The Washington herald., 1909-03-21
NEW YORK THEATERS
Three New Plays on Broadway Lend Interest
to the Weeks Offerings

and clever touches, always intenslfylng
the suspense and. regardless Of theatrical
conventions, worNng out the story 10
It's tragic solution Of which the daUgh-
ter Is the victim.
The question has been put TO her TO
choose between the parents. and heart
disease supervenes as a result of the or
deal The father is told that there is
little hope. He begs the wife 10 admit
as many priests as wish TO come. but he
never swerves from his belief that death
ends all. He cannot kneel when the ag-
onized wife implores him TO pray that the
greatest blow Of all may be averted
And the child? She longs for her
fathers studio. to be near his books, and
I'm the atmosphere Of his presence. There
child and the priest. Her ideals have
been destroyed: she believes in her
father and as he holds her hand for the
last time she tells him he has triumphed-
There is scene Of ineffable tenderness
when the end approaches She longs to
know the decision Of the doctors.
rs there no hope?''
The distracted attitude OF the father re-
veals the truth TO her But she is re-
signed to die: only-are they never 20
meet again hereafter? Is this the end ?
Shall she never be united with her dear
father beyond the grave?
And this is the crucial problem at issue
between faith and science. Think OF the
poor fathers feelings when there is no
affirmative reply TO be made 10 this ques-
tion of his idolzed child. The author is
not a pleader. He represents both sides
with absolute fairness. The play moves
with the gravity Of fate; events follow
one another as they do in life. without
theatrical interludes and convenient shifts
10 heighten a situation. Yet everything is
intensely dramatic. for souls are laid
bare, and we see the working and the
mechanism Of human minds and hearts
in all their nakedness.
And the end? Hope and light. the light
that so often illuminates the mind when
the film OF death Is already drawn over
the eyes: the great light that seems 70
shine out from the darkness beyond the
grave And on that note the strange
tragedy ends, with the mother AZ one
side. the father AZ the other side Of the
bed. and the stoled priest with candle
near by.
The performance made a wonderful inn
preston on the spell-bOund audience.
which hardly breathed through the four
acts II seems strange that such a play,
fun Of vital ideas and so splendidly
rounded out with dramatic details. no
conception of which can be conveyed I'm a
recital, should not find a place and an
audience on Broadway 1t is an inspra-
tional work. so well balanced between the
two questions that neither side can be
offended butt Is not for Broadway. Il
might. and ought 10. find a place in the
repertoire Of the New Theater. but Il IS
only a modest primrose now among the
seasons few really substantial offerings.
Saharet the dancer. is again with Us.
after an absence Of five years and after
the SaIomes, the Cleopatras, and the Mou-
lin Rouge performers. her graceful mo-
tions in legitimate toe and character
dancing falls like a balm on the jaded
spirits of the habitual vaudeville followers
who greeted her Monday night AZ the
American Music Hail.
Augustus Thomas delivered the annual
address TO the graduates OF the Empire
Dramatic School at the Empire 1heater
last Tuesday afternoon. choosing for his
subject the timely topic for actors OF
THE law Of suggestion
Robert Mantell abandoned king John"
after week at the New Amsterdam. and
on Monday evening began a revival OF
his repertoire, opening I'm Macbeth" 20
be followed by Hamlet" and other IA
miliar Shakespcc~edn roles as We'll as
'RichelieU.' by Lord Lytton He will
be followed March - by Raymond Hitch
cock. In The Mascot. with Flora ZabelIe
as Bettina. FREDERICK r. sCHRADER,