The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-22
new SHERLOCK HOLMES PLAY
"IHT SPECkLED RAND PROVES
STIRRING MELODRAMa.
,harlc, Mliiwsrd ~ the Master Detective
and Edwin stevens n the Unusual
NiIiain Irene Frnwiek the Heroine
The small Parts Are wel Acted.

inspired 10y the success Of William
Gillette IN making a play more or less re
ur'"y founded on his stories Of Sherlocl
lr.me-. conan Doyle took his pen in hanC
'r make "A play o; his own He selected hi.
Tory The Sp"ckled Band a. the founeia
TON FOR his drama. How little Use h.
mad" of his pen and how ex.ertly he EN-,
p'pv"d means more conducive to success.
~ playwriting was proved last night al
'r. Garrick Theatre when Charles Froh.
rrau produced The Speckled Band" fol-
The first time in New York The play Is
an absorbing meodrama that kept the
audience profoundly Interested in every
one of the highly picturesque and wholly
Improbable scenes.
~ course Sherlock Hcimes Is reincar.
rst.d IN the new drama He has to wait
unul the second act for his appearance
u'.r he enters with all the -plendor to b.
derived from a seen. in his own Office
with Crowding clients and his own IA
roulzing manner Of dealing with them
MS episode goes even further in reveal
lng the character Of this famous d.tec-
tive hut IL is with his actions rather than
hi, psychology that The Speckled
Hand deals And his actions are EN-
rloyed in a most fertile field The play
depends on the combination of an Indian
cobra. a bed clamped TO the aoor and a
bell rope which is only a pretence for
more heinous Uses.
So Mr.. Holmes takes his dark lantern,
deduces and ratiocinates in his old man
ner. expounds and dazzles by his a,tIite-
ne-s. 80 all there is Of the detective in
the new play IL a. fascinating IA ever
Just how effectively these qualities of
ms are used in the new drama may he
understood from the fact that hut for
their presence the heroine would have
heen murdered by the poisonous ser
rent just a. her sister had been before
her. the vIllsinous stepfather would
have inherited the fortune she refused
20 deed To him and crime would not have
been punished. Even suffering virtue
would not have been rescued. Then
what sort of melodrama would The
Speckled Band have been?
The author allowed his ds,eCtiv. full
sway. however. and non. ot these mis-
takes was made The Speckl.d Band =
which seems to he description Of tn.
snake that in tn. end recoiled on its
owner and after having bitten HIM to
death was killed by Dr Wdison's stick
turned out to he just engrossing as
he most naive lover OF melodrama could
wIfh The detective in hrs latest mani
fest alton seems d-st med To renew the
popularity he enjoyed for 81 long a. "a
tltular hero.
The performance was IN III" main ad-
mirable. There was a deli 2htfully cor
rect feeling in tn" scene If the English
home in which the act on passed and
this was not the result Of the decorations
alone. but Of the acting 81 the numerous
unimportant participants IN the earlier
scenes. Then the clients Of NJ Holmes
were distinctly characterized and clearly
delineated. Charles Milwarri had "A u the
self possession and uruhrrlislve otnni-
science necessary la the detectives plau-
sibilIty.
John Findav provided an interesting
study in senIlity a. an old butler Edwin
stevens looked and acted 80 much iik.
a murderer that the Coroner'- Inguc~t
scarcely seemed worth while. kath-rin"
Brook a. an assistant Z" her EMPLOYER
villainy acted with all IN. Irnp.rativ.
grimnese OF tn" part Irene F.nwick
might have been NOR. impelhngly help
less, but her prettinees was perha"-
sufficient. In s,Ich genuine and thrift
ing melodrama as The SpeCkl..d Rand
only exfernals are sufficient Then the
snake wriggied with Indenable virtues
iry