The Washington herald., 1909-11-14
THE THEATER IN NEW YORK
New Theater Too Vast for Immediate Enjoyment.
Few Novelties for the Week

OF the wicked resorts supported by tour
fists in the French capital. 1t was pos
sible for me to see within single week
performances entitled Gay Parasites. "
Girls OF the Moulin Rouge" Queens OF
the Jardin de Paris" Girls of the Bou-
levardes," Gay Grisettes," Coy Cocot-
ties, French Folliettes," and Partisan
Widows" In some cases those names
! belonged TO the companies and in others
TO the plays. Ny hard fob covered the
afternoons and evenings Of four days and
took me to the ends OF Bronx and Queens
boroughs, for I went only 70 burlesques
! branded French, as I was finding out
whether the labels meant anything.
In the first OF these eight shows a scene
In a notorious Paris restaurant had one
/ truth 20 It's credit although not by artls-
/ tic design, for some singing and dancing
cocottes, as chic as the genuine, were
/ rollicking with American visitors; but
/ they were not tourists, but the usual
/ Yankee zap, German Eawk, Irish idiot
/ anu Jewish jay Of our bUrlesQue. There
was variant dude, though. for after his
/ effeminacy had been used I'm WORKOUT
/ ways that tickle the multitude, but sick
en- me, he suddenly developed the courage
( and muscle 10 do up his tormentors. The
/ audience was struck dumb by that de-
parture from burlesque standards and for
| awhile watched it in ominous silence; but
/ when the strengthened weakling from
New York knocked out a gigantic French
/ cop. parquet and gallery united in loud
/ acclaim
Improvement I'm BurIesaue.
a real improvement in burlesque is
wrought by a transfer-through purchase
not theft-of scenes that have served Their
purpose in musical farces. This second
7 hand material is much better than the
stun made originally for these cheaT
shows-thats Of course: but there is &
surprise I'm the cleverness Of the presen.
: tation. Apparently the show girls OF bur.
lesque are much more apt than tn,
Chump comedians who accompany then
! and need nothing else than expert direc
ton to be comparable with the siren!
who are petted i'm Broadway.
For example. the Partisan Widows
start out with a stageful OF young WON
en- I'm black gloves and black stockings a.
long as the limbs they encase. Thos,
lengths Of jet arms and legs presumabl,
stand for the widowhood mentioned II
the bills, while the figures as a whole arr
reminiscent Of the times when femal
minstrels were nicknamed chair-warm
ers, but were inert enough 90 engende
frost rather than heat They go through
! the spell OF first disclosure with all tn
| inanimate st0lidty Of Amazous in IN
marches Of Tho Black Crook" I an
discouraged and I browse. Further aloni
| in Fun in a Department Store" though
l am wakened by something familiar. ]
! Is a scene from "rhe Girl Behind th
Counter one OF the expensive and pros
porous musical farces Of the season be
| fore last in Broadway
A Translated Scene.
DO my eyes and ears deceive me? Is /
a delusion? Here are three Of the I'm
pudently supine creatures OF the coars
opening stunts doing real acting as tn
shoppers who have trouble with an anna
teur salesman at the soda fountain. Di
YOU see It when Lew Fields was tina
blunderer. and Connie Ediss. a celebrit.
from London. was the woman who, belni
dosed with whisky in the carbonic hzz
! had an hysterical Jag and went OF
screaming? Wen. here are the pair o
modish shoppers who match by colore
ribbons the sirups they want. and do
with the air Of the original couple Of Ten
derloin favorites. and I braced mysel
for a slump when the Connie Ediss OF III
incident strikes into the action But tn
fun doesn't go TO pieces. The bill saws
is a Mae Frank who holds 10 I'D remark
ably like Connie. Some one was sent b.
the sellers OF the material 20 teach he
and the two others how 20 use It. an
the superior ductility Of woman does IN
rest for the Lew Fields substitute M IN
soda fountain is dull and heavy as lead
Managers OF bUlesque evidently be
lieve that their public demands indecency
In this department store woman
stood on a stool 10 be measured for
corset by two men whose jokes are vile
and 20 a rustic in quest Of chiny figger
IS shown, by pulling aside the courtain O
an alcOve. a succession Of women pose
IN imitation Of naked statuary. but wit
no Illusion Of art In all the eight show,
however, I find no more foulness than
single one might have contained ten o
fifteen years ago. While the promise q
things from Paris is not kept with nea
French deviltries. no more is II realize
In a French access Of nastiness. IN short
10 a clergyman were 10 make his frs
visit now 10 a burlesque show he woul
be shocked by its coarse seusuality. an
an art critic would be paralyzed by I'll
crudity; yet. all the same, I compare il
average with the former muck and &c
an impression Of tolerable merit and n
atrocious immortality.
= FRANKLIN FYTrs