The Detroit times., 1910-02-22

prayer
no. rag and a bone and a hank OF
hai
The, foughl IL ogUop the stage Of
ue Detroit opera mousse Monday
n,sht. the fool ana Iuc vampire and
te horror ot n aJ MAS far from
pleasant The playwright Porter
Emerson browne ia this instance, has
gone Kipnus one better m his pur'
trayal OF the painted woman Wac
lures her victims to rain and thTu
eloats over then destruction. he
poem Was horrihle enough the stage
picture is a positive nightmare
Robert billiard best remembered
here perhaps FOR his work m that
greatest of all vaudeville sketches
"TheI ittlcst GIRL plays the TOOL II he
woman Is Ms Henderson The act
ing Is fau,tless, but no amount ol act
ina could ever Justify the aWtul PIC
ture revealed In that tnal moment
h.st before the curtain Is rung down
when the fool, with his last ounce OF
strength. tries 10 murder the vie
creature who has robbed him OF All
he held most dear In life. only 20 IAN
dead al her feet The author mas
sought 10 justify his picture on the
theory that IL Is psychological STUDY
OF human soul He has oVersho'
his mark
John schuyler is man OF wealth
mower and ambition when the pay
opens He has Just been dispatched
ON an important diplomatic mission
and We ind him in the opening scene.
taking reluctant leave OF his devoted
vile and child tie is supremeiy
happv. he tells his good friend rom
re had all that any man could wish
COR and IL seemed too good 10 last
he said IL didn't
From the ouiet ~ this country
home he scene shifts 10 the busy
deck OF an ocean liner about 10 de-
mart for Liverpool Il Is a typlcaI
scene and a pretty picture uhtiI e.e
woman appears Her very presehCe
s.srs r.nulsiye She seems 20 eNude
evil wherever she goes Presently one
OF her victims appears he ~
~ death is already upon him IL i
apparent In his pallid cheeNs.
has ceased 20 amuse the vampire anu anu
she is heeing from him ne pu' 49,
Ib,r determined 70 have vengeance
In front % her stateroom the! mee''
4 revolver is flashed in her lace.
Kiss me- Kiss me she purrs' anu
the moor fool yields in spite OF uIlu
self moment later shot r'lES
out The wretch has turned uhe
weapon on himself and the ou'ie'
strikes home am
pire hu,
Schuyler's friend, Tom earns II.
truth from a member OF the crew
The two discuss il there on deck
"A man who would be fool enough
"a ruin himself for woman IKE lha'
deserves all he gets. argues 9c"u'
Ter.
Enter the woman Schuyler scents
the aroma OF her Uolets and as MS
Glance meets hers he shudders IN
stantly he Is a changed man. NO,
word has been spoken, but Schuyler
Is already doomed lie reahVes
il and struggles TO conquer himself
but the seed has been sown.
In the mids, Of a fond farewell 10
his loved ones on the dock ne turns
10 ind the painted creature con
templating him from her steamer
chair There is moment OF heslta
ton as he struggles against the IN
yitable. then he surrenders un'oh-
! ditionally.
A couple OF months elapse. Schuy-
/ Ter * back In New York, forlorn'
pltiful-looking creature. His vile. Is
| moving out. the president has de
manded his resignation. his frienhs
have deserted him. Only the purrtng
tigress remains 70 give him comfort
There are occasional flashes OF man
hood that once was his but a kiss or
two and he yields again 10 the YAM
hires hestial influence.
Between this and the final scene
wear elapses The ruin Is now COM
plete irretrievable Words cannot
picture the horror revealed In that
Anal setting. It were best left un'
said
II is characteristic OF billiard that
child Is numbered among the sup
porting PLAYERS Boots" Wursters
presence Is saving grace Her
childish prattle and her sweet inno-
cence contributed the one bright spot
IN a spectacle as sordid "a playwright
ever dreamed OF In the widest
fights OF his Imagination. The other
parts are well taken, William court
leigh. as Tom being entitled to great