The Washington times., 1902-01-28
NEW CHICAGO
COMIC OPERA A
"King Dodo" as Given at the
Columbia IS Very Funny.
E. 5. WILLARD IN THE ChRDINAL" !"
w.. I.urli.b Actor PIcases a Large
Audience With Ills Lntest finy
Other Attractions.
COLUMBIA-"King Dodo," Comic Opera
by Frank Pixley and Gustave Luders.

by Frank Pixley and Gustave Luders.
King Dudo. Raymond hltchcocA
Pedro 'A,lIo peininptta
Dir Fizz .............--...-..-.A Arthur Nooley
Nude ........... James +. Macdonald
Saucho Albert Jehur
Bonilla.....-............. khNS lhoinh'
.rr,Is .............. Elsa Ryan
pioIa .........t t1icridah Simpson
Annette. .Geitrudc Quihlan
year ago Chicago sent us its pet comic
ogera. The Burgomaster," with the re-
quest that we treat it more kindly than
did New Workers. who would have nothing
to do with the Pixley-Luders musical al
fair. 1t turned out TO be very clever en-
tcrtainment, vastly better than many that
have omanatcd from the big town that
said il was worthless.
Last night Chicago consigned another
comic musical piece. King Dodo,' new
ruler in the realm of comic opera. which
enjoyed a protracted visit at one of the
Windy Citys playhouses last summer.
You're going 10 see this King Dodo'
OF ours before New York has a chance to
tCast it. and so please judge it with dis
cretion. be fair above all else, and re-
member-remember that it was born in
Chicago and must go through a season or
SO with this handicap wrote the pro-
jectors or the piece week or so before
the coming of ''Dodo."
Well. King Dodo" reached the Column
bia Theatre last night and was received
by house full of .oyal subjects of that
sort of opera that is usually termed comic,
,FttI af
times.
Eve-y -ybcdy expected a great, great deal
The too enthusiastic press agent. still be-
lieving he was in the wild and woody,
rushed into print wi h the assertion that
there were eighty singers and an or
chestra of twenty. The orchestra sized up
all right. but there was something like
two-score almost OF singers who failed
10 put in an appearance.
Then. too. the most beautiful chorus
on this planet referred to by the afore-
said press agent turned out to be in an
other class than the feminine contingent
OF The Liberty Bellies or Anna Held's
The Little Duchess" Even Frank Per-
leys galaxy Of yiyacious and volatile mer-
sical fascination to this most beautiful
chorus on this planet" of King Dodo.''
The handicap of The press agent that
Raymond Hitchcock, Cheridah Simpson,
and their lyrical companions had to over
come was tremendous one and the fact
that the comedians and singers kept the
big gathering in an almost continual state
of merriment speaks for the favor in
which '-Dodo' was regarded by the first
Ilc rc=-y~ kaf hoe .t. nj.
King Dodo" scored fully as big a hit
as THE Burgomaster," although there are
not SO many numbers OF a tuneful char
acter as in the earlier Pixley-Luders
product. There is no The Tale of the
Kangaroo to send the audience away from
the theatre humming and whistling, but
in its stead there are several selections
that are distinctly pleasing and of the va
riety that will doubtless be heard on the
streets before king Dodo'' leaves town.
Nobody could ask for better collection
than Look in the Book and See," TN Do
or Die THE Tale of the Bumblehee''-
Intended as successor to the kangaroo
song-'1he Eminent DR.. Fizz,'' Jolly Old
Potentate," Il Adore Thee" 1.-The Cats
Quartette," and Claim Thou Thine Own. -
The music is uncommonly well sung.
too. from Cheridah Simpson, as musical
and as statuesque as ever, to Raymond
y
to the most unimportant member of the
chorus. Everybody in 'Dodo' works with
jolly goodwill, and as result the per-
formance proceeds at a rapid clip.
Mr.. Pixley's libretto is as good as most
things of its kind-he's proving danger
Gus rival to Harry B. Smith, the pro-
prietor of the libretto trust-while Gus
tave Luders has contrived some music
that is really tuneful, bright and tink-
ling-and new-although he has appropri-
ated Lorraine's Ramona" without giving
credit to the composer. One cannot say
with any degree OF veracity concerning
Mr. Luders' contribution that ii is remi-
niscent, except the '-Bumblebee" number
which is startling in its resemblance to
Molly o" of W. J. Scanlon fame Mr. de
Koyen may remind one of Mr.. Somebody 5
something at times, but Luders is too
new in the game Of comic opera compo-
sition to afford such luxuries as recalling
the aforesaid something
Mr.. Hitchcock is a funny fellow with
his ludicrous "Dodo" makeup, and. good
as he was as the gold brick promoter in
Three Little Lambs" he is even better
in his new role. Cheridah Simpson is
young soldier of fortune, and right
smart looking one she is, too. She
leads an AmaZOnian march in the second
act that last night caught the fancy of
the house, and she also sings several
numbers exceedingly well.
Mr.. Hitchcock is not the only comedian
in "Dodo" by any means. Arthur Wooley
gets a great many laughs 70. his clever
work as the court physician, DIR. Fizz and
James Macdonald, gives a very amusing
characterization of the court historian.
Elsa, very blonde and petite young
woman, has more good looks than almost
any other member of the company, and in
addition to singing the Lorraine song
Ramona" very pleasingly, she dances
with unusual grace. Greta Risley, Ger
trude Quinlan and Miro Delamotta com
pIete very capable lot OF principals.
King Dodo" Is well staged and the
company is adequately costumed. But it
is chiefly the humor of the piece and the
tunefulness OF MIR. Luders' score that will
crowd the Columbia during the remainder
of the week. There was no mistaking the
emphatic nature OF the success scored
with last nights audience. Matinees are
announced for Thursday and Saturday.
j.. s. Niilard's New Play, ''The Cnrdi-
naI,v at the National.