The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-13

-HE reputation OF "Officer $50" as In
IL effective play is evidently a house
hold word, for crowded house greeted
Its presentation at the Salt Lake theater
last night
"Pomandcr Walk" which opened the
season at the Salt Lake. was a play OF
character, while Officer sss" is a play
OF situations. In "Pomander Walk the
plot was subordinated to such All extent
that 1t practically disappeared. In "Of-
fcer 666" character is subordinated to
There is no development OF character at
all. The characters are perhaps SO IA
miliar TO Americans that 1t is unneces-
sary to develop them. A policeman.
young millionaire. a detective and even
the clever crook are all 30 we'll known
that they need not emphasize In sixty
horse power farce. At all events that is the
View taken by the author, Augustin Mac
Hugh, He sacrifices character. proba-
bility and everything that ordinarily is
supposed to make good play. to the
one vital element-situation.
The aesthetic conclusion would be that
play like "Pomander Walk would be
tho most interesting and effective. but
the truth is just the opposite. While
"Pomander Walk" was mildly interest
ing and occasionally effective. Officer
6es" is always effective and, therefore.
always interesting.
A young millionaire, who finds life dull.
Is called home from a. trip to Egypt by
a suspicion that his business agents are
dishonest, He returns without the knowl-
edge OF any except his Japanese servant
and one friend, Just before he goes to
his New York home he dimes at hotel
and falls in love with a young lady who
is eating grape fruit and who accident
ally squeezes a bit of the juice into her
eye. The eye trouble has nothing TO do
with the plot, but it serves as an acid
base for several carefully calculated Jokes
during the development Of the aforesaid
plot.
:, Arrived at his mansion the young mil
lionaire, Travers Gladwin. meets his
friend and his Japanese servant. While
they are examining Mr.. Gladwin's $500, 900
collection Of old masters. including a
celebrated, the door bell rings. Gladwln
and his friend are startled, because no
one else Is supposed to know Of the mil
lionaire's return.
In and after a good deal Of pleasant mis-
understanding one Of the young ladies an
nounces that although she has known
Travers Gladwin only two weeks she ia
going to marry him that night, Thus is
introduced the most fascinating chara CT er
Of the plot, tho picture thief, who is a
combined cor Raffles and and art eonnoisseur and
who Is posing as Travers Gladwin.
"0ffirpY- bn IN
troduced. The real Travers Gladwin bor-
rows his uniform for $500 and prepares to
meet the impostor. The remainder of the
play rcyolves around the visit of tho pic
ture thief. who plans to steal the pic
lures and the girl at the same time and
place,
or course the young lady who plans
to elope with the supposed Travcrs Glad :
win is the girl who squirted the grape
juice into her eve at the hotel. The real
Iravers GladwiD must not only save her
from the impostor, but he must save her
from publicity. II the impostor is caught
by the police publicity is certain There
fore Gladwip must protect the thief from
the police. The aunt who wishes to stop
me IN. elopement furnishes the, police, and
the concluding scenes OF the play show the
efforts Of the fascinating burglar to out
Wit the police, with the aid Of the real
Travers Gladwin, and escape.
marvel just when It seems as II dra-
matte Invention had reached its limit he
evolves a new and surprising turn And
every new surprise seems to be more ef-
fective than the one that preceded It.
Many companies undoubtedly are pre-
senting Officer s66" throughout the
country, and It is perhaps bit fault
finding to complain Of the company when
the play is so good. The only character
In the play who has real character is
the picture thief, which is. perhaps. a
paradox. Nevertheless, 1t Is the most
taking character and In the compa ny
which presented the play last night at the
Salt Lake II is enacted by the accom-
p!ished and graceful George Howell. While
all OF the other characters are presented
acccptably, none OF the delineations except
that OF Mr.. Howells Is noteworthy. Never
theless the play lis 80 we'll handled tina [
~ pleased the audience every minute OF
the performance.