New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-06
THE PLAYG0ER
hThe Case Of Becky"-LeWis
Waller-Singing in Musl-
cal Comedy.

The success Of Edward Locke's play,
sThe Case Of Becky" is refreshing. OF
course, Mr.. Belasco is responsible for
q considerable share of the result IN
the mounting, the casting, and hun.
dred little touches that always show
@ master craftsman. But. after all. the
idea is Locke's, and it's not every day
you see q play based on an idea Most
of them are based on efforts at mere
stage effect, they tumble into mere
thoatricallty; and fail. Locke's idea
has found expression in a manner
pleasing to the public, the end which,
after all, stage playing must reach II II
have any purpose at all.
1t is all very well 20 sneer at this
play, as some have. and many viii
But 1t Is as a play that 1t must be
considered and not as an exposition or
scientific theories. Stage science Is
always faulty, and can, at the most,
lend only q suggestion. 1t was hardly
necessary, in connection with this play,
10 drag in DR.. Morton Princes book
"Why drag In Velasquez?' asked
Whistler In q happy moment Why
drag IN the case OF Christine Beau
champ? Morton Prince gives $40 pages
TO his account of that now famous
case. Robert Louis Stevenson gave
far less TO the Jekyll-Hyoe story.
Prince did not write for dram tic ef-
feet. And we cannot boil h book
down to three acts. But you o,,n find
In il the possibility Of play without
trespassing on Stevensons ground, or
upon George Du Maurier's. Locke's
Balzamo is Svengali seven times worse
a creature. But Dorothy is not Trtlby
We all know that Belasco is keen TO
seize upon whatever's "in the air"
Nowadays people talk less Of hyp-
notisfn than they did generation ago,
but they talk more Of multiple per-
sonality. And many talk good deal
more, and believe in, obsession by
discarnate spirits. 1.-THE Case OF
Becky" which lie really the case of
Dorothy, makes play whether you
take Morton Princes side or that of
Andrew Jackson Davis, or no side at
all. Here is delightful Dorothy. who
becomes, In five or ten minutes, mali
cious Becky. There have been such
cases and the world knows Of them.
Edward Locke has taken one case and
made a play. His science" may leave
much untold, but that 10 the way Of
science, even off the stage II is the
business of the playwright and the
stage manager, to say nothing OF the
actors, TO give effect to the dramatic
IDEA. The actors at the Belasco The
atre give admirable effect to the ORA
matte idea. Each OF them Is success
full It's a rare occurrence in any play
when all the actors are successful In
their undertaking. These Belascan
actors are believsble. They make the
play believsbie, with the liberal aid of
the stage manager-so believabie that
Mr.. Belasco will add handsomely to his
already considerable fortune.
Can Lewis Waller bring success TO
Days, the furthest downtown pro
ducing1 theatre7 His Henry V"
should answer that question. His
Henry W. deserves to repeat in New
York the success II won In London.
His revival Of this Shakespearian his
tory" is well worth the while Of the
atTegoers.
Among the best effects Of this revival
are the battle tableaus. They are
much more effective than a fighting
scene IN action would be. Stage
armies In action are usually droll II is
easier to laugh at them than 10 applaud.
Walters stage armies fight In tab
lssu, and the tableaus are impressive.
Shakespeare at the Manhattan and
ct Daly's in the same week must aston