New-York tribune., 1911-10-12
THE DRAMA
"The Sign Of the Rose at the
GarriCk Theatre.

Melodrama. whose death has been taken
for granted for some time. although. II IS
true. II has never been officially announced.
arose phcrnixlike from the ashes last night
AZ the Garrick Theatre In George Beban's
semi-Italian play The Sign Of the Rose
in which the author undertook the Leading
character. II is one Of those dramas IN
which local color plays the star part
and In THE sign OF the Rose" local color
Is so thick YOU could not s-rape It Of with
a palette knife.
The plot. which clicks from move 10 move
with an uncanny intelligence Of its own
something Ike a news ticker. without either
aid or Interference on the part OF the char
acte-s runs I'm some such fashion as this
Pietro Massena. an Italian laborer' Il
hailed in the streets on Christmas Eve ny
wealthy Nr William Griswold. who lives
near Gramercy Park. and Is requested nN
him IN fetch a Christmas tree 10 mis- house
from nearb- shop. Massena is elad 10
ears, a little extra money with Wnlch 10
ruv some pretty trinkets for his little sil
AZ home ard promptly brings the tree
The gentle. Italian is delighted with GrlS-
nold's little daughter Dorothy As she play :
alour hin, while he sets mp the tree, ara
rorssouentlv after DE- has gone and Httle
Dorothv has disappeared the ineVita0'e
conclusion is leaped upon by every body.
1fassena is Black Hand and has stolen
her for ransom. With this for release
the plot machine whizzes on. carrying p''l'
honest faithful Masseua lower and lower
The disappearance Of the little girl Is Ieail'
due as the audience knows. 10 her father
younger brother. who has wickedlN m'''"
her i'm order to claim ransom iI''n H''
oTder brother The police are sol on '"'
trail OF Massena. and find him just as ne
is planning 20 get some presents TOT "''
own little girl Rose, and A. the same busy
moment In the plot Rosa is run over an"
killed by Griswo'd s. automobile. WhI'h 'f
chance Is dasnfnE through the lower East
Side street .r which the despairing ltailah
hero lives The next morning Massena
"wanders" as the narrative goes TO
Fifth avenue 1orist-nothing too good l'F
Little rtal--to buv rose 10 put boo MS
dead habv's hands But the plot machIne
clicks along after him. even there. The
rolice. knowing that ne would 20 mp 80
Fifth avenue for his rose. are waiting for
him. and tell him that the rose Is the
sign of the kidnapper looking for a ran
som In the end things are cleared. as lar
as Massena s guilt is concerned. ANA '"r
plav ends with Massena going na'K TO
Italy. convinced that ne is not aoie 10 cope
with conditions in a republic. Ana u"ueI
the circumstances sou cannot F.ame hln.
Mr. Bohau has written pla5 whose ann
IS directed toward the gallery, but ihiS WIS
a bad plan. for two reasons-nrsl. because
the gallery is NOT the onIr part oi the inca
,rs and second. because there is no 'gal-
lsr,.' any more and has not been Tor lls
kind Of play for any number OF years
In the space of four acts. which you must
admit is brief for such task' no ma
Low long they seemed. practically the "''''e
~ ..,cov York life" IS shown. from the ouSF
rich who can nave their whole houses dec
GRATED with Christmas green and VINO ''''
also eaunt In and out Of flower shops Win
almost unbelievable manners. 10 me l"'e
.,,,,,.ls .. asth4 programme poeuoll} reI"i-
% +berr who repre-ented hy various lower
Fast side type" thrCnz 10 poor little Ae'o
Poea's couch. Little Rosa.s heroic deaih
was really all for the best. she "ou''
rrohan.v have had 70 die. anyway. aS
.o,r5 hardly have lived through another
acr of being kissed by her Jealous faiher TO-
-he extent she was IN act second. 9He was
str,njy Ia+hered with kisses poor TOT
george Reban gave a splendid character
i7a+ior Of the near-Ttalian that passes 'H
tho stage for the genuine imported variety
r4a had all the little ways that have oeen
.t,,~s from, time iinmemorial-the waving
arms. the whites of eyes, the bent sh'1.-
ders and the naive. childlike disposition. IL
was quite convincingly "dago. perhaps oul
failed to- suggest italy. The other people "l
the play worked ike galley slaves. Ihe
audience wept. partly through sympathy
with Nasseua.s grief at the loss Of his chlIa.
rartlv on account Of their own loss "ni'h
was fndeterminable and measured on a
varying scale.