The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-03-02
The Pied Piper Is a
Quaint ConCeit of Fairy
Lore.
AirShip and BoWery Slang
introduced to Lend
Modern Touch.

Launched with a fairyland scene at
the Bclasco last evening. The Pied
Piper plunged merriIy through a siege
of Bcvery slang. a small sized imita-
tion o. the French revolution. q dash
of miustrelsy. and came TO "a burlesque
finish
This is bargain week As a special
holiday supplementary attraction De
Wolf Hopper made a curtain speech
and Tecited that pathetic little classic
entitled Casey at the Bat" with
enough feeling to make Jim Delehanty
sign up for pure love Of the sport. He
also cavorted through this quaint con-
ccit with an air of quiet enjoyment
that proved infectious.
Throughout a sea of alliterative alIu-
siOns not d single member of the com
pany made any reference to PUN,
pun, kim. kin. pie. pie. spells pump
kin PIE. This in itself was noteworthy
achievement
Leaving Mr.. Hopper's weII-known
''impromptu' speech and Casey at the
Bat out Of the question. The Pied
Piper is still one of the brightest
cleaueSt. and livcliest musical shows
seen in Washington this season.
Has Tabloid Plot
The plot. like the pumpkin pie. was
highly COmmendable for it's absence
after the first ten minutes. That first
scene fairly tcemcd with plot. II came
as a distinct shock to d capacity house
OF pleasure seekers who had not pre-
pared to play n heavy thinking part
Little Miss Poetry read from an open
book enough plot to last all evening
and the effects were not dispeUed until
De Wolf Hopper himself. Ia the Piper.
broke away from conference with the
man In the moon, and took charge of
the arrangements.
The funniest thing about this Hopper
person is, that he seems TO enjoy max
inE believe and appears all the while,
TO be having the time Of his life. His
curious antics do not seem TO hurt q bit
and when he sits down to sing a few
nursery rhymes with COterie of kid
dies. not Dutch thank goodness. the
audience becomes a minor CUnsidera-
ton.
But Hopper, that is De Wolf. well. no
matter for YOU just can't abbreviate
It, De Wolf Hopper is not the whole
show. Not long after he drops from
the moon to give a little local color 70
the fairyland project trio sails i'm on
a alrship to bring the piece strictly up
TO date John Peachev can sing But
he can do that in the dark, SO the spot
light Is generally turned on Miss Mabel
Mordaunt. who can look exceedingly
winsome and dance and hold her own
in the vocal stakes Miss Florence
Nash, as Lizzy Dizzy, relieved the Lord
High Comedian at various intervals and
handed out a choice assortment OF slang
that would make George AIDE sit up and
take notes.
Some Oldest Inhabitants.
Among the charter members Of the
Oldest Inhabitants Association OF the
City OF Innocence were The Official Ad-
visor end the Official Reminder. Official
ly neither of these courtiers vas or his
job. for The Piper should have been ad-
Nlsed that this pair reminded one too
clearly Of The MikadO." This omis-
sion can he overlooked since il might
have results ian their dismissal and no
one wanted 10 see them 90.
Another source Of meTriment was the
Board Of Alderman played by ". l.
ROmaine- The board proved 10 be an
aCed person who had evidently also
been Bored Of Education II an early
StaEe-that NAV 10 q very sad attempt
bur THE Pied Piper is made UP Of
just such punk pUns that seem funny
when not on paper.
In the fun OF The Pied Piper there
is very little that IS stage worn. . The
jokes are as nearly new a joke can
lie in these critical times, and the fun
making never desCends 10 the sembIance
Of horse play.