The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-27
"A GIRL FROM DIXIE"
A MOST PLEASING MUSICAL
 COMEDY.
Fine Chorus Work and Jirgling Mus ic Characterised This New Work-Two Performan-
 ces at Theatre.

"A Girl from Dixie," presented by a company of clever entertainers, pleased
 two small audiences yesterday matinee and night at the Montgomery Theatre
 It is difficult matter to analyze the Girl from Dixie." There are parts of
 the musical comedy which not only please
 but enthuse. But there are several lapses.
 The attraction has no star. The man. agement has thought it wise to feature
 the fact that 1t is the work of Harry E. Smith of Robin Hood fame Smith has done better things than "A Girl from Dix ie. It Is hard for one to recognize in It
 the work of the man who wrote anything so subtle in its humor as Foxy Quiller." But the work is clever nevertheless and lots of laughs result from the libretto.
 As for the music, it's of the whistling variety and there are many numbers in the musica! comedy which will finger iu the memory of those who heard them. But the music was chiefly successful on account of the splendid male and female choruses which backed up the proncipals. It was perhaps the best chOlus work done in Montgomery this season. and the audi enCe was duly appreciative. The chorus easily outshone the principals in popullr favor and were compelled to respond to encore after encore. The author seems to nave Hdut llc pleCt lOT Iue COuIn. mere Is q suggestion of the negro plantatio l melody in nearly every number and the harmonies were irresistible.
 The management has filled the company with young people, who are willing 10 work. There was nothing stale in any thing the principals or the chorus did and although their work in some ins. .ances may have lacked finesse, the balance of credit is in their favor. There were no languid faces on the stage. There Was
 lots of ginger from beginning to end.
 The girl chorus was, taking it g. generally. the most winsome aggregation that has been on the Montgomery stage in several l seasons. and there were several stalwart i looking young men in the troupe that ap- l pealed to the audience at the matinee per | formance
 Beatrice Bronte is probably the star | of the company. At lease she is the hCr)- | inc on whom the story hangs She is good to look upon. graceful and sings fair
 ly well! The chief strength of the prn- cpals rests with four character come dians, Clifford Leigh, as Lord Dunsmore
 a fortune hunting peer; D. F. Don, as
 Lewis Rengenborgen. the village music l teacher; Charles K. French, as the villag 1 pedagogue. and George Bean, as the vii | lage lawyer
 Charles II. Bowers must be commend5 d ! for being by nature endowed with hand some physlognomy and manly form, a good voice and an earnest desire to please and Wilmer Bentley, youngste-. hardly out of his teens, did splendid work. Charles Shefer as a negro nanny
 had the natural dialect and made a hit | Thanks, good MT. Sheffer. There are few
 of your kind on the stage.
 1 Among the songs which pleased were "The Lovers" "A B c, When the Moon | Comes Der the Hin," Glory "Bub 1 bles," Happy Days in Dixie" { The production was adequately staged | and handsomely costumed,