Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-05
The Foreign Stage.
Special From a STAFF Correspondent.

LoNDON. July ~, 1915.
Americans who like to laugh and laugh
| hard will get one OF the chances of their
lives for doing 80 next autumn. and stimuli
taneously one of the opportunities of his
existence for being very. very funny will
! come to some American comedian. These
may seem rather lavish promises, but they
| are made with some confidence as the re-
| suit OF recent visit to The Girls Of Got
| tenberg. the musical comedy by George
| Grossmith. jr.. L. E. Bermann, Basil Hood
| and few others which at present are
| packing the London Gaiety even that
! popular house has not been packed for
| many a day.
| Authorities on such subjects declare just
| as they declare OF another production b.
| the same management. The Merry Wild
ow. that The Girls of Gutenberg will
| run mere for couple of years on end, and
| perhaps they are right. it doesn't matter.
| The point of interest to Americans is that
| arrangements have just been completed for
! producing the piece in the United States
| early in the coming season. and hence it
| may not be amiss to furnish some details
| regarding capital bit of foolIng as has
been contrived lately. either this side of
| the Atlantic or the other.
At the Gaiety. by the way. two of the
| most pronounced hits of The Girls of Got
tenberg are being made by Americans.
|
| sa, who plays the part of a general s
| daughter. and Violet Halls. who enacts the
| role OF burgomaster's lass and plays "op-
posite" to Edmund Payne. the most re-
| nowned and quite the funniest OF London
! musical comedians. But these damsels.
and. in fact. all the rest of the expensive
| Gaiety cast are dwarfed entirely by Payne
| himself. who. in the part of Max Moddle-
| kOpf. has just about the best chance he
| ever has been given. and who utilities 1t in
a fashion that Will take a lot Of beating
| from whichever Of our American fun
| makers is intrusted with the part at home
You recall. of course. the famous cobbler.
| Voigt. who hoaxed the burgomaster OF
| koepenick by posing as a special envoy Of
the kaiser. Well. the hero Of "The Girls Of
| birth, a valet this time. masquerading as
the personal emissary Of Wilhelm II-and
| the authors OF the piece have shown much
| dizziness in combining the Koepenick cpl
sode with another that made some COM
| motion In the fatherland not so long ago
| The latter, in fact. really supplies the
piece with its main theme and its name
| 1.-The Girls OF Gutenberg representing
! certain damsels who recently complained to
| the kaiser that they lacked partners for
| dancing. and who forthwith were supplied
| with a smart regiment Of hussars. so that
| the terpschorean art might not anguish In
| their village.
! How this musical piece. with its daring
references to the Emperor Of Germany, his
chancellor and German state affairs gen.
orally got past the British stage censor. I
leave you. you to guess Reehing as It t. does OF
official who banned 1.-The Mlkado" furnishes
a bewildering paradox. But that Is a de-
| tail. What matters Is that the piece pro-
vides some of the most overwhelmingly fun
| ny situations" that one remembers having
seen. and that the accompanying music and
| stage settings are quite up to the Gaiety
| standard
The story can be suggested" only here,
| since the combined Koepenick and Gotten
| berg motifs. together with the ''complica-
| tfons' that have been thrown in. would call
| for column Of details. You will grasp
the situation however. when 1t is explained
| that In the play two German cavalry regi-
ments are rivals for the bliss Of being trans
ferred to Gutenberg and there serving as
These regiments. respectively. are the Red
and the Blue Hussars. and soon after the
| opening OF the piece we learn that the Reds
| are the unfortunate ones.
More's the pity too. since 1t seems that
| the Blues. in whose barracks we find our
selves. have been languishing for many
months past in a village. appropriately
named Rottenberg. where there is only one
girl-and she no beautyl The emperor,
| however. has decided definitely against the
| Blues. and we have a smart lieutenant Of
hussars in red dropping in to boast of his
regiments victory and to exhibit to the
envious "Blue" men the kaisers written
order.
| the little valet and ex-barber of Berlin, who
has just arrived at Rottenberg in attend
ance on his master. Prince Otto Of Sake
| Hildeshem. recently gazetted as lieutenant
| in the Blue Hussars. His serene highness
is particularly anxious to go to Gutenberg,
| where his pretty cousin Elsa MAY de Seu-
sa) Is at school, and his henchman likewise
| is eager to escape from a town which is
| barren of femininity Result Max picks the
| Red Hussar's pocket secures the emperor's
order (Which happily is addressed only "to
the colonel OF the hussarso, substitutes a
| bogus command from the emperor to clock
| up the bearer on sight" and hands over the
| actual imperial document to the COM
| mander Of the Blues.
| This done. the irrepressible Mold 'ekopf
| dons official uniform and HES him by mo-
| tor car to Gutenberg there to arrange for
| the reception Of his master and comrades
| All realize. of course, that the hoax is GER
| have to give way eventually to the more
| fortunate Reds. but few stolen days are
worth having. and incidentally the valet
| sees numerous opportunities for turning the
| situation to account.
| l leave you to imagine his reception by
| the burgomaster and the other big wigs Of
! serving man thus transformed into a spe-
| cial envoy OF the emperor. Edmund Payne
| is killing" In the part. He struts around in
his glittering uniform and martial helmet.
| imbibes the official champagne. makes love
| to the burgomaster's blushing daughter and
every other pretty girl in sight-and within
half an hour has about half Of the popula-
! tion Of Gutenberg under arrest.
Complications come thick and fast. how
ever. for Moddlekopf is recognized by an
| fnnkeepers daughter who knew him as a
| wielder of the razor in Berlin. and having
| been Tilted by him in those days is in a
vengeful mood. But the stage counterpart
| Of Wilhelm Voigt manages to carry 1t off,
notwithstanding and the Blue Hussars are
| duly quartered at Tottenberg. They stay
| there. too. owing to the good offices OF the
winsome Elsa. who is not the daughter of
a general for nothing. And Moddlekopf
makes 1t up with his former lady-love and
| escapes without so much as a single thwack
from the mailed fist" whose prerogatives
| he has usurped
Perhaps the foregoing will convey an idea
| Of the funniments Of 'The Girls Of Got
neutrality-suspicious. not. In the latter case
| the fault will lie partially with the authors
of the piece. who. instead Of giving US too
| little plot" as Is usual in musical comedy
have supplied too much. Sumptuously
| staged and dressed. its songs are really the
| only part Of 1.-THE Girls of Gutenberg" of
which one cannot write more or less en-
| Enthusiastically Excepting excellent
ditty called lotto of Roses" which George
Grossmth. jr.. who plays the Prince of
| Ia bo{r hos rtf fnr hir,,co 1f