The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-09-14
NEWARK THEATRE
RINGS WITH JOE
WEBERStAUGHS
Burlesque Of Popular Successes
Makes 1.-THE Merry Widow
and the Devil" Go"
BATTERED LANGUAGE
WINS HEARTY MlRTH
Attractive Bills Find Favor at
Proctor's, the Lyric and Other
Newark Playhouses.

VYTE love Joe Weber, but oh, yot
w old Jokes!
Joe Weber gives us credit fol
short memories. of a certainty. Some
OF the jokes he cracked last night were
in their second childhood. Did We mind
Not at all. How can We mind anything
That Joe Weber says or does? 1t Is
enough that he says or does. them.
His misplaced English in THE Merry
Widow, and the Devil" in the Newark
Theatre last night, was the JOY of a
good-sized audience. from the time of
his first appearance In janitorial cos
tune, embroidered deliberately in shovel
and broom designs, until he burst forth
In all the glory of the Farsovian uni
form, following his with a fearfully
n wonderfully made dress suit. In
which he escorted the lovely Fonia to
the Witching Hour cafe, there to lose
all dignity in n strenuous effort to be-
come "a s~tylishness."
elf us some soups, some vegetebub-
BILE soups, und some slaughter-house
steaks choked nit onions. Fright
away Is a sample 2Qf what he uses
to provoke smiles. SWebber's fun
is of the very apparent kind, 1t needs
tO uirsttili6. ph iduSH at nm -
cause you FIND it impossible not to. not
because your sense of humor has de-
ereed-after careful consideration-that
1t is funny. Long may he hold his
place among the m~errymakers. We
need them, every one.
Miss Helen Redmond was a fascinat-
ing Fonia, wearing exquisite gowns,
with just the proper amount of as
surance, and singing her songs, among
the prettiest of which was when You're
Roaming in the Cleaning with Your
Sweet, Sweetheart" with vivacity. Her
Bonnie, My Highland Lassie," de-
manded several encores. 1t was ac-
companicd by the pretty dancing of a
score of chorus girls In Hielan' cos
tune. Miss Redmond was somewhat
Handicapped by a cold. which. however.
was hardly bad enough to mar her per-
Torrance.
Prince Dandilo was played with a fine
sarcasm by Frank Mayne. who ang a
daring song with such a emur ex-
preston that the people in the audience
found themselves scanning the faces
of each other, to see If they were the
only ones who wanted to gasp. Charles
slime was The Devil, At two -minute
intervals he would remind the audience
of this. If he had not the fact would
have remained in ~obscurity forever. He
was a devil that missed fire, and what
sort of a devil can a devil be, IL not
accompanied by fire? Miss Marcia Har-
ris made the best of a small role as
Elsie Iceberg, heiress. Weber himself
enacted with fine finish the role of
Heinrich Disch, valet to the prince on
''off'' days. On 'on" days he vas jani-
tor.
Ibsen has nothing on o Weber,
where obscurity of plot Is concerned.
BY all means go to see THE Merry
Widow and the Devil" Laugh until
you can laugh no more, but do not try
TO make ever a little effort to find
II what it's all about. Much of the
Merry Widow music is introduced,
many of the famous airs being har-
messed to wierd parodles. Its situations
are there, hodge-podged into scenes
from the Devil. into which ramble frag-
ments of "The Witching Hour without
notice. but with startling effect.
But then, to snatch here and there,
mix all up together, add a good chorus
and serve. Is the recipe for burlesque,
so why this wordiness?
Suffice to say that THE Merry Widow
and the Devil" form a combination that
fade all kinds of blue into a beautiful
shell pink.
See II.
LAA