The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-08-03

Fiddle Dee-Dee" has reached Aus
tralia The rollicking farce which
amused Honolulu and mainland audi
ences went up against quite a severe
roast in the Australian press. The
Colonists appeared to take the piece
seriously. The Sydney Morning He
raid, for example, INDUCES in quite a
crtique of the piece, as follows:
"Fiddle-Dee-Dee" is one of those
formless. invertebrate entertainments
which sometimes pass for musical COM
edy in the United States. The Aus
tralian production was attended by a
good deal of laughter and a crowded
audience at the Palace Theatre on Sat
urday. The dialogue by Edgar Smith
consisted principally of nippits from
Funny Bits" and anything else of the
same kind the appropriation could lay
hands on, and the music by John
Stromber was similarly hilarious,
noisy and usefully undistinguished. To
give the full sum in the brief narra-
tion." as Massinger tersely puts It,,
Fiddle Dee-Dee" forms a hustling,
bustlng irresponsible piece of non
sense which may prove below the
standard of what Australia audiences
except in burlesque, but which is just
as likely to catch on with the main
body of playgoers. The verdict will
rest with the public, and not in the
least with the opinion formed of the
entertainment by any one critic, whe-
Their of the press or otherwise.
Mr.. Harry James, who introduced
these American Travesty stars" to
this country, also conducts the music
and does so with effective determine
ton. disdaining the sitting position or
dinarily adopted. A constantly crowd
ed stage. in which many pretty girls
appear in a succession of dazzling cos
tunes and some clever artists of essen
TALLY American type, carried the piece
along on Saturday briskly enough,
though. as always happens in this kind
of show there were occasional stop
pages
The central joke of "Fiddle-Dee-Dee'
consists in the staidly deliberate tom
fgolery Of three smart dialect comedians
who are on the stage nearly all the
evening, and almost always to the ac-
commitment of hearty laughter.
Messrs. c. William Kolb and Max NJ
Dill are strong in Dutch dialect, the
former much too short for him. and
the latter made up as a low-life German
Falstaff of prodigious girth and stout
ness. These eccentric simpletons are
supposed to be visiting the Paris EX-
hibition and whilst the tall one flick
ers from flower to flower like butter
scotch" the other "snuffers from ner-
vous prosperity about the money, OF
which he is the custard-onion.' The
paid go aracng. but lose their money
owing to some inside inflammation about
a horse" These two artists, who oc-
casionally descend to "knockabout
business. are first-rate of their kind
and they were Joined in all their FRANKS
by Barney Bernard C'Shadrach Les
chinsky'O. a Jewish impersonator, with
a melancholy refined face, suggesting
an intellect as sharp as a razor con-
trasted at times with Vacuous smile
of weak amiability. Mr. Bernard was
disguised as a Turkish vendor of sher-
bert and hockey pokey in fez and
scarlet trousers. After proving him
self "a perfect lizard at cards he caus-
ed merriment by posing as mechan-
ical doll, which the Dutchman attempt
ed to sell for 1000 dollars to a young
millionaire aui there was genuine run