The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-02-14
THE STAGE


The musical comedy. The Echo
which returned TO the Detroit opera
house, Monday evening, for a weeks
engagement, Is a dancing show. pure
and simple. II Il were not for dance
after dance, tripped by particularly
skinful and graceful dancers, there
would not be much left TO the piece
In the form in which II Is presented
| 10 the public this season. When The
Echo" had It's premiere on the stage
OF the same theater a year ago. IL was
undoubtedly one or the smartest. hVe'
lest and most genuinely humorous
Of any OF the entertainments OF ts
| type that had been launched In Ions
time. Then Il had sad-voiced Richard
earle with IL and the program gave
Mr.. earle credit for most OF the funny
things In II. With the departure OF
Mr.. earle have gone the majority OF
these funny things, 80 that IL Is pref
~ safe to assume that Richard mad y
COPYRIGHT on them. Several OF the
original cast are still with the com
pany-so are their costumes.
John e. Hazard has Carries place
but he plays II In Hazards way, not
Carries. Now II Is Dutch comedian
part and. fortunately for this much
overworked stage type. Mr.. Hazard
Is q good comedian. He is legitimate
In his methods and whatever he turns
his talent TO, In his stage work. the re-
| suit Is always q little better than most
| folk could do. As Rudolph Sylvester
the soap manufacturer, In search oil
| q quiet place, far from a telegraph sta
ton, In which to hide himself from the
telegraphic opportunities OF his busi
ness partner and the strains OF pop
ular song which he had written to win
a wager from a music publisher, Mr.
Hazard manages TO get many hearty
laugh from his audience.
| Bessie Mccoy Is featured in the part
of Katie, the head waitress In the
Hotel Echo, and naturally everything
| gives way, In the piece. TO exploiting
her dancing. and Miss Mccoy " some
dancer. She is a tall. slim girl. who
affects the Ethel Barrymore walk and
voice OF several years ago. Unfortun
ately Miss Mccoy has not been en-
dowed with acting talent or a sense
Of humor, and so must hold the place
she has won on her dancing gift:
alone. The moment Miss Mccoy be
gins to pirouette she 10 the personin
cation Of graceful motion. She Is re
markably 1.-the and supple and, while
twisting her long limbs and svelte fig
ure into all sorts Of contortions, she
manages to retain her grace. a feai
not often accomplished by the aero
batic dancer. In a recent interview
Miss Mccoy Is alleged to have stated
that she has never had any real tut
ton as a dancer and that, after seeing
Nine. Anna Pavlowa, she realized hel
own shortcomings and, in an effort tc
emulate the Pavlowa art, will go tC
Russia and endeavor to learn some
thing in the same school from which
the wonderful artistic and her kind
have come. II this be true, good .uch
TO Miss Mccoy and all honor to heI
ambition. She will start with the un
doubted prestige, at least. Of heading
the list OF American dancers for grace
agility and verve-
| For some unknown reason, Mrs
Annie Yeamans.> one Of the origina
company, who gave a most amusini
character sketch, in her inimita5l'
way, OF an ancient ''typist.' employe,
In the hotel, was absent from the cast
Monday evening. Her understudy di.
very well. but the several funn,
scenes between Mr.. earle and Mrs
Yeamans, which were such q howlinl
success In last years show, wer'
missed.
The grotesque dancer, Johnny Ford
Is also among those who have passed
on, and John J. Scallen has taken hi
place as the college bell boy Of thu
hotel While Scalen does good work
he suffers by comparison with Ford
| who was the hit Of the show while h,
remained with II.
| The other dancers are the Dolly sis
tiers, Rose and Jennie, pretty-faced
cute little girls who do several dane
ing stunts, with George White enc
Ben Ryan for side partners. Their
there Is Toots Paka, the Hawaiian
dancer, and her three native men as
sistants. Toots has added avoirdu
pois to q most noticeable amount In
the past few months. Her native
dancing is as peculiarly fascinating
as ever, while her scintillating cos
tune and streaming black Lair, fran
ing q pair of wonderful eyes and Q
row of brilliant white teeth, Is al
effective a picture as ever. The Choir
US, men and girls, also belong to the
dancing contingent and work spirited
ly and untiringly.
The Echo" Is here for the entire
week, with matinees on Wednesday
and Saturday.
ELLA MAE HAWTHORNE.
~