New Britain herald., 1925-05-19
PLAY WITH PUNCH
 OFFERING OF WEEK
POIi Players Score New Success
 in "The Fool"

tercsting play is like casually re- marking that "Tnc Blue Boy" is a pretty picture or that Shakespeare
 was an excellent writer. "Thc Fool"
 is the production in which the Poli pa|ors are appearing at the Palace theator in Hartford this week and if hit the 0rst-night audience squarrly between the eyes.
 "Thc Fool" is q play which brings out strongly the lesson it has to ! teach. that success is not in terms
 of dollars and cents. Irs a play that shows how one man with q
 great, good ideal sacrificed prac- tically everything as far as earthly possessions go so that his ideal might be carried out. It's q play
 that shows money and the spirit of brotherly love at cross purposes.
 It's play with a punch.
 The Poli players have neycr/dono anything better and it is doubted
 that they have ever put on play which has held the audience in its grip such as The Fool' did last night To say that the audience
 went wild over the production would be taking credit away from the play itself. The piece was too big for that. Better to say that the audi encc was stunned by the impact Of the acting and the big emotional scenes, to remain so until each in dividual member Of that audience freached home, drew a long breath and said What a wonderful play Arthur Howard reached dramatic heights hitherto unscaled by him in the part of Daniel Gilchrist, the man who dared to pattern his life after that of Christ; the man who dared to preach a Christmas sermon about the poor and downtrodden in a fashionable church; the man who gave up material comfort and gain so that he might help the under dog. Towards part and, in fact, | the entire production, had to be handled delicately to keep 1t from ldiculous, not that the play was ri
 diculous, but that highly dramatic situations, unless they are handled in the right way and timed precise ly, may strike the hysterical emo tions of an audience and create laughter. There was no laughter last night. The audience was too much impressed for that, and when,
 in the third act, the mob enters Gill christs welfare headquarters to
 get him. the atmosphere was as
 tense as it Is few moments before
 thunderstorm,
 The big climax Of the show comes in that third act when the members
 of the mob. thinking that he is run ming the house for evil purposes,
 mock Gichrist when he says he is
 a son of God and defes him to
 show them some proof, when Uman-
 ski a big Pole whom Gilchrist has
 befriendcd. defes the mob in kind.
 and when May Margaret little cripple whom Gilchrist has be- friended, kneels in prayer and then walks to Gilchrist without the aid of her crutches after her benefactor has been stabbed by a mad Italian. Mary Margaret is played by
 Claire Nolte. whose dramatic abil-
 ities are given a greater chance than
 they have ever had before. She
 practically wrests the first honors from Miss Oliver, whose part in the
 play is not big one, although com
 mcndable, The cast this week is
 large one and space Is not here
 given 10 mention each one Of the characters. Suffice it 10 say, that
 each member Of the company car
 ricd off his part, no matter how
 small. perfectly. or the production
 might have been not so successful. Umanski is played by Bernard
 Steele and the really dramatic situa- lions which come about every time
 he Is on the stage, attest to his talents.
 Next week the Poli Players will be seen In "LiEhtnin'," Frank Ba- cons great masterpiece. Edmund Abbey, the company's grand old
 man, will be seen in the title role of "T icbtpir'u pU1 To-o.