New-York tribune., 1909-01-19
THE DRAMA
NEW PLAY AT THE HAcKETT.
NJ KeIIerd as a Mental Vampire.

,.,, called The Vampire by Messrs. Edgar
~ FEco1f and George Sylvester. which was per
Az yesterday afternoon at the Hackett Theatre
fol.., rresence OF a numerous and remarkably in
IL ID audience. is one that might have been
ie-e 11ce7-ionalIy good and decisively successful
n1soe ,ro-s had been content TO restrict their
4 'e ~. "a the dramatic elements Of their story
.l,,5e the extraneous and cumbrous elements
Sp' = ond oratory not 10 say the ancient chest
s - sarfrical impertinence which they have
D--,-anousy hung upon useless and pointless
fSts,au sketch Of the great artist Whistler
ia0iIs t;,st are most pcintedly manifested by
lAe ,.1- are their passionate belief in a certain
ine- in so5 their ardent desire TO declare and en-
w0- .h.t helief The fundamental Idea of the
fn the idea that one human Icing can possess
Fo1ar-caned hypnotic for want Of a more
" - explanatory nanle,-of extracting thoughts
os'NTI -. ,,,irds Of other human beings and making
ca - --sc-icaIlv- void. II is not idea at aI
" e,ostero1 Is than that of mental ard physical
-. that was used with such remarkable
o1a hz Robert Louis Stevenson in his novel OF
= 1skvll and Mr. HYDE. and. intrinsically. it is
= .r+erestirz snd imaginative Any play.
eoH ,no7 such a theory. or upon any
. ns ,1volvfne consideration Of a theme involving
~ i.-oen+ of The preternatural the mysterious,
I ~ ,,,,- could not fail and never has failed TO
-. snd IN some cases to fascinate public in
- only-lt must he play; NOT lecture. In
- ,-,nos:-fon The Vampire. Mr- heerd is
uN uN.s "a in7personate-and he impersonates the
ss exceedingly well with remote suggestive
- - the style Of that great actor. Edward =
T.-,.,,sl- a man who cannot help absorbing the
sh+s and the feelings IF other persons and who
,.z-es,ely accompishss the apparent desolation Of
- life through the exercise Of the ahsorptive
hs - s-b which Nature has endowed him. Mr..
Ers,s acting Of the part,-Paul Hartlelgh. ny
sborl5 he recorded as remarkable exam
=. :. sustained. rounded. finished impersona~
- II has sincerity. dignity. Intellectual con
-,-s-ior definite purpose exactly 1ulhlIed' ana
= bss fine delicate feeling. and It SHOWS acute
-s5ga o4 human nature: not the practised
.ors knowledge but the mans knowledge Inc
- that II lacks Is the power OF eh'laI-
=. The only conspicuous executive deieCt ID l'e
-sesr,enr Of it vas the assumption Of sitting
- which often Gwarfs and sometimes Spols
-. .4ze~--in the very clumsily devised eN-
,.o-z. and rhetorical situation, in the last act
=, -hA chief person in the play is required 10
l.,, IN 3 prolK address, a matter that already
b.s baen disclosed and is perfectly wei understood
,e s-o- Of the play is not ingenious nor partlcu-
ii, ,,o-+b the telling. and stories about the plots
: - ,,s,,ellv make tedious reading. In this play
D. T5srtleeh is sucking the brain Of Caryl Field
-, . ,-oung poet and he is IN love with Aliene
.raen mis- ward who loves Caryl FleIdlnS ana is
~ hin, beloved. The two lovers, after an ordeaI
- s,4re-,ng not very crediby contrived. discover
- uanl 5arrJeigh Is e mental vampire and Al
,s,a Arden confronts him and elicits from
b,,, an oration expository Of his malign power
o,d IF his intense regret upon having been COM
r.lled 10 exercise il. There are five charac-
-.rs Oh; Of the eight that appear, VINO hahs
,rnon the play ike fringes, and serve only as
s-an-eans in the coloquy- Il would TeaIiy
he possible for genuine dramatist TO do better
,bsn that The most difficult part In the play is
that Of CaryI Fielding. and by far the best per
Torrance il the representation was that gwen py
NJ John Wesley II was rough; II lacked hnishi
IL was hurried: il was that OF a young actor who
has not learned how 10 take the time he requires
and IN make ons effect felt before fastening 10
s-other: but IL had the ring Of true feeling ana
II vas consistently sustained The exposition OF
ne pnyscal effects OF mental torture-the nuctua-
INNS of fear and doubt-the dread Of impending
tnssnit-tlle perturbations Of the nervous system
YRS natural truthful and. matter OF dra-
mz1ic art exceptionally right and admirable Miss
katherine Florence, By her profound sincerity ana
exert employment Of professional resources. saved
the sentimental situations from seTnblance OF
weakness. The play has good subject; II appeals
70 the ina ginaIon; il should not be dismissed as
trife. But 1t viii require stern intellectual re
vision and reconstruction before it can command
the acceptance OF persons capable Of the act OF
rhoa,ent ". ".