The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-21

case. William A. Bradys vim Nitalzes the
episode Of the wheat-cOrnerer's doWnIaii-
Brady directed the production, which ne
planned. too. and paid for with nrm and
free hand: and he led the turbulence IN the
first performance here. Lackaye Is nhely
artistic, even during the physical 1uEy,
for then his facial expressions are eloquent
while his words are lost In the nproaI, 80
the conditions favor Mr. gadWln asaln.'
Mrs. Jadwin IN fixing and holding the at
tention of the audience.
Nevertheless, the third act Of 1.-The Pit
is given up 10 the wife in that room Of
books. pictures. statuary and music which
the novel describes as the magnificent tenn
pie OF Mrs Jadwin's aestheticism, from
which Jadwin stays away. leaving her lone
ly and resentful. and the very compatible
Corthen PLAYS the organ, lulls her con-
science and almost leads her astray. IL Is
here that the playwright roughens rather
than smooths the ruggedly valuable mater
fal of the book and so loses much OF its
value The first act consists Of the se eI.r,
Dearborn in the lobby Of the Chicago Audi
forum on an opera night with a display
OF the fashionable. people of that city The
hearsal on the Cresslers lawn and brings
the two TO a betrothal-. But the introduc-
uon OF the theme which populariZed Nor
riss novel is delayed till the play IS halt
over.
How are the musical farces made? How
do the makers mix the jokes and capers,
the songs and dances. which are contributed
by sometimes as many as half dozen per-
sons for a single play? Well often the
stage director is the blendor of the various
materials. But in the cases of "Glittering
Gloria and 1.-The Good Old Summer Time
there were two writer's only for each-one
Tor the language and one for the music.
The processes were differently peculiar
too: "Glittering Gloria was at hrst a
farce
sented In London The author was G. NJ: s
Mcclellan, pen-named Hugh Morton, for
merry editor and most prolific cynlc or
Town Topics, the scandalizing journal
which makes smart set possible. He
thought that his play would do we'll in
America with It's gllttering chorus girl,
Gloria. singing and dancing with the gay
gang from the theater. So he put in the
requisite verses and Bernard Roth fitted
tunes to them. This has resulted in an
oddly, as the piece is still farce in spirit
and manner, with song and dance manifest
~ tnterpclated. but without the character
fstics OF extravaganza.
The starting point of 'The Good Old
Summer Time" was the song which by 1T
self got into hum and whistle two seasons
ago. was waltzed to everywhere and is
hardly yet eliminated from the repertory
OF the hand-Organs. 1t written by
George Evans. vaudeville chap known to
the public as the Honey Boy, from a sketch
with which he had been Identified and to
his section Of stageland a chum of
Blanche Ring, then in travelling variety
company. 1t Is pertinent 20 be personal
here In order to be historical. Blanche got
into Broadway with extravaganza. THE
Defender. and George gave his song TO
her. II served to hoist her 10 higher grade
or favor as just about the breeziest of the
Dalladlsts: She went thence to Mrs. Os-
borne's playhouse that ephemeral freak
theater of FOUNDERS and plumbers. Well,
she soon lost. or left her Honey Boy. who
may be miserable over the separation and
maybe he is happy
That doesn't matter 10 this narrative Of
how he has utilized the song by taking
its title for musical farce. Still more
adroit is the thorough and complete use he
makes of himself. First he works In his
ugly little person as horse jockey, though
not very amusingly and a few minutes of il
is enough. Second, he suddenly thrusts his
hands into a dish of burnt cork smeaTs
his face in sight of the audience and for
the ensGing hour is the same comic negro
mat he has been in vaudeville. Third.
he comes out with the black washed off
and is the accustomed monologue humorist.
New tunes of his own and some writing by
Ben Shields freshen mis- old kind of effects.
The structure OF "Giittering Gloria" is
trebly international The basis may have
been-I don't say 1t was-a French farce
on the theme which shocked US properly
and profoundly when Dion BOucicault intro
duced il here in Forbidden Fruit at the
awesomely venerated Wallack's Theater of
palmy Legitimacy. but to which IL is now a
habit OF the carpers TO berate II as pecu-
liar to the present degeneracy of the stage.
Entirely British must have been the atmo-
sphere OF the farce as played at the lately
knighted Wyndham's Theater. even though
four OF Its men competed to buy diamond
necklace as a reward of demerit for Gloria.
Two are London types of young men, with
bride and hencee to be excited by the
iniidehtles A third is fluffy old rural
solicitor and a fourth is a blatant and bel
ucose ranchman from Texas.
The musical addenda is the distinctly
American element. The Hengler sisters,
with pretty faces as expressionless as dolls
and joints flexible as jumping jacks, are
here a valet in trousers and maidservant
in skirts. They are voiceless. but as nimble
as their father. Tom Hengler. used to be.
and their dance Is like dainty reminder of
the minstrel juggling of other days The
best OF the feminine songs, which is the
wickedest also, is allotted to Miss Ritchie
and Is called The Hothouse of broadway =
She wonders if she will be placed therein
70 be cut ana wired for the big Tender
loin bouquet. The ditty which will be most
widely heard outside the theater is Cor
DELLA an easy Irish melody, much like the
WORKOUT "Bedelia.' Eugene y Rourke sings
II with all the brogue that his strong lungs
can send out and the gallery whistles its
chorus with him.
These two plays serve to illustrate the
different standpoints from which many of
US Including some of our newspaper re-
viewers. view entertainments on and off
Broadway. Every merit in "Glttering
Gloria is minimizeG and every defect mag
nified. Ii is the reverse with THE Good
Old Summer Time" because il is half a
mile distant from the stage center of the
town. George Evans is the only competent
comedian IN II and there is no actress of any
account; but the one man IS so Industrious
~ funny and the numerous girls are so
lively, pretty and jauntily clad that we are
ready to be delighted. We don't disdain
even the ever-same ITishman. German.
Bowery bruiser and chump detective officer:
though all done by wooden actors and
are rapturous over the truly good dis
play Of show girls i'm their various guises
of fashiOna bly-gowned bellies. souchy slum
maidens. Japs IN kimonas and jockeys in
saddle breeches. The new tune which |
pick out for popularity is not I'm the Sweet
Spring Time. an attempt by Evans to
duplicate the one after which he names his
play; nor Is il My Little Japanese i'm
which an Oriental theme is scored excel
lently and made graceful pantomime. but
IL Is Keep Away Rosie, for its air is a
simple. swinging melody and its refrain OF
warning 10 all admirers of Rosie to keep
out or dangerous rivalry is racy with rag
time negTOism- FRANKLIN FYLES
The War Song of the Samurai.
The sword % the Samurai CLEANS stin
In the arms OF a new Japan.
Though the knights be dead there's an an
Client thrill
That comes to the lighting man.
pride of "A lauutieSs nation