The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-11
SPERRY'S. ''SHOW / GIRL" A TUNEFUL
 COMEDY SATIRE
Large Audience Greets the Twelfth An. nual Local Production and Finds it Brimful of fnn.
Little Miss Steinmetz a Big Surprise and Charles Jewett and Charles Peck are Big Hits-Miss Margaret M'Kinney, the Star, Captures Her Auditors.

In Robert M. Sperry's "The Show Girl', which opened at Smiths theatre last night the author has accomplished
 what he set out to do, viz: ''to write
 and present a series of amusing inci- dents and complications, accompanied
 by satire, localisms and burlesques on popular topics oe the day, that will
 keep the audience in good humor.''
 There is laugh every 30 seconds and the music is the best that has been heard at the theatre in a long time. John J. Reynolds, the director, has | augmented the organization to twice it's size and besides he is the writDr of all of the music of the show. | The hit of the musical part of the performance was the singing of Miss Elizabeth Steinmetz of this citw, es- Sniffin in the singing of Love in Moontime" She has a clear soprano voice and every note was sung with a clearness that brought a storm of a,p- plause. She is the surprise of the show.
 Miss Margaret Mckinney, who is the star of the piece, singing the most diff ficult of the roles, is a. most accom- plished actress and a charming wo- man. She has entered into the spirit of the local production and puts much ginger into the show. Last night she rendered Kiss a Little Girl Like Me-
 
 and was answered by Loren Delbridge from one of the boxes. This made a tremendous hit. After a week in Bridgeport, winning audiences in the manner she did last evening, Miss Mo Kinney will always bA welcomed here.
 The girl section of the chorus sings tunefully, but in motion it does the
 best in the numbers where it wears is the Boo Hoo Man. where they are attired as clowns. Here they put as much animation in their work as a professional chorus. But as for the Fathers some of the young ladies did not seem to feel at home, although they retained more clothes than fe-
 male traDese artists wear in the cir cuses. But they were applauded for their courage, if not for their art. After recalling them three times the audience applauded a fourth time long | and loud, bringing forth Manager Sperry who announced that the bath
 ers'' could not come out again as they
 were dressing for the next number. The performance was replete with pointed local hits and all were so well given that each was greeted with de-
 light. The Pastors Association and the Mayor are mentioned good natur- edly and everyone connected with the city government comes in for a pass | incidents in the city's political life of the past year are mentioned.
 In the singing of "Plays on Broad way'' a sextette composed of Charles B. Peck, Miss Steinmetz, Charles R. Jewett, Miss Steinbach, MT. Sperry, and Miss Mckinney, burlesque .vaude- | vile. melodrama. moving pictures, | musical comedy, the circus and min strels. This is the big hit of the show. | Miss Steinbach's impersonations of | Billy B. Van is extremely clever, while MT. Peck as "Lew Dockstayer' and
 MT. Jewett as Prof. Atlast' are
 screams. Jewett took the audience by storm when he raised a 5000 lb. dumb | bel'' and broke hcrseshoes fresh from
 the foundry of the City Bakery.
 The production is the twelfth annual
 lively staged, and the electric effects are elaborate. The Swing Song
 alone is particularly pretty because of
 the artistic arrangement of the light | ing effects.
 In the cast MT. Sperry has a diff
 cult role as HoHyhock Bud, in the
 first, but does it extremely well. He
 retains the Harry Kelly makeup
 the mannerisms of the famous comed- | ian is first class. In the second act
 he play a straight character, that of
 a young Pittsburg millionaire. but as-
 prince for a. short time and his drawl | is well nigh perfect. His work is ex- | cellent and was commended several times by the audience which greeted | fllln WdrInly Wheu ne dPpehlSu. Oiioi . | les E. Peck, who is one of the best ] blackface comedians ever seen here,
 has the role of Ephriam White. Fred ericlz Sniffen is cast as Samuel Saw | wood and has songs. all of which he
 renders in his usual effective man | ner.
 | Last evening boxes were occupied by | Mayor Lee. ex-Mayor Reynolds, City | Clerk Buckingham, Assistant Town Clerk w. T. Mullins, Bernard Keat- | ing Jr Assistant City Clerk Lawrence
 J. Gill, Clerk Loren Delbridge of the
 Board of Assessors. and other mem | bers of the city government In other | boxes were members of Bridgeport
 Lodge of Elks and the local Aerie of
 Eagles, of which organizations the | playwright is a member. All were present to congratulate MT. Sperry and
 to give their approval to his efforts