The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-03
At the Biiou.

The Humanitarian company re-
turns to the Bijou tomorrow night for one
week in 1.-The Knickerbocxer Girl"
This weeks offering will be similar to
the New York production of the musical
comedy success, THE <nickerbocker
Girl which will have its first southern
production. This piece is the joint effort
of two of the cleverest makers of must
cal comedy the field can boast The book
is by George Totten Smith, and the lyrics
were written by Alfred e. Aarons. Otis
Harlan has adapted the book to suit the
Bijou company, and George Nichols, the
musical director, has freshened up the
musical gems and added one or two or
three of his own composition.
There are just thirty-eight musical
numbers. Theatre goers who have enjoy
ed a performance as given by this aggre-
cation of musical comedy talent have an
idea what thirty-eight musical numbers
will do towards making an evening or af-
ternoon of entertainment. Thirty-eight
musical numbers means that there will be
a beehive of work in the dressing rooms
used by the musical maidens, for they
will have to change costumes many times
from o'clock when they get ready for
the show, until the curtain is down at the
end. There will be a witty dialogue to
introduce these numbers and the most
popular members of the organization will
be prominent in leading them.
The story is one entirely away from the
usual plot of musical comedy, for 1t is
in fact a farce comedy, and without
music mould be a success in that depart
ment. 1t tells about a gentleman of the
Latin quarter who is trying to raise
funds for some sort of thing, and he has
the aid of a sister who is clever in col
lecting. Under pretense that her shoe is
| unlaced she gets men on their knees in
front of her, and then the brother APP
pears. and gets satisfaction for this APP
parent demonstration of affection, by
threats of law proceedings, etc A young
politician gets in on this game, and his
ready idea is money making is helped i'm
mensely by the couple One can see great
comedy possibilities in the plot, and es-
pecially when the young politician has ar
ranged to marry off all the single people
he comes in contact with.
The musical comedy also affords the
principals better opportunities than usual
for clever work Little Chip Will play a
character that better suits him than the
one he had when last seen. He is 10 be
an eccentric German professor: a crank
on some sort of high sounding thing
Such a part gives the clever comedian
the chances he likes best. and also intro
duces him in the musical and speciality
programme. Otis Harlan, the popular
fun maker, will have a character part
that the critics say makes him demon
strate his best ability and the part is
so prominent in the musical programme
that the able stage manager is kept busy
all the time. Mary Marble is to have u
funny character part Miss Marble is a
favorite, and 1t was the character work
that she has done in the past that made
her so. Maude Poole, will make her first
bow to the local theatre goers. She has
just Joined the company, and she will in
future play the parts usually assigned
to leading ladies'. Miss Poole is pretty
and can sing well. She has been identified
with many successes and will be one of
the popular members of this popular or
ganizaton. She is to play the title role
of this piece, and 1t will introduce her In
a happy manner. Robert Harty, David
Andarda Pearl Early, Edna Mitchell
Dan Marble, and other favorites will be
in the cast, and the entire composition of
the company will contribute to the enter
tanning.
There are two acts in this production,
and the stage mountings are handsome
and expensive. The company will be
costumed in a manner that will interest.
Seats have been selling rapidly and
there is every assurance of full houses
during the entire week.
The musical maiden department has
been enlarged by the addition of several
members who have just reported. They
are pretty girls, and there is every rea-
son to predict that they will come to the
front quite as rapidly as the girls who
now help to make this department one of
the most magnetic of the best organiza-
ton of it's sort in existence.
There will be performance every night
during the week with the usual matinees,
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.