The Washington times., 1909-10-27
Plot Embalmed After First
Act and Carefully Laid
Away.
MISS DRESSER HIT
EXCEPT IN SONGS
New Shubert Production Suffers by
Lack of Principals Who
Can Sing.
By 7. R. HILDEBRAND.

A brand new way of disposing OF the
old plot difficulty in a musical comedy
has been found. It was exploited last
evening in THE Golden Widow at the
Belasco Theater.
The recipe is this. Serve the plot up
with very little musical dressing for the
drst hour. Then wrap it carefully, don't
leave any loose bits lying about, throw
It overheard. let it drift, and forget
It! This leaves the deck clear for the
real business Of the evening, music. fun,
and dancing. And you can keep these
going until late hour
We confess 1t had US all guessing for
a while. All the complications were
happily unraveled at the end Of the
first act and we weren't quite sure that
It wasn't all over. But the program
said there was more, and most OF US
were glad that we stayed.
II took hustling, though, to get the
plots affairs closed up. Occasionally
we rubbed our eyes to see whether the
name of George Cohan was not among
the half dozen other contributors TO
the music and the book The nrst scene
was in a railroad station, which gave
ample excuse for coming and going.
And they came and went in pel NELL
procession that ended in big noise
when Miss Louise Dresser was blown
ed steam.
Miss Dresser Welcome.
No one but the authors expected Miss
Dresser to sing. She had four songs
and the audience forgave them because
they were glad to have her there. Miss
Dresser Is ''The Golden Widow In
the matter of costumes she bids fair
10 Guido Lillian Russell. She could be
depended upon TO appear in new dress
every few minutes whether the scene
happened in a railway station, in Count
NOlnais apartment or IN the Elysium
Cafe Chantant
Alexander Clark hadn't much excuse
10 be funny, but he found chances and
redeemed large barren wastes by MS
Foy-iike humor. Miss Connie Ediss
came and went during the first act
but she was forgotten by the authors
and did not come into her own until
she sang Vicente and Widgie, in the
second act Her extended dialogues
with Alexander Clark bore the ear
marks OF imprOmptu dialogues OF two
parlor entertainers and when the cut
ting begins the manager can hack very
was the one best bet Of the perform
bnce.
Synopsis Of Plot.
The plot, which was handled so expe-
ditiousIy, centers around the widows eff
forts 10 marry Count Volnai This mar
riage was imposed upon her in her late
husbands will. Unfortunately the
counts valet happened 10 be masquer-
AIDING in his masters clothes when she
arrived After this matter had been
Strengthened out the performance took
on the form of a musical extravaganza
The second act was a succession OF
songs and speeialties- The best Of me
latter were those by Dorothy Webb,
Irene Dillon, Harry Clark, and Wilmer
Bentley. Nh. Clark sustained an injured
nose in his last number. but the accident
occurred in a good cause. Rag Time
Land.
The early acquisition Of one or two
more singing voices is necessary. The
Shuberts have provided a magnificent
setting in three Of the four scenes The
stage effects are novel The unale OF
the first act is original and very often
the perfOrmace breaks away from the
beaten path
with a little more attention paid 70 the
musical feature, The Golden Widow
Should succeed.