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Show DRAMA TIC GIVE ME THEM PAPERS! Raking deep in the muck of corporate uses and misuses and subsequent prosecutions and persecutions on the part of federal judiciary with a leaning toward the big interests, Charles Klein constructed "The Gamblers," a revamped follow-up of "The Lion and the Mouse," "The Man of the Hour" and other plays of the kind that have met with popular approval during the last six or eight years of the scrambling and unscrambling un-scrambling of eggs laid by the golden geese of the trusts. So much has been written regarding the force and dramatic strength of "The Gamblers" that it would seem folly to say that it is not a striking example of either. But it is easy to say it, in view of the melodramatic offering now doing big business at the Colonial in response to the popular popu-lar clamor for plays of its kind. The production is perfectly staged and the company contains a number of splendid actors. But the "breathless suspense" or the situations we read so much about was found in only one or two places and in each instance most of said suspense came through a frantic desire to laugh. "Them papers" which were to prove the undoing of the directors of a bank and Anally were turned to their use so that only one of their number was sacrificed, played an important part from the beginning be-ginning to the end of the play. Every little while they would appear; first in the hands of the vil-lian, vil-lian, then on the desk of the prosecutor, next almost al-most in the grasp of the banker who had been betrayed, but more often from somewhere deep in the tea gown of the lovely heroine or from a recess in her ermine muff when she was away from home. If it had not been for them papers, the yearning public clear across the land would have missed many a thrill and Mr. Klein many a royalty. But curses! There they were and so they had to be used for the two hundred thousandth thou-sandth time in the history of low ad high-brow drama and every melodrama that was ever staged. Of the personnel of the company Paul Everton iB featured in the role of William Emerson and gives a manly, convincing performance. However, How-ever, he still retains his uncomfortable mannerisms, manner-isms, though his performance is a great improvement improve-ment over other roles he has been seen in here. Frank Losee, who plays James Darwin, won new admirers though he needs no introduction to old-time old-time theatre-goers. His performances may always al-ways be depended upon. J. Palmer Collins, Edwin Ed-win WAlter, Matt Snyder and in fact most of the men filled their respective roles excellently, though Gertrude Dallas as Katharine Darwin was a great disappointment. Her appearance was all In her favor, but she falls far short of the acting requirements of the part. There is nothing natural nat-ural about her work and while a great deal of it seemed studied, most of it appeared not to have been studied enough. Them papers will be discovered dis-covered again this afternoon and evening. |