The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-29

NEW YORK, May ga week OF
IN IulI in new plays of import
ance between serious winter
dramas stop and frivolous summer
comedy start, gives time and space
for a look at burlesque. That is the
name given, as you know, to the hun
bred touring shows that blend vaude-
Vile and musical farce in theatres
used for nothing else. New York has
seventeen such houses of mirth scat
tered through its five boroughS- They
equal the average of the dramatic
houses in size, style and sites; and as
week, the people who sit in them
would count up to full 10000 every
day.
Men predominant in the evenings
especially and many smoke, 80 that
the atmosphere is as tainted as the
reputation of the entertainments,
which retain some OF The ill-falne OF
the old-time female minstrelsy that
generated them a long time age. That
is not deserved generally in New
York The moral average of the low
price bUrlesque is not below that Of
the high-rate musical farces. Coarse
ness and crudity are common in
them, bit outright indecency is
scarce. Then, too, the better shows
are outfitted in fair imitation OF
good musical farce. which they re-
semble more and more every year.
The Improvement is appreciate in
weather jOrneys. They don't break
the sandwich habit of two slices of
farce with specialties between; but
there is a tendency to more of form
and plot in the plays, less of imprO-
p-iety and in some cases a distinct
gain in eOherency.
''The Good Samaritan
For example, 1.-The Good Samari-
tain" contains what, I think, you will
like as a humorous anecdOte by itself
quite apart from its illustration of up
ward progress in burlesque. That il
was derived from the French is mani
fest; that the original was foul is
sure, too; but the American adapta-
ton is closer TO clean than many
farces transferred from Paris to New
York more pretentiously. The good
Samaritan has a mania, or malady fol
helping unlucky people He takes
hungry men and women to dine at hi:
house. One OF them is a girl who
tainted in his arms She has forgot
ten who she is, where she lives, and
IN a general way all proper names, in
an attack of amnesia. He has given
his room to her when his wife
comes back from a journey. She
thinks she has caught him in fragrant
hypocrisy and VOWS she will get a di-
vorce.
The ullucky philanthropist and q
friend wear themselves out in vain
endeavor to discover the identity OF
the woman. She vaguely remembers
that she has a husband, and thinks
she sees him pass the window. The
men drag this person into the house
only to find he is a pugilist. who be-
heves they are rObbing him and
thrashes them to get free When hel
true husband discovers her, and nat
uraliy thinks she is there on an es-
capade, the Samaritan gets into a row
all round. He is beaten by her hus-
band, also by her admirer, and final
~ he finds himself obliged to keey
her with him for charity's sake He
doesn't know how to get out of it
but his friend advises him that, a:
they are thought to be guilty WheF
innocent. it is up to them to declare
themselves guilty in order to b'
thought innocent. So he and tn,
woman say they were lovers. Inme.
diately the friends words are verified
The husband claims his wife; the Sa.
maritan's wife begs her husband Il
forgive her for suspecting him unjust
~; and as he has never ceased to love
her, he gladly takes her back. Al
that is funny in the play without Of
tense; which is a merit mark for bur.
lesque.
IN the case of 1.-The Maiden Wife,
the source is Partisan beyond doubt
although located in Atlantic City A
bride of six months is still on heI
honeymoon trip, because her husband
won't end il until she loves him
which she declares she can't do ana
doesn't wish to. That is putting il