Imperial Valley press., 1914-01-03
Notes from New
York Theaters
BY Beau RialtO

David Belasco's Christmas week play
with Francis Starr in the leading role,
is still a secret with the fall of the
last curtain, as far as the audience
is concerned. The play is incompre-
hensible. The reason for this is that
Henri Bernstein wrote it. Bernstein,
like Belasco, is great artist and
strives only for effect. Cause and pro-
cess may go hang, says Bernstein, so
long as the effect is striking, and
consequently the audience at a Bern
stein play is often left up in the air,
SO to speak.
First off, the settings, staging and
business were Belascoesque. That
means par excellence. Miss Starr, one
Of the most promising of the young
actresses, never did better work than
in "The Secret" and the supporting
company, with one or two exceptions,
is pleasing. But the plays the thing.
Gabrielle Jannelot miss Starr) is
happily married to a man she adores
and who is madly in love with her.
She has everything she wants, but
she is insanely jealous. She is pos
sessed of a devilish spirit that can
not bear to see anybody but herself
and her husband happy. Because of
this moral perversion she parts her
husband and his sister, involving them
in law suit. She brings about the
marriage of her dearest friend, whom
she really loves, to an eligible man,
for the purpose of making unhappy a
youth to whom the friend was en-
gagged. Afterward she breaks up the
happy home, but bringing on the
scene the Tilted lover. 1t is these
latter Incidents that make the three
act play.
In it Bernstein out-Ibsens Ibsen in
wierdness and awfulness. Besides Ga
briele little Nora and Heddo Gabler
are nursery children. But Bernstein
lets the psychology of it take care
of itself. He does not explain the
motives of Gabrielle. He allows the
audience to figure it out for them
selves. That is art, yes; but far from
satisfactory to the average theater 60
err. No attempt is made to explain.
The first two acts are decisions.
Gabrielle in them is lovely sympa-
thetic young woman, who is all the
time working her Vaccinations with
out even the audience suspecting it.
That's Bernstein's way--to build up a
seeming climax and then topple it
over with another about which the
audience has not dreamed. In the
third act Gabrielle is revealed for the
first time, not only to the people in
the play, but to the audience, as a
criminal mischief maker, wrecker
of homes. Even then she cannot ex-
plain her diabolical plottings. Her
husband, listening to her confession,
demands again and again: "Why?
Why? Why" and she does not an
swer. The wronged girl friend de-
mands to know why, and Gabrielle
cannot tell. They all demand the an
swer and Bernstein furnishes none
But the point is both husbands, after
receiving proofs of their wives short
comings, forgive them. Those who
remembered Miss Starr in "The East
est Way" and "The Case of Becky"
unanimously agreed that her work
has improved wonderfully. Gabrielle
is wholly a psychological role and
in the hands of less skillful actress
would be miserable hodgepodge
Nine. Simone played Gabrielle in
Paris last year and the play failed.
Possibly New York never had bet
ter Christmas week play bill than this
year Billie Burke, under the Froh-
man management, came back to the
Lyceum Theater in "The Land of
Promise" by w. Somerset Vaughan.
1t is Canadian play, dealing with
the English pioneers who went into
the far Northwest. 1t is the most
serious work Miss Burke has yet at
tempted. She scored big hit, and
her supporting company was we'll re-
ceived.
owe Are Seven" was the Christmas
offering at the Maxine Elliott, a play
by Eleanor Gates, author of "The
Poor Little Rich Girl" 1t is a play
entirely different from her former
success and deals with the modern
youth and eugenics.
George Bernard Shaw's "Philander-
er" was a Christmas week show at the
Little Theater. 1t is a satire that the