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"The Signal" has a young prima donna loved by a newspaper man, who is not in sympathy with her stage work. She is also wooed by an Italian Count, secretly at the head of the band of Black Hand. She dismisses the newspaper chap who says he will only return if he hears the signal, "In The Gloaming." The fourth scene has the singer and her maid brought by the count to an abandoned photograph gallery. The count forces the singer to perform for his band of crooks. She sings "In The Gloaming." Her lover hears her from the newspaper building, remembering the signal, goes to the rescue. Catherine Calvert, as Helen Alcar, is a very charming prima donna. A. E. Walsh makes a manly hero. Mario Marjeroni played the disagreeable role of the Count, Belle Gaffney as an Irish maid, Carl Harbaugh as a German music teacher, and Edward C. Howard played a tough crook who took care of the comedy.
The piece is finely written, the situations well conceived and comedy relief carried through the entire play. The second scene in the prima donna's apartment is a bit too talky. Her reasons for dismissing her lover are not sufficiently emphasized. However, the climaxes are very strong and carry well. The scenery is quite elaborate, adding much success to the act. With a few minor changes Paul Armstrong will have a sure money getter.
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Variety 24:6 (10/14/1911)