Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-08
FULL Of SNAP IS
THE Shotgun"
BEST OF MUSICAL COMEDIES
COMES AT LAST
All Of Good Looking Chorus Girls
Are Not Dead-only Cor
nered by This
Company

All Of the many tlresome mistakes
which the muse of musical comedy
has made in the past at the Mason
opera house can be forgotten and for
given in consideration of "The Sho-
Gun" which opened at that theater
last evening. The very best comic
opera of the season lacked four or Ave
rows of playing to full house.
The book of the opera was written
by George AIDE, Gustav Luders COM
posed the music and Henry w. Savage
staged the production with John f..
Henshaw at the head of the company.
These men deserve the heartfelt grati-
tude of the long-suffering public and
there can be few more deserving causes
for inches in the hall of fame than
to have placed a genuine and salts
factory comic opera before Los An
geles theatergoers.
All of the good looking chorus girls
are not dead, as we have been led
to suppose 1.-The Shotgun" has COR
nered the market; that's all.
Among other things it was also dis
covered last evening that the come
dian of a comic opera need not imi-
tate a circus clown and that all of the
possible jokes were not exhausted four
or five years ago.
"The Sho-Gun" deals with an inn
aglnary island in the sea of Japan.
1t is u country filled to overfiowing
with gorgeous costumes, keen, deli
cious humor, a riot of enchanting color
and two acts of most charming mu-
sic In the best AIDE style it relates
the doingS of an up-to-date Yankee
CRATER in the Orient.
Henshaw is funny in his own man
ner. He presents William Henry
Spangle, the energetic pilgrim, who
has made a fortune In America in
Goo-Goo chewing gum, and who is
searching in the ancient land in order
to buy UP a few ancestors and titles
that he may return to his native coun-
try and break into Newport society.
From the opening song by the most
bewitching, quite entrancing," Moo
May. interpreted by Isabelle D'Ar-
mond, to the finale the entertainment
is cycle of delights to the audience.
After Moo-zoo-May, Thomas G..
Leary deals in some of the Ade wit
under the disguise of his character,
Hanki-Pank, astrologer and dealer in
proverbs. early to bed and early to
rise, and you will never meet any Of
the prominent people," and to the girls,
Man is a monster of so horrible a
lnein that to be hated needs but to be
seen, but seen too oft, familiar with
his face you first endure. then pity
and then chase" These are his sam
pies which Mr.. Leary made famous.
William Wheeden was short on acting,
but long on voice, and his song, II
Am Yours Truly" was one of the fea-
lures of the play. The Bachelors
chorus took the place of the usual
drinking song and made a great hit.
All of the verses of every song We're
demanded, and in addition many repe-
titions of the chorus. she's Just a
Little Different From Others 7 Know"
presented Mr. Wheeden and Agnes
Cain Brown in a Fascinating duet in
which a romping chorus of Bunny"
girls assisted.
Genevieve Day was sufficiently pa
thetic at her execution to win the fer
vent interest of her audience. May
Ten Brock was excellent as the dow
ager
The play was mounted In lavish
manner Altogether, if history shouli
by any chance repeat itself. we are
not apt TO look upon it's like again.
Outcault Lectures
Buster Brown. Tige, the Yellow Kid,
and Po'r Liz Nose, as portrayed by
r. F. Outcault In stories, anecdotes
and cartoons, kept large audience in
a roar of merriment for two hours last
evening at Simpson auditorium.
The father of these characters of
the funny page" known by every
child in the land, first told little in
cidents in the early part of his life
leading up to his work as a humorist
and cartoonist.
One of his first sketches was of the
.v.k1
town in which he lived--a man with
very red nose and several other
equally brilliant possessions.
II went to college and returned to
the little town of my birth to open
up a studio for painting portraits" +"
said Mr.. Outcault. II sat for weeks
waiting for some one to paint while
had the satisfaction of hearing from
my brothers office the screams of the
many patients who were filling his
purse--he was dentist. L finally
changed my sign from portrait paint
ing to house painting. but this brought
in 10 more money and I closed my
studio and went to New York"
A portrait of the yellow Kid" the
first New York success, was drawn by
the cartoonist with few lightning
strokes. This old favorite was greeted
as "A long lost friend by the audience,
and then the stories of Mr.. Outcault's s
other famous characters, followed with
sketches of them at various times Of
their existence.
None was omitted even to Buster
Rrown's, sweetheart Mary Jane, who
wears red cheeks and lips because
Buster likes red"
There We're many children in the
audience and every now and then lit
lie ripple of childish laughter would
sound above the applause.
Buster sound asleep and pictured
with wings, as his mother always sees
him at that time, was the cartoonists
good night.
matinee lecture will be given at
Simpson auditorium Saturday after
noon especially for children.