The sun., 1918-12-31
OLD FRIENDS REAPPEAR
Thomas Dixon Makes His Bow
as a Theatre Director
at the Harris.

Thomas Dixon is now the impressive
of the little Harris Theatre. lie began
his career as a New York manager last
night with a work by another play
wright. Instead of drama OF his own
writing. he INTRODUCED hero THE lnvisi-
BILE Foe" by Walter IIackett, an Ameri-
can author who has found more honor
in London than In his own country. In
spite OF its aggressive title, the WORK
does not deal with the war. Its subject
is not allen propaganda as the expert
enced theatregoer might suppose at the
fret hearing; on the other hand, occult
powers suggest and develop Its story
Again there is the effort of will to
impress itself on the mortal world after
its professor has passed away. But I'M
like the execution of a similar theme in
THE Return OF Peter Grimm" there Is
no temperance OF the reincarnated
spirit. IL is tho effect OF its influence
on others that is shown in THE lnv!si-
BILE Foe"
Unconventional I'm Development.
Apart from the domination OF n spirit
attempting to force its knowledge on
the world, Mr.. Hackett's play is alto
Sether conventional. We're its action
quicker and its power to excite the spec
tators somewhat greater THE Invisible
Foe" might deserve to be called melo-
drama. But the suppressed manner OF
the actors and the languid progress o..
tho story keep the new work outside that
interesting school, All the stencils OF old
fashioned British melodrama are TO be
found in the piece. Death never set its
seal more inevitably on father than II
did in this play. II was plain that he
could never last beyond the first curtain,
even II he lived 80 long. Just as much
in the old manner was the villain pre-
maturely silvered as to his head by the
suppressed wickedness surging beneath,
Tho fussy housekeeper, the family doc
tor, the trusted clerk the wrongly ac-
cused young lover and his betrothed--
| all these were old friends.
II was knowledge Of the father that
the gray haired half brother and not
the gallant young soldier had stolen
| by forgery 10000 that animated these
mannikins with something like a new
spirit. The written confession OF guilt
had been left by the father before his
sudden death in n book, and he wanted
those papers found that the truth might
be established, So he continued i'm
palpably and invsbly so far az the
audience was concerned to make his
influence felt by the two persons most
Interested until justice was done. The
spirit from the other world had ial-
pressed itself on nortals.
The Manner OF the Acting.
The half lights and shadows. the
gloomy library designed by Joseph Cr-
ban in which the action passed. the por-
tcntious manner OF the actorS--theSe
incidents of the performance helped to
add II sense of supernatural influences
to the play. So there We're some inter
esting scenes and some that might fairly
I've called engrossng. Yet it is equally
probable that none of the spectators was
kept awake last night by memories of
the ghostly interference Of the father
from the other world, The Foe In
visible" is so much more interesting,
however, than any other recent inpOr-
taton from London that the tales Of its
continued success there seem incredible.
j. II. Gilmour is an experienced acto~
ot melodrtma and played we'll In a key
/ subdued to the occasion the short lived
parent. Frank Andrews was the trusty
retainer to the life and Cooper cline an
artificial but inCisivc family physician
The prematurely gray haired villain
found II polished representative in Percy
MaTmont. All the roles were intelll-
gently played. The spiritual ingredient
added an appearance OF freshness TO
/ these familiar old friends.