Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-09

lenting even when Death reaches out
its hand, Stark does at all times just
what one expects. Mr.. Landau never
faltered or failed and made his part
stand out in bold relief.
There are two women in the play.
One is the Indian squaw, Alluna, por-
trayed by Louise Royce, and the other
Necia, the supposed half-breed acted
by Marjorie Rambeau. Miss Royce
gave a most artistic presentation. Her
makeup and her general demeanor
were far above usual stock company
efforts.
There is too much artificial romance
about Necia, hence Miss Rambeau
cannot make the character one of her
stepping stones to greatness. The
charm of her personality and her deli
cate gradations from grave to gay are
not sufficient to make the spectator
ioyful for the character. The delicious
naivete and the artless guilelessness
of the girl are lost in sudden reversals
to inherent hardness of heart and mar
rowness of psychological poise. We
are thankful for Marjorie Rambeau,
but not for Necia.
Those who took "The Merry Widow
and 1.-The Devir' seriously should go
performance of Kolb and Dilfs bur
lesque offering, 1.-The Merry Widow
and the Devil" Estimates and view
points will be changed rapidly after an
evening spent watching the comedians
traveAty. THE DeviI' was more or
less satirical, more or less immoral, a
sort of dramatic hysteria which swept
over the country. 1t left many of its
victims weak from horror. THE
4 ic sOF
less of a disease which set the world
to waltzing and has kept the world
at that pleasant occupation ever since
the first strains of the glorified cake
walk were waited to eager ears. The
Kolb and Dill burlesque will Danish
the former horror and revive interest
in the waltz.
With material of basic worth it is
easy to determine the fact that a bur-
lesque of the two pieces is exception
ally clever. 1t is not a bit too full
some to say that the Kolb and Dill
players are at their very best in THE
Merry Widow and the Devil"
The two comedians themselves are
not the whole show, although they are
largely responsible for the laughter.
Maud Lillian Berri Percy Bronson and
Laura Oakley, the last named a sort
of a comic valentine old maid are
time. Miss Berri has the part of Fonia
who wants to be and becomes a merry
widow of the grass, not sod, variety
As in former offerings Miss Berrf is
stunningly gowned and sings several
songs which bring corth prolonged ap-
plause. Mr.. Bronson as Prince Dam
dilo looks quite handsome and is pleas
ing Withal. c. William Kolb is the
Devil, calling himself Jollidog, and
10 fC l., &c. l.
Heinrich Disch, a valet -janitor Mr..
Swickard, Mr.. Best, Mr.. stanton and
Mr.. Mcguire do excellent work all the
way through the piece. Their best eff
fort is in the song and foolish dance,
"Girlies. Girlies, Glrlies" Kolb and
Dill also appear in this dance. The
chorus is well drilled and handsomely
goWned.
In THE Merry Widow and the
DeVlF' all the famously familiar music
or the Lehar opera has been embod-
led. Some new numbers have been in
terpolated. The comedy is much
broader and better than in the Wen
nese offering, so that one is almost
forced to say that The Merry Widow
and the Devil" is more enjoyable than
THE Merry Widow"-and vastly
cheaper. g n
"
ms remarkable run of thirty weeks at
the head of his excellent musical stock
company at the Grand opera house this
week with that genuine old favorite.
1.-THE Serenade." There isn't a thing
in the entire three acts that would
serve as a morsel of food for thought,
and therein is it popularity. To the
lover of restful hour of catchy. tune
-ful music, of pretty stage effects and
tripping choruses THE Serenade" will
never grow old nor tiresome.
1.-THE Serenade," as every theatergoer
knows, is vehicle for some delicious
little songs that sparkle, that get into
the subconscious mind and make you
hum them in your sleep and that make
you feel entertained and refreshed, af-
ter you have heard it all.
Ferris Hartman as the duke of Santa
Cruz in his glaring red tightlets and
passionate lingerie. leaning heavily
upon his cane and singing cavalier
lays in a waythat calls for more.
comes we'll up to what one would eX-
pect sly old Spanish grandee to be in
the indefinite period of which the story
treats. He winks just enough at the
pretty chorus and steals that lninten-
tional kiss from the mother superior of
the school for girls with such a rare
flavor of appreciation that you almost
feel like asking him to do ii over
again, that you may enjoy it second
hand. OF course the mother superior is
very pretty, because it happens to be
Carmen Phillips.
George Poltney as Alvarado in love
with Dolores does splendidly as a love-
maker and is very satisfying in his
baritone part. Lillian Leighton as Do
lores makes you forgive Alvarado for
all the heartaches he has directed to-
ward her the moment she doffs her
civil garb and dons the demure gray
of the cloister
Myrtle Dingwall is daintily pretty as
Yvonne and her Spanish costume suits
her Castilian intensity excellently.
Miss Dingwalrs finale to her "Anda-
lusian Song was rendered in perfect
harmony and was a pretty bit of rec
itative singing Hobart H. Leonard as
Gomez the tailor proved himself an In
imitable clown. Others in the cast were
excellent.
Ferris Hartman has done we'll in
choosiDo NfHhe SprQnndq' for fha final