New Britain herald., 1919-09-23
LYCEUM PLAYERS
 STAR IN MYSTERY
"The Thirteenth Chair" Is We'll Played and Battles Audience
(By The Herald Reviewer

Neiller, author of within the Law"
 is melodrama and mystery play
 with a real "punCh." It is replete
 with thrills, suspense and excitement,
 and cleverly has the author con-
 ceived the plot, it is not until a few
 seconds before the final curtain falls
 that the real murderer is discovered- the audience, in the meantime, having
 suspected everybody else in the cast.
 In The Thirteenth Chair the
 Lyceum Players have scored another
 real success and it is not an exaggera-
 tion to say that in this play they are
 at their best. While every member
 of the cast does excellent acting, the
 laurels rightfully belond to Miss
 Margaret Leonard, leading woman,
 for her portrayal of the difficult role
 of Madame Rosalie La Grange, the
 aged clairvoyant and medium. Here
 tofore Miss Leonard has been seen as
 the charming young woman, adored
 by the hero of the play. This week
 she takes the part of an old woman
 who has lived for years by her wits,
 practicing the trickery of spiritualism.
 Throughout the entire performance she plays a lone hand and by her
 work has proved her versatility. Not
 only is her makeup excellent. but also
 her character acting is of the highest
 order. Playing opposite her, but in
 an antagonistic role, is George Vel
 lington, as Tim Donahue, police in
 spector. MT. Wellington makes a first class detective and acquits him. self in this role in a most creditable manner. His tones are sharp, crisp 5 his general bearing that of the cold, calculating detective. Another mem- Der of the company whose work is also deserving of especial mention is Miss Marion Coogan. As the daugh- ter of the medium, engaged to be married to wealthy young Will Crosby, later suspected of murder and saved only by the wits of her mother, she appears everything that an inno- cent lovable young girl should. Her general appearance is pleasing, her manner demure and her character ization of her role as nearly perfect as one could desire. Even in the try ing part, where she is suspected of murder and is betrayed by the girl whose good. name she was trying 10 save, she does not lose the boise of her girlish innocence.
 The Thirteenth Chair' is a murder mystery in which spiritualism plays an important role with a decidedly creepy" effect upon the audience. yet in the end leaves no mistaken idea as to whether or not the writer intended to have his audience become convert of spiritualism. The Crosby family, at the suggestion of Edward Wales, plan a seance at their home and Madame La Grange is en- gagged to appear as the medium. Pre- viously, Spencer Lee, best friend of Wales, has been stabbed in the back and murdered, and the latter is de- termined to find the guilty man. All efforts have failed until now, when he explains to his guests that he is going to try spirituaHsm. The 13s guests sit in a circle in the darlened room, Madame La Grange goes into ] a trance and during the seance holds conversation" with the supposed spirit of Spencer Lee. Wales, anxious :. to learn the name of the murderer, is urging the medium to tell it when there is hoarse cry. The lights are switched on and Edward Wales body is found lying on the floor, sta bbeG 1 through the back. Not a soul has l entered the room or left it. The knife l with which the murder was com 1 mitted cannot be found. The police 1 arrive and eventually Helen O'Neil l (Marion Coogan) is suspected. Who l the real murderer is, how the culprit is made to confess and the explana- mystery are cleared up satisfa ctorily 9 kp nf he sensa tional scenes that has ever been played on the local stage
 Eugene Shakespeare plays the part of Will Crosby, in love with Helen o'Neil and ever thoughtful Of her welfare. He puts snap and vim into his work, Jane Stuart as Mrs. Crosby, has a matronly pa Tt this week and plays it fully as we'll as she has her character parts in the past She looks extremely we'll in her evening gown and as the mother of young Crosby, she puts a certain tenderness into her acting that goes to make it more real. Roscoe Crosby, played by Barrow LePaige, who was the eccen- tric scientist in Some Baby" acts the part of the man of the house and Henry T. Crossen, as Edward Wales. plays the part of the friend who is m urdered while trying to avenge the death of his cOmrade with charac- teristic energy, and later doubles ! playing the part of detective. Hazel Stone, as Mary Eastwood, does we'll as the skeptic, and Dorothy Gibson. as Helen Trent, plays her part we'll. as does Charles Mylott as her hus- band 1
 Frank Ford has another part this week in which he excels as the fop- pish youth and, while 1t is not a big part, he makes the most of it. He as Howard Standish, brother