The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-22
THE COLUMBIA.
De Wolf Hopper in "The Matinee
Idol"

De Wolf Hopper in "The Matinee
Idol"
After the fall of the curtain on the last
act OF THE MatineeI diol' at the CO.
lumbia last evening. one might have been
pardoned for paraphrasing Francois VII
Ions BIT of verse; and saying, Where
are the favorites of yesterday" For
with Wilson playing straight parts, Sam
Bernard in semi-serious roles. and now
De Wolf Hopper. our old friend of
Wang and ''El Captain" making his
entrance In a plain business suit. and
without any Of the makeup remembered,
one is at loss TO find where all the old
favorites have gone.
Hopper IN a modern part, dressed in
evening clothes and singing sentimental
songs. seems about as inconguous and
strange as IT would be to see the Melan-
eholy Dane strut forth and break into
one OF the popular ditties OF the day
But it is, nevertheless. so. In THE Matt
nee Idol' Hopper has forsaken all his old
20 - anu HIS iaAAtoolit NVStAilESs anu
gives the audience a chance, for the first
time, TO see him as he really is. 1t was
something of a shoe. but after they get
over it, It is a very pleasant one. indeed
and It didn't take them long to get over
it, either.
The scene Of the latest song comedy"
of the elongated star is a girls seminary
in the northern part of France. and the
action of the play gives Hopper plenty of
opportunity to show that. even Il he has
discarded some Of his old methods, he has
lost none of his old ability to make the
audience laugh with him, not entirely at
him. as they used to do sometimes.
Indeed. his hypnotism skit at the end Of
the first act was clever enough and fun
ny enough TO rank with the best things
that he has ever done-nO matter in what.
The manner in which he handles his pa
tient, who really is not sick at all, and
the way he imposes on the others make
a scene that VIII be remembered chiefly
for the tired feeling that one had after it
was all over from laughing so much.
Instead of the list of entirely comic
songs that the star has formerly been
supplied with, he has two in this piece
that border dangerously close on the
sentimental They are the Hypnotic
Waltz number and Let Me Build a
Nest for You" Besides these. he has two
Of the older variety, Nonsense" and
Autographs" each of them interspersed
with puns and wit OF a rather high av-
erage
In casting aside his old roles. Mr.. Hop
per evidently took a resolution TO do
away with the famous Hopper brand
Of petite leading ladies and instead en-
gagged leading man who is smaller than
Edna Wallace Hopper or Marguerite
Clark ever were George Mack is his
name, and he is born comedian. His
lines are not many, but he makes every
one TELL and the droll way in which he
uses his eyes and mouth convulsed the
audience during the times that they were
songs which he did very cleverly indeed,
The Dancing Banshee" and She's the
Only Girl for Me"
The part of Mrs. Burton, the woman
with whom the actor was formerly IN
love and whom he promptly loves again,
fell TO Harriet Burt, who will be remeui-
bered for her work in Algeria" last Sc a
son. She fills the part admirably. and
her dance following her songs, Tn
Looking for a Husband" and Loving
Loving Time" were especially well done.
The remainder Of the company was ex-
cellent, but particular notice should be
given Joseph Santley. If only for mis-
dance in The Ragtime Barn Dance" IN
| deed, it is seldom that company car
/ dance so uniformly well-frOm the star
to the last chorus girl. they are all ex-
tremely light on their feet, and combine
to make the evenings entertainment d
very pleasant one