The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-29

fsrces when It is funny; yet I am right
gleeful wnen amused BY. q genuine
comedy relief from the antic sensual
ity. Hence. toss my hat and halo a.
Hattie Williams In Detective Srarkes'
/ can't tell you why, but ) vow II 10
SO. that Mike Morton's Is the thous
andth variant play after nine hundred
and ninety mine have, held up newspA
per reporters to ridicuie II not oppre
brium. Dramatists, ready to curry Il
vor with JOURNALISTS privately. IKE to
fiout them publicly. II 10 -refreshingly
not so in Detective sparkes." The
wreck OF balloon 10 found on an
English heath. The owner IL guessed
to be q certain nobleman. A brooch IN
the debris indicates that he had .
woman companion In his air Night
Who was she, The mystery figures 10
send correspondents to get the facts
and their strenuous efforts cause tho
plays complication; but they are not
Doors. chunnps, nor any other sort OF
knaves :and they contrtve TO be polite
In their inquisitive work. May be. as
I said. this absence OF ignorant or will
full libeis on Journalism disposes me TO
like the play anyway.
But don't think so. I am sure that
the heroine wins me all by herself. She
is an American cousin OF the English
lady who went bailooning scandalous-
ly. To divert attention. confuse gossip.
lead. the newspapers. and police astray.
and thus hide the implicated lady. she
fnvents plot to burglarixe the hus-
bands country house, commits the bogus
crime herself. assumes the character OF
Sparkes, q Sheriocka Holmesiana. and
nils q comedy with her vicissitndes and
final triumph. You have laughed at
many masculine, liars Of good humor
and iaudable intention In plays. Well.
sucn q personality feminised winsoms-
ly by an author andsan actress IL the
making Of Detective Sparkes."
The big whoop OF '.rhs Merry
Widow" last season has led to grab
for this season OF all the Vienna comic
operas In sight. The FIRST OF these per-
formed here Is THE Gay Hussars." The
thing that II pokes fun at.is the COM
puisory military service by young men
music Is suflcfent to sing the play into
American favor: but wish that some
speedy Yankee humorist could have
transferred it's mock soldering Its
tactical war game--from the military
investment OF an Austrian city to the
recent make believe capture OF Boston.
Instead Of that, the viennese iibretto
points Of caste between. the amateur
militia and the professional army un-
explained, and most of its satire left
to lose Itself in the unoriginative trans
fer. Its lovers sing their romance to
bewitching airs. and they look well In
the picturesque old castle where they
meet: but the one performer who gets
into jolly good humor with the audi
ences Is Bobby North. brought in from
vaudeville to rnonkeyshine and cut up
as q barber serving as lieutenant. II
is likely, however. that improving al
terations will make "The Gay Hussars'
win out.
II some handsome youag actor of
emotional lovers. who has also tenor
voice of uncommon exceilence. and be-
sides that can dance with the highest
degree of pantomirnic grace. reads this
cali for him, he has the chance OF hts
life. The hero OF 'rhe Gay Hussars"
is maddened by the conducts OF Its
heroine. His pent-up emotion breaks
out in a passionate song and belches
from that into a wild Hungarian. dance.
For that role, you see, Sothern for
spe ech. a Caruso for song. and Via
rick for dance is needed. May be tho
adequate man Is available in Vienna.
He isn't In New York as yet. The man
agement thought It had HIM In Orrin
Johnson. What actor on our stage 10
handsomer than Ofrin7 Who 10 more
fervid woosr7 HIS voice. too. sings, up
meiodiously to the roles top notes
And he can dance most gracefully. So
Orrin rehearsed the part. He even per-
formed II In O tfy-out town. But he
threw II up ne the entry to New York,
aTIl act 1t for $500 a week. sing II
for 5000 more. and dance IL tor $3.50
extra" I'm told he said: but ] won't
mark down the $3.50 10 $500" 7. MOI
A. farce that skips along girrs with:
out singing or dancing IL Billy" The
colieglan of it's name is its football god !.
but he gets three front teeth kicked
out Lest that disenchant her, he runs
of TO Cuba on q plea OF Illness. bui
really to accustofn himself to false
teeth. and especially to learn to pro.
nounce his dead ones difiicuit name OF
Beatrice. OF course. Beatrice is on the
boat. and. again Of course. Billy butts
into an accident resulting In the loss
of his new teeth. That Is all and that
ia enough. You wouldn't think three
acts OF laughter could be wrung from
sig teeth The wringers are Comedian
sidney OF the Drews, and the, author.
his of the Mckee Rankins and married
inc Drew. Barrymore and Davenport
relationship Mrs. Drew uses none OF
the available names but hides behind
o George Cameron" without any con.
cealment. The merriment ~, due IN
about equal parts to the acting and the
writing Mrs. Drew seems TO know
that frothy bubbles can be blown up
fust go large but not one-half inch lar
ger: while the famous Mrs. John
Drew's son IL as deft as mis- orotner
John. whose first and last rule 10 thai
the greater the earnestness and gravity
the more absurd the line or situation
Ar Of "Billy" is placed on the uppar