Wm. Gillette is "Sherlock Holmes"
Wm. Gillette is "Sherlock Holmes" is an article published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on 8 january 1901.
About the play Sherlock Holmes at the Grand Opera House in Cincinnati, OH (USA).
Wm. Gillette is "Sherlock Holmes"
William Gillette's wonderful dramatization of "Sherlock Holmes" had its first presentation in this city at the Grand last night, and held a large audience spellbound through its four interesting acts.
The play is chiefly unusual for the fact that its strikingly melodramatic plot holds one well forward in one's seat and never gives one a chance to reckon how closely it all comes to be impossible until you have left the theater and began to think it over. Mr. Gillette doubtless meant to accomplish this very thing, and has called to his aid in establishing the very illusion meant all the artifice in his wonderful grasp of stage-craft, together with every trick and electrical device that dan well be worked into such a production. It all proves over again that good old-fashioned melodrama in proper guise retains a remarkable hold on modern theatergoers. We hardly expect to see underground dens infested with thieves in the Grand; we don't often take kindly to murderous stories, such as were dished up plentifully last night, and we don't go in at our first-class theater very often for hairbreadth escapes of our hero and heroine from certain death, and yet we sat there last night and were breathlessly interested in what Sherlock Holmes was doing, and we applauded every signal victory that ended in his triumph. If you would know the melodramatic tendencies of the play follow this brief outline of the story:
In his dramatization Mr. Gillette has created a story that hangs well together, bringing out in clever sequence some of the best known incidents in the detective's career. In fact, Dr. Doyle's disconnected stories have been welded into a strong one, in which the dramatist has introduced the required love interest and made of them a play that holds one's attention riveted to the varying scenes. The action opens in the drawing room of the Larabees, in London. Prior to this the Larabees learn that Alice Faulkner has in her possession certain letters and photographs which she inherited from her sister that compromise a scion of a noble house. The Larabees determined to secure these papers, and invite Miss Faulkner and her mother to visit them in London. Once there she is virtually held a prisoner. The nobleman. knowing the compromising nature of the papers, is also anxious to recover them. and to that end engages Sherlock Holmes, the detective. The latter immediately strikes the proper clew and manages to meet Miss Faulkner. He states his wishes to her, but she refuses to part with the papers even to him. He manages, however, to get hold of them. Realizing their inability to cope with Holmes, the Larabees employ Prof. Moriarity, who is the chief of London's under world, and through his hatred for Holmes readily accepts the job. Moriarity is aided by his criminal cohorts, and the detective's life is immediately placed in peril. From this on it is a clash of wits between the clever thief and the clever sleuth. In his first encounter Moriarity is badly worsted by Holmes and swears vengeance. In the meantime Holmes has fallen in love with Alice Faulkner. Moriarity discovers this and lures Holmes to an underground den, where it is the intention of the conspirators to lock Holmes in as a prisoner and asphyxiate him. Miss Faulkner is drawn to the place by partially discovering the plot against Holmes. Both are caught in the trap, but once more the resourceful Mr. Holmes is equal to the occasion and the escape of the two forms the most sensational climax to the play. The final act shows the plotters more desperate and determined to kill Holmes at any cost, but they are further doomed to failure. It would all but ruin one of the dramatic surprises of the play to give the full particulars of the subsequent action. Sull, however, enough of an outline is presented to show that, melodramatic as its tendencies are, Mr. Gillette has made out of the famous detective story a most interesting play, that moves along to the accompaniment of breathless interest.
It can be added, however, that by the power of the dramatist's own acting, coupled with the splendid support given him by a strong company, these scenes proved distinctly realistic. Sherlock Holmes as played by Mr. Gillette is, indeed, an enigma, who baffles solution until he sees fit to do so himself. He meets to a large extent one's ideal of this drug-poisoned detective, who so readily sees through everything. Mr. Gillette's power of repression was never more useful to him. In every scene and for every moment he was in the picture attention was rivetted upon him. He apparently was not acting, and yet not a single detail seemed lacking to make the character a continual study.
In his support there are a number of clever actors. Mr. Ralph Delmore as Larrabee and Miss Olive Oliver and Mrs. Larrabee, for instance, rendered these characters in a minor way as vital as Mr. Gillette made Sherlock Holmes. Miss Maude Fealy has developed wonderfully as an actress, and as Alice Faulkner was the sweet influence which heightened interest in the intense story. Two exceedingly well-sketched characters were the Forman of Mr. Reuben Fax and Sidney Prince of Mr. George Honey. Mr. George Wessels as Prof. Moriarty was also a decided factor in the play, as was Mr. Frederick Truesdell as Dr. Watson, the friend of Sherlock Holmes.
