes, wicked looking
knives. revolvers, including one that oc-
casionally misses fire, and other time
proved expedients of melodramatic
deviltry are much in evidence. There
is a midnight escape over the house
tops, during which Miss Barker walks
a wire ladder, conveniently strung from
somewhere to somewhere else; there
an escape from the Tombs, fist fight,
so many gun plays that enumeration is
balked, a raid on poolroom and
enough other sensations to keep you
guessing for two hours and half.
The play is by Julian Kremer. Theo-
dore himself never wrote more thrill
ing shocker. An old-time, house full
audience applauded the fourteen cli'
makes literally last night and between
acts patronized a persistent loud-Voiced
young man who sold song book,
promised to contain story of the play,
i'm addition to numerous jokes, music,
| "half tone portraits" and other attrac-
| tive features.
The melodrama displays members of
! the Ulrich company In their accustomed
roles. Lillian Hayward Is her charm
ing. bloodthirsty self again, in elab'
crate gowns which, in this sort of play,
always mean vice triumphant in the
past, but about to be overtaken by vir-
tue and called to account by the law.
| Harry Won Meter plays the name role.
He has his hands full all of the time,
either rescuing Florence Barker from
the villains or escaping from some diff
fculty into which he has been plunged
through their Vaccinations. Lawrence
Underwood is Miss Hayward's consort
I in crime Frank Richardson is 4
wealthy and silly old banker, who is
finally murdered. Nelson Leavitt is IL
detective Earl Gardner a China
man, Arthur Hill an Irish police
man-they always are Irish in melo-
dI anna. T.. George clancy is a Jew
comedian, in love with Lule Warren
ton, recently from the ould sod; Myrtle
Selwyn is a Bowery girl, Florence
Barker a telegraph operator whose love
for Chinatown Charlie has made a man
of him and who is prosecuted dread
fully by the criminal firm of Hayward
& Underwood. There are few more.
but these are the most important SO far
as the story of the play is concerned.
Contracts have just been signed
calling for the appearance of Kather-
inc Grey and her company at the Ma
son opera house the first half of next
week in Clyde Fitch's play, "The
Truth" which never has been seen in
Los Angeles. Katherine Emmet, for
merly leading woman at the Belasco
| theater, is a member of the organiza-
tion, which comes here under the man
agement of Martin Beck. Miss Grey is
said to be a native daughter Of Cali
fornia, but never has appeared in this
city.
Myrtle Selwyn. Lule Warrenton, F..
George Clancy, Frank Richardson and
Arthur Hill of the Ulrich stock COM
pany have been engaged by Ernest
Shutter to play parts in How Baxter