Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-06

August Dinglebender, Long Island
truckfarmer, with dreamy dispo-
sitl0n. ....-.....-.. Max VI. Dll
j. BilkingtOn Holmes, a real estate
boomer, with the plans of an ideal
city. 49,. ........... sidney dc Grey
Henry Peck, city fiat dweller. .......
................. Carlton CHASE
Willie Peck, his restless offspring
a. ~. DuueaI
Old Man Platt, relic. $500. Harris Mcguire
Big Bill Hawkins. farm hand
Observation-Disclosures. Richard Stanton
Nancy, Dinglebender's daughter. the
belle of Malaria Center. Olga Stech
Maria sDinslebender, his wife, with
energy for two. ........ Maybelle Baker
Amanda Boggs. "the help" at the,
Dinglebender farm. Adelaide HarlaDd
Mrs. Henry Peck, with alleged society
connections. s................D Doris Wi,sen
Mabel. ...-.......-....... .IydIa crane
Maude. ,.-........-......... -kubie Lesle
GLADYS. Jennie MetzleT
Her daughters
Villagers, Summer Boarders, Farmers, etc
Il BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
You find yourself laughing like one
hysterical hyena, and you ask yourself
the reason why. There is nothing re-
motely resembling wit in either situa-
tion or lines. To call it humor is TAX
ing liberties with the English language.
your mother tongue and the way it's
done. You get to thinking how fool
ish it is, and then, carelessly, you
laugh. It's easy and you keep on.
Pretty quick the human stepladder
kicks the cheerful chap with the moon
face in the imitation, and you Shrek
as if you were paid to do it. And
about that time you are past all hope.
For you are watching Kolb and Dill.
The long and the short of it is that
human beings, of whom 1 always had
believed myself q rational unit until
I first saw Kolb and Dill, are an ir-
rational unity in acting like lunatics
over the absurd and the grotesque. The
middle ages satisfied their yearnings
after the frantic and the outlandish
by carving gargoyles. We have the
will but not the artistic compulsion.
We go to a crazy show, and laugh.
And if the performance be as clean
and wholesome as was the greater
part of Dream City" which reopened
the Majestic last night, we may apollo
gize to our intellects when we manage
to pick up the fragments of them, but
our emotional equilibrium has suffered
a hygienic restoration.
The last sentence sounds like Dilrs
speech of the second act, but it is
true, nevertheless And it may serve
TO emphasize the state of general
frenzy in which the return visit of
California's favorite German come
dians left one who tries to take the
drama seriously and usually succeeds.
1t was healthy lunacy and it left one
wondering why so many musical
comedies, which aim to be clever and
fail, are not content to succeed merely
in being boisterously imbecile-it
seems so easy.
The principal objection to Dream
City" as seen last night-apart from
Ats length, which is utterly unwieldy-
is in the foreword accrediting it to
Edgar Smith and Victor Herbert.
Smith may be discerned, at infrequent
intervals, crouching timidly amid the
interpolated dialogue and specialties,
but precious little of the music Is
recognizable as that of the composer
of ssBabes in Toyland" and ut Hap
of the songs, and some of the best of
them, are of recent launching. They
do not need to sail under false colors
to come into the port of public ap-
prova1.
Another flaw is the ensemble work,
which needs a great deal of drilling to
reach the precision and perfection one
expects of a we'll balanced musical
show. The opening number last night
barely got started, and there were
dilatory symptoms in some of the
succeeding ones. The entire first act
dragged noticeably at times and needs
a considerable amount of revamping
before the week is much older. The
second act went with a better degree
of vim. Costumes and chorus are ae-
ceptable as to looks, and mingle agree
ably in the dancing numbers. The
business is not so funny as 1.-THE Poll
ticians,'' but that, perhaps, was high
water mark in the output Of the Kolb
and Dill factory.
| should have to invent too much if
I attempted to outline a plot for
"Dream City" so let that pass. This is
criticism, not creation. And Kolb and
Dill never were comedians, properly
speaking, but buffoons, in the best and
truest sense They make you laugh, as
aforesaidS 1t is not their business to
tell you why they make you laugh.
Leave that to the psychologists. You
might not be flattered If you knew.
The company is a better acting ag-
gregation than that with which the
Two aTonics visited US earlier in the
wear. although still far below the gen
eraI average of the late lamented
Morosco musical squad in that regard.
Sidney de Grey, who could twinkle
conically in a much better assortment
of lines than any his part afforded him
last night, is still in harness. Carlton
Chase, A. e. Duncan, Richard Stanton,
Olga Stech and Maybelle Baker are
other holdovers, of whom the latter two
at least justify their retentlon. Miss
Stech has gained greatly in assurance
and grace since her debut last May,
and her songs were about the best
musical feature of the new piece. Miss
Baker, as usual, works hard, and gets
less chance than her abilities merit.
OF the newcomers, Boyd Marshall
made a pleasing impression, and Ade-
laide Harland, in sort of Sis Hopkins
comedy part. dispensed some valid
mirth at times Doris Wilson has a
sweet voice which Is insufficient in
volume for the exacting demands made
on 1t in the pretty song. NEED You.
Honey" but which won several recalls.
Miss Crane, Miss Leslie and Miss Metz
Ter wore fetching gowns and endowed
three roles of utter nullity with charms
of face and figure.
The song hit of the piece last night
was made on its sheer merit as a
lyric-the Foolish fQuestions" which
Ko1b answered with beftting acumen.
The Troubadours' entrance and dance
was a sprightly and pleasing number,
hampered as it was by the unsatisfac-
tory work of the orchestra.
In itself "Dream City" last night ap-
peared TO be pretty ordinary stuff. In
the hands of the Philosophic Beanpoie
ana the Frolicsome Pumpkin ii became
a thing to cOnjure with. Personally.
happen to like both the Beanpole and