The Washington times., 1908-11-10

den under sparkling shields held in
place by chains OF jewels. sways back
and forth. A deep breath or two is
heard above the music. Then. with a
Whirl the dancer encircles the stage.
Sinuosity. an endless winding. an in
deinable suggestion as OF something
turning round and round as it descends
through the air-these are the first char
acteristIcs Of the dance.
With a start. Salome stops at the edge
of the fountain. There on a glded plat
ter is a deaths head. A veil OF gray
heightens its ghoulishness. Black hair
shows through, as at the back Of the
head and chin. The iancer is deeply
moved. Her breath come in gasps.
The Charger" is put upon the stone
pavement. For a little While the woman
seems TO halt
But in a moment OF she flies again,
ctrcling the court, winding her way
closer and closer TO Its gruesOme center.
AS a vulture might hover over its prey,
this Salome-he- body qutyering and
her arms futter.nE-keeps at a distance
from the cold relic she has won as her
reward. Then she falls not aCCt-
dentally, but with manifest design, her
body Outstretched toward the platter
and undulatiug with excitement. Inch
by inch she crawls forward. IN a brief
minute she touches the charger, she
slips forward as a snake might, her lips
seek out those Of the dead man, she
lies mOuOnless while the orchestra
trembles and the climax o. the sensa-
ton is reached.
Crash, Cymbals and flutes bring the
SalOme 20 her feet! or she flies again.
still waving, still with this curious sug-
gestion Of something Windin,f and bind
ing. round and round, the music grow
nd "a rH IA
Then. without warning the woman
falls PROSTATE beside the head her
Witchery has bought-exhausted
Just Better Than Trash.
Beautiful? Probably not a single per-
son in the audience would call Il so.
Lecherous2 Not half so much as dances
by chorus girls which attract no notice.
Thrilling? Only as the sordidness Of
utter depravity can be called thrilling.
Sensational? Not II il had not been
advertised the world over. given a set
ting Of extraordinary suggestive power,
and performed before an audience uerv-
GUS aroused, self. excited.
No one who loves such poetry as Is
possible TO motion could compare the
second dance with the hrst. Its appeal
Is mainly that which attaches TO
corpse at Coroler.s inquest or the
expectation OF a E1IuptuOus wickeduess
mixture Of dancing Of a fairly high
grade. OF an lmpeTsOnaJlOn Of some
dramatic integrity, and an effective
stage-setting, IL has clear title as the
underlined feature Of a successful musi-
cal comedy That is all And as the
people Of the provinces" come in their
own time and with their own judgment
TO PASS UPON the thing which has
wrought the two Gothams-Engllsh and
Amerlcan-tO such trenzies IL is almost
impossible that they should not reverse
sensation as something only just bet
ter than trash
''The Mimic World"
Tourists, Merry Widows. college stu
dents, gamblers. sheath gowns. no
gowns, songs OF every s0rt-fhese are
The Mimic World" Better musical
comedies have been seen here and worse.
But there are some fatUres of this one,
IN addition TO the SalOme dance. which
give 10 an interest unforced by the
press agent and pulling power Of its
own.
Last night Elizabeth Brice took on
very short notice the roll of Helen
ROytOn as Sonia. With Walter Law
renee she presented a burlesque OF The
Thief that made Il plain she would
not be long kept 10 assuming roles on
such notice. She is a distinct "nnd."
An Apache dance by Bert French and
Alice Els; an impersOnatiOn OF George
NJ Cohen by Bert VOn Klein: six Maxim
Mary Carey introducing stanzas from
various modern and old Irish songs,
were all excellent features.
ALLEN u. ALBERT, JR.