Evening journal., 1919-12-12
SPOOKY MYSTERY
GRIPSPLAYHOUSE
Thrills and Creepy Feelings
Crop Up Out of The
Unknown Purple"
TENSE MOMENTS
ABOUND IN DRAMA

THE PLAYHOUsE-"The Unknown Pur.
pie" drama OF mystery IN a prologuf
and three acts, by Roland West and
CAST or CHARACTERS.
Those In Prison.
First Convict. known as Hawkins.
Number 1t2i
Second Convict Number 1905
characters In the Episode as Related by
Convict No. 1877, as They APPEAR
Hawkins, a thief ..............C Convict 113l
Jewel the wife Miss Eveta Knu lseu
Ruth. Jewels Sister. Miss Lorraine Frost
Bonnie, friend OF Jewels,
Peter Marchmont Jewels husband.
George Probert
james Lawson. MarchmOnt's friend
Benedict MacOuarrie
Phelan. from headquarters. L. Duane
CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY
Bobby Dawson ........... Arthur lie Wien
Ruth CharletOu .-..-...M Miss Lorraine Frost
Richard Bradbury ......... Harry Reidlng
James Dawson ...... Benedict MacQuarrie
George Allison, head Of Allison Detective
ponnie Aliison Miss VIVIAN Alien
Mrs James Dawson Miss Eveta Knudsen
Johnson, butler 10 the Dawson.
Herbert Ashton
The Stranger ................V Cr0mpOrt
Burton Allisons head man. Grant Sherman
Mystery enyeloped the audience from
start TO finish during the opening per
formancc Of "The Unknown Purple
at the Playhouse last night The large
audience present experienced all the
goosc-ncshy delight Of reading a ghos,
story With something unexpected bob
bing up every moment.
In play where The prologue is fol-
lowed b. an episode which takes place
before The prologue, and IN which the
last part OF the second act occurs dur
Ing the end OF the third act. there Is a
miXed-up sense OF time which is eX-
tremeiy effective In suggesting the su-
pcrnatural. Dim lights. with occasional
intense darkness throughout he entire
theatre, knockings. and pistol shots,
suddenly brilliant illumination flooding
a scene which IS the climax Of what oc-
CURED In the dark, keep the aud ence
thrilled with a sense Of weird happen
ings beyond mortal power.
And through the darkness and the
brilliance stalks the unknown purple
light pushing aside curtains, opening
safes, talking as an accusing conscience
30 the guilty souls in the play.
This unusual drama, although 10 uses
novel stage effects with clever oTiyi-
nslliy and telling success. does not de-
pend upon these outside aids by any
means. 70 has a gripping story. In
deed in a number Of places the play
would be stronger II there were less
attempts 30 force q spOoky effect by
stage exaggerations.
While a stage and auditorium In total
D. 80
plause from the government fuel admin
istratiOn officials, IL has never had the
intended effect OF spOokiness upon WI
mingtOn audiences. A number OF we'll
known plays have tried this method OF
conveying the supernatural idea, with
the invariable result OF sending LEGAL
audiences into smOthered laughter and
giving the cast extra work 20 put the
spectators back into the mood OF the
play.
The play opens upon prison wall In
The moonlight. with two cOnvicts talk
ing together through adjacent barred
windows One learns, through the con-
versat'On OF the other, that the wife
for whose sake he. an innocent man,
has spent long years in jail. has al
N
living in luxury. as the wife Of her
former husbands false friend, a man
who stole his inventions, his wife, and
sent him to prison
These early scenes OF wrong-doing
are enacted upon the stage, following
the prolog.
The play proper follows, showing the
revenge OF the husband, now out Of
prison, upon his faithless wife and
friend. The wronged man discovered an
ultraviolet ray in which his body IS
visible only as a purple light BY its
use he drags down the fa'thless friend
and wife, step by step, into poverty
and mental torment. When they are
upon the verge Of insanity and mur-
der the wrOnged man relents for the
sake Of his little boy, and gives up the
uss Of the terrible purple ray.
The burden OF the acting fell upon
George Probert as the wronsed hus-
hand and Miss Evela Isnudson as the
lsiihless wife. Mr.. Probert was par
ticularly lovable in the early episode, /
as the absent-minded inventor. hon
cstiy trying 70 make a great future for
wife and little son. He succeeded eX-
cellently in the more dlGlcult part later,
where he returns as a stranger, In Civ
ing the effect OF the stern ayenger risen
from the grave.
Mss Knudsen. a wonderfully-gowne
and beautiful woman. was effective In
the part of the wife. which she handled
with great skill
Benedict McQuarrie also gave a re-
good piece OF acting as the
false friend, especially In his nervous
IN the later scenes.
Miss Vivian Allen furnished the COM
edy Of The play with a vivacty that
brought laughter and applause. Every !
body fell in love promptly with Miss |
Lorraine Frost. the sweet sister OF The |
wife.
Joseph Slaytor ao the criminal inves- |
iigstor, and others OF the cast gave ad- |
mirsble dellneatlOns.
THE Unknown Purple will be seen |
AZ the Playhouse tonight and tomor- |
row night with a Saturday matinee.