The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-07-03
THINGS DOING IN GOTHAM
BY FRANKLIN FYLEs,

Bessie Clayton Mitchell. the eccentric
dancer. brings a suit for divorce on
account OF a woman In the present
show or course. that made folks
look for Mrs. Mitchell on the first
night.
A considerable portion OF this show
is or the stage, anyway. The chorus
girls throng up from the story below
several times In garb less modest than
their street suits at their entrance, and
sing their way to the stage. The cho-
rus men. too. come out among the
people often During an intermission
a calithumpian band in absurd make
up. with nondescript musical instru-
ments. march around and through the
auditorium. The action on the stage
is Interrupted frequently by mock au-
ditors.
A solo singers voice breaks at a
high note, and a fine tenor voice at
the left Of the parquet rises to u
easily. At the next verses failure a
woman in an aisle seat sends the note
aloft I'm excellent soprano. BY this
time YOU don't know whom TO suspect.
and wouldn't be surprised II the man
next you were to stand suddenly on
his head. or the girl at your other side
so pirouetting and kicking away over
the footlights.
s.FoIIIes OF 1910"
In Paris "Follies Of 1910" would be
called "A revue because, with no plot
Of its own, u gives raps and whacks
at the successful incidents OF the pre-
ceding year. Apache dancing is wildly
caricatured. So IS the dope habit OF
''The City and Madam X" Also.
Mayor Gaynor's censorship Of thea
tres. Governor Hughes exclusion Of
betting. the stOp-over at Reno for di-
vorces and the hurrah home for
Roosevelt. Then. too, Rockefeller
Morgan and Carnegie figure as patrons
OF actresses. The sirenic aspects Of
stage life are shown by eighteen Anna
Held show girls. The mountings are
exceedingly costly.
II is a sensuous play. It is salaciOus
Not to hear. but to see. Its wOmen's
dress is often undress. DecOrOus
slSirtings are scarce and immodest
trOuserings plenty. Semblances OF
baroness are illusory. You want the
plain truth from me. don't your The
hens legs and pullets' in THE Chanti-
cleer'' travesty are girls I'm shape and
tint. While the hands OF the swing
ers cling TO the ropes. the feet kick at
the ends OF wicked legs. The fem
mime divers in a seaside scene wear
such surf suits as they wouldn't dare
TO really. The extreme indecorum I'M
ashamed is reached in a stageful OF
modish bellies assembled to welcome
Roosevelt home. They are CARRIED for
ball In the former presidents well
come. The bodices are plates not so
low as the fashion warrants. The
skirts are long and voluminous. But
-well--Oh that a fashion writer sat
beside me nowi
The waists-bodies-m best guess
is corsages-stoD where they ought to
In front at an ornamental buckle Be
low that spot the draperies are slit to
let out one or tother OF the ladv's pink
complexion legs into full-length pub
iicity at every step. And there seemed
on the opening night to be no doubt
that The Follies Of 1910" wouldn't
tickle the fools Of 1910 nightly.
one scene I'm the play would be con-
gruous I'm a circus. Eight girls SIT IN
swings az the front Of the stage. They
nutter prettily with nufy frOcks as.
pushed from behind by mimic lovers.
they ny out across the fOotlights over
the heads Of the spectators in the from:
two or three rows OF the parquet A
ninth girl has a swing at the center
above the others. and she sings abouf
the delights Of aerial flights while the
eight join in n chorus. At each verse
Of her song the one up top oscillates
further beyond the proscenium arch
until In the numerous enc0res. she
reaches the center OF the auditorium.
Her swing IS hung from a trolley that
projects her. seemingly unsupported.
into space as airily as though in
aeroplanc. Tricky lights and shadows
made the sight illusory and spectacu-
lar
THE Follies Of 1910" Is repiete and
incohercnt with things as odd as that
II IS a show and not a play. The pro-
gram says Harry 3. Smith Is the au-
thor. The manuscript would be.
fancy. only one-third words to speak.