The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-01
a1HE GAMBLERS" A Big PLAY
<g,PJI> kIETN "AiN mas
rom 4 WOi IN6 STORY.
.,.rsr Nash as n rrs"Aed Banker "h"
.r,. tauxht white ,harir> steven
-, 4, the srinsh. Nspirsu< District
,,t,rn,, Who Pro,rcutes the Case


,.,r-l., kl.tn has again drawn upon ms
,..,I.t.s ~ current events Ia PROVIDE
e., ...r.r II a play. In Tn" L.ion and the
49, D.. Na- 'ha power ~ the head oi
..,,~Y,r.trnu The Third Degree"
...u.t Up polc~ methods, In Inc
.....,.I,-s WHICH was seen here for the
-. ...,.. Is,, nIgh' IN Maxine Elliott :
49,. Mr. Klein has taken for his sub
oh, rvr,rnli banker VINO borro~s his
...,,r.. money on has own notes and
-, Cd, ms directors To further their
-.,...r.,- for expansion. Th. result may
..r,ru.d up IA ~ord a "A bag play
r.r sheer force. suspense ami dramatic
.,r.r..-b In" Gambler stands at IN.
,,r. NJ tn. >"slsrn nav dramas
II = NOT - happy play. TAR from II
rr.r,. j. little ur nn hun"r. except here
and -h.r. "A .iray lin" or two nj the grim
~, mt 'h. story j. So real and the -ittii-
,,,r. A.. 80 tens. that II grips from start
., .ntsh NJ hleln IL not an author
~b,-. INES ha," a value purely "a liter-
.,ur. That h.' mas demonstrated before,
and again Iast night he showed that his
,ov.r lie, IN his ability 70 provide Vivid.
a-,,,attc situations 50 worked out thar
,,.,r logic j. not questioned at the time
tb.y ar. gnfnlded.
n on. thing were 10 ps picked out for
,r,,ict-m n might he a slight but luckily
,ufr.qlent ne Of tri,e and somewhat
r,s,o.iraratlc oppression. one character
Announces that the heavy hand VI the
law /. upon rs Later comes the re-
marx There ~ a limit even To the extent
az INV ylalny But such lapses are rare.
and in view 81 the power of the play they
are qulCkly forgotten.
Tn. introduction OF the characters id
ACCOMPLISHED with an ease that IN worthy
If mention \ special United States Dis
,rc, Attorney il the first important
tg,Ir. 10 attract attention. He has been
appointed especially TO take charge Of
tna nan 1lns cases His case IL already we'll
worked out and he decide. that 1t will no
longer ha proper for his wife TO continue
social relations with the sister and father
n Nh. Young banker Enc son. whom he
/. 10 prosecute. and with the young man
himself
Tn. exact status OF the characters is
a.t,ly explained as DoruiH tells his wife
thsi .h.. should not have attended dance
IN the Emerson home and that she must
leave with him at once. IL becomes APP
uarent tina; he il a man whose ambition
g. be- Attorney General - his dominant
idea that he IL suspicious and Jealous
~ his Young wife. and that the banker,
Emerson who had been an unsuccessful
sIItor. l. tn. source of his suspicion.
Il soon becomes apparent too that the
Young woman ~ dissatisfied AT her nus
bands treatment Of her and that they are
near The breaking point. IL requires only
a few minutes more to make II clear that
Emerson and his fellow directors have
violated the Law and know Of the pro-ecu-
tion thai has been begun. Thus in very
short spAc. Of time the groundwork OF
the play Is laid.
Most q, Us have wondered how nen
facing arrest and exposure must feel
Mr. klein shows IT, He brings the -four
guilty and one innocent director to-
ge,her and allows them Ia disclose their
real emotions as the news - gwen "a
them. He shows their fear. their regret
their tendency tn blame each other. theiI
frantic efforts to eacsp. the penalty thelI
,oy a. the loophole appears when En'T-
spH declares that he has distracted their
discriminating notes before the haDs
examiners got them and their despair
when they find that some one has antIci'
rated their removal and has substituted
forgerle- II is this scene that makes tins
first act one of unusual strength b. It,
realism ~ conclusive.
The hint Of jealousy on tn. part of
D1rrir suggested early in the play
forms The basis of the scene that come,
al me turning point The District Anorns!
returns home late at night 10 find tbs
banker there. He suspects his wife a
once and Emerson tells he truth He ha,
come 70 the house TO steal important
documentary evidence, the woman ha:
discovered him and has refused 70 le
, him carry out his plan The story does
' not convince the suspicious man he
calls his wife and as "A crossteXan Incl
might drag testimony from an UNWILLING
witness he forces her 20 tell the truth
Here both Charles Sisv enson and Jams
Govl had their hest dramatic oppor
rin'v and both accepted IL most con
vincinSiv Stevenson portrayed mos
effectively tho stern. harsh. forceful 'naI
that n" author intended His word
-napp-d out with a vtgor that carrie,
no." u command and made his a domi
ns'inc D"rr .nality Miss CowIs oppor
runr'y brought forth the best work n
her career Her reluctance. and subinis
SION w.r" well portrayed. and her fna
"u'hirsi "t Indignation Was emotiOna
AC'ing vol carried out
ti~org" Nash who's" W. Warm in
IN" Hare-' Moon was one Of the
noteworthy features 81 last season n az
N" ROT" u Emerson. the banker Need
i"-e IN -ay ne did 1t we'll The auth 81
mad" him -"lf sacrificing. but Mr.. Nasi
carried n ont without she suggestion o
aTtiticianty and batho- that might have
followed 4 the part had been in les. skill
iuI hands He gave his part a direc
manlin"s- that always carried sympathy
with u n" others in the support IN &
"ompany yer" uniformly good
he Ulav - unusually well moun'ed
n" scenes both OF which are interiors
1'-rio-'-d walls panelled IN narura
WOOD and mahogany. which gave pIc
ire ~ uyury unlike most stage effort
~ ~ nd On. OF hem brought fort
Ariia.S". an occurrence which ~ usual,
rr"'"~-f only 10y a trick of lighting