The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-06
NDERWORLD PLAY
AT HUDSON THEATRE
1.-THE Heart Of Thief" Is story
Of Girl Who Becomes
a Crook.
ENDS WITH REDEMPTION
The Heart OF . Thief"-At the Hudson
Theatre.

Charles Frohman departed far enough
from his usual course during recent years
to produce a play by an American au-
thor I; was not only by Paul Arm
strong. vino IL q national playwright in
sympathy. n there ever was one. but IL
Is drama concerned with the local UNI
derworld. which evidently has not Vet
lost its power to inspire the dramatists.
The principal character IN the play seen
las. night at the Hudson Theatre is not
unlike the well known and popular Mary
Turner. who did go much to endear to
the public the drama OF the confidence
queen. the thief and the near criminal
Martha Hedman acted the part OF this
Swedish governess, who had been ar
rested. just as Mary was, although she
too was innocent; Her refusal to listen
to the declarations of the man whose
wife had engaged her a. q govcrness
brought her to the Tombs lie accused
her OF theft. There she meets n profess
sional thief VINO undertakes her train
ing. Gradually she develops into as oN-
pert q crook as the most ambitious col
league could wish 20 have with her in
business she robs q man who comes
from Norway TO tell her tina. h" st!ll loves
and wants 20 marry her she robs the man
who was first to send her into the
streets. and her object IA the robbery
in the tango hall is not to get his money
but TO disgrace him by the publicity which
is sure To follow He thwarts her by
refusing 10 press the charge against her.
II is only when she meets again the
lover from the home of her youth and
innocence that she longs for the life she
had known. lie forgives her. the heart of
thief is softened and she finds Anal
happiness with this lover. In the Tombs
prison. az "a dance hail IN this city
and in ~ uptown apartment 'hcse scenes
are revealed
Mr. Armstrong rccog nized well the value
of the theme OF Within the Law" II
there IL any special explanation for the
success OF that interesting melodrama II
lay In tho fact tna' the public saw an In
nocent girl sent 10 prison and then watched
her rk out her revenge on the men
who had sent her there. This idea was
utilized Throughout; The Heart Of a Thief -
Nfter her release from the TOmbs through
the fundamentally uf "A veteran who rec
orniz"d the g.risipossblc utility to her, tn,
audience witnessed the most literal repro
duct!on ~ the processes OF tho heroine's
development. llc- first steps In the gen.
tie art OF the badger game, her eager alb
g ODDS prime pies-all these aids to success
full thievinE were illustrated literally he
fore the eyes of the spectators alas toe
literally. Had th'y been relieved by q
l!ttle romance. had a little allurcment oi
sentiment been c-st Oyer their bald de
tails there would have been In the pro-
ceedngs the interest on which the author
and Mr. Frohmau evidently counted. Tn
luckily, these qualities weT" missing
Other important qualiti"s were anon.
those absent from The Heart of a Thief
and when the speech uc the men aut
women IN the play departed from th'
argot OF the submerged. T. was pa 'ufullN
| illltcrate and commonplace
The heroine WAS quite reformed ~ tn
end OF the play. she FELL into the AIMS &"
| her lover IN "A way that showed the aud
enCe she had wasted 4 long time IN &C.
curing the principles OF n profession wh!ci
she abandoned so easily Bv that timo
however. the scheme Of within the Law
mad disappeared. and with 1t all ingenuit'
| which the drama contained. So there Z
possibly no necessity for further discus
| sion OF the work