The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-17
GORGEOUS SPECTACLE
Kaleidoscope Hues of KinlOnos
Complete a Pleasing Illusion.
Nearly All the Numbers Bring
Enthusiastic EncOres.


der the auspices of the Z. and I. club
have no reason to think so. They will
ever doubt the superlative conclusions
of the singers and writer's of the
charms of the Jap girls since they
have seen their own girls. in the guiSe
and garb of geishas. And their doubts
are well sustained by a man who has
Travelled the length and breadth of
Japan and who happened to see the
show last night.
you could scour the japanese
islands from Satsuma to Aomorf Bay. :,
he said land 1t would be impossible
to ind thirty geishas in the entire
country who could compare in beauty
and charm with your Topeka girls
who are taking part in this produc-
ton
But the geisha girls. with their nat
ura1 attrac tiveness enhanced by most
wonderful limitations of Japanese
coiffures and flowing ximon0s Of
performance which will take its rank
as the most artistic and clever thing
which has been presented here by To-
cal talent in years. The geishas were
only brilliant setting for more bril-
liant stars to shine in. And these
stars did shine in a way that should
make Topekans proud of their own.
All sorts of comic operas, musical
extrava ganzas and their like have been
presented here during the theatrical
season drawing to a close but not a
single one of them has been so eniov-
able as the Japanese F7ete Of last night
and which will be presented again to-
night 1t has been STYLED as a S,a,5sfra /
pot-pourri. A pot-pourri is properly
Defined as confused Heterogeneous
mixture or any class of sconcoraftaufs
But pot-pourrf is really a nlisnorner
wnen applied to this production
It was a musical extravaganza with
japanese environments to the slightest
detail, in which the principals DISPLAYED
rare merit. as did everyone else who
had part In the performance with the
possible exception Of some crude work
/ by the men chorus but this NAV he e,c-
planned BY the fact that some of the
men tried to be funny and did not know
how.
Doesn't Need a Plot.
| There was absolutely no plot to the
performance. The Geisha girls in
Pingee Wang's tea garden are surprised
by the arrival of a party Of young
/ American ladies' ana gentlemen who
visit the garden on their way to Toxic
where they are going to- attend the
/ greatest japanese fete of the year. THE
Feast of Lanterns. Pingee Wang in
structs the geisha girls to amuse the
Americans with the prettiest songs they
know, and. the college students. who
are part of the American party are
50 charmed with the quaint ways and
i customs that they ask permission of
Pingee Wang to escort the charming
+ geisha girls to the fete. Pingee Wang
/ gives her consent on the condition that
the young Americans attire themselves
as japanese gentlemen, To this the
college students joyfully agree, and the
4 show ends with Fousing. finale of song
4 TN Toxic
Principals in the cast are Mrs. Arthur
4 Lingafelt. Mrs. William Wikidal. Miss
4 Nina Thomas and Mrs Helen Napier
! Magill who arranged the production
I Tr At
4 and Mr. W. P. Hunt; Miss Anna
j Herbst Nellie Baker and Nellie Mills
paugh, who portray the three little
maids; Misses Kaiser, FIeischman,
: Grimes, Herbst and Nfillspaugh, as the
4 geisna girl qulntette, andN MessTS.
Il Thompson. Whitman Murray and
Gahagan in the college quintefte.
/ All of the principals had one or more
solos to sing and from the applause
=. given it was difficult to tell which one
was the greatest favorite with the
audience. Every number was encored
to the echo and responded to. All OF
the soloists were assisted by either the
chorus OF geishas or the college boys
and the work Of the clloruses was of g
/ high order
So good were all of the numbers or
the programme that is it trihe pre-
sunptuOus to say which were the best
! but the japanese Lullaby of the Geishs
| girls when they had little Jap dolls tt
applause than any other chorus mum
Der. and the solo by Mr.. Hunt ssSlum-
Der On, My Geisha Sweetheart" was
undoubtedly the best thing in the whole
show Mr. Hunt had Miss Helen Quin-
ton to assist him IN carrying through
this song and as he sang to her sht
snuggled up In his arms in a fashion
which brought roars of laughter an6
applause from the audience Mrs
Arthur Lingafelt and DR.. Elmer Hi
had a duet entitled, Dainty Little AL
nond Eyes and the theme of it wal
as to whether or not Almond Eyes
would seal her love with kiss. TIL
betting is about even as to whether O.
not DR.. Hill got a kiss. Many insisted
that Mrs. Lingafelt's fan got in the wal
each time but as many others wer
sure that DIR. Hill beat the fan ant
got at least one real kiss. Both Mrs
Wfnkidai and Miss Thomas were in rar
voice and were heartily eneored 70
their several solos. Mrs. Magi1l. VIII
must be given all the credit for tn
| Enoothness with which the perform
ance was presented, sang delightfull
My Little japanese DOLL and Will
there were many gorgeous kmonos
hers of light pink silk embroidered witt
dragons, birds and a variety Of beast
was easily the most beautiful Of an
children Did We'll
And last but by no means the leas
is the part the children played. Their
were between 40 and SO of them in tn
show and their chorus and individual
work rivaled that of their elders. I
fact among the children was the brigh
particular star of the entire show. Thi
star was Harriet Lucille Nicholson,
years old She was dressed IN a cow
Of deepest red and with her goide
curIs piled high upon her head. sh
looked like a Japanese. doll with a pref
ty American baby face. Her ute
abandon IN her endeavors to carr
through her part in the children
choruses was responsible>for much ap
2 plause.
Dorothy Barber and Donald John
son. q rather dirninutiye- pair to do
specially. sang. a duet. II Love You A