The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-25
THE BAT," SHOWING AT JEFFERSON, IS A
 WONDERFUL DRAMA

As mystery play, ",rhe Bat" which was presented at the Jefferson thea tre last night piles Pelion on Ossa.'' One is accustomed to meet with com plications that are more or less com plicated In the so-called "crook dramas" but "The Bat" goes consid- erably further. Theatre patrons who know their Rallies, their Jimmy Val entine and their Sherlock Holmes, as old acquaintances, will be baffled by the plot devised by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood. IT one catches the faintest inkling Of the way it is going to end he may flatter himself that he has done 8 fair evenings work It is a case where deduction doesn't deduce.
 Most of the action takes place in the dark, or semi darkness, pierced by the flickering beams of a candle or two, and even these candles have a way of going out most unexpectedly Light troubles and a country home belonging to the president of a de- funct bank. which failed after $1,O00,- 900 had been extracted from it's vault and the banker went out to Colorado to die, furnish the background for an absorbing and fascinating story. Hav- ing solemnly promised not to reveal the plot, out of kindness to patrons who will want to see The Bat" dur ing the remainder of it's engagement in Birmingham, no disclosures of that kind will be made here. But 1t Is enough to say that gun play. pocket flashlights, thunder and lightning. strange figures silouetted against windows when the lightning sends its unearthly glare over the scene; other figures fighting In the dark. or climbing through windows, outlined against the night sky and an easy target, If anybody were ready to shoot at that particular moment; murder committed before ones eyes. the usual heart throbs contributed by pair of lovers and detective who doesn't detect when he is sup posed to be at work-all this and much more will be found in "The Bat" In the vernacular of gasoline circles, this play "hits on all six cyl finders" and keeps 1t up for three pal pitating acts to a clever and 'un- are thrills galore, there is also plenty of comedy.
 A company of capable actors gave a performance that held the attention of everyone in the Jefferson from the first scene to the last. Josephine 
 Morse played the long suffering maid. Lizzie. whose nerves are frazzled early in the evening and never re- cover. Lizzie Evans was good as the strong minded maiden lady. Miss Cor nella Van Gorder, who has not lived 50 years for nothing and has deyel- soped some detective ability of her own. Arthur Hughes made a wicked looking Jap butler, who was not as bad as he was suspected of being. Bernard Thornton was the lover and the missing bank cashier, both being one and the same person. while Lu- cile Norris did we'll as his troubled fiancee, caught in maze of crime. Joseph M Holicky. as pr. Wells, made the most of that role. William l.. Thorne played Anderson extremely we'll and the other members of the cast were competent.
 "The Bat" will be presented at the Jefferson tonight. Tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. It Is an unusual play and may be guaranteed to make a veteran theatregoer forget the flight of time.