Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-12
Belasco.

y capacity audience that would have
been more than satisfactory in point Of
numbers for a grand opera performance
enjoyed The Midnight Sons" at the
Belasco Theater last evening. This latest
Lew Fields production is billed as "a
musical moving picture in eight films
! 1t is. and more. for it runs the gamut
of comedy, high and low; comic oepra
musical comedy, vaudeville and spectacle
with the chain-lishtning rapidity of a
moving picture machine. This double
Barrelled action of the eight films and
the originality of their staging covers up
admirably the few defects noticeable
the weakness of the female voices in the
chorus and the lack of real prima
donna.
THE Midnight Sons" are four young
men who. 1t is pleasant to note, having
| lights. are striving to reform" in a left
handed fashion. In this respect-and
. indeed in every other-the show is clean
and free from what might be anticipated
from its name and it's long run on Broad
way The father of the four sons has
become tired of their extravagances and
on the eve of his departure for a year
and half of travel gives each of
them large sum of money with the
threat that unless at least one of them
doubles his allotment by the time he re-
turns. all four will nc disinherited.
iHiS. However. in noWisc disconcerts
the boys. one. opens a shoe store. and
another establishes thcatcr for a
reiSning footlight queen. Both lose.
But the other two have opened a hotel
In Florida for millonaircs. and they
make paying venture out of it. not
by good ma ma cement. but by employing
tho first two brothers bellboys.
whose tips amount to over five hundred
a day Such is the plot. which can he
remembered or forgotten, AS one de-
sires.
entatiou of series of stage novelties
The farewell banquet to the senator.
the interior of the Merri Murray The
alter the widely advertised spectacle
of mimic theater complete, looking
from the stage) and the Honeymoon
express. showing the observation plat
form of a Pullman speeding along over
the rails, are stage pictures that COM
pei by their sheer magnitude of concep-
ition.
George Monroe as Pansy Burns-of
be that as il may fame-haS retained
enough of his old act and added a suf-
ficient amount of new material To con-
vulse the audience in the same old
style. Gus Baci. as wine agent who
has succumbed to his own wares is ir
resistible in his pantommic spasms.
while Harry Fisher, as Dick. one of the
sons. is rough and-ready comedian
who wins applause.
Maude Lambert essays the role origi-
mated by Blanche Ring in the New York
production and is especially acceptable in
her rendition of Rings On My Fingers"
Though she may not have known it, her
task of persuadng a Belasco audience TO
join in the refrain with her was easy
one and her success in so doing speaks
for itself. Clara Palmer, no longer sylph-
like is heard to best advantage as Merri
Murray in THE Soubrettes Secret and
Carmen the Second Two of the best
songs in the show are MY FREELY
Lady" and 1.-The Cynical Owl" by prin-
cipa!s and chorus, with additional stage
business that makes them go with
VIM Linden Beckwith sings True Blue
and Florence Martin Little Mary Gard
nerS.
Gladys Moore and Maize King are toe
dancers of merit, though just why the
former should deem it wise to initiate
Genee, even to personal appearance and
mannerisms. IS not evident. for she seems
capable of winning applause as herself
One of the very best numbers on the
entire bill is the Marvellous Millers In
whirlwind dance.