The Washington times., 1914-01-03
.BELASCO' LATEST
SHOW SURPRISING
Critic Declares "The Secret Is
Still a Secret and as a
Whole InComprehenSibIe.
By BEAU RIALT0.
Written for The Washington Times

N"Tltten 1oT Inc washington 4lHleS')
NEIW YORK, Jan. 3-"The Secret, I"
navid Belascos Christmas week play
With Francis Starr in the leading role,
$ still a secret with the fall of the
last curtain, as far as the audience is
concerned. The play is Incompetent
siole. The reason for. this is that Henri
Bernstein wrote it Bernstein, like Ba-
lsscO, is a great artist and strives only
IOr effect Cause and process m
go hang, says Bernstein. so long as the
effect is striking, and, consequently,
the audience at a Bernstein play is
oTten left up in the air, so to speak.
Flfsl of. the settings, staging. and
business We're Belasco-esque. That
means par-eXcelIence. Miss Starr. one
of the most promising Of the young
actresses, never did better work than
~ The Secret" and the supportn,
lumpauy, with one or two exceptions.
Is pIeaslng. But the play the thing.
Gabrielle JanHelOt Miss Starr is hap
pay married to a man she azores and
a ~ Is jealous. She is possessed OF
a. devilisn spirit that cannot bear 10
S'e anybody but her herself and her
.HS.fInd happ.. Because OF this moral
I''.l1 orsiOn, she parts her husband and
.'~ sister. involving them in a Jaw suit
..a'vst friend whom she really loves
"n eligible man, for the pu!pUs,. 40.
'".Niu- unhappy a Youth 10 whom the
D.. md Was engaged. AfterWaru she
%. tz,N~ uI' the happy nome, bl, urIH--
.ag on the scene the Tilted lover II
is tues" later incidents that make the
Iurc,-art play.
Iu It Bernstein out-Ibsens Ibsen in
".,rdnesS and awiulncss. Besides Ga
nrallC. little Nora ana IiUdda Caller
mi ~
His The psychology OF IL take care Of
itself. He does not explain tll, motive
Ca Gabrielle lie allows the audience
20 I-Ue II out for themselves Tho
'r'. yet, hut for from Satisf&Ctorg
boo the average theater-gOcr No at
.. mpi Is made to explain
h" hISj two acts are dclusiOnS. Ga
."'"i'" IN them Is a lovely. sympathetic
y""uE woman. who is all the time ysuS,s-
..- hrr Vaccinations without even me
"H'"n"' SuspcCtlUg it. That's Bern
-.'us Way-to build up a seeming eli
"aH. and then topple IT over with an
'fN"r about which the audience have
I"t dreamed In the third art Gabrielle
'"ve"led for the first time not only
i'- the people in the play. but to the
..adt"UCe. aE n criminal mischief maker,
q vreCkcr of homes. Even then she
.auuUt explain her diabOlical plottiuCs
.i'' husband. listening to her C,0fes-
-."u. demands agai nand again: Way?
the wrOuEed girl friend demands to
know why. and Gabrielle cannot tell
They all demand the answer. and Bern
z'0ln furnishes none. But The point is
both husbands. after receiving proofs
ur their wives shortcomings forgive
g.. .m- Those who remembered Miss
-..rr in The Easiest Way and The
..-o OF Becky unanimously agreed
90 her work has improved wonder
fIiN. Gabrielle IS wholly psychoIog-
% role, and. in tn" hands Of a less
IlIul actress, would be a misera BILE
..t-"pudge. Mime. SimOne played Ga
't.. iU Paris last year, and the play
aided.
IS, Arc seven was the Christmas
..'t:uy at the Maxine Elliott, a play bv
49, amor Gates. author Of The Poor
'Efl'" Rich Girl II is play entirely !
IrgeuL from her former success. and
"'a's with the modern youth and eu-
genes /
tourE' Bernard Shaw's "Philanderer''
as a christmas week show at the Lit
. 'fI"atcr. II is a satire that the Irish
.uu.Or would not allow produced in
-n-lan". II was first seen in Austria, |
and then iH Germany. At all the other
broadway thcaters the holiday week
i.s Wer" the successes that have run
rI season.
Next week will sec many changes. |
Monday night Harry Lauder will begin |
It~ American engagement under the |
n aHageT1ent Of William Morris. on the |
h-ni- night Ethel Barrymore in ''Tante'' |
90 move from the Empire to make /
Dom for Aaudc Adams in The Legend |
N L"auora.' At the same time The YET
10" Ticket d Russian play by Michael !
horton. Of London, will nave It's pre-
'ner" at tn" Eltinge. Adele" will Open
80 ih" Harris, making room at the
,p"gaCTo fOr -'IOle,' a musical comedy
1Ere taking Robert w. Chambers stCry-
10, the same name. Hop O. NV
thumb with DeWolfe Hopper, will 20
% the rosd. giving up the Manhattan
'p"ra House to Sir Johnson Forbes
..us. rtsOa and Gertrude Elliott Miss
"i1 Hawkins the tnv comedienne will
sUt Hop o. Ny Thumb for a Vaude-
. lie sketch, out of DOIIy-land" Arna
iefn viii he seen at the Casino in a
comedy revue.