The Washington times., 1910-03-01
"A Prince of Bohemia" Puts
Him Under Handicap
at Start.
SECOND FAVORITE
is LEADING LADY
Miss Christie Macdonald CHEEKY
When Most Needed-ChOruS
Strong Feature.
By 7. R. HILDEBRAND.

Andrew Mack and Miss Christie Mac
Donald alternately entertained a large
audience at the Belasco Theater last
evening in spite Of "A Prince of Bo-
hemia," described as a new musical
play in two acts"
Toward the end or the performance
It really wasn't so bad as all that,
though the first hour OF so deserves a
harder knock. The show earned great
credit for weatherlng the early shoals,
but the authors hadn't any business
putting the performance and Andrew
Mack under such a handicap at the get
away.
The book that J. Hartley Manners
wrote has a good enough plot, one that
has been tried a number Of times and
found satisfactory, and If he would Gull
the extraneoUs dialogue of the first act
il would be vastly improved. The story
deels with a young American heiress
whose father took her abroad 70 for
set q native-born suffer and gave her
every eucoUra cement to accept a title
with a foreigner thrown in. That af-
forded Andrew Mack, as her American
sweetheart. a chance 10 disguise him
self as a waiter. a foreign nobieman,
ard also 10 wear evening dress. When
he reached the last stage the light be-
hind the big yellow spot in the curtain
was turned on and ne sang Go Way,
AIistah Noon" one of his own compo-
sltions II turned out that he was
more popular composer than A. Bald
win Sloane. who wrote the rest OF the
music.
Mack's Good Songs.
The star had the best of the songs
throughout the evening One number,
called by the title Of the piece, gave
his voice a poor JTy-Out. but he won
after masterful battle with a siege
Of top-notch notes, and made up for it all
when he reached Correspondence. a
duet with petite Miss Macdonald. The
same pair contributed Just a Little
Bit of Harmony" and Mr.. Mack round
ed out his repertoire with a suite OF
burlesques on Italian songs.
The biggest non-Mack hit was made
by Harold Crane and the chorus in
''shandon Bellies"
Mex appeared las night without
breaking the child labor law by so much
as ore lone "kiddie," and Jared very
well without them. He seems TO have
arrived al the De Wolf Hopper stage
Of taking himself a bit seriously. and
WASH I grotesquely made up. even as
a waiter. He hasn't vet become a
graceful dancer, and some OF his vOcaI
numbers would be improved by the
omission of that feature
Miss Christie Macdonald, who came
In without ostentation 10 the tune OF
Dollars and Debutantes' was SC
CHEEKY, even through the worst mo.
ments Of the early evening. that she
Won over theaterfuI OF hearts and
Kept them captive until the curtain fell
ne duGlence reJOlCed with her IL
Gentle River her most ambitious vo.
cal number, and syn'pathlzed In two
others, which did not 90 quite so we'll
Without any marked vocal ability OF
pronounced agility as a dancer. she man.
blue, or disguised in trousers as q
London Chappie-
Miss Lawrence's Brogue.
Miss Georgie Lawrence was a1so q
.avorite, though her Irish brog,le. Xix,
Mack's- was said TO be. was com.
piled from seventeen countries. And III,
Irish wasn't responsible for "Hand-kf
CHIEF and other curious pronuncia.
tons. at that
It's hats OF. though. TO that IA n
working and deserving chorus TIeL
had been carefully trained nv Ned W.
burn who arranged the novel ensembles
rnanr4
70 hold the stage alone in "Sensa+fons
Iommy. The number WAS one OF IN,
best in the show. ''-'
The male members Of the cast die
played a cheerful optimism aTC,,t C rs
suits and didn't work overland Tho,
may nave been discourage by a 0ueei
assignment Of roles that Included al
the stage types well known 10 bur
lesque. even 10 a Scotland Yard detec.
tive. The bull dog played his part wiz
consistency.
Finally, little Miss NIaudie Rro,-
shculd stick TO whistling She doe
that well and the audience couldnr
hear whether she was singlDg T ell n,
not 0'' y