The Detroit times., 1914-11-10
!: In Local Playhouses :
DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.

DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.
"Ben-Hur," the Klaw 4 ErlAnSer
staging OF Gen. Lew waliaees Ia
nous tale OF the Christ. which has
enjoyed unremitting popularity since
the dawn Of the century, 10 again In
the Detroit opera house, more gor-
geous, and n the Monday night audi
ence may be taken as an Indication
fully a. popular as ever.
Although perhaps the greatest APP
peal OF BENZ ur lies In tts magnin-
cence as stage spectacle, ts rei.sr
GUS significance should not De uhuel'
estimated. The prelude, In which the
three wise men, Gaspar, baitnassr
and Melchior. coming from the enas
I Of the earth, see blazing forth IN the
heavens the star which prociaims the
advent Of the Holy Child Is oesuu'
full INSTALLATION Of the story wnicn
! has thrilled millions. The healing CT
the lepers on Olivet, In which OWN
ity Is symbolized by beam OF hsn''
! Is another impressive scene. Inc oe'
vice OF the light indicates the pres
ence of the Savior without the sacri.
lege involved In a physical poruayai
OF the Nszarene.
The costumes and scenery are
faithful TO the period, and present
| wonderful picture OF the times OF the
Caesars. Armored Roman legionaries'
Arabs of the desert. Jews. priestesses
| of Apollo-all are seen In the 1garp
lupon which antiquarians and students
I or classic and Biblical history have
placed their approval. There 10 not
A single discordant note In stage set
ting or apparel
Perhaps the best proof OF Ben.
Hur's appeal, however. may be FOUND
| I'm, the composition Of the audience
which viewed It's opening there, Mon
day night. BY far the greater portion
was palpably OF the serious-minoed
type, TO which the frivolous modern
drama makes little or no appeal and
who 90 TO the theater. but seldom
the people whom q modern musicai
comedy makes uncomfortable. Ano
Monday night they filled the house.
Richard Buhler, as Ben-Hur, stands
out as an actor OF remarkable adj
lily. as does also Walter M. Sherwin
as Simonidies, the wise and CRAFTY
servant OF the house OF Hur. Fred
erick Carlton, as Balthazar, the
Egyptian, Is an impressive ngure,
the best Of all. perhaps, Is John MIL
ton In the character OF Messiah,
friend Of Ben-Hur. !.
Mary Condor, as the mother OF
Hur: Martha Boucher. as Tira. his
sister, and Alice Haynes an Esther,
daughter OF Simonsidias. give credit
able performances, as does Maud
ID, H. h. ~ ~ IN
oARRick.
A famous American poet once
tn meanest man / ever saw
Ailus kept inside the law.
N there's ten times better fsiiers I've
tn blamed old jury sent over the road
Whether or NOT Bayard WELLER.
author OF within the Law" In De-
troit on Its fourth visit took these
words as his inspiration for the great
est American drama of crookdom II
lie impossible TO say. Regardless Of
whether he did or did not. the fact
remains that those words Offer .
complete summing up OF the entire
Some pessimist once declared that
every man a potential crook; that,
given the opportunity, every man
would resort to criminality as an
easier method of making living than
by the forsordained Biblical method
Of sweating for II.
Certain Il 10 that anything which
savors Of outwitting the established
order Of things In the realm OF what
we call justice, seems to have pow
erful attraction for many. In add
ton to holding the police and the
modern machinery Of justice up TO
ridicule. the play secures . great por-
ton Of It's attraction In Immediately
obtaining the sympathies OF the audi
ence by portraying the underpaid
working girl about to be sent to pris-
on for q theft she did not commit.
and, following hard upon that its por-
trayal Of a fight for revenge, re-
venge in which the law. while scrup-
|ulously obeyed as to the letter, u
outraged as to the spirit. The oher'
ing calls, In turn, upon class preJu-
dice. upon the innate hatred for the
arbitrary methods Of the police. upon
the sympathies of its audience for a
person held for q crime Of which he
or she Is innocent, and finally makes
a mastery appeal to the potential
crookdom" OF every man OF woman.
No melodrama OF the ancient type
ever provoked more thrills than
within the Law" Yet there Is this
fundamental Recommendations
i is written for the sake OF the thrills
alone, while within the Law Is q
protest against the ravishing OF the
goddess Of justice by disciples OF
mammon, against corruption OF the
avenues OF criminal detection by pow
or and place.
The company now presenting
within the Law 10 entirely different
from that which brought II TO Detroit
on three previous occasions.
The Mary Turner OF Helen Ware
has not yet been forgotten. and, as
the play progressed, many and va.
rious were the criticisms. adverse and
otherwise, upon the work OF Clara
Joel, assuming the leading role made
famous by Miss Ware.
Miss Ware was at her best from
curtain to curtain Miss Joel becomes
better as the play progresses. That
IL the fundamental difference be-
tween the, two opponents OF the char
acter Of the down-trodden shop-girl
and scheming crook" There In lit
tie other difference. One coming into