New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-13
The Knife" Proves To Be
Thriller, but an I'm
pleasant Play
by HAYWOOD BROUN

When an author writes an aar.'" 'aa;
play he Usually blames u on pos.erty.
He asserts that he mus. be morbid or
grewsome or what not for the SAKE o.
generations yet unborn. But IL - diff
cult TO present narrowing propaganda
in anything but serious dramatic form
Farce or melodrama will hardly carry
Il, and THE Knife which was pre-
sented at the BUou Theatre last night
is frankly melodrama.
Now. tho best excuse FOR meiodrama
is that J.. departs from life On order 20
give Us something better. II makes
ten heroes grow where nature planted
only one. and finds virtue 70. only
abundant. but triumphant. 10 paints
the would little bit more as every one
would have II. The world which Eu-
gene Walter paints in The Knife
varies from the truth by being a little
worse. IL ferrets out vice and swings
a story around horrible and unspeak-
able crime.
And yet though the play deals with
rape and an unnamed disease. presuma-
bly, syphilis, not everyone viii md It
unpleasant. Excitement Will leaven the
entertainment for many. AZ it, best mo-
ments the play is undeniably thrilling.
A. its best II is .ngCnlously written
and splendidly staged The acting is
nigh class throughout.
The hero of thc play be- famous
doctor. HIS hancee disappears ON che
eve OF their wedding and is discovered
in the hards of two criminals. who have
drugged her and wronged her. The
criminals. man and woman. are capt
ured at night in lonely house by the
doctor and his friends. who have de-
cided TO take the law into their own
hands. First of all. the doctor wants
70 kill the two miscreants, but then he
hits upon the happier scheme of using
them for experimental purposes. He
inoculates them with the virus OF a
malignant disease and then tries out
two remedies. The remedy which is
given 10 the woman il no good and she
dies. The remedy tried upon the man
cures him and thereby establishes the
doctor rs one Of the greatest medical
benefactors Of markind
The police, however. get clCw as 20
what the doctor has done and are about
20 arrest him. when. by clever lying. he
throws them OF the track. The crim-
nal whom he inoculated with doseasc
and then cured is brought INFO the
room, but ne sticks 10 the doctors
story as he obviously does not want 20
be convicted OF the crime which
brought him to the laboratory. Just
when II seems as If the doctor would
, clear himself, his dancee enters the
room. The memory of what happened
to her in the lonely house has been
erased from her mind, but no sooner
does she see the criminal than every
thing comes back to her. Her terror
betrays the case of the doctor, but she
saves him by telling p free and frank,
very frank story of the wrongs which
she suffered The district attorney is
thereby convinced that the doctor act
ed from adequate motives and. cOnsigu-
! ing the law to peTdition, leaves happy
ending undisturbed.
Just so long as Eugene Walter sticks
10 flashlights. threats Of torture. scenes
of cross-examinatlon and recognition
he builds up a strong interest which is
/ pretty sure TO hold the attention Of the
audience tightly. He has laid out his
! theatrical lodges with great care. and
/ the actors miss not trick. I'm az
/ excellent cast first honors should go 20
Olive Wyndham. who played a scene
/ of nervous collapse and another OF
reminiscent terror with fine power
| Robert Edeson made much OF his on
| portunities as the doctor, and Lowell
| Sherman's brisk methods helped 20
keep up the pace required. Cyrus
: Wood made the male criminal sufii-