Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-05-30
CITY TELLS
Of %HYPOCRIS|ES
STRIPPED AWAY
This Is the Keynote of Clyde
Fitcl1's Masterful Play
at the Newark.
PROCTOR PROGRAM FULLY
SUSTAINS ITS PROMISE
Other Theatres and 0pen-air
Shows Draw Equally Appre.
ciative Crowds.

And he came to the gates of the
city, and the city opened its gates and
let him in, and it stripped him of his
~hypocrisies and shams. And he found
himself and brought out what was IN
him and with it clothed his nakedness.
Such is the keynote of the powerful
drama written by the tie Clyde Fitch
and enacte. with force and conviction
by the Corse Payton Stock Company
1t the Newark Theatre this week.
Such were the words Of George Rand,
jr., son of a successful small-town a
consumed with ambition. which he
fancied only the city could crafty,
after this came city had taught him its
hard lesson.
According to the playwright the CITY
Is the real crucible whereby the in
dividual is tested mi given under
standing of himself. and yet it is a
passive quantity in so far that it can
be nodded by him who Is strong
enough to overcome his environment
And in young Rand he is found.
Brought up by a father who has
succeeded often by deals hat could not
bear the bright light Of publicity and
following closely In his footsteps, he Is
a~stonishingly innocent of their crook
edness. He sees only the top of the
ladder. and overlooks the fact that the
rights n happiness of others form
many of the rungs. But the city and q
poor unfortunate wretch, a slave TO
cocaine. teach him.
Father Reveals secret.
Early In the story the father is
stricken with heart failure. and before
he dies confides to his son that the
miserable cocaine flend. to whom he
has paid sums of money at frequent
intervals. is his son, and begs that he
will shield the fact from the rest of the
family and from the young man him
self, who is quite ignorant of his
~parentage. And they all so to the city
and prosper. Rand employing Hammock.
the drug victim, as his secretary.
Blackmailing schemes fiji the latter's
head as he sees his employer gaining
his ends by devious methods. and a
climax comes when Rand is offered the
governorship nomination. II is the
brother of the girl he loves who makes
n offer and receives the affirmation
that there is nothing in his life to be
concealed, and it is the brother. who.
voicing the party demands that
Rand dismiss his secretary. He finally
grees to this, but Hammock refuses to
go, and with brutal directness points
out that Rand is a thief and a liar. An
impending divorce suit of his sisters
further complexities matters, but the
crushing blow falls when his young
sister declares her love for Hammock
and her determination to stand by him..
He is forced to tell them both the
truth, and the crazed Hammock, deny
ing il. yet shoots her dead. Then, with
diabolical cunning he attempts to re-
cover the revolver, which Rand has
snatched, in order that he may shoot
himself. He paints an ugly picture of
publicity, and ruined hopes. the agony
of a trial whereby he would be doomed
to die anyway. and so works upon the
young man that he actually lays the
gun on the table, But. as the mailman
reaches for 1t Rand comes to his better
senses and sends 1t crashing through
the window.
Decides TO Tell All.
In the last act he is fully awakened,
determines to make a clean breast of
everything, restore all that he has
gained wrongfully and begin again at
the bottom, even at the cost of his
sweetheart. How it ends is Left for
those who admire a strong play, finely
acted, and who are going to the New
ark this week.
There are faults Of construction,
there are long speeches. and Rand
much preach his lesson in the last act.
but the play grips and holds in it's
tragedy and melodrama and presents
new phases of stagecraft. There are
few plays in which the stage can be
empty, with the action entirely behind
the scenes, and yet sustain intense in
rerest.
The company is admirably balanced,
though the play stands or falls by the
capabilities Of those p~ortraying Han
mock, the drug t1end, and Rand. Not
since he has been with us has Eugene
Frazier been given such scope and OPP
portunity for displaying his ability as
an actor, and of il he took advantage,
with gratifying results. A most re-
voting picture he drew OF Hammock.
and if he over-emphasized his rawlings
at times. he brought force and thrills
aplenty to his climax. Clifford Stork
heightened the esteem which he won
last week as the hero in THE Girl of
the Golden West by his sincerity and
dignity as the ambitious. short-sighted
Rand. His acting gains strength by
his ease and self-possession. the sure
ty OF his lines and a naturally engag-
ing stage presence. And he is further
assisted by a pleasing voice.
A comedy element was admirably N
troduced by Raymond Capp, az he dis
solute but good-natur 1 and accom-.
modating husband, soon TO he divorced.