The Washington herald., 1907-11-26

JOhn EMERSON as stephen roland, Becky g
drunken and gambling father. who gave
an excellent portrayal of an unpleasant
! character The Fred Llndon of Frank
Patton was also worthy OF commenda-
/ tion. In short the play was good from
| beginning to end. and the company was
/ adequate 10 all demands made on it, The
| result was an harmonious and most en-
! joyable performance IL is a play that no
one who cares for the theater i'm its good
moments should miss.
HECTOR FULLER
| The COIumbIa-"The DairymnidS.v
There has not been this season quite
such a dainty and all-around clever mu-
steal comedy TO attract local theater-
goers as ''The Dairymaids," which came
10 the Columbia Theater last. evening.
Some hint of the excellence OF the per
| formance must have preceded il 10 Wash
ington. for the house was crowded with
a distinguished and most appreciative
audience
The Dairymaids,' which is billed as
a farcicai musical play. is English by
nativity. slightly Americanizcd but not
50 much rs 10 destroy any of its con-
sistency. The fret act presents a picture
OF an English dairy farm, with a CRATE
ful atmosphere of hay fields. buttercups.
and pink and white country girls going
a-milking. or a-fiirting, as TIE case may
be. with suitable background Of smock-
frocked SWANS, 10 dance attendance on
them. To this Elysia are introduced two
| naval officers. who love the nieces Of
an aristocratc lady. the nieces being
| represented as taking the fashionable
course Of dairy-farming The fact Of the
young gentlemen having been forbidden
| the place only serves as an excuse for
a plot TO the comedy and the objects of
their desires being summarlly ordered of
20 boarding school. gives them an oppor-
tuniJy, in the second act. 10 get them
selves smuggled into the school dressed
in female attire. Being rather a delicate
subject for the librettists, this transfor-
nation Of the two officers with their
sailor servant. is kept fully within tie
bounds Of propriety. with absolutely no
suggestiyeness. While not original the
idea is so sufficiently rare az TO furnish
enough fun to keep the audience In A
constant gale of laughter ard 10 lead TO
the discovery that The Dairymaidsr IS
/ rirst Of all, "A comedy. and that the merry
chorus and the popular songs are merely
incidental 10 its success.
The songs. however. are all good. and
the orchestra, under the leadership OF
Arthur Weld, discOursed the music of half
dozen composers. among them Harry
Won Tilzer Frank Tours, Paul Rubens.
! William 7. Francis, and James W. Tate.
Edgar Atchison Ely and I.angford
Kirby are the two masuuerading naval
officers. Both are clever singers and dane
ers. and while dressed as girls they made
a great deal Of fun out of their parts.
An English comedian. with a form OF nu-
NOR wholly his own. is Huntley Wright.
who is funny all the time There is a
great deal Of Wright in "The Dairy
maids but one does not tire Of his
comedy and his songs. five or six in
number caught on splendidly. The Bar
celOna" song. In which he initiates a
Spanish dancer, was as artistic as il was
funny and an odd conceit. a Lot Of
Little Girls All Round Me" was we'll
rendered. Eugene O'Rourke, as the Irish
naval doctor, was amusing in character
blameless. but blamed for everything.
Julia Sandersun was charming as Peggy
la dairy maid, and sang her songs most
delectably. Bessie De Vote, as Winnie.
/ did some dancing that was well liked
and Flossie Hope as q cockney maid
played opposite Mr.. Wright and aided
/ him in his dancing One of the most fra
grant and atmospheric bits in the gem Of
a first act was 'Lazyland" sung by
/ Frieda Wiegold. a dainty little fraulein
with "A pleasing voice
/ good song was How the Winds
/ Blow sung by Ely. O'Rourke. and
/ Wright, to the accompaniment Of light
ming and thunder; and some of the other
best ones were the Quarrel duet by
/ Wright and Miss Hope Tinker. Tailor.
Soldier. Sailor" by Miss Sanderson: "Oh
/ Mr. Brown" by Ely: I've Million Rea-
sons Why 7 Love You" and Mary Nc
Gee
THE Dairymaids' is well-mounted
wholesome, and genuinely funny musical
comedy. in the best sense Of the term.