The Detroit times., 1911-05-02
THE STAGE
DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.

opera house That delightful actor
and his new Belasco play, treating oil
the supernatural were received Mon
day evening. by as large and brilliant
an audience as Detroit can muster.
Every nook in the theater was occu-
pied, and. judging from the applause
which burst forth at certain periods
| OF the action of the play, there were
many deeply religious folk, believers
/ In spiritualism and scoffers at both,
: In The assemblage.
| The play was written by David Be
lasco, from ideas furnished by other
people, so the playwright acknowl-
1 edges in a program note. IL was stag
ed and directed by Mr.. Belasco and
the result is a bit OF stagecraft that
has not been excelled by this master
workman himself Every detail bears
the Belasco hallmark OF originality,
beauty and fitness. The three acts OF
the play are placed in the one set
ting, the living room OF the cottage
home of Peter Grimm. a horticultur-
al wizard OF little Dutch settlement,
in New York state. The room, with its
perspective OF other rooms opening
of It. the windows looking into the
garden with the Dutch windmill re-
volving in the distance the stairway
leading TO the bedrooms nesting un-
der the low hung roof. the intimate
| furnishings Of IL, present picture
| that will haunt the memory OF all who
see II.
II Is a beautiful picturesque room.
with its heavy oak doors and wains-
coting, It's curious old family pictures
and quaint old furniture, Its antique
candelabra and lamps, the air OF COM
fort and individuality and the tastes
of it's owner everywhere sensed. Mr..
Belasco Is q magician In creating won
derful stage pictures, and in the
present background for Mr.. Warheld,
he sets before his audiences the most
perfect scenic illusions possible. A
wonderful summer rain storm is part
of the second act. Throughout the
play. the lighting effects are quite
remarkable and as might be imagin-
ed with III Q supernatural as the basic
theme of the play. are an important
part but might easily be made crude
instead Of eff-.tive and artistic. as
they are under Belasco's touch.
Mr.. Warheld has character part
that he fits into with n nicely, al
though it has not the opportunities OF
THE Music Master" or other char
acters which Mr.. Warfield has made
his own. However II would make
no difference what the role, Mr.. War
field would do II we'll and invest IL
with touches OF acting genius that
make the most commonplace bit OF
dramatic drawing illuminative and
rich. His Peter Grimm Is the quiet,
gentle soul Mr.. Warflelds friends be-
yond the footlighta love to see him
enact. II Is quantity humorous and
lovable in the first act Of the play
when Peter Is yet OF the flesh and
gentle. self-sacrificing. all-pervading,
in the following two acts, when only
the spirit OF Peter is supposed to be
present in his beloved old home.
The supernatural enters into the
story shortly after the play is under
way, when Peter and his friend, An
drew Macpherson, a hard-headed old
Scotchman. the village doctor. whose
scientific researches have led him into
accepting certain tenets of spiritual
ism, make a compact that whoever
passes TO the Great Beyond first will
come back and make his presence
known to his living friend. Peter ac-
'cepts the pact more to please the doc
tor. for he does not place the least
dependence in the doctors notions
on "spooks."
The doctor has warned Peter that
his health Is in such a precarious
condition that death may come at any
moment and has urged him to arrange
his earthly. affairs SO as to be pre-
pared for a sudden call from the
grim reaper Peter has a niece,
Kathrien, who lives with him and is
the Joy of his existence. He also has
nephew. Frederick, whom he loves
deeply. His greatest desire Is to see
these two marry. Kathrein loves her
uncle's secretary, James Hartman,
but loyalty to the old man and re-
spect for his wishes causes her to
keep silent about James and allow
Peter to believe that she agrees with
his views FOR herself and Frederick.
With hands crossed across the family
Bible, Peter makes them promise to
marry. A few moments later he ex-
pires from heart disease sitting in
his favorite easy chair. before the
| fireplace.
Thereafter Peter is present in tho
| spirit. He comes back because Of
the distress of little Kathrien whose
troth to Frederick is breaking her
| young heart. From the spirit world,
Peter is supposed to have seen the
havoc his exacted promise has
wrought and returns to earth to right
matters for his beloved little girl
His presumably unseen presence is
made to direct the thoughts and &C
! tons Of those, In the old house. al
though he is unable to convey his mes
| sage until a sensitive or medium"
| is developed, in frail young boy,
whom Peter had befriended and taken
| into his home. The boy Is the grand
son of old Marta, the family house
| keeper, and as later disclosed the
son OF Frederick and Marta's daugh-
ter The boy is i'll with fever, follow
ing Peters death. and, in this way,
with his own spirit fitting close to
the border of the unseen world, he Is
made to carry Peters wish to the
friends within the old home.
Mr.. Belasco disclaims any inten-
ton to advance spiritualistic theories,
and declares that neither himself nor
Mr.. Warfield, aims to uphold or decry
such theories. To the average the
atergoer who is not bothered with
| ism notions OF any sort. The Re-