The Washington herald., 1907-02-24

New York. Feb. BIN The White /
Hen" Louis Mann returns to musical
comedy and divides honors with the show /
girl. The new piece was put on the Ca /
sino stage last Saturday night for the
nrst time ju New York after short stay |
on the road For the present Louis has
postponed his ambition to play Shylock
to some indefinite date IN the distant fu-
ture, and instead gives expression 10 his
familiar antics in the character % Hen
sic Blinduer. a Tyrolean innkeeper. with
his usual verbal cont0rtions of Anglo
German dialect.
II marks a reversion Of form. for Louis
won his fame as a jargon-arust in this
sort Of amusement, and has never been
able quite to emancipate himself from IFS
I influence. Being admittedly the funniest
I dialect farceur on the stage, it makes IT.
tie difference what vehicle he chooses 10
attract the public, if he viii only sup
press himself in the interest Of the or
ganic whole and unity Of that vehicle.
I well, ne is pretty well suppressed n
/ The White Hen" The pretty chorus
/ girl insists on having her way. and whea
She Is as pretty and numerous as in this
I
and that delightful song-bird. Louise Gun
ming. must fight to get into the focus. If
/ they would not be ignominiousiy eclipsed.
/ Louis doesn't sing "a note ln the piece, but
/ he has d song and dance with Lolita
/ Faust, in which the chic and merry eyed
! souDrette sings jolly little jingle.
. smile and Louis accompanies her IN
/ the dance. lou marvel At the interest the
comedian manages to attract TO himself
by his facial play alone. without mug
giHg. which shows that he has a capac-
ity far beyond the men in whose class
his line % work has cast him.
Louise Cunning sings a waltz. 'PTin-
temps, with high coloraturd effects,
. which. vocaiIy and unsteady, is worth al
the rest OF the performance The White
Hen is essentially show-girls' show.
but iu that line it has not been outdOne
even by Julia Mitchell. who staged il.
There's a bud Of "a girl in one Of the
seXtet OF dancers in the first act who
made a hit the opening night through
IdineTentiatiug the automatic movements
OF the group Dy unusual energy of ac-
/ ton and gesture, by looking cross-eyed at
the audience by slipping and sliding, by
drawing down the corners of her mouth
and elevaung her eyobals. and finally, by
shaking the pins out OF her ringlets and
letting them fall like d name over her
slender shoulders
The next day one OF the papers an
uouuced under a harlng headline. ~
show Girl Makes the Hit Of The White
Hen And there ives Louise Cunning,
pretty and fresh-lOOking. singing ike d
; lark, number you could not have heard
SO wei sung anywhere outside Of one OF
the big opera hOUses-the gTimaCes Of q
show girl rated at premium over the
artistic performance of "a pTiWa donna.
c Can You imagine anything more ilium-
. NATIVE OF the provincial standard which
. obtains among as metropOlitans2
The benefit 20 Frank C. Bangs was CIV
! 90 at the same theater Tuesday after
. noon. Tt was varied programme
r opened by Mrs. Fske with the reading OF
B "a little poem written for the occasion
b by Randolph Hartley, followed by Henry
Miller. in Frederic LemaiJre." by Clyde
. Fitch; Carl0tta Nilsson. in the first act
} of The Three of Us" Margaret AngIin
S Mrs Whiffen. and William Courtleigh. III
a French curtaiu--aiser, "Oue Evening
l. H. Sothern. in the closet scene from
.
act from "a Dolls House." Cecilia LOT
tUs in limitations; Mr.. Bangs in the reel
tatiOn of Mark AutOny's address ovel
the dead body of Caesar. and Nine Al
D rOra and her corps Of Spanish dancers
:. from The Rose of the Rancho in
; saiutatOry performance of great charm.
. Something above $4,000 was realized fo
] the worthy old beneficiary. WHOSE recep
tiOn was most cordial and whose uln}7
K and feeling farewell speech 10 TIE audi
d. eBce was one of the most pathetic thing
1 ever listened TO. The most novel an.
striking feature OF the bin was Miss 20.
70 tUs first venture in an imitation Of \az
j. imova Following Immediately upon th
% Russian actress. sccue-giviug NazjWoy;
d time only 20 change her dress aud ente
/ a. stage boX-it formed "a remarkable Ga
n pOTtuuity for judging Cissys powers @
e minicry and imitation, and 10 say tina
- / il was amazing is no eXagEeTatiOn.
was the whole long scene OF NOra's fare
d. well 10 her husband. and it was NaZimOv
in tone, accent. and characterization o
D.. personality down to the minutest detail
The actress sat in the box and applaude
to the echo.
k The German company at the Irwin
IS Place Theater is seen this week in IN
Il closing performances Of Der Blinde Pas
r. sagier' literally. The Blind Passenger,
r none other than Cupid aboard a Ham
IL burg-Amcricau excursion steamer to Nor
way. Il farce by Blumenthal and Kade-