The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-10
The Theaters Of New T ork
New Effect the "Pif. Pouf'
chardH Harding Davis' md Bur
and Sally

behind and the beach in front. The eight
pony women appear in the short frocks OF
pers. their ankles are in socks and for the
rest of the way up 10 their knees their
legs are bare. AT least the surface pur-
ports to be skin and what's the use OF
spelling a possible illusion by assuming
that it is silk? Each pony has woman no
bigger than herself in the guise of Buster
Brown boy for a partner in childish gam
bols on the sand. At a sufficient distance
to rejuvenate the faces, the imitation OF
little lads and lasses is so deceptive that
the baroness doesn't look wicked. but al
most innocently pretty
Is there nothing but sensuous femininity
in ''Pir, Pan, Pouff?" Oh, yes. On that
same bit of beach a modest and artistic
novelty is introduced. Perhaps it seems
better than ii really is because much OF the
play by Stanislaus STANCE. a clever man.
is stale or else inane in futile attempts To
be fresh He has recourse TO the worn-out
complication of one couple kept from we'd
that three other couples shall marry first
finely legitimate actress, Alice Fischer
is employed to carry that story through
the piece and she does IL in incongruous
contrast with the lightness of the foolery
all around her. Miss Fischers debut in
song and dance is local wonder; Inc
and Jean Schwartz. proud authors OF that
"Bedelia" ballad that you have listened to
side character here and her brief appear
ances and disappearance accompanied
by the tune that belongs to her.
But about that seashore novelty which I
said was artistic fun. That quality in it is
all the more welcome too. because it's
comedian, Eddie Foy. always comic. is
sometimes crude and harsh. Here he Is
more the actor and less the clown. He
training
sand, so that he may pretend 10 be a
nodded image and so get the coins of the
used to be i'm Forty Winks' as the wooden
Indian at a tobacconst's doorway. The
mishaps that befall Foy's statue drive hinl
back 10 the oblivion of the sand as the
curtain falls in a way suggestive of Gala
teas sad return to marble in Gilbert's
tragic comedy.
An American play by an American nu-
thor. with an American actor. and an Eng
Ish play by an Engi-sh author. with an
English actor, are introduced here stimuli
taneously. The names involved in the ma
tive work are THE Dictator" Richard
Harding Davis and William Collier. Those
in the Importation are 'Saucy Sally" +. -
Burnand and Charles Hawtrey. Each Is a
farce about a liar and his lies. Possibly
ii is my Americanism (but / don't think
so, for L strive to keep my Judgment In
ternationally balancedl that makes me
believe THE Dictator" from the writing OF
the first word to the speaking OF the last
one, is better in every way than "Saucy
Sally. The superiority rests on originality
Nj. Davis's modern Ananias does new
things and lies about them newly. Mr.
Burnands is a repeater. People like a
genial liar. Even in real life permit
him TO amuse US, if he is good-humored.
and in fiction we dote on him-provdsd al
ways that his tales are both fresh and
clever. Mr.. Davis enables Mr.. Collier 10 be
that kind of liar.
A young New Yorker, Brooke Travers,
has an alteration with a cabman about
overcharge and mistakenly believes that
he kills him with an accidental blow. To
escape punishment a murderer he takes
to instant flight on the handiest steamship,
which carries him to South America. A
force of circumstances impel. almost COM
pei, him to become a rash adventurer OF
the type that Davis has made his own in
fiction. Travers begins by impersonating a
United States consul and from that false
pretense passes on to the more audacious
one of figuring as a dictator in a revolu-
ton of his own make. He is accompanied
by valet who pales and shakes in terror
at each new peril. but the bogus and bluff
ing dictator is never feared at any juno
ture. When in prison he plots all by him.
self, an uprising against the picayune re-
public and gets control OF its army of 200
men by increasing their pay to 30 cents a
day. That strikes him as a good bargain,
the cost will be less than $500 for a week
which will be ample time TO upset a
presidency down there and set up dicta-
torship. The scheme works well for little
while, but soon he is caught and sentenced
to be shot. Then he rises TO the occasion
with brand new. up-to-date and scien-
tifically progressive lie.
There's a United States warship some
where in these waters he says. Il VIII