The sun., 1918-09-16
NEW MELODRAMA
GRIPS ITS AUDIENCE
"The Unknown Purple" Is Eff
fective and Clear, Except
Toward Close.
WRONGED HUSBAND IN 1T
He Uses Mysterious Ray to- Get
Revenge for His I'm
prisonment.

BY some of the mysterious and wire
less channels OF the theatre world the
word went out on Saturday that THE
UnknoYn Purple" was the play to see'
It's authors were unknown and among
its actors there was none to compel the
public to hurry out for fear Of missing
him. But the Lyric Theatre, which the
shuberts have again dedicated to the
spoken drama, was crowded There was
no suggestion in the audiences attitude
OF eager expectancy that its habitat had
ever been Missouri. It merely seemed to
want to find the new melodrama just
as unusual as It had been reported.
So the late curtain rose on a gath
! ering Of sympathetic spectators VINO
from the windows Of two cells In a
Western prison heard two men talk.
One told a story OF more or less sordid
domestic tragedy and as he began the
recital the scene changed and the audi
ence saw before It's eyes a complaining
wife who had taken lover because her
husband could only be absorbed In his
great inventions and earn no money from
| them.
Husband Sent to Prison.
When the lover stole the money for
her indulgences she allowed this doting
husband to be arrested. He was torn
from his son and the little home to
langush seven years in jail When the
| audience heard the words that con-
demred the man to imprisonment the
scene changed to the prison corridor
| again.
HIS friend who had told the story
asked II such woman should not be
punished and II such false friend as
the lover should not be made to pay the
penalty OF his conduct especially as he
had become through the formula for
fast dye stolen from the inventor a man
OF great wealth. The listener agreed
that only such revenge would be just.
| Then n ray. Of light shot through the
darkness and showed that the last
speaker was the unhappy husband who
had been hero OF the act just played on
| the stage.
SO far so good. The audience, so in
| tent on being entertained. had.no reason
| to complain In the tense and admira-
bly, arranged prologue the situation had
been clearly set forth. A man was
! coming back to avenge himself on those
who had ruined him. Such hero has
ever been beloved since Edmond Duntes.
There was just a. mysterious person.
| age as the Count Of Monte CT1sfo In the
second act. This passed in the rich
home of the false friend. now the hus-
| band OF the vnfaithful wife and step
father OF her son But recent rob-
berry had so lessened his resources that
financial wreck impended. He was hope
| full that he might draw 10 him some
of the capital of the immensely rich
broker who had just come TO New York
Enter the Purple Ray.
Richard Bennett. who had admirably
played the inventor In the prologue. en-
tered as the man of prodigious. UNI
counted millions The house swarmed
with detectives because the thief had
given notice that on that night he would
rob tho family again The hero wear
ing evening dress under coat large
enough to cover fivver, suddenly
emitted a purple glow TO the sound OF
! faint music, seized the necklace from
| the neck OF his former wife and when
he reappeared. the household was In
hysterics He had merely employed the
purple ray which he had invented as
means Of making himself invisible when
ever he wanted to get the best OF his
! fellow man.
This was another interesting act and
again the audience settled into it's seats
with an air OF being really glad II had
come The act was in reality absorbing.
| The spectators had the inevitable sails
faction of seeing the innocent avenged
and seeing It done in very clear and
| comprehensive manner. The means OF
course. were supernatural. but they
were plausible Though the skill OF the
playwriGhts. probability was OF course
out of the question.
In the third act. which also passed In
| the drawing room OF the rich mans
home, there was n large sum in securi-
| ties to be returned to an innocent man
| whom he was about TO rob of them. The
| mysterious singing was heard In the air,
| the purple glow suffused the atmosphere
| and slowly the cafe door swung open.
the inner compartment fell out and the
valuables we're stolen by the unseen
| agency of the powerful ray. No hand
was visible, no human means of commit
| ting the robbery. But the spectators
knew who had done IT,
Audience Confused.
There was myterious shot, the
| watching detectives shouted they had
found their man and the curtain fell on
confused audience There was natur-
J ally no applause, since In spite of the
| principles OF the latest school Of play
| wrights and their suffering dupes. the
I managers, a confused audience is never
! satisfied audience.
II was unfortunate that the same
| clarity which had distinguished the
| opening scenes OF the play could not
have continued to the end, Then THE
! Unknown Purple" would have turned
out as its most enthusiastic admirers
! had claimed II TO be. In the last act the
mysterious visitor had arranged to re-
cover his con and take away the sister
| Of his wife who had befriended the boy.
| So he In the person OF the inventor.
although still all hut invisible. explained
to his victims the motive OF his robberies
and his persecution of them. Then the
/ detectives came and gloated over his
| final capture. But still In conversation
/ with them. the hero disa ppeared from the
| view Of the audience, through the door
| to the motor in which his son was await
| ing him. In the form OF To purple ray
which passed across the stage
Manner OF Production.
The authors. Roland West. who had
founded his play on a story OF HIS and
Carlyle Moore. awaited themselves OF
every device OF melodrana. ancient and
modern. and the general effectiveness
of the play justified thetr methods. Then
: the drama was admirably realized N
! the stage. The characters sneaked into
view after the prologue as II they wsle
so dyed in guilty knowledge of one kird
! or another that II interfered with :htir
4 locomotion. They could not have beer
discovered more noiseiesslyti In a cinema
| Richard Bennett with his wonderful
coat. and his Gorgonzola complexion,
! m4is the heEo mystsriously interesting |;
= = /. y. ~. (. s,s.s K. ~ q. (, .,ls