The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-04-06
SAM BERNARD AND "ROLL|CNNC GIRL

At the Providence opera house for the
balance OF the week. with matinee tomor-
row, Charles Frohman presents Sam Ber-
nard In sydney Rosenfeld's musical play
i'm three acts and seven scenes entitled
The Rollicking Girl" music by w 7.
Francis. staged by Ben Teal.
The Rollcking Girl is what you mean
when you say "melange" There are
words without music and music without
words and music and words There are
spectacular scenery and beautiful colored
lights and exquisite costumes. There are
extra numbers I'm the way OF songs that
are popular In swinging rhythm and sub
yect matter There are dancers or higf
degree and In allied lines of stage effort
people OF extraordinary talent There are
sam Bernard and Hattie Williams.
Mr.. Bernard is not "A frequent visitor 10
town. Miss Williams is better known be-
cause she used 10 bear the burden OF the
combined rough houses OF the Rogers
brothers. Mr. Bernard is the sort OF a
comedian who gets fun out OF anything
that the man who writes may write, and
passes II over the footlights 10 the audi
ence thoroughly Bernardized. The lines
are OF no significance II Is well-nigh i'm
possible TO quote a single word Sam Ber-
nard said last night with any hope OF
making IL sound funny 10 the listener
But put through the Bernardizing process
directly before delivery, there We're few
words OF the book In The Rollicking
Girl that failed 10 set the audience into
RufgnnR SpaSmS.
IL II fell 10 Mr.. Bernard 10 remark that
1T is a pleasant day" Mr.. Bernard would
require not less than four or five minutes
TO separate. elucidate and evaporate that
apparently simple phrase. He would trip
over IT, fall through Il, bounce IL about
the stage. stand IL on it's head founder
among It's several letters. and finally eN-
plode IL. go that by the time he got
through with II the, audience would be
hypnotized into feeling that IL was the
funniest ever. should the book" chance
10 require Mr.. Bernard 20 add. but 1t
looks as II we would have rain" the au-
dtence would be set In convulsions before
he got that out OF his system. AS con-
tributing factors 20 the fun extracting art
as practised by Mr.. Bernard. there would
be facial gyrations, bodily contortions and
miscellaneous physical evolutions, requir-
ing not only the centre OF the stage but
pretty nearly the whole territory 10 get
room for The whole scheme OF Mr. Ber-
nard's art. I'm setting or broken German
and n disrupted dialect that is uniquely
Bernardeze, possesses the quality OF max
ing you laugh pretty much OF all the time
that Mr. Bernard Is graclng the scene.
Now and then he only thinks his part. but
that Is pretty sure 10 be quite as hilarious
as when he Is in vocal action.
Miss Williams is n rarely winning come
dienne-a low comedienne with an air OF
distinction TO the lowest thing she does.
Somehow she can be rough and knock
about without the least suggestion OF vul-
garity. She Is q strikingly handsome girl
with an engaging singing voice and The
possession OF a temperament that Is cal
culatcd 10 captivate her audience from the
moment OF her first entrance.
Associated with these two high low
comedians f. Miss Ninie DAILY, she of the
nimble toes and elastic body. an expert.
diversified and graceful dancer beyond
most any performer OF the sort the stage
has ever introduced. With the company,
too. Is Mr. william Simms. a distinctive
comedian and a dancer OF ability.
THE Rollicking Girl with its group OF
fuu- K pfeS-ip chief flows through its
seven scenes with all the lively abandon
OF a mountain brook. When the chorus
and the ballet are on. the stage is a mass
OF color and livelness. The costuming
is beautiful and the color schemes beyond
compare. There is a special ballet corps
Of a dozen or so girls who contribute to
the marching movements Of the ensemble
some lively and highly expert dancing.
This newest OF the musical Girls that
dot the stage is an evenings entertain
ment OF genuine enjoyment.