The Washington times., 1908-12-16
HARRY LAUDER Wins
EXCEPTIONAL FAVOR
Scotch Singer and Imperson-
atOr OutdoeS Better
+ Known Chevalier.

iame OF one Harry Lauder. limitations
of him have lately become the accus-
toned order Of the musical comedy and
burlesaue stage. These means have
whetted a vague interest among our
theateegoers into a sharp curiosity. Yes
terday afternoon, at special matinee
given IL the Columbia Theater, that Gu
riosity was gratided for many Of US
as that comfortable and well-manased
playhouse viii hold.
The limitations had prepared us for a
series OF Scotch songs. and made us IA
miliaI with some Of the aiTs-'-I Love
Lassis." she's Ma Daisy and The
Safes Of the School But that was all.
They no more revealed the real Harry
I.audar than bilposters can reveal the
harnlonies Of opera. And Harry Lauder
IS required to reveal himself
How Outreaching was the interest
I'm this impersonator was plain from
a glance about the theater. In one
box was Mrs. Roosevelt. Another
was filled with members of the Diplo-
matte Corps. Scattered through the
theater were active CaIedoniaas- So
ciety was everywhere il could get
seal. The hour OF the performance
. in the tternOOn-eXcluded en-
pI0yes Of the Government. Nevcrthe-
less. the auditorium was filled 20 the
gallery.
ne curtain rose 10 QlSt4tSt IL NNtiAG
in the Highlands, white the echo OF
"EOnny Annie Laurie, The B0nny,
Benny Banks of Loch Lamond.' and
Coming Thrae tn Rye from a
charming young ScOtswomau stlll
hung in the ears. In the pause that
followed. the orchestra struck up the
, Introduction to one of LADDERS songs.
= j. was instantly recognized ana a
wave of handclapPinE ran over the
audience. Then out from the trees at
The right side Of the stage came
-audcT-
Albert Chevalier With HumOT Added.
lie is a man rather undersized, little
thin, with eyes that pc|T past a long
nose in a way that would suggest
fox. II Reynard's eyes twinkled- Red
Scotch kits and p Highland cap hardly
stamp the character any more plainly
Gaelic than a shrewd ard homely Per
sonality exhaling indehnabie touches OF
the Lochs and Trossachs-
He begins TO sing in a voice not with
out musical charm But the voice IS
almost disregarded in the wOnderful
projection Of personality which accom-
panies the singing. Those who remem-
ber the character drawing of Albert
Chevalier will recall now every detail
WAS kept true To hdInciy life. Lauder
has much the same method and attain5
quite the same effect. Both men were
Rembrandts, not to strain a COmpari-
ron, in painting the thing tley knew
as lsraels paints IL today, and ROdiu
and Meunier carve IL. The later-COmer
has this. however. that Chevalier lack
ed-he makes his impersouauon glow
with hUmOr-
The eyes shine with an effect no man
could manufacture. In LADDERS case il
ls manlfestly a disclosure of "a merry
personality. not the imitation Of one.
So his smile is infectious. It is im-
possible TO look at him and rot warm
With fun. and the result is that the
FINEST shadinEs of comedy. the most
delicate touches, a snap OF the ''WhCOp"
against the boot. a smothered laugh, a
little show of Vainglory, all these have
immediate response in ripples or roars
or laughter
one other thing gives distinction TO
Lauder at the first view. It Is tho
thing that gives distinction 10 the
"Angelus' and the Cleaners Of NIiIlet.
The measure Is not forced. It is -he
plain truth. For like the great Bar
blzon painter this vaudeville entertain
er, this music hall artist" has the
faculty OF uncONCrlng the humanity OF
the lowly without glOSsinE their rough
ness. A lesser actor would endow his
assumed characters with his own tai
euts- Not Lauder-when i'm this first
song he undertook as Sandy To- initiate
The best man at the wedding, the imlta-
tiOn was Sdndy'S. not LADDERS. and its
very limitations gave IL faithfuluess
and humor and little unge of pathOs.
Washington Quite Forgets Itself.
The effect on the audience was ex-
traOrdinary. Weof Washington quite for
got ourselves. 1t was no longer So
Ciallv improper 10 sing over chorus
with a hired comedian. We tried to
learn words aud air together. and We
held ourselves alert and eager not u
miss anything smile. or a WObble in a
step, or even a pause Tragedians rep
resenting the best traditional action in
az Il ma
have not 50 gripped the hearts Of our
people as did this songster wita his
homeIy reproduction of an odd Scotsman
personality, and his own exhalant kind
illness.
The other songs were the more IA
miliar ones. In range Of character por-
trayed. they did not rival the perform
ance Of Albert Chevalier in this same
house about ten years ago. The second
required an impersondtiOn Of Il school
hoy and was altogether as clearly
drawn. as amazingly faithful, as Mr..
Chcvaliers s My Old Dutch The third,
shes Ma Daisy drew upon the talent
or the cartOonist, TO discern those eIe-
ments Of character I'm "Kiltie" which
would best reward eXaESeration and yet
not weaken the representation 1t was
remarkably successful The last was
Il Love a Lassie." and It brought into
play more fully than any of the others
a certain peculiar faculty of this i'm
personator TO make the audience re-
spond to condolences.
Everybody knows the words-'I love
lGssie. a benny Highland lassie. Shes
as sweet as suEar-candy, and she's very
fond of Sandy" They had been sung
until the W hole of that brilliantly dress
ed audience was joining in, when Lauder
4 stopped ard stepped stealthily to the
foouights 10 whisper. Il think I hear
her" Then to the back of the stage
he slipped. No" he went on, whisper
ing. its nae her. It's a rObbit" Read
here. I'm hard type. il may seem a
simple trick OF a comedian. There. in
the theater. il is probable nine auditors
out of ten felt as they laughed sense
of Sandy's disappOintments and hoped
that soon ms lass might come (as, in
deed she did). bounding out OF the
path at the side.
The enterprise was n feature i'm 4 fight
Tor vaudeville independence now being
yvased by William Morris Without
Lauder the bill was yet one Of the
most remarkable ever offered here.
There was a certain NascO, the mad
musician whose performances on thir-
ty-two Instruments would have made