The National — "Sherlock Holmes"
The National — "Sherlock Holmes" is an article published in The Evening Times (Washington) on 20 november 1900.
About the play Sherlock Holmes at the New National Theatre, Washington, DC, USA.
The National — "Sherlock Holmes"
The National — "Sherlock Holmes," William Gillette's "Sherlock Holmes," which received its first local presentation at the National Theatre last night, surpasses in thrilling incidents and cunningly devised situations any of the playwright's former efforts. It received the hearty approbation of an audience that completely filled all the available seating capacity, of the theatre and the evidences of approval were exceedingly demonstrative at times. There can be no doubt of the success of this latest Gillette play and the National will contain during the engagement a series of assemblages that should bring the popular "Standing Room Only" placard into use.
Mr. Gillette is, of course, the principal figure in the dramatization of Dr. Conan Doyle's story, which concerns the theft of a package of papers and the consequent quest for the same by Sherlock Holmes, who exhibits many of the inductive reasoning methods made familiar by Dr. Doyle, and many writers before him.
There are several contributory characters that are very ably represented by George Wesels, Henry McArdle, Ralph Delmore, Ruben Fax, George Honey, Olive Oliver, of last summer's stock company at the Columbia, and Maude Fealy, one of the best leading ladies that a local audience has seen in many a day. But throughout the entire production. Mr. Gillette predominates every scene. His make-up is a remarkable representation of the picture Author Doyle has drawn of his famous detective, the slight figure, the languid manner — the imperturbable Holmes in all of his familiar characteristics, even to the hypodermics of cocaine.
The piece is put on with much attention to detail, and the arrangement of the lights at the end of the acts is decidedly novel and effective. The only matinee of "Sherlock Holmes" during the engagement at the National will be on Saturday.
