Evening star., 1923-11-27
The Red Hawk.

Strong with the strength that logic
fn plot-building, superior delineations
of character and natural, appeal OF
the presented problem can bestow on a
drama, THE Red Hawk" made its
bow 20 the public at the Shubert
Garrick Theater last night and was
received betttingly.
Those who browse over the va
garies of a first-night audience were
surprised at the size of the house.
They had more surprises awaiting
them. They watched the audience,
held in suspense throughout the eve
ming, sit still when the final curtain
had gone down on q. stage that had
been empty fully three minutes, with
the last parting sound the clanking g
Of a bolt shutting a man off from
the life he knew, and then they saw
the audience give four curtain calls.
II was significant.
The keystone of the dramatic
structure that was raised TO u tow
he the cast. 1t is what our high
brow friends call the sine qua non"
.--the thing without which there could
be nothing. Without almost letter
perfect Interpretation, inherent SIN
cerity in tnterpre tation and deep ap-
probation OF the lines of the play
cast would in ali probability pre-
sen5 ,tt the TStnight elt audienso nn with
There's a prologue: three acts and
an epilogue in THE Red Hawk" An
eleventh-hcur change of scene = act
2, 70 the epilogue apparently was
made as the final touch IN a way
that will be shown later.
The prologue deals with the sack
ing of a convent by the Red Hawk,
bloody plunderer. who talks like a
vicious deviitry of Mephisto. The
curtain goes up on a convent 1t is
e. scene superb. The walls are really
plastered Simplicity is the keynote.
and yet there is an Appropriate ap..
pearance about the scene. The Red
Hawk comes. loots, laughs and raw
fishes. A mother superior sacrifices
herself TO save novice:
Twenty years later is the time por-
trayed in the first act From that
sacrifice of the nun a son has come
into the world. He Is a priest, noted
for piety, devotion and instructive
leadership of his people. 1t is he
upon whom the plot rests. Shades
the stage as the young man battles
between the two natures his parents
have given him 1t is not so much
.. problem of dual personality, such as
DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde" as a
problem of dual character dual soul.
dual nature, with one lighting the
other continuously.
Through three acts Morris Mckay
takes q difficult role and makes il d
vehicle of wonderment. He battles
with himself. He assumes the nature
that is his fathers heritage and leads
a mob TO sacking and plundering to
save ii from hunger. He reverts TO
fhe nature that was his mothers and
?orsakes the girl he loves, becomes a
priest, refuses her later advances
and marries her TO his best friend.
Oh. there's an abundance of other
incidents interviewer in the plot The
battle between his two natures be-
comes stronger and more. violent
until just after the marriage of the
girl when his mothers nature
triun1 PMS Then the priest enters a
Trapist monastery. where he will
speak no more and repent in his bet
ter nature for the sins his evil side
has committed.
The final scene constitutes the
prologue. 1t is here, after he has
spoken his last word, that his mother
and friends leave him. and he enters
the building, leaving the stage empty.
1t remains empty for long drawn
minutes and the concummate touch
is the clanking shut of the door. II
breathes drama in itseIf-the shoot
ting of that bolt That final scene
was made an epilogue with what
appears to be fins, appreciation for
gives those who view it the nature
of the looter and the nature of the
Hevout nun. The three acts show
these natures in conflict. The cpl
aogue portrays the outcome.
Mrs. Trimble Bradley. co-author
with George Broadhurst, staged the
play. She did we'll. The appropriate
and charming settings were one of
the strongest links in the chain
which bound the intrinsic segments
together into q. perfect whole.
Mckay Morris. since his was the
most difficult assignment, probably
deserves the greatest praise of any of
the cast for the manner in which he
handled his role. But this does not
take any praise from That's Lawton
the nun and the mother, for her
bterling support. Walter Ringha m.
Albert Bruning, and especially Julia
Hoyt, all deserve praise. In fact. the
entire cast was well balanced---so
well that even the work of Morris did
rot stand out in brilliance. as II
would against the background of an
inferior cast.
The certain success of THE Red
Hawk" last night, repeating that of
sIn the Next Room but a short
while ago-two remarkably strong
plays-seems to indicate unerrinEly
how successful the Garrick Theater
might be with bookings of a similarly
high order under the management of
the unquestionably popular l.. Stod-
dard Taylor If the theater has
seemed to rest under the cloud of
on-patronage, it seems certain that
oversight in the bookings rather than
the charm of its environment and
Its management is responsible.
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