The Washington herald., 1909-04-27
LAST NIGHT AT THE
LOCAL PLAYHOUSES

Ing realist. Mr. Foster has, OF course,
given The whirlpool many natural
touches. and he has constructed most OF
his people from types easily recognizable
among the men and women OF the day.
His hero alone is unnatural. there being
an indefniteness Of purpose in the char
acter which IS confusing 70 one seeing
the play for the srst time. The WhirI-
poor Is more Of a thesis or latter-day
immortality. written along familiar lines,
than a play: for it contains no gripping
situations. no climaxes. The whirI-
pool distinctly belongs to the category
Of unpleasant plays. and while Il may
serve the purpose Of teaching strong
lesson. both as TO the dangers that beset
the unprotected girl IN a great city and
as 70 the fallacy Of misdirected phiial-
thrOpy, il IS plainly the work Of a man
with a mission that encompasses zacre
than an ambition 20 write plays. II IS the
work q one who has made study Of
his feliOw-men and the conditions sur
rounding the lives or the other halr''
Mr.. Foster has not hesitated 10 call a
spade by its proper name, and this COM
mendable tendency Is very forcibIy evil
dent on more than one occasion.
Praise is due the entire cast Miss
Katherine Gray. as Hilda. IS the princi-
pie figure In the play. and Il is upon her
shoulders that the burden Of the piece
rests. No part that Miss Gray has play
ed here has been along the same lines as
HIlda, and IL was admirably played Il
IS an emotional role, with very little
lightness to brighten IT, Not until the
last act has Miss Gray any opportunity
for other than most trying acting. but
Il is not saying too much 70 say that
she rose above the part-that her play
Ing OF it will. more than anything else.
lift II into prominence as a stage type.
Dorothy Dorr has the role Of sadie
Meekin. who is the direct antithesis OF
Hilda- Sadie has committed the great
objectionable sin, and Is low enough 20
glory IN herself and her act. and seeks to
catch others IN the net. out Of purely
philanthrOpic motives. she honestly be
iieves Hiida viii De better on in the
habiliments OF vice than in the hopeless
battle against poverty and temptation.
Miss DOrr makes the character a dis
tirct type. which We may all. perhaps,
recognize as being a too frequent re-
current IN our social structure An
other character OF still a third type OF
woman was the society settlement
worker, Mary Brereton, the well-mean-
ing dOer or good. who fails through a
lack Of sympathetic understanding 10
strike the chord Of Responsiveness in
those whom she would improve.
William McNay. as Otto Lingard.
gave a splendid bit as the crippled
ignorant father Of Hilda-bIind 10 the
world and its dangers. He loves his
daughter. but he does not understand
her. He is OF the Old World. his chill
dren are OF the New. Mr. McVav's
Characterization was perfect The Jip
( I-ingard OF Robert Tansey was breezy
and amusing Few stage children have
so much assurance and so much nat
uralness as Master Tsnsey. Charles
( Waldron. es David Pell. seemed at sea
T IN the art, and II was not his fault. but
rather that OF the playwright. who
gives him a thankless task
! BE was strongest in the last act al
1 though that act IS the least worthy OF the
entire play. Joseph Slaytor. as Buck
Z Walsingham. made an opposite role 10
I Pell-that OF a man Of the world. who. in
reality. has clearer vision than that OF
the dreamer Peu. and who seeks women
, as his prey. but balks at possessing them
against their viii.
The Whirlpool is exceIlentIy staged,
with two contrasting settings. one OF the
interior OF the tenement and the other
the gariSniy furnished apartment OF the
woman Cf low instincts. whose surround
] ings must perfoTce reflect her own nature.
One thing which was decidedly wrong
was the TesuTecting. for curtain call. Of
Jip Lingard. His piercing shrek as he
/ falls headlong down the stairs 20 his death
{ has scarcely died away before he returns.
all smiles. 20 take his call The episode
Of the childs death is intensely dramatic
and is the incident on which the whole
story pivots. and his call, 4 taken, should
I be before the lowered curtain
WILLIAM OSBORN