Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-23
THE CAST

MISS Bean OF Boston LIhutCo - pAh
Miss West of San Francisco -. =,
..................... Myrtle Dingwall
Miss Trust of New York Ella hearney
Buster Browns
Misses Carmen Phillips, Lillian Morris, Claire
Bauman, Edith Stevens, Erna Fischer, Kitty
Windsor Chorus of seaside girls, male VS.
itOrs, bathing girls.
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
The best cure for that Glyn feeling is
a heaping tablespoonful of musical
comedy, and that is what the Princess
theater company is labelling out at the
Mason this week-the opening of their
twenty-one days engagement here.
"Piff, Paff, Pouf'' was beginning to fit
into the traces more smoothly last
night, and by the second act those
pellucid melodies which whistle their
way into your heart without the eIlort
of memorizing them began to shape
themselves around what ought to be
the best show in town, and will be with
a little attention to a few still loose
ends.
Parodying August Melons definition
of a trust, this merry entertainment
may be called small body of plot en-
tirely surrounded by chorus glHls. ana
first honors certainly must go to that
chorus All motion, smiles and grace
In the big ensemble numbers, 1t backed
I'm the less uniformly pleasing work of
the principals in a loyal, disciplined
way that was a delight to eye and ear.
The chorus that can act as well as
dance is a rarity among travelling
shows, and the present productlon owes ,e
more to this gay little bevy of beauties
than to any other single factor In Its
success.
Piffle the Unkissed, who has fem
initis. was fairly well handled by James
F. Stevens, whose solo, My Treasure,
broke the ice of a rather frigid aud
fence in the second act. A better I'M
personator is Budd Ross, with ms snllle
that somehow suggests luscious
wedge of apple pie. He sang Lutte" to
a rolling accompaniment OF Dutch las
sizes in that familiar walrus dance
which is currently reported 10 nave
been made in Germany, and read palms
like an expert.
Fred Mace of the cavernous mouth
makes a somewhat fatter Pouffle than
the merry traditions of the role require,
and to decently bury him would need O
bigger sand pile than that on exhibl-
tion. His opening song, The Ghost
That Never walked is one of the best
Ivrics in ten years of musical comedy
offerings. 1t needs more snap ana go
than he gave 1t last night. Delioera-
tion spoils it-especially in the encores.
Miss barnett gave 1t the proper erect
in the finale to the first act, and the
combined efforts Of the big company at
tbe last fairly did 1t justice. Mr.. Mace
s+r,1ck his gait in I'm So Happy" and
was f1nnier at each recall. His curtain
speech is better than most OF Its kind
which we can understand, and wish we
couldn't. X,,..,,,.
ola ssic beginning 'I don't care for your
wurzburger" with fine expression, ana
was fairly winded with repetition of
"Cordelia Malone, " with its swinging,
oreensga rbed sextet. Mr.. Phoenix made
one of the few recognizable reporters
have ever seen on the stage,
May Boley looked and acted Wen III
the second act and did some clever
tyn,,, r1iT as mimic. But the real fem
inine laurels belong to Zoe Barnett. A
Good singing voice is not among the
possessions of this charming actress,
hut what she has goes as tar as II
dares. and a svelte figure and captivat-
ing personality helped 1t out in dolly
Dimples" and 1.-THE Goo Goo Tree"
both of which won recalls.
"Piff Paff, Pour is good, tome L LuIl'
that sends you out of the playhouse
whistling its tunes and chuckling over
it's honest comedy. 1t will be followed
bv ''Peggy from Paris and The I'm
pire." the latter concluding the princess
cmpany's engagement.
Every drama critic in town ought to
he grateful to Sidney Grant the Los
Angeles theater monologist this week.
far he has given us a capital answer
+o +he managerial thrust that 1t is
easier to criticise a play than Write
1T know a good painting when |
see one," says Sidney, "and yet l can I
paint a stroke Impossible, you say?
I also know a bad egg when l nave TO-
yet I never laid one"
Grant tells some we'll selected stories
and tells them well. He doesn't de-
pend for his success on makeup or
eccentricities, but on sheer Wit
The other acts on the bill range from
GOOD to fair. The Elite Four present
a versatile musical number ana Miller
and Tempest-who are interesting
newly weds-combine comedy, music
and somersaulting in happy domestlc
harmony, the bridegroom doing some
strenuous tnmbling in trousers whlch
gives the lie to his businesslike ngure,
which appears rather that of the
prosperous bank clerk than the rough
and tumble athlete.
Miss Zay Holland plays the violin
correctly, but with little eInotloilal APP
neal. il seemed to me. De Butz and
Tossel need a line of live comedy bad
ly In their cycle act. a leW ol lheil
tricks are Improvements on the STOCK
repertoire of the stage cyclist. The
Bovyerscope shows good brand OF
twinkling photography.
Oliver Morosco still is awaiting
Charles Frohman's permission for VIII
liam Collier to come to the coast. Mr..
Collier has cabled Mr.. Frohman, his
manager, who is in Europe. If his re-
quest is granted he probably will open
in 1.-THE Patriot" July IL.
John w. Burton of the Burbank stock
company will go east on a vacation trip
next month. He expects to be away SIX
weeks, returning by September l.
Henry Stockbridge will play Francis
Wilson'S role in when Knights Were
Rold' at the Burbank next week. The
c-tl----.-- -. LII Ia t,.n I, 9 fol.tnd u