The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-17
Cbe CbeatreS
.srhe Lixht of Asia. ].

s"The Lt4hf 0t Anhas
 "The Light Of Asia" is all very nice, but it's effulgence is not the ngnt or the orient. The Light of Asia" is a Broadway illumination.
 The large audience at the Montgem- cry Theatre last night was never per- mitted to get away from Broadway. Song and dance, quips, jokes and marches--they were all BroadWay. Some optimistic people went to me Theatre in the hope that they were
 going to see something Asiatic. some thing with that strange mysticism or the orient in it. something wtth tne langurous grace of the East. anu
 something opulent with. rich coloring. There were people in short, who ex- pected to sit in the shade of a mosque
 or temple and have the real thing in dancing girls, potentates and music makers pass before them. They didn't get what they looked for. /f
 The musical comedy makers have maltreated the geography worse than they have the old joke books. They have been feverishly discovering new countries, colonies and continents, and taking violent liberties with old estab- lished political divisions. whose age en-
 title them to every respect.
 But Asia stands for something-it stands for the mystic, the subtle anu the ianguorous. Last nights audi ence had a reason to expect to get
 modicum of these attributes. But musical comedy is musical comedy and
 what the audience did get was Broad-
 way up to date. songs about fring the cook, and what a woman means when she says no---and jokes about women and peaches
 It was good sort of Broadway ar ticle, however, Something of the mus ic may have been a litle reminiscent. Some of the jokes may have been child hood friends, but the whole pleased critical audience. It was the only peo- pie who wanted something creepy and langurous that were disappointed. The people who love musical comedy and their name Is legion--more's ptty--pass- ed a very pleasant evening.
 There was music, light enough, wom- en. pretty enough. dresses handsome enough and a comedian funny enough
 to satisfy the most confirmed musical comedy adpirer. It took the audience some time to warm up to the show. It looked as if they had started out with the air saying, I'm sure it won't be anything extra and I will just sit here and pick out the flaw in It." This feeling soon vanished. There was some sudden bursts of surprised laughter, united craning of necks to catch the air and words of a song, some intense in terest in the marches of a lot of good looking girls in handsome dresses and the first thing the audience knew 1t was demanding encore after encore. The plot of "rhe Light of Asia is as | light as feather. There Is hardly enough of plot to describe. but who looks for mental effort for an audience in a Broadway show? There ia Turkish paGha who aria with The Light of Asia" his favorite l wife, aSid all his other wifes. A young Turkish noble who loves the favorite wife, and who comes to Paris to be near her. helps matters along. The comedy Is furnisks,d by Pierre. a poor artist. who becomes a waiter. In the second part, everybody Is whisked over to Turkey and placed in a splendid Iheliotrope stage setting, representing the harem of a Turkish nobleman who bore the unpleasant name of Badeg. The bright particular star in the con- stellation that makes The Light of Asia" was William Bafsdell in the com- edy role. The local audience will be grateful for the Light of Asia" for its introduction to MT Baisedell. if for nothing else. He had previously es- capped notice in Montgomery. But Mir. Baisedell Is a comedian that Is really ne d llbtAS AdIu At itAS comedy and he Is guilty of a good many gymnastic evolutions, but so is Jeffer- son De Angelis, for that matter. There are as many styles in fuR-making as there are ways of wearing the hair. MT. Blaisdelrs athletic evolutlons are like no other fun-makers. He brought a fresh lot of methods in the fun-mak- ing business. He took with the audi ence from the first verse of his first song. Managers may not believe tt, but the theatre goers really love some- thing original. provided it is not too radical a departure. Mir Blaisdell was there with the freshness and original ity. even if his work was occasionally a little rough.
 The title role was played by young woman with midnight hair and starry eyes. Bliss Vera Michelena- She is a beautiful young person with the grace of a panther. The authors were nig- gardly with Miss Michelena after they had given her a leading feminine role. They were stingy with opportunities where she was concerned. But Miss Michelena had severaL good songs, and the audience showed her what it thought of her. She was called back any number of times.
 A large gentleman of the name of William Strung played the Pasha. Mir. Strung is all right. He was endorsed by his audience last night He looks well and he sings in a style that Is only approached by the big operatic stars. That fine voice of his filled the Theatre in every crack and crevice.
 Miss Bessie Graham did a cute little bit as Mimi She was an attractive lit- tie thing and did all that could be ex- pected of the role. There was one character in the play who never ut- tered a word, but he made one of the hits of the cast. This was the work of Donald Heath. He came on as the favorite swordsman of the Pasha, in a convulsing makeup and without word he sent the audience into gen. uine burst of laughter. There is some- thing in an actor who can do that.
 The costumes were fine and hand some. The stage settings were im- .pressive. the last part being an espe-