New-York tribune., 1911-12-12
GRACE IA RUE IN BETSY"
New Comedy with Music Given
at the Herald Square.

As the large and good natured audience
poured slowly forth from the oblque doors
Of the Herald Square Theatre last night a
vigorous young man was standing behind
table full of songs. shouting Justify that
"all the big song hits of the best new
operetta Betsy were there for sale.
Laughter and Love" "Snoop Snoop'
"Onlyr Voice" and THE great success.
Dream Love. The cry OF success follow
ing so hotlv upon the fall Of the final cur
tain brings shame on all former ideas of
speech Before the echo of tho last tune
has mingled with the calls of the carriage
man outside you arc able to know whether
the play YOU have attended the christening
OF has caught on or not. Can the city
Of speed ever do better than this?
II the little threo-act COMEDY with
music" did not show repeatedly so many
signs Of smateurishncss in It's wording and
stage business II would be quite interesting.
Betsy" tries 10 be something more thar n
variety show. II has a genuine story, and
keeps to il without the interpretations OF
any whirlwind dancers. swimming pool
intcrludes or aeroplane fantasies. There is
nothing brought in that is not at least frs;
cousin to the plot Betsy is a widow an
what she does is not necessarily charac-
tcristic. Her wealthy husband left will
that provided for his wife literally but
stated that II she marry again her second
husband must be an American. If he is
rot she will forfeit her legacy. But she
las set her heart on coronet.
In order to achieve her ambitions she
goes through the form OF marrying some
one whom she plans to divorce at once.
Her second husband thus honestly an
American. her third can be a coronet and
still the legacy will be hers. But she falls
in love with the dummy whose only virtue
at first was tnat he was American. and
the ending-Well, there was nothing new
about that.
Miss La Rue kept her audience interested.
She has a good many little ways that re-
quire watching. Her voice has some good
notes and she is tuneful Her gowns. which
she designed herself, were all rather worth
looking at--a little more so than usual
Miss La Rue evidently has ideas.
Miss Lange I'm the part Of Abaloni,
young opera singer. made a more serious
attempt at real singing than is usually
beard in musical comedy at present, and
at acting. too, for that matter Robert
Dcmpster. as the second husband and mu-
sical genius came out in two such different
make-ups that he was hardly recognizable.
one was before marriage and the other
after it Strange TO say, and not accord
ing to the usual order. his appearance.
purely from 8 social point Of view, had
decidedly improved after the event. al
though before. it must be admitted. he was
far more artistic and perhaps more con-
yincinG as a composer.
Put YOU cannot take Betsy" altogether
seriously. 1t sounds very much as though
II were the first musical comedy which Mr.
If. Kellett Chambers and the Messrs VIII
r. and Alexander Johnstone had ever writ
ten. Mr.. Chambers's book and the lyrics
by Mr.. W. B. Johnstone had the true ring
Of early efforts The music in many spots
deserved better words By the way, why
must the words for these topical and popu-
lar songs be called lyrics" nowadays?
CAST or BETSY"