New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-02
THE CASE OF BECKY
A Play Dealing with Dual Per-
sonality Wins Success.
MISS STARR'S FINE WORK
Audience at Belasco Theatre
Favorably Impressed by
Drama and Acting.


: ,uggestion? A fantasy of crazed brain?
dual personality? What is a dual
psr,onality? These questions, and many
similar in tendency, will be flung about
for some weeks. And q large army of In
ouirers will incline to the belief, which
/ the play neither advocates nor suggests,
/ that Becky is an earth bound spirit OBJ
I sessing the body of Dorothy. AS the play
smacks Of science, and is founded upon
the now well known case of Miss Chris
tine Beauchamp, q case which DR.. Morton
Prince made known TO the world, the ar
! gument for an obsessing spirit Will prob
! ably be thrown aside by author and man.
Aser, and the position Of the nerve spe-
| clalists, etc, fortified for present pur-
poses. 1t would never do for science to
/ acknowledge the possibility of spiritual
istic" obsession. Besides, there was a
] "spiritualistic' play in the Belasco The
atre last season. The policy must be SCI
enthc this season. And II becomes so
with very good dramatic effect. At any
rate, the dramatic effect IS produced, al
though the contribution OF science may
be the least OF its ingredients.
Mr. Edward Locke writes the play;
Mr.. Belasco produces 1t in the theatre
which bears his name. The play has
strong interest and Is so we'll acted, acted
With such unusual merit, that IL achieves
instant and unmistakable success. II
presents Miss Frances Starr In an uncom-
monty effective part, which she acts with
remarkable skill and discrimination, and
IT gives such actors as Albert Bruning
and Charles Dalton a most liberal oppor-
tunity too, Of which they take full advan-
tese. That MIR, Belascos touch is every
whore evident no one need be told, But
the Belascan power is even more potent
here than ever It has been.
Dorothy, n pretty girl Of twenty, is u
patient in the home" Of DR.. Emerson. a
specialist In nervous diseases at Meadow
Vile. n, Y She Ia q lovely and gentle
creature when In her normal state But
when she changes into Becky. or Becky
drives her out" she Is vicious, vulgar
little animal. Here, of course, you have
a part dear to the heart of an actress.
1t acts itself, az the saying goes But
Miss Frances Starr aids It with genuine
artistic power. Her part becomes a fe-
an aggravated Svengan Professor Bal
kAmO is the Svengall of this piece-sven-
gall turned villain without soul TO
swear by. Charles Dalton acts Svengali,
and he makes the rascal live before your
gaze. 1t is quite a study, this. The
bOundless manner of the man, the tricks
Of hand and finger voice, walk-all speak
tho faker. though the rogue's hypnotic
powers are genuine enough. as Svengalis
were. but they are powers Of evil Doro-
thy Is supposed TO be Balzamos daughter.
She Is really the daughter Of DIR. Emer-
SON Alfred Bruning plays Emerson and
that is equivalent to saying that DR..
Emerson IS admirably acted. Balsamo.
then using another name hypnotized
Emersons wife and ran away with her.
The poor woman died IN O few months
Fate works Il out that Dorothy now
about twenty years Of age, comes under
tho care of DR.. Emerson, whose study Of
"the case OF Becky" Becky being the
INDEPENDENTLY which subduer the
Jekyll in Dorothy. IS beginning to attract
tho attention Of men Of science. "Cura
tive hypnodsm" Is employed to break
down the evil hypnotism of Balsarno and
TO drive Becky" away from Dorothy
and back to where she came from"
Emerson's theory II that Do.othy's sus-
ceptioility TO the Becky obsession II due
TO prenatal influence Maybe. But Dor
othy has been subject only three months
IS 0 the domination by Becky. Before that
she was q subject for the professional en-
hibitlons OF the knave Balsamo, Whose
real name Is Uriah Stone Well.
Becky Is driven back TO where she
came FROM" wherever that may be,
and whatever "she" may be. Balsamos
power is broken. He can do no more
harm to any one And the play ends with
Dorothy cured. Simple enough to outline
In print, but all worked up into the shape
Of an interesting play
Miss STAIRS changes from the lovable
Dorothy 10 the wicked mink Becky re-
veal in her far more ability as an actress
than she has been credited with in pre-
vious seasons. The town will run 70 see the
actress and the play. The play Is in three
acts, two OF which leave little or sothing
TO be desired. The third Is eked out by nov
city taking the shape Of an up-to-date
PHYSICIANS laboratory, fitted with. ingeni.
Gus electrical devices for ouieting dis
tressed nerves and inducing hypnosis. BY
these aids Balsamo IL defeated. but not
until he has revolted his hearers by con-
LESSONS OF his roguery why didn't you
kill me?" he cries at the end. You are
inclined TO the opinion that the killing
would have been no murder. II the play
makes any plea It is for what may be
called white" hypnotism as against
black" But, after all. hypnotism is the
subsection of one personality by and TO
another. and there danger lies In the best
Of cases. However. the doctors may
wrengle over that subject The present
business is the play, and the play will do
es much business as Mr.. Belasco wishes,
no doubt He has never given an act
with frmer grip than the second act OF
Becky" nor has he ever provided the
public with better acting than that OF the
seven players who make up this cast.
A. W.
CAST OF THE CASE OF BECKY"
DR.. Emerson. ..................Al Albert Brunine
Or Peters. ..........-...'.. harry Z. browns
John Arnold. ............,..... Eugene OBrlen
Professor BszamO .......... Charles Dalton
Thomas. ..................'.. .Jonn r. Drawn
Miss Pettingiil. .....s.s..'''.' mary LaMloa
Dorothy. TdnCtt