The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-05
IN THE THEATERS
"LOLA FROM BERLIN" NOT
A HILARIOUS COMEDY.
But Lulu elaser Scores Personal Success
in Spite of It-Henry E. Dixey and
Louis Mann in Vaudeville.

Na1lv hat Lola from Berlin" rompe
into Newark popularity last night. Tn
fault was all Miss Lulu Glaser's, VIII
guurgled and laughed her way mi
favor, lust as she has doneN in ever
show she has ever been in. 1t wa
tho same Miss CHASER down to the yer,
last wink and smile, the embodiment
OF effervescent jollity, of rampant mer
rlment and enforced gayety. She ma
/. changed hardly one iota since tn
Francis Wilson and Dolly Warden
days. and certainly no one would wisl
her different. The kind of mirth tina
bubbles and over1ows, seemingly OF IL
own accord from a sheer exuoerance .
FUN and animal spirits. is never a drul
on the theatrical market.
1t needed all Miss Glaser's best ef
forts TO keep Lola from Berlin from
dropping YEARLY last night. There wal
little or no assistance given her b,
Mr.. McNally the man who perpetratee
the alleged comedy. He had weighted
her with a German Dialect part tina
wa as free from natural humor as 6
chapter Of a genealogy- What ex
cuse for laughter It did contain was
Injected into It by main force by Miss
CHASER.
n is no wonder that Lola from Der.
lin had a brief metropolitan career. ant
It Is certain that II theatre-goers "on tht
road had the same privilege to pick ano
choose, its career there. even In spite OF
the great and well-earned personal popu-
larity of the star. would be as summary
cut short. Mr.. McNally's ambition was
all right, though misdirected. He wanted
TO write a real comedy with a definite plot
The music, grudgingly admitted as a con
cesslon to the demands of Miss Chaser
admirers, was to be purely incidental and
consistent with the action. Had he sue
ceeded In this we would have been the
most eager to acclaim him, but he has
woefully failed. Lola from Berlin is a
very sad affair, indeed, with a silly plot
about q German millionaire mistaken for
2 servant girl. the amorous ramihcations
OF which we refuse to waste our own ana
our readers time I'm detailing. Yet one
would have forgiven even the silly plot IL
in its working out there had been dis
played some wit or genuine sense of hu-
NOR or character. OF this. however, there
is no mixing. The movement is sluggish;
the speeches are dull, the whole thing
Is Iabored, mechanical, fatigning. With
the best Will in the world and the Keen
est wish to be entertained, we could
not find 1t otherwise.
That, with such a burden of a play upon
her shoulders, Miss CHASER could enable an
audience to spend a mildly pleasant even
ing was something of A marvel. Yet she
did II, and such was the enlivening ofect
OF her cheerful presence that the audience
laughed and applauded in frequent mani
festation Of enjoyment. 1t was a consld-
cradle achievement for Miss Chaser. yet
how much better 1t would be il herself and
her management and her playsmiths would
but recognize the proper instrument for her
talent to play upon. and would act upon
the recognition. To be at her best and
h~lithsomest, Miss CHASER needs the gay and
tuneful atmosphere of operettn. "Straight
comedy il not her forte. 1t is her own per-
sonality which should be put forward, not
her ability to impersonate. in which, in
fact, her gifts are not marked. Wherever
placed she is always the hoydenish SOU
hrette. nothing else. and her limitations
nlAce her most at nome In a bright and
lyrical environment of pretty girls aud
DANCES. And this doesn't mean necessarily
the inanity Of the ordinary musical comedy,
either.
Once or twice last night Lola from Ber-
lin' did brighten into something like the
sort Of piece Miss CHASER should be sup
Piled with. That was when she sang and
danced with a chorus of German girls TO
support her. That was Whist the audience
liked best and that was what the author
Of the piece allowed as little of as he easily
could. Even such music as there was,
which William Jerome and Jean Schwartz
furnished, was commonplace. Miss CHASER
has not q remarkable singing voice, but It
Is sweet and quite equal to the demands o.
MUSICAL comedy-eertsinly to all the de-
mands that were put upon It last night.
Il Is the way she has OF singing, however,
more than the singing itself that is charm
ing.
The company supporting Miss CHASER in
STUDDED her husband. Ralph c. Herr, and
Dodson Mitchell. Mr.. Herr, as a broken
down actor, had one or two funny mo-
ments. and others when his effort to be
funny was quite TOO apparent. Why he
took 1t upon himself to massacre the
Seven Ages, speech OF the melancholy
Jacques IN A You Ldke IT." was hard to
understand. II was signally out of place.
Mr.. Mitchells talents, so often interest
ingly employed in the drama Of Shaw and
Ibsan, were wasted in the role OF the cor
p0ratinn lawyer, In which he was cast.
The part was unworthy an actor SC
intelligent,
However, when all is said and done, It Is
Miss CHASER that Newark theafre-goers
will 80 to see this week, and seeing. ever
IN 50 Intellectual a play and part, will re-
1olce. She has a big following. and will
DOUBTLESS play to big audiences all the
week, She played 10 a very large and
fashionable audience last night. 1t was
composed of people who came out pr.
mariiy to see Miss CHASER, and. inciden.
tally. for the benefit OF the Arthur Home
for Boys, in Summit.
-=@