The Washington herald., 1913-09-23
BELASC0.
'At Bay"

\ small gathering of loyal hrst-
nighters gave enthusiastic aPprecla-
fiou Of The efforts OF an excellent CONF
many Of PLAYERS to put some punch lil'O
the last work in melodrama from lhe
,,en Of Mr. George ScarborouEhs $ Al
RAY" with which the Belasco Theater
opened its season last night.
The complicated plot is unwounu III
four acts. The first of which Is su-
ner6cial talky, and tiresome, starting
one ON the road to the story only al
ite very end, when the chronic pro-
nosal OF Capt. Lawrence Holbrook ior
tbe hand OF Aline Graham Is inter
ruDted bv a telephone message from
hudson Flagg, a blackmailinS lawyer.
over which the pretty young daughter
Of the United States district attorhe!
becomes tremendously agitated.
The second act finds us watching the
ferret FIagG at his blackmailing schemes
in his library, to whiGR Miss Grahan
comes in shrinking horror demanding
letter which has come into the lawyer
hands revealing her secret marriage OIL
six years back to a newspaper man VINO
afterwar1 deserted her. The blackguard
demands a cool thousand for the lncrlm-
mating letter an amount which the girl
fines il im1ossible TO raise, whereupon
Flagr suggests herself as a substitute.
IN tie ensuing struggle Miss Graham
stahs the lawyer with a sharp bill file
and fees from his house with her let
ter in her hand, but leaving evidence
enough of her visit to convict her ten
times over.
The second scene OF the second act
iinds Robert Dempster, chief of the
United States Secret Service. in company
tn Capt HolbroOk and several officers
nd detectives in F!aEg's library. where
vF-fN g,F Ia Rnf
hear and possesses himself of all evil
dence against her IN manner 80 bold
shat one wonders at the stupidity OF the
chief and his men.
Acts third and fourth are CONSUMED in
testing HolbruOk's wits in saving the
girl and keeping himself from being
actually accused of the crime, which
success would have availed him nothing
i'm the end had il not been for the for
tunatc fact that Francis Elliott. Hol-
brooks doctor. and the coroner both finG
that the lawyer had died of heart trouble.
and not of the stab from the bill file al
Ill. which but leaves the gallant Irish cap
tain to prove to the girl of his heart that
the man to whom she fears she is MAJ
lied i dead. and the audience is left to
presume that the sdreIy tried couple.
like tho prince and the princess in the
TrovcrhiaI fairy tale, live happily ever
after
Miss Chrystal Hernc plays the role Of
-\line Graham. imbuinG it with a pas
sion 'sftcr the first aCt which almost
pcrSuades one of the probability 0f the
character. Her emotion upon receiving
thc tcl"phOn" message from F'lagg. AT
The end of the first act. is as forced as
it is sudden. but her scene with Gordon
Graham. her father. in the last act. in
which she confcsses the whole Of the
mes into which her schoolgirl marriage
has led hnr is crowded with sincere
pathuS and convincing emotion. Miss
Hernc wears a number Of charming
f~oCkS during the evolution Of the tale.
tr, artistic effect Of which is somewhat
u'arrcd by peculiar carriage. which
-.ycS one the distinct and disacTecable
i..prrsSion OF 4 diaphTamatic CaVe-in.
Guy Standing carries the bulk of the
performance Of AT Bay" having the
,dvantaSc OF what there is Of wit to re-
Ii W tine complications OF the plot to his
, edit. That Mr.. Standings stock days
"a Washington have not been forgotten
u,riu- his several years OF absence
abroad WAS attrSt"l by the welcome
whi-h Ms accorded him last night by
folk obviously his fri-nds. His technique
is sure and his easy manner in the por-
If:,ya} r the rvady-witted Irishman most
,fIertive.
NS 'Ipihon Nldlistln. Iiltu states us
tiirr attorney and father of the heroine
a. tho piece. George Howell rises above
the commonplace only in Arlines con-
las~iun. Edwin Mordant is effective as
Eohrrt Dempster. chief Of the United
States Secret Service. and Mario MAZE
Toni aS Juds,n FlaGg. the ferret lawyer,
: excellent
Walter Horton. as the friendly priest;
PHYLLIS Young. as a maid: :. +. Hines. as
the nephew of Lawyer JudSon. and Free
man Barnes. Edward I.ahay. Charles
Mason. Fred Hilton. John IIerne. and
Henry Hadfield. in smaller parts. make
mp an adequate cast.
At Bay" has intensely dramatic stua-
tious in the third and fourth acts. which
ave to do with Hulhrook's single-handed
-ht against the Secret Service, the pO-
.:r". and the District Attorney to clear