New-York tribune., 1910-01-08
DRAMA
"OHUe Latimer's Husband at
the Hdckett Theatre.

by Rudolf Besier may be expected 10 ap-
pear at other playhouses this island.
One of these. "Olve Latimer's Husband"
was brought forward yesterday afternoon
at the Hackett Theatre. This Mr..
Besiers first play. 1t made some stir when
ii was produced in London last year. with
Mrs Patrick Campbell in the part which
Miss Mary Lawton played here yesterday.
But 1t was not a success in London, and it
is unlikely to be successful in New York.
II is too sombre for the taste of any large
public, and even were this not the case 1t
needs, in the part of Olive Latimer an
actress of great power and rare charm.
Although the play shows the touches of a
hand too little practised in the art of
dramatic writing, it shows. too. as first
piece that the author is a man of strong
ideas and that he has the courage to
present them, even though he may run
counter to the taste of public which is
capable of absorbing sugary sentimentality
in unlimited quantities.
Olive Latimer's husband does not appear
upon the scene. He is dying. upstairs In
his room at his country house in Surrey.
The action of the play is supposed to pass
in the hall of that considerable establish
ment. Mr.. Latimer is dying of typhoid.
He should be recovering. not dying, had
the instructions of the attending phySt-
clans been obeyed The instructions were
that the patient must be watched with
Ceaseless vigilance must not be permitted
to move in his bed. Everything depends
upon nursing. His wife and trained nurse
and trusted woman servant, who has
been thirty years with the family, take
turns in the duty of watching. The trusted
servant goes to sleep when her turn comes.
on the day before the action presented.
LAT asleep,
leaves her undisturbed, knowing that two
hours of negligence will result in the
patients death
Olive Iatimer hates her husband and
loves Sir Charles Weyburn, distinguished
NJ. D., with whom she has been on terms
much too intimate. Sir Charles Weyburn
and Harry I.atimer were friends from boy
hood They have become enemies, OF
course on account of Mrs. Iatimer. So
much is disclosed in the opening scene OF
the PLAY. The dying husband has sent for
Weyburn. Every one wonders why. He
has also, 1t appears, walked while his nurse
slept and has seen his wife quietly enter
| and leave his room without arousing the
nurse Presumably. therefore. he knows
| that his wife has condemned him to death.
| He rises while his nurse sleeps, writes a
| letter to WeybIrn, returns to bed. sinks
rapidly, and when DR.. Morpeth comes gives
him the letter, requesting him to hand it to
| Weyburn if the latter arrives too late for
| final interview. All this is narrated to, not
! seen by the audience.
DR.. Morpeth discovers that his patient
| has been neglected, and rightly regards as
| deliberate suicide Iatimer's rash excursion
| from his bed into the domain of letter
! writing. The play concerns the agita tiOn OF
| Mrs. I.atimer as the result of this discov-
| cry. Mrs. Latimer believes that her hus-
! band has denounced her in the letter to
| Weyburn. When Harry dies she accuses
herself, and in her lovers presence, Of her
| husbands murder. But when Weyburn
| comes to read the letter he finds in it no
! accusation whatever, but only forgiveness
| and the hope that Olive and himself may
! become united Union, however, is not
| what occurs Olive sees that Latimer has
| killed himself to set her free. At any rate,
| that is the way she puts it, and she sends
| Weyburn away. and the play ends after
| three acts of shudders, shadows and un
pleasant company
| Mrs. Patrick Campbell could not make
| Olive Latimer endurabe: Miss Mary Law
! ton does not; perhaps Duse might succeed.
! Miss Lawton did not even suggest a per-
sonality which would have attracted the
| distinguished Weyburn, and she dressed in
!
nounced type should never affect it sho
wishes to make pleasing impression in
the theatre. Miss Lawton spoke wei, very
| well. but she had no command of facial ex-
pression her acting was measured, and the
work of measuring could be seen. The part
| demands the portrayal of fear and hope
defiance and despair, love and hate, sisterly
! tenderness and abandonment to passion
| all these in quick succession. waves Of emo
ton like the waves of a following sea; yet
such various portrayals were not given
and the actress afforded but slight clew to
the character which she labored conscieu-
! tiously to depict. But only a great actress
| could make this part live for three hours.
! And only great dramatst could handle
! adequately the theme which attracted Mr..
! Beser's ambition. But neither the play nor
the performance is lightly to be dismissed.
! The play. in spite of some tediousness and
immature construction, is a work of char
acter, sound purpose and teaching. its per-
sons are human beings and not automatic
| and the whole presentation is entitled to
respect. if not to admiration. Some of the
acting was very good. that, for example
Of Mr.. Werner Charges and Mr.. Grant Stew
| art. But the play cannot attract for any
length of time. because it is too gray and
grim. A play like this, no matter how high
its purpose (and this play, though it's pur-
! pose is well enough, does not preachD, can
he held on the stage only by great acting
| There is no actress on the American stage
or on the English, for that matter. who can
long draw the public to the story of Olive
| Latimer
There will he another performance of this
| play at the Hackett Theatre next Tuesday
! afternoon. A w
CAST OF OLIVE IATIMER'S HUSBAND"
Lewis. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Charles n Greene
! DoCtor W one Bash West
! Mrs Mapleson-Finch. Amelia Mayborn
James Morpeth. NJ n. ............. Werner Charges
| Doris Mapleson-Finch Katherine KeppelI
! Berkeley Ogden. NJ P...-... Harry Scarborough
| Olive CMrs. Harry Latimerl Mary Lawton
! Mrs. OConnor- Hattie Russell
Nurse Carey. ............ Roberta Droste
| sir Charles Weyburn, NJ. D.. Sheldon Lewis
THEATRICAL NOTES.
Miss Ethel RarrVmore will anpeer IN Sir