The New York herald., 1922-04-25
The Charlatan,'
Murder Mystery
Play, Entertaining
Slow in Getting Started 1T Has
Engaging Points of
Novelty.

Adolph Klauber presented last night
at the Times Square Theater THE Char
latan," by Leonard, Praskins and Ernest
Pascal. another one Of those murder
mystery plays that are slowly but sure
IS transferring the crime wave TO the
stage. 1t is good melodrama. enjoy
able for those who can take an abrupt
departure of a character without a
aualm before going TO bed. 1t is at
times trifle mechanical, and TO coun-
teract that Ira Hards has staged II at
a rather slow pace in an endeavor to
show that even mystery can be COM
mitted naturally
The initial difficulty Is that Leonard
Praskins and Ernest Pascal have hardly
provided enough action in this Florida
country house where the three acts take
place 10 fill out whole evening. so the
actors have to put on the brakes and
spread the play somewhat thin in or
der to keep the audience off the streets
until IL o'clock.
As il is, despite tardiness i'm getting
Under way. il has many engaging points
of novelty and enough thrills TO carry
away under the average sized hat. In
the first place. it takes place among the
guests of house party who have the
theatrical distinction of seeming human.
The local District Attorney Is present
so right away you anticipate something
dreadful.
Then magician Is introduced and
chairs begin to fall out of the air and
pictures to drop off the wall, so that the
piece becomes combination OF The
Bat THE Hindu" and DR.. Princes
Antigonish report. He bears the name
IF Count Cdgliostro and maintains. as
he pulls down his vest Indignantly. that
ne is none other than the famed con-
juror of the middle ages and that his
tory slipped cog when ii reported him
dead
The most hardened psychic could
hardly accept such a spacious claim. ana
us played by Frederick Tiden with his
customary insouciance the man De-
comes little more mysterious than
chauffeur who can exercise legerdemain
on bulky engine. Much of the mystery.
as usual. is evoked by switching on and
off the lights abruptly.
Yet this sleight of hand performer has
q way of tightening up the tension If
only by the flourish with which he sud
denly pulls rabbit from the vest Of the
skeptica District Attorney. He treats
house. party--and audience-to a divert
ing exhibition OF his powers, though IL
might seem at first glance that extern
porizing a globe of goldfish is hardly
a proper prelude to murder by a subtle
poison.
The chief drawback is that after the
rrewsome exhibition OF the Indian basket
trick. i'm which swords are supposedly
plunged through the body of man in
cabinet, the wizards wife falls out
dead from the cabinet in which she has
disappeared with something Of the
effect or anti-climax. One might suggest
that the magician so on materializing
rubber plants up to this point.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's visit comes
very patty at this time. for seemingly
the ectoplasm OF the victim clears up
the crime. But the authors have the
courage not to maintain the too easy
doctrine that there is real magic in the
air. for the audience always has a fur
tive idea that stage hands are pulling
the strings. So the play ends on an
agreeable note striving simply for your
entertainment. gentle sirs.'
Miss Olive Nyndham bears the rather
frail thread OF romance easily ana Fred
crick Tiden carried well the thesis that
2 fakir can produce a rabbit and still be
sincere. Miss Margaret Dale as m
amusing matron. Purnell Pratt as the
District Attorney and Miss Fani4 Mari
noff as the wife were others in capable
cast who made this tidy young play.