New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-19
THE DRAMA
navid WarfieId. in 1.-The Return
of Peter Grimm.
reIasco's New Play and His
Principal Star.

roU YOU VIII KNOW because il - Da''N
vy,rsold's smile. Peter is a grower OF
,,,l,,s and roses in an old Dutch town in
-. York state lie is or the seventh
.s,,r,tiou Of Grimms In that business
n tbose acres in that town lie has the
mitch skill in flower growing. and tho
r,,,,rb ohstinacy in sticking 10 point that
J.. arcs for. In his scheme OF life are four
80 love FOR his business. love Tor ms
80 love for his adopted daughter
--s.,rien. and for his nephew, Frederik
- ie 2 bachelor and filed with years
1,-,i,ste old boy as nc Is, with all DIS
,s,oee he. Ike many other worthy per
- objects 20 making Will at any
- IN Leaving one. For although he mas
.5 son wills drawn ne has destroyed them
IN rrervthing is to be inherited ny Fred
1. uul or mo- will. since Fredcrik IS the
-,,. HOOD relative. Frederik Is to marry
,-.h-iep and % continue the Grimm line
- the Grimm business. The latter is
- half 4 million clear. In addition TO
.s. sc-umulated savings Of Uncle Peter
n.,er having insisted upon the betrothaI
,-,,brien and Frederik. and joytullN
,.s~,,r them. sits in his big armchair
draws ronteutedlv at his long Dutrh
And there. sitting and smoking sud
80 md ofriotlv dies And the curtain
d-,rs SLOWLY AZ the end Of the first act
re-, f.,s later. m the gloom Of a thun-
Lam, .f+arroon. no reappears from the
1s,d pevoud His kathie IS unhappy
-. has never wished 90 marry Frederik.
80. o,ss James Hartman. And Froderik.
g., vfu soon DO shown, is knaVe All the
Fole--paus have gone wrong. The old
II
,,e~ lie is no avouging ghost. He is the
Same. Peter that no always was. not so oo-
,ti,sto perhaps. but quite as whimsical, and
ever, bit as kindly. Tic secs all That goes
on in tho old home, knows al. but cannot
make himself seen or heard. But the
might of his love and his loving influence,
backed by his Dutch persistence. which Is
unite a. useful a quality IN the World Be
,ard a. .u the world here seen and felt. in
4-orrcs Tire thoughts and lives Of those
h. has loft behind and scts the wrongs
nut right. that is 10 say in the main
measure
Ghost. arc old friends on the stage. quite
e cid and almost as numerous as they are
r books But here YOU must bring your
Imagination into action. which is good
ching for nm audience 10 do. The returned
pet-- Grimm is. 10 the eve OF the audience,
unchanged He still hangs his hat on the
goc. he still has a sense of humOr He does
not smoke his pipe. but ne sits I'm his old
chair and 0iScourScs with the serenity or
wisdom and the beauty Of new expert
.uc, To tho audience ne is ever IN fun
ver. Tn, persons in the play are SUP
posed NOT t1 see him. nor TO catch his
no
hrs presence and his thought They sense
his presence. they even call for him to
come FOO them. brt only a little boy whom
no loves ard who is IN talks with him. sees
Dim. roro=nizes him. and. leaving this
lar,lor world behind. goes with him 10
-Uc happier World Beyond.
Here is a scene delicate in beauty and
rathos But TO s not the only scene in the
play Of which so much may be said And
here. TOO Won will see Luke Fiides's ia
nous painting The Doctor reproduced,
and finely reproduced. in the immediate
surroundings. tiR makeup, the attitude.
tho expression of Dr. Andrew MACPHERSON.
VINO Watches the couch where the dead boy
les The bow is not there Peter Grimm
is bearing him away. But the doctor
thinks he sees the rcCumoent figure. as he
could not see the form OF his dead friend
Peter Peter with whom he had made
compact that the first to pass away would
return and bring proofs Of identity and Of
tho life over Yonder.
So much has been said. and more might
DO said. to indicate that I'm this presentd-
ion Of rh- Oldest theme on which human
thought has directed untiring speculation
there are no strained attempts 10 introduce
forms of Eastern Incarnation, or the
ramreres of the seance room. The play
IS a .spirltuaIistic" play. but any satsfac-
ton or dissatisfaction engendered by the
Use of that term Is more than overcome by
the simple and direct humanity OF the
treatment. the reverential-you could al
most say devouonal-handlns Of the query
-uo we 1.-Two after death? All religions
believe i'm life after death. have, indeed
this belief as the basis OF their being II IS
when men cndeayor TO demonstrate the tact
O. continuity of life. the survival Of idenu-
O.. The power Of intelligent intercourse be-
tween the Here and the There That they
quarrel But no one. however hrmly IN
trcrched i'm faith. or disbelief, or in any
form vi prejudice will be likely 10 quarrel
With this play or with the manner Of pre-
.crtns the idea upon which IL has been
.asrrd. After all whatever name may be
given to IL. under whatever classification IL
,.,. .a labelled. this play is made by Mr..
IeI4.co 10 say what everybody is thinking
.n some way and TO some degree.
-Tnr Return Of Peter Grimm is per
iectrv set and admirably acted. You may
wonder why some of the players put all
t..- orrHasi- on the 7rst syllable Of the
Nora ..rescarco." but there is scarcely any
rHlre els. that viii stir much criticism.
What IS eafd about the mounting OF this
rIav and tic PLAYING Of fl must be said IN
tnms u admiration The performance
makes "a d.op impression. All that 1T does
. docs I'm the right way. and so makes It's
meaning 81 acceptable as it is clear what
even may he the religious. scientific or non
religious o~ uou-phuosophical vent OF the
SPECTATORS Augustus Thomas wrote about
what everyone is thinking when he wrote:
.1Ha VTfrrilg Bour'- quality ana
power Of thought David Belasco, I'm The
Return ~ Peter Grimm" writes Of what
humanity has been thinking through i'm
measurable ages. and no matter how men
u.a. dissent gu details. the appeal Is as
wide as human life.
David War'.ld as Peter Grimm eXhiDNs
cn. Of tine most attractive. hopeful com
ler.onablc. ore Of the sanest studies OF the
contemporary stage. II carries this convic-
uou, that no portion OF il. however large
o. however minute. could be better done
e.. done differently. What more can DE
sa,d. ,r need bc said. about MIN In TINS
par2 THE Scottishncss Of Peters crohy'
Ir Andy MacPhcrson is open TO some sus-
I''or. uuf tha man * 10 be liked Tor thal
great roar OF Dis about what everybody