The Washington times., 1902-05-13
Lionel Monckton. The cast:

Ever since the group of gentlemen who
provide the musical comedies for the Lon
don Gaiety Theater sent "A Gaiety Girl"
to these shores eight years ago. they have
been assiduously sending over girls. girls,
always girls-musical comedies with moth
ing but femininity figuring in the titles.
We have had all sorts Of them-''The Shop
Girl THE Runaway Girl" and THE Cir
Gus Girl''-from Londontown- But finally.
the Gaiety peoples supply Of girls ran
short. and they are now giving the boys a
show. Last night the latest product Of
the concoctors Of English musical comedy.
THE Messenger Boy" arrived at the Ma
tional. True. he was a trifle slow in get
ting here. but he was given a very cordial
reception. nevertheless.
He is an entertaining sort Of a chap. is
this messenger boy, one Tommy Bangs.
played with rare comedy spirit by James 7.
Powers, and throughout the pair of acts
into which the performance is divided the
audience has plenty to laugh at. There is
lot OF snappy music that is given with a
rattle and bang that makes the gathering
forget that the cast was selected for its
frn-creating possibilities and good looks,
rather than for any musical talent.
A number Of the songs were encored
time and again last night, until the play
ers were quite exhausted. This was espe-
cially true of the THE Messenger Boy"
and HAS Anybody Seen Our Cat" both
sung by Mr.. Powers; Wash, Wash,
WASH" by May Robson, "Maisie," by
Flora Zabelle, and Aspirations" by Mr..
Powers and Rachel Rooth. The chorus had
good deal of work to do in the vocal and
dancing line, and acquitted itself admir-
ably in both departments.
Starts Out With Plot.
Musical comedies usually have nothing
much to brag about in the matter OF plot.
But The Messenger Boy" starts out ia
mously in this line. and everybody has
hopes that 1t will prove the one exception
to the generally accepted rule that piece
of this sort need not bother itself with
such trlfe as well-dehned story.
The piece has to do with the dispatch
q Tommy Bangs, messenger boy. from
London to the Soudan. to head of kings
who is on his way tbithey to
gain the consent of the father OF his beat
siri. The rival Of the kings messenger,
a fnancier. is responsible Tor the compll-
cations. He has bought up a note for a
good-sized sum OF the coin OF the realm
given by the messenger, one Give Baduor,
which he thinks will likely prejudice the
father in-law against him. He
has also secured the assistance OF the
girls step-mother by purchasing cQllec-
tion OF her millinery accounts. Cnfortu-
nately the brilliant financier sends one OF
these headgear bills instead of the note
be intended to the father Of the girl In the
case, and the complications that follow
this mistake supply the plot for THE |
Messenger Boy" There are various ef- |
forts made to stop the messenger. and the |
fancee makes a hurried trip to Egypt, |
hoping to reach pater before the note does |
A Good First Act.
The first act Is one of the very best af-
airs of Its kind that has come this way
or long time. but the pace is just q
ut too rapid, as has been the case with
PREVIOUS musical comedies. Most Of the
,ood songs are placed in this opening part
Il the entertainment, and, as result, BY
he time the second act is fairly under way
he audience is painfully aware OF the fact
hat 1t has witnessed the best portion of
he performance. and no matter how hard
he players strive to revive the Interest,"
nd they do work mighty hard to do this
he laughs are not SO frequent nor so
enuine as earlier In the evening.
The chief personages in THE Messenger
10y are James T. Powers and Miss May |
sobson. 1t is difficult matter to decide
ust who Is the funnier, for both are ir-
comia Mr.. Powers Is Mr..
'owers a good deal of the time. which is | {
say that he is an unoommonly funny ,
title Fellow with capacity for creating
tughs that is not possessed by any Of |
Is contemporaries. Miss Robson is his s
,age mother-a remarkable caricature
I an eminently respectable middle-class
nglisk woman. =