The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-25
Theatrical Extremes in New York
BY FRANKLIN FYLEs.

decorum and indelicacy are touched in
musical plays by 1.-THE Lady From
Names" and THE Follies of 1907" The
lady who comes from Lanes to a
summer hotel at Old Point Comfort is
a lady really, and Lanes is neither q
vaudeville theatre nor a department
store, but detective agency. which
sends her to find a forger. She is
sprightly lady, even roguish, but not
once does she fling her skirts deVilish-
ly, nor take them off TO put on the
DISCUSSES of a slepth. She sings much,
but dances not at all. And her pro-
priety is not device of contrast with
the audacities of a ballet-chOruS. All
the petticoats reach the shoe-tops When
calm, and uncover no more than an
kles when agitated. This is a hand
some and praiseworthy experiment in
jolly entertainment that isn't blusha-
bic. simultaneously, THE Follies of
1907" seemingly at the roof-garden
limit of shame already, is transferred
to a theatre in a version that goes still
further. 1 take up these plays togeth-
er. because they illustrate the morally
best and the immorally worst that is
being done by the showmen in Broad
way at Augustus end.
A decade or dozen years ago, when
Roland Reed was alive and acting,
George Broadhurst wrote THE Wrong
Mr.. Wright" to his order, Reed was a
son of a famously queer old Pop Reed,
stage doortender at the oldest thea
tire now used in America, the Walnut
street in Philadelphia. The younger
Reed was a droll but not accomplished
comedian, resembling John T. Ray
mond much, and William H. Crane
less. He, Reed, made tours of the
states, but had played in New York
City at outlying theatres only before
Broadhurst provided 1.-The Wrong Mr..
Wright" for him. Also, for Isadora
Rush, in whom Reed had Just &C
quired a handsome woman, but not a
brilliant Coincidence. The role for
Reed was a rather eccentric New
Yorker, who travels under an as
stunned name to find a runaway forger.
The more essential parsonage was a
girl detective for Isadora-an alluring
creature who entranced and entangled
the New Yorker. Now, Reed dotted on
Isadora fondly: so he hired a Broad
way theatre and set her forth in such
sumptuous gowns as amazed the mod
ish town. She wore them with all the
faculty of a modiste's model, but not
much of the facility of an actress.
Reed, Isadora and 1.-The Wrong Mr..
Wright" are all dead. Peace to their
ashes.
But from those ashes ''The LADY
From Lanes" flares up as a musical
comedy. Fat and unctuous Tom Wise
takes the part once played by lean and
dry Roland Reed, the successor of
sylphide Isadora Rush is the ample
Truly Shattuck, and some of the plot
is Versified and tuned. ~CensOrs of the
press often say that evil things are
reported fully and good things but
scantily. The happy reason is that
good behavior is ordinary and bad be-
havior extraordinary. So it is with af-
fairs OF the stage. Because THE Lady
From Lanes" oleases without shock
ing, 1t is a less salient subject to
write about than a wicked show. Pri-
marily, its Hhretto remains a farcical
comedy, and so the novelty consists of
coherent humOF spoken and acted ex-
plicitly, with songs and saunterings by
a beauty chorus, but no dancing or an
ties by anyone.
The Gerry society. meaning to be
good to children, asks the mayor to
keep them off the stage in summer: so
his honor won't license any youngsters.
81 In current melodrama. one of the
comic reliefs from gun-play excite
ment is a German mother with seven
children ever tagging her. Under the
years old; so that woman's progeny
has to be adult until September, and
therefore of no value for fun. I told
last week of melodramatic hero who,
being deprived of a little child to per-
senate his protege, had TO use a small
young woman, thus raising a misap-
prehension as to his kisses and ca
resses. The actress slumped and squat
ted In endeavors TO look juvenile. and
spoke in infantile tones, but the ilIu-
sion of childishness was impossible to
her. What would Chauncy Olcott or
Andrew Mack do if deprived of a
group of children TO sing to? That is
a difficulty which spoils an incident in
1.-THE Lady From Lanes" A hand
some young army officer sings about
''story-book days" and it seems fool
ish; but if he could have some chill
dren coddled in his lap, and cuddled
at his feet. with Mother Goose books
open in their hands, it would be worth
while
1t was done in that way at rehears-
ais, but licenses We're refused to the
youngsters in August. As shapeIy
dwarfs are scarce and costly, the leu
tenant has to sing his stOry-book Song
with no juvenile listeners and there
fore Intellectually.
Attention is given to 1.-THE Follies of
1907 because 1t is partly new this
week. Its performers are too old for
Gerry interference, but Comstock may
have go at them. First to the patrol
wagon, in case of a raid, would be
Annabella WhitfOrd. Her arrest would
be retributive, for it was she who,
some years ago, caused a police de-
scent on Barnum grandson's supper
TO bachelor friends on the night be-
fore his wedding. Annabella had been
hired to dance, but told the police
when she was asked to be extra
wicked. Little Egypt was caught de-
nuded in a couchee stunt, and as a
gain through notoriety, she was able
TO raise her salary to 500 q week and
keep 1t there for years. Annabella
used her publicity to get employment
awhile as a legitimate actress: but
lapsed back into dancing, and took off
her shoes and stockings for the sake
of plastic art. A tall, slender. Mia
hle creature Is Annabella, with the eIe-
CANT grace of Lady Guinevere. and
now she utilizes those qualifications 10
depict a Gibson bathing girl. Not in
a tub-how could you think ft?-but
in the surf. When the curtain rises son
q seashOTe scene she is seen posed on
a springboard as though about to dive
RIIf fha Uafar is canvas ha