The Washington times., 1912-08-06
THE DEEP PURPLE
BY POLL PLAYERS
AF|NE ATTRACTION
Play of New York's Under
world Proves a Pleasing
i Melodrama.

In "The Deep Purple" play filled
with thrills from start to finish, the
Poll Players this week are presenting
a melodrama of the most pronounced
type, for frankly "The Deep Purple" is
a melodrama. No attempt Is made by
the authors. Paul Armstrong and Wilson
Mizner, to conceal the fact 1t Is story
of the underworld of New York. and
its chief characters are criminals. Un-
less o student of criminology the aver
age .theater-goer meets characters zone
Kate" female thief, who has turned
square," and at whose home the more
brilliant members of the underwood
congregate to hatch their plots. LELAND.
sneak thief; Pop Clark, an able
crook, are the leaders of the sang.
They put up a job" to blackmail Will
liam Lake, a. wealthy young mining
engineer, and Doris Moore, who has
eloped from Buffalo with Leland, Is the
innocent tool Of the. plotters.
Plot of the Play.
The girl. unaware that she is being
used as decoy. innocently arranges
O meeting between Leland and the
mining engineer in an apartment hired
for the purpose. Lake. the intended
Victim, stlil clings to the habit of "go-
Ing heeled," which he had acquired in
the Idaho mines At the denouement of
the plot he gets "the drop" on Leland
and gives that gentleman the surprise
of his life. -
1t develops that Lake had been
warned of the plot by Frisco Kate"
who is disgusted by Leland's plan to
"double-cross" the girl. At the time
about the girl to interest him in her.
When ne has driven Leland and his
accomplices from the apartment, Lake
tells the young woman that her be-
trothed and his friends are notorious
criminals, and offers to put the girl
under the protection of his mother and
sisters. Eventually, as might be sur
snised. love affair develops between
the two. 49,.
is in itself a study in psychology, is
the regeneration of ~"Frisco Kate"
Her fight to turn square and keep
on the lever' Is encouraged and aided
West. who has come to New York with
-four notches on his cannon to escape
d vigorous search for him by West
ern deputy marshal. He carries letters
Of Introduction to Frisco Kate" and
she puts him under her protection.
Leland, discovers that Laylock is
wanted" in the West, and that a re-
ward Of $1,000 has been offered for his
capture. AS means of holding the
man until he can communicate with the
Western authorities Leland arranges
with a corrupt policeman to have Lay
lock arrested on charge of vagrancy,
put into prison. and kept from trial
TOR thirty days. At the end of twelve
days Laylock Is released at the inter-
cession of Lake. He returns at once
TO the thieves boarding house, where
he awaits the arrival Of Leland. He
confronts him with evidence of his
freachery and tries to force night on
him, with the result that Leland Is
killed while attempting to shoot the
other man In the back.
In the meantime an attachment has
sprung up between Laylock and Frisco
Kate" With the aid of Lake Ineir
police record Is expurgated and, after
p hurried marriage ceremony, the two
depart for new fields where, under as
sumed names, they propose to live de-
Those in the Cast.
Miss Izetta Jewel. in the role of "Fris-
Doris Moore, and Graham Velsey as
Kent, as Pop" Clark, gives another
of his faithful portrayals of a charac.
Ter part. A. H. Van Buren,, as Gordon
Laylock, as usual was excellent, and
Duncan Penwarden, as Harry Leland
was acceptable. Others of the com.
anv to appear in "The Deep Purple
bre ]. Hammond Daily, as Connolly
ouis Haines, as George Bruce; Louise
Kent, as Christine; Marie Howe, as Mrs
Lake, and Hazel May, as Ruth Lake.
AS usual with all Poll productions
careful attention has been paid to the
staging.