Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-01-23

IT reveal that part Of life which
the VENEER of polite society gra-
ciously hides, and to reveal 1t
with II realism that interests and Vet
does not appall requires skill in the
construction of a play and strength
in its acting. The Deep Purple" by
Paul Armstrong and Wilson Miner,
this weeks Offering at the Shubert,
fultills both requirements. Conditions
Whose abrupt revelation might prove
overwhelming are Offset by light
touches that prevent the situations
from becoming too tense. The melo-
dramatic moments of the play come
not through striving for dramatic eff
feet, but as the logical development q
a chain of circumstances.
The story deals with a group Of
blackmailers and thieves, whose meet
ing place is the home of Kate Fallon,
formerly one of their number but for
three years a clearinghouse keeper
who has been striving to carr an hon
est living. one of the band, Harry
LELAND, brings to New York Doris
Moore, the daughter of a Buffalo min
lister, with the promise of an imme-
date marriage, but with the real pur-
pose of using her as a decoy in a
scheme to blackmail William Lake. a
young man whose fortune. recently
made in the West, together with the
social prominence of his family, makes
him worthy prey for the thieves.
In the belief that she is uniting her
sutton and his mining partner in order
that a friendly settlement of a bust
ness dispute may bring the former
the money due him and thus remove
the only obstacle to her marriage with
him, the young girl ~persuades Lake to
accompany her to an apartment to
meet her mother, who wishes some ad-
vice in a mining transaction Through
Kate Fallon's warning of the trap set
for him Lake goes to the apartment
armed, and when attacked by Leland,
in the guise of the jealous husband or
Miss Moore, whose desire for revenge
can be satisfied only by money, he Is
able to save himself and the girl.
The latter is finally convinced of Lee
lands t~reachery n Leland is killed
by Gordon Lsylock, a fugitive from
justice, who, like Mrs. Fallon, is try
ing to carr an homes living, but is
prevented from ding so by the desire
of Leland and his friends to procure
the reward offered for his capture.
Suicide is the verdict given by wit
nesses of the shooting and accepted by
the officer who IL of the opinion that
it doesn't matter much how men of
Leland's class meet death, as long as
they meet it. Laylock and Mrs. Fal-
lon are given a new start in life by
William Lake, and the young hero and
the riC1 Ga hos SoUoH are on the road
to happiness at the final curtain.
A large share of the credit for the
success of the play belongs to Miss
Ada Dwyer, whose portrayal of kate
Fallon is marked by a sympathy and
intelligence thai proves Miss Dwyer to
be an actress of great ability. Through
the hardened exterior of the woman
who for years has been the constant
companion of thieves and blackmailers
come flashes Of true Womani1ness
which make the character appealing.
In no instance does Kate Fallon's for
mer life makes her repellant or her de-
sire for better things bring her to the
verge of maudlin sentimentality. Real
ism is the quality that makes Miss
Dryers performance stand out as the
best piece of work in the play.
Sidney Booth endowS William Lake
with all the manly qualities that max
that character so admirable. The
and naturalness of his por-
trayal make ii all that can be desired.
Robert Cain, as Harry Leland,
reaches his height in the last act, in
which he does a remarkable piece of
work. In a few instances in the early
part of the play there is too evident d
struggle for a villainous effect.
The character part of Pop Clarke,
Leland's confederate, is eXcellently por-
trayed by W. j. Ferguson whose
comedy touches are delightful. George
NJ. Fee gives a realistic characterize
ton of Connolly, another member of the
band.
Miss Violet Hemming, as Doris
Moore is a charming heroine who en-
lists the sympathy of the audience at
her initial bow. She is in every way
suited to the part of the minister's
cherished daughter and meets the de-
mand of the character in every in
stance.
Alias Jimmy Valentine will be next
weeks offering.