New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-01

"By HAYWOOD BROUN.


"The Ware Case" is an English melo.
drama without a morse race, battle in
balloon or a railroad wreck. It's gait
is slow and shambling, and the only
suspense which the play possesses lies
in the fact that for three acts it i,
almost impossible TO tell from what
direction the drama will develop. There
is one punch in the play. but it came
last night after almost three hours OF
sparring. Lou-Tellegen drank poison
at 1885 p. m. II is a convention that
a melodrama should have a happy
ending.
Eustace Eide, peculiarly unpre-
possessing boy, is drowned off stage at
the end of the first act No hint is
given to the audience at the time that
there is any reason to suppose the
death anything but accidental In the
second act, however. une information
is impaired that the police, for some
reason or other, are still working on
the case. At the end of the act Sir
Hubert Ware, the dead boys brother
ln-law, Is charged with the crime. Lou
Tellegen plays Sir Hubert Ware.
Lady Ware does not care for her
husband, but she sticks by him while
he is in trouble and persuades the
man she loves 70 defend him. The
third act finds the play in court In
terest in this act is whetted a bit by
the fact that no hint has been given
as 20 the nature of the evidence
against the accused man, and a big
surprise seems more than possible.
Unfortunately there il no surprise.
Tediously, the state builds up weak
circumstantial case against Sir HUI
bert. Court scenes always tend to be
monotonous, but this one is more than
of the Kings counsel and the lawyer
for the defence are both included in
full.
The only novelty lies in the fact
that the audience is supposed 10 be
the jury, and is haranged directly
across the footlights. The privilege OF
sitting in judgment on "The Ware
Case" had its disadvantages. At one
particularly tiresome point in the pro
ceediHgs the judge suggested that no
might find il necessary 70 lock the jury
up for the night. His remark was
made along about II o'clock, and Il
seemed quite possible that he might
carry out his threat The locks would
have been essential.
Fortunately, the proceedings were
cut short when the wife Of the prisoner
tainted The curtain was Immediately
lowered. The fourth and final act finds
the wife and the counsel for the de-
fence waiting for a verdict. At last
Sir Hubert enters. He has been &C
quilted but not by the audience, mind
you. The lawyer leaves the husband
and wife alone. Suddenly the drama
so long delayed develops. While Lady
Ware is CONCENTRATING her husband on
his acquittsl and endeavoring 10 dispel
his melancholy he breaks into a con
fession. He is not innocent. He killed
the boy, but it will be impossible 20
try him again.
The murderer. after a brief fling OF
defiance. takes poison and dies. Il is
not clearly explained just why he
should kill himself. but the scene,
while distinctly artificial, is theatri-
caly effective. Lou-Tellegen does good
work in this act, as does Gladys Han
son, who plays the part Of Lady Ware.
A. p. Kaye made the role of fallen
bookmaker stand out. For the rest lit
tie can be said for the actors because
precious little material was given them
by the dramatist.
II only the curtain had not come
down so suddenly in the courtroom
scene we know one juryman who could
have rendered a just verdict without
leaving the box.