The Washington times., 1923-11-27
BOLD DRAMA
THRILLS AT !,
GARRICK

AAO ASSu 1dWk looks ike g.
humming bird. To the sometimes
desoIate box office of the Garrick
Theater. where this new bit from
the combined pens Of Mrs. Trimble
bradley ana George Broadhurst
had It's premier last night, it may
even nave the juicy look Of q
canary bird on toast.
For last night a capacity house,
nicely halved between the ordinary
folks and the Limousine. trade, gave
unanimous YES" to this en-
thrallng story Of sixteenth century
Sicily. Offhand, sixteenth century
Sicily does not sound interesting,
and perhaps few Of last nights
first audience were In q wholly
welcoming mood until "The Red
Hawk" as devilish "a. rough baby
as ever stalked the pages Of Steven
son, almost literally knocked them
OH their seats and pulled their up-
standing locks out by the roots.
prologue of as much action
and length as usually passes as
first act has as its purpose
the establishment OF the charac.
ter RED Hawk" bandit CHIEF. as
a thoroughly vicious Character.
By the time he has sacked a
convent and made q nun. who
in youth had Tilted him. choose
between herself and her neice-
and as q side-issue has killed a
tottertng old haIf-wit-one almost
begins to fear his badness is
laid on too. thickly. But later
Developments show the need Of
this near-mellowness and one is in.
clined to forgive the raWness that
preceded.
Though possibly hackneyed to
throw The Red Hawk br,suuely
into the general classification az
a "Jekyll and HYDE drama one
naturally chooses that tag for ac-
curateIy describing this new Broad
hurst offering. The main story IS
that or the son OF Red Hawk" a
youth in whom the GOd-loving
characteristics Of his unwilling
mother and the hatred-born. re-
vengeful traits OF. his outlaw
father battle for soul supremacy.
The urge for romance and nd
venture is ever at one side com.
manding the wish for the son.
priest, to forget his vows. give
sway to the domineering devil
may-care Of swashbuckIing faith
or, and grab off the girl at
swords points. But perhaps In
that wish lies the secret Of our
own bad deeds, for obviously
enough the triumph OF the good
must always hunt US along about
IL o'clock on nights of our thea
ter-going. To raze q convent Is
serious business. Rightly enough,
then. such q trail must end at a
monastery when even the next
generation must do pennance for
the fathers sin, however temper
,ary and slight be the contalnina.
tion of the child.
Mckay Morris, last seen here
Jelyll-Hydeing in the Rinehart
Breaking Point" has improved
greatly with experience and with
better material. A ticlxlish task
it Is, to offer a dual personality
that does not fail in convincing
and worse-seern absurd. Morris
did as nice a job as one world
wish. An occasional hint of q
break will be bolstered within
the week and he will be very near
perfect.
Albert Bruning, weren't you
Robert Mantell's right hand rnan0
is a wonderful gentleman whose
work has the beautiful marks Of
the old school. An actor. this
gentleman. whose performance as
Conte di Paralta you will rightly
think excellent. Dodson Mitchell
Is likewise unusually good as the
spokesman Of the hungry citizens
Mrs. Julia Lydig Hoyt. Of New
York society. as an outstanding
beauty. is given the role Of heroine.
"A stately brunette. Mrs. Hoyt
appeared nicely trained and quite
at home before the footlights.
but in this particular perform
ance seemed to lack the necessary
allurement Of a Sixteenth century
bride. However. one doesn't rec
many real brides Of that period,
and perhaps her Interpretation is
correct.
'"The Red Hawk" is recon-
mended for it's intense interest.
its thrilling badness. its compen-
sating goodness. and most Of all
for its story. Morris and Bruning
are quite worth the evening.
Despite some Of it's first draft
faults, '"The Red Hawk" still has
the look OF a humming bird.
&C, L. M.