The Washington herald., 1907-09-25

The Lyceum.
Cherry blossoms 2l5 and SIS
a buriesque show-u0t much different.
The Gayety.
The Trocadaro Burlezuers ........at z.l5 and SIS
A bITlCsIue shOw-samo old thing.
The BeiascO-.IOe Weber and His Conn
DHny in Hip. Hip, HORNY
II was the opening Of the BelascO
/ Theater's regular season last night. and
it was practically the opening Of Joe
Weber's new frivolity for this season.
which he calls Hip, Hip, Hooray," He
must have called il this before the aud
fence saw IT,
However the double event served 70
bring out an audience that tested the ca
pacity Of the Belasco Theater. an au-
dience that was evidently predetermined
to be pleased, and which, at the begin
ming Of the show, was liberaI-perhaps
too Hbersl-with its applause. 1t got
rather tired Of applaudiHg before the end
Of the show was reached at half past
IL Indeed. there were a good many
who got tired even Of watching the
show, and left before that remarkable
boat race, when the mechanical boats
that got stuck in the middle OF the stage
proved 10 De as funny as anything ia the
show.
Mr.. Joe Weber has been so long be-
fore the public with a peculiar sort OF
show. depending ON its smartness ana
its up-to-dateness. that IL is scarcely
possible for him 20 get together an Ut
terry bad show. but in Hip. Hip.
Ho0r3y.' he certainly has not got very
good one. Perhaps il is hardly fair 70
be too severe over a first perf0rm3uce-
for the one performance at New Haven
on Saturday night could scarcely have
been more than q dress rehearsaI-but
it is evident that the play doctor Will
have % get 70 work az once on this new
piece
OF course. IL has TO plot 10 speak Of
the Weber-!sh sort Of musical comedy
never does haVe-aud if the fun is only
fast and furious enough no one misses
the plot. But the fun here is neither
furious nor fast. Tho first act opens
brightly enough. then Il drops into TALK
ness. and there is a world Of meaning
less chatter before anything happens
There comes flash OF brightness with
the song What's the User d capital
song. which, 20 use the parlance of the
theater, scarcely reached over the foot
lights
Then, after some more talk. came Anne
la Stones song tuuefUl. dainty. and
clever called 'YCuu Never Know What
Love Is TIN You Love Ne" II has good
chorus effects and is catchy and bright.
but il falls Of the effect it might have
II It were further down on the bill An
octet. Lets Wander OF Nowhere"
does nct help % brighten things up much.
and the duet. "AI ] Want in the Wide.
Wide World Is You. Just You" is
rather joyful. Then after q dialogue be-
tween Weber and his felIow-comedian.
which depends for its humor on joke
about Hebrew oats" there comes dainty
Bessie Clayton With clever song and
dance, with the chorus. that makes IL
seem rs II some more lights had been
turned on I'm the house. The act closes
with a song sung 10y Tom Lewis. called
Coon College
The second act introduces clever and
pretty Naleska Surratt as Mrs. Shape
leigh. She wears some stunning gowns.
and wears them well. and has a unique
change in her song. "A Leader of Fash
ion Am T. The cleverest musical num-
Der IN the piece follows her Il is VIII
liam Gould's Put Ne Among the Girls
II is the song hit Of the evening. and II
il only had some Of the chorus effects
that are given 20 other songs il would
be the leading feature Of the show. A
smart song. with a funny doll burlesque.
Is How Would You Like 10 Take Ne
Home With Your Miss Surratt then
has another song, with some excellent lit
tie limitations Of Lillian Russell Anna
Held. and others. and the act ends with
a scene showing the initiation Of the two
Hebrew comedians into "a secret society.
and sort Of shouting song called "Zing.
Gang. Tow"
In the third act, after the opening
chorus, "a Dream Boat for You an
Me there Is one more solo. Sweet Ivy
Green song that did not seem 10
reach, as Il scarcely got a hand. and
then came the finaIe-none too soon. for
many people in the audience had slready
left, and even the chorus girls were be
ginning TO yawn, poor things. They'll
have 10 stick this show out every night
The show has all the usual Weber aids
Of good scenery, bright costuming. priDci-
pals that are clever. and bright. vivaci-
Gus chorus-even if the girls did get tired.
The ensembles are we'll managed
There are some bright spots in the dia-
logue, but they are not many, nor do
they occur often enough to cover I'D the
bare places. Most Of them occur in the
dialogue between Joe Weber and Michael
Kaffelotch and Charles Burkhardt as Isl
dore NOsenstein, but Tom Lewis and
William Gould both have some Of these
lines Some fair samples of what passes
for witty dialogue in this new show are;
What's a diplomat
Why, If some enc calls you a d fool you can
show them the diploma-and that settles Il
Why. those fellows can walk on the bottom With
their boat faster than this insanitarium can row.
Gee. but she's dainty little guilt, and all the
ST. Regis.
Oh. get a monkey-yrranch. you're nutty. Get he
hind the piano with the rest Of the dust,
You're dorey. You've got everything inside o,
you that a drug store sells except moth balls and
toothtrushes.
Take me to the clubhouse and get me club sand
wich.
I've seen Indians shooting rapids in a canoe.
Go on rabbits don't live in the water. and Won
can't shoot en- ont Of a boat
l don't repeat these samples OF the wit
Of the new show because they are so
funny. but simply because they are sam
pies Of the sort of thing that is brightest
and most up TO date in the show.
Among the principals, Of course, Weber
D..