The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-20
Mclodrama by Richard Hard
inc Davis Built on Vaude-
Vile sketch.
VILLAIN FAR TOO POTENT
rrap"-At the Booth Theatre.

|
TIE villain in The Trap" which was
acted last night at the Booth Theatre.
would never have been able to sing
with the echoolmaster in "Billee Tay-
Tor
I'm such an unfortunate villain.
A BotCla born out Of time.
10 there never a chance for a poor wicked
man
T. commit some horrible crime
This villain In the play by Richard
Harding Davis and Jules Eckert Good
man never lacked opportunity 10 indulge
his propensities for crime. II was indeed
his persistence and v~irtuosity that
caused the lack OF imprcssiveness that
the most important scenes OF the play
contained. Combined with n tongue
ted heroine who could have spoken one
word Of truth and cleared the air. the
omuipo;ence of this villain robbed Mr..
Daviss fiction OF all probability. But
the combination provided the first night
audience with a few minutes of uninten-
tional but spontaneous humor. And how
few playwrights are nowadays able to
make their audiences laugh spontane-
ously!
Elaboration Of . Vaudeville sketch
The knowing at the Booth Theatre
last night said the play was an elabo.
ration OF Mr.. Davis's "Blackmail."
which was given with success in the
vaudeville theatre. 1t was ever said
that the third act OF the play was this
sketch. There was an admirable first
scene to introduce it. Their a rather
unintelligible second act TO carry the
audience up TO the thrills OF the i'm
rortant scene. The first act, laid in a
cabin in the Yukon. seemed all Davis.
II was charmingly written. and the deli
cacy OF the first love scene as well as
the treatment of the following episodes
was all in the best style of this brillIan,
novelist. He had to SHOW the audience
a school teacher from the East loved
by a wealthy banker from her own
town nut unable 10 marry him because
she had been trickcd into "A preyious
match. She had made a mistake hut
had done no wrong. She was, how
ever. constantly and prohtably black
mailed by a gambler whom she could
rave s!lenced with a word. so there
was even IN this scene no trace of the
redeem.ns grace Of plausibility. even
for melodrama.
The second act found the heroine
happily married In New York and the
villain in ho; pursuit. Another lover
was also there. He did his part toward
.olling the villain. who was still IN
'F4' "ibi an dDDItCltDlS
raise of the ante. All hands fore
gathered voluntarily and otherwise in the
th.id act. which happened TO pass in the
Hotel Aston. There was gun play and
there were hotel detectives. There were
marked bills and bank cashiers who
could be called up on the telephone at
night. But the audience had chosen TO
apply an antic disposition to the play by
this time and nothing serious counted.
NFllIFA mn ~ nf oil kfn1a 80 I..-..
be plausible. A villain who proceeds
So successfully along The primrose path
o.. Wlckedness must Toe able to Xplain
himself. A tongue tied heroine is no
foil for him. Then. ever her lack OF
reasonableness when she could clear III,
air by speaking the truth and sending
the villain about his business does not
help the public 10 take an interest In a
theme so disagreeab,e as a halted
woman who has done nothing 20 bring
on herself the persecution from which
the heroine of The Trap suffers
throughout he play. only the very Ses.
reason for putting her through such
dsagreeable PAGES could excuse them.
The Acting Good Throughout.
II Mr.. Davis's play was not as effec-
tive As he intended II to be there Is only
the lack Of common sense in the actions
OF the characters TO explain 1t. The lam
guage vas u~nCommonly vigorous n
picturesque. There was humor in many
OF the speeches, and they were all human
and natural. But there was no explain
ing away the power of this villain and
the heroine's deficiency in common sense,
And how prompt an audience Is to feel
the results of such a lack of plausi-
bili'y'
Arthur Hammerstein. who produced
The MAY had ~ u.Nr AI "a NAS .anna ~
company. Martha Hedman acted the
heroine. She is SO meltingly and lam
gll,n!ngly feminine that the men in the
audience almost forgave her. Her meth
DDS OF acting are natural and uneXaS-
%ceratei, but she has a habit OF lowering
her intensity at times which damaged
more than one scene last night, She is.
exquisite in ner denotement of
ne emotions of d~lstraught w~omanhood.
Elaine Hammerstein is a youthful
beauty who has learned something from
her year IN musical comedy. II she con
irIcs 10 initiate Miss Hedman as she
uf last night she will learn more and in
a good school. Then she is an alluring
picture Of triumphant girlhood.
Davis Powell played the youthful lover
win all the manly charm and Intensity
that he brings to these roles. and Tully
was the villain TO the highest
,once.vable degree. II anybody would
nave made the villain human IL would
nave been the natural Mr.. Marshall. Hoi-
lrook Bllnn acted an incidental role with
MS usual authority and finish. The
Trap Was indeed well acted throughout.