El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-06

, ment that il should act finally to stay
his cOncealmeut of this cOnViCtiug evil
dencc. He tries to reach it with his
stick. The distance is just too great
! he calls fearfully to his man for help,
and, at the responding sound Of hurry
ing footsteps, cries out, Pick it up!
! Pick it up" But it was his wife who
I had come in. Vt is she who picks it
up and before he can speak, reads the
! secret that has been so long kept from
! her. Later, Naldecini, \as an atone
ment, takes himself out of the way.
David Powelrs performance as the
/ pianist is very good indeed. 1t is
marked by entire sincerity and a sat-
/ genuine and pleasing. Janet Beecher
IS the wife.
Ethel Barrymore has scored a decid-
ed success in a narrowing play called
The Shadow at the Empire theater.
| It is q drama of the most poignant suf-
! terlngs throughout, but in 1t Miss
Barrymore rises to the highest pitch
as an emotional actress that she has
yet reached.
/ The play, originally written for
} Rejane, but not produced abroad on
/ account Of the war, is by DariO Nicco-
demi and Michael Morton, a successful
young artist and critic, has a wife who
is completely paralyzeS in all her
! limbs. She has been helpless in this
condition for eight years. Three years
before the play opens the young hus-
band has fallen in love with a young
woman, a friend OF his wife She
leaves her husband and lives with the
artist After a time she obtains her
divorce, they establish home,
child is born, and still they cOntrive
t. deceive the invalid with perfect sue
cess.
Suddenly a miracle occurs. The in
valid regains the use Of her limbs com
pletely. She waits until she is quite
able to walk, and then, to surprise
her husband, visits his studio. Here
of course, she sees both his mistress
and their child, and learns Of her hus-
bands long deception. At the end she
decides to give her husband to the
woman he loves and leave them to
their happiness.
This is told in three acts of unre-
lenting emotional strain, both on the
players and upon the audience. The
tragedy and suffering arising from the
one source is displayed in all its var
led effects upon the characters in diff
ferent conditions and circumstances.
Miss Barrymores picture of the in
valid, so long utterly helpless, and
suddenly brought back to life and
what she thought TO be q wonderful
happiness with a loving husband, was
a fine thing to see. In other scenes,
all pitched at the highest key of emo
tionaI strain, yet all requiring a diff
ferent form of expression, she played
with equal finish and with an astound-
ing degree of intensity. Never once did
she lose her grip upon the audience
throughout the entire performance
and never once did the audience cease
to suffer with her.
This is a great tribute to her skill
for the authors were clever enough in
presenting their problem to shift con-
stantly the demand for sympathy.
Each character affected by the tragic
affair had claims and, like all such
horrible catastrophes in life the re-
suit was inevitable misery and suffer-
ing for all
Bruce McRae easily won second hon
ors as the husband His playing is
always pleasure to watch, but in
this difficult role he acted with so
much intelligence and finish and so
nice a judgment in gesture that he
appeared to surpass himself Grace
Elliston gave the role of the mistress
a dignity and air Of refinement that
showed both skill and judgment, and
Ernest Lawford made the devoted
friend whimsical and appealing.
y X
Richard Brinsley Sheridan's bril-
liant comedy, THE Critic" has been
most cleverly staged by B. Iden Payne
al Enslshman, at the Princess the
alter This clever play within a play