The Detroit times., 1915-10-05
pgrRoIr opgRA HOUSE.


carrying on q highly emotional
scene with convincing power WAS
severely taxed and admirably met.
Monday evening. In the Detroit
opera house, when Henry Arthur
Jones' play Of English domestic life
In the country. The Lie" was given
IL trst Detroit presentation.
The play has four ac,s. the first
two Of which are the conventional
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, with
petite small talk. and a good deal
that is not polite but tragic. as IL
has TO do with the confession of
loss OF virtue aud honor by one wo-
man TO another The revelation OF
the fall from the paths of rectitude
excites but small interest aud no
sympathy from the audience COM
PEELED TO listen, inasmuch as the
young woman concerned Is a most
unlovely character. who makes no
bones about telling her elder sister.
to whom she confesses her misstep,
that she did Il deliberately with the
sole purpose Of "cinching' her sup
posed hold upon rich young noble
mans promise to marry her. al
though the youth was engaged TO
another girl al the time.
The only new turn to this unvirtu-
ous tale from the plot upon which
the olo.time domestic melodrama
was wont to hinge. is the fact that
the girl is the daughter of an old
and aristocratic. IL impoverished.
county family" instead OF q SER
want or other handy common clay os
the fiction writer and drama maker.
In Mr.. Jones play, the girl. Lucy
Shaile. is thoroughly unprincipled.
lying c0vetOus little cat, who sacri-
fees the sister who loves her,
Eleanor Shaile. throughout their en-
tire lives together In the shabby an
cestral abbey In which they live
with their grandad. bibulous,
sponging old party. whose saving
grace Is q sense Of humor and
,ourtiy manners despite occasional
profanity and . complacent inten-
ion not to pay his debts.
The lie from which the play takes
II name 10 the story that Lucy |
ellis Gerald Forster. Who wishes to
marry Eleanor. with regard TO the |
'isit Of the sisters to Brighton, |
vhere Eleanor concealed Lucy dur |
ns her days Of prospective and sub
equent motherhood. Lucy allows
he young mau to think that Eleanor
. the one with ''the past" and then
he follows MIN TO Egypt to land
i'm ~ q husband for herself.
When the pair return. with their
hid, to visit the ancient abbey
Eleanor learns Of the trick played
lpon her by Lucy. and her anger
dives Miss Ellington. who plays
Eleanof. the opportunity the audi
ence has been waiting for to see
her act" In this scene. and In the
fourth act, where she forces the
truth from Lucy's own lips. Miss
Illinstou carried her audience away
with enthusiasm for her work. At
NO time, however, does Miss llling-
ton equal the real artistic power she
showed In her conception Of Maggie
Schulx, the girl Of the tenements, in
"Kindling."
Mercedes pesmore was quite sue
cessful 20 the despicable Lucy and
90 was Richard Hatterss as Gerald
Forster. c. Aubrey Smith and G.
w. Anson. the first as Noll Dibden.
inheritor Of his father's or uncle's or
somebody's patent medicine fortune
and keen about Eleanor. and the
latter n the portlmbibing grand
father, gave excellent character
drawings of types that made the
somewhat drab and dresry four acts
OF the play seem little worth while
after al.
Tiny Mildred Kahle. the "che-e-ild"
Of the inscriptions Lucy. is clev-
or tot, and other competent players
included Thomas O'Malley. a. the
aged butler; Virginia Chauvenet.
Bertha Kent and Este Marder
ELLA MAE HAWTHORNE.