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"THE SILENT WITNESS"

DRAMA WITH A REAL THRILL

"Tho Silent Witness," a drama in a prologue and throo nets, by Otto Hauerbacli. Cast of characters:— Sarah Makcly Marion alh.Jcus Clarke ! Aorman BlaKely i'rank Jlatherlcv ; Helen Hastings Muriel hUrr Ej„ suy J. B. Atholwood Juno Tra'vcra •J lcr , J ' 1 .'JP'Y"' : Bud Morgan Frank Allannv Janet R-iesby Daphne Bairn John pelham Harry C. Power liut-li k'lhani M-liel Morrison Jtr. Weldon , Arthur blyan Wilbur Weldon liarold Morau Hie-hard ilorsan Frank Barvel D,.. Wiley v t(lwln LcE - ter Kato , Frederick (Joaps wißirins Victor Tatnall O-Leiiry William Buckley Deputy Sheriff : Prank Th.° mas , A vital, upstanding drrfum with a j tensely sustained interest tnroughout u i "Tho'Silent Witness," by Otto Haucr- , bach (whose talent must he a lively one, j as he supplied the books, of "Katinbr , and "Going Lip"), which was p;csci>ted ; by the Williamson dramatic company to I a large audience at the Grand Opera | House on Saturday evening. Indeed.. : there have been vev few modern dramas j presented here in recent years, which j have gripped an audience so completely as did' this play. With the exception ol I tho first act, tho play is really well ; written, and tho big dramatic climax at tile end of the third act was productive of a real thrill. Moreover, the story is a prettv logical one, and the cast was equal to all demands, beiwr particularly strong in male- characters, who givo a fino distinctiveness and plausibility. If Mr. Hauerbach can _ create such good dramatic stuff, there is some hopo still for American drama. The Silent Witness" consists .of a prologue and three acts, all originally set. In tho prologue, Helen Hastings, a small town flapper, residing with her aunt, Sarah Blakely, and tho tatter's ypung brother, Norman Blakely, in a stato of mean comfort, has formed an attachment to Kiohard Morgan, then a student at a distant university. Norman Blakoly also favours the young girl, and in tho conrso of his fading lets out that lie haA been pilfering tho funds of the bank where he is employed. On the evening of this admission, a report of a big firo at tho university appears in the papers, and details record tho death of somo of the students, among them 'Richard Morgan. Helen is paralysed bv this disastrous thrust of ill-fortune, and in her misery she confides to her bighearted aunt that the dead student is tho father of her unborn child. Sarah Blakely hurries the girl to a ranch in distant Colorado, where the child is born and reared. Eighteen yeare elapse. It is divulged that Morgan, now State Prosecutor and prospective governor, did not die. In the confusion of the firo ho had donned a friend's clothes, and when ho becomes recognisable it is found -that | a mistake had been made. MorgM recovers to find that Helen had vanhftcd, | as he assumes, with Norman Slaktsf. r. defaulter from t\jo bank,' and crushes the thought of her out of his life. Young Morgan, from out of the West, wins a scholarship in his father's old university, and is afterwards working (manually) his way through when he falls foul ■of Wilbur Weldon, a millionaire's son, and for various reasons gives him a licking, for which young Dick is hailed before, the faculty. Curiously enough ho is saved from expulsion by the action of his own father, who has heard from old Itigby, the 'Varsity factotum, what a fine lad young Bud 'Morgan is. 'Btid next overhears young Weldon casting vilo aspersions on his parentage. Thero is a fight, and Weldon falls dead. Young Morgan is arrested and charged with murder. Tho cvidenco is damning. He had been known to threaton young Weldon, and after the latter's death had been discovered with a heavy stick in his hand! The case, in tho hands of tfohn Pelham, Assistant Stnto Prosecutor is going dead against the boy. A point at issue is tho justification for the fight, which resulted in death. Was young. Weldon speaking the truth about young Morgan's parentage, or was ho only seeking to blacken and vilify his name? Only.one can really decide the question at issuo —the boy's mother. She arrives; there is a palpitating scene between Pelham and Mrs. Morgan, in which tho latter innocently tells her story, the only lie— a white one—being her statement that she had married Sic-hard Morgan. Pelham, triumphant, cails 'Morgan, senior, from tho next room, and for tho first

time for eighteen years Eichnrd and Helen meet face to face. Pelham sneers,

but is silenced by Morgan and dismissed. Helen tells her pitiful tale, admits her lie (having believed until a few seconds befpro that Jthe father of her boy waa

(lead), and after being charged with decamping, with Blakcley, sho clears herself, and tells Morgan that the accused lad is his own son. "Savo him, Eichnrd;

they are killing our son!" she cries, and she faints away as the curtain falls. The

.final act sees the father fighting for his'i son's life. He ascertains that young

Weldon was suffering from anaemia, and

that his blood was > so poor that any sudden, exertion was "liable to have serious effects. By analysis it is also proved that the- blood on the log is really young

Morgan's, not tho dead man's, which piwwi that death was really accidental. The boy tells the whole truth about tho provocation and is acquitted, and the curtain falls with the Morgans h.ippily reunited. A line performance gave spicnaw conviction to the play. Mr. Frank Harvey is sect in as vivid a bit of dramatic portraiture as we can remember; His dynamic methods, and sharp, incisive style, mado Morgan, senior, a livo and likeable man. Very trenchant were his speeches upon tho _ administration _of justice,'as he conceived it, as against the desire for a conviction, and tho powerful mentality of tho character was most admirably suggested throughout. Miss Muriel Starr was also well placed as Helen Hastings, and rose to tho dramatic demand in the tenso third act, where she pleads for tho life of her boy. Mis:. Starr's sharo in working up to the climax was very considerable', An extremely ingratiating, charmingly clean-cut and boyish performance was thnt of Mr. Frank Allanby as Bud Morgan. His naturalism and engaging manner could scarcely be improved upon. Another outstanding characterisation must bo credited to that sterling actor Mr. James B. Atholwood, who, as old Eigsby, tho wise old university gardener, mingled humour Mid straight-thinking like an artist. Mr. Athohvood's gestures wore delightfully expressive. . Mr. Frank Hatherly's rather theatrical style was not altogether wasted as Norman Blakely; Mr. Harry C. Power was aggressively efficient as John Pelham; Mr. jVrthur Styau blustered bravely as Weldon, sen., and Mr. Harold Moran cleverly suggested the role of. the anaemic sneak who causes all tho pother. In denoting elderly, homely old ladies, Miss Marion Marcus Clarke is making a special nicho for herself. Her Sarah Blnkelv was. a trcasurnble bit of work. Miss Ethel Morrison was delightful as Ruth Pelham, and Mils Daphne Bairn as Janet Eigsby; and Hiss Beryl Bryant as June Trovers, presented sweet personalities in nice- clothes, "The Went Witness" was well .mounted and capitally stage-me.i.aged. It should attract large audiences for tho next three nights. On Thursday "Common Cloy" is to bo performed for the first time in Wellington.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19200223.2.20

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 127, 23 February 1920, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,225

"THE SILENT WITNESS" Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 127, 23 February 1920, Page 5

"THE SILENT WITNESS" Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 127, 23 February 1920, Page 5

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