New-York tribune., 1912-02-04
DELIGHTS Of "VAWDVEEL"
Continued from seventh page.

same are Rose stahl. Elsie Janis. Louise
Dresser. Ina Claire and Louise Cunning.
Interesting attempts are being made at
the present time TO make vaudeville sort
Of cradle for the drama. as well as a nov
ELY place for developing and revealing the
imagination OF people. 3. +. Keith, in
his Boston variety theatre, makes a speciality
OF producing sketches written by students
al Harvard University, and although they
are not invariably good they are seldom
unrteresting. and often they are gems
Percy G. Williams makes genuine efforts at
discovery both of novelties and Of good
writers who can put imaginative sketches
and scenes together "The Antique Girl"
produced at the Colonial Theatre last week.
waE an example OF something decidedly
good in the way Of a one-act play. 1t was
written by Cecil de Mile and William lie
Baron, with some extremely colorful music
by Robert Hood Bowers. Martin Beck is
another manager who has ideals for vaude-
Vile. He has at present on his Western
circuit as many as thirty-seven one-act
plays by such playwrights as Israel Zang-
will. Cosmo Gordon Lennox. Mrs. Fiske,
William Gillette. George Ade. H. B. Smith,
has recently arranged TO get Leo Falls lat
est miniature musical comedy, THE Eternal
Waltz" which is a satire on the Viennese
waltz craze.
All Of these things promise well, and.
taken together with the outlook across the
water. make the future for vaudeville look
brighter. In London Sir Herbert Trees
sudden decision TO appear at a music hall
IL.
public estimation for variety several
pegs No doubt Lady Gregory's widely
published opinion that music halls were one
Of the most worth while places for play
wright to produce his one-act plays had a
similar influence
As for what could be done on the vaude-
vile stage TO break up the present table
Htote Of inevitables, II seems that there
must be endless possibilities. Why have
We no Reinhardts, even on q small scale, to
Try entirely new kinds of scenic effects?
Gordon Craig Is one who has discovered
tha; there is such thing as varying the
whole idea of scenery There should be
costume artists. who. in play or panto-
mime could suggest new and better ways
Of dressing, and could by burlesque means
show the real effect OF the present styles
10 those whose eyes need special illumna-
tcn
There IS chance for the colorist and the
in1pressionist to develop little acts wherein
entirely different color harrnonies are used
70 such effect as TO produce a sense OF
color which the majority OF people now
lack. Just by way Of simple Illustration,
little act in the Folies BerReres In
Paris recently introduced about ten young
women In gliding dance. They were all
dressed in simple white drapery. At the
end they grouped themselves into bank
at the rear Of the stage, while young
woman In black glided In and danced with
the white wall ss a background, Nothing
could have been simpler yet the dance. the
swinging music and the color contrast
meant great deal.
chsracterizations such as those given by
Albert chevalier and Harry Lauder are a
real art. which should have more exponents
rhan now. Good dancing is another thing
that we do not develop TO any extent Iil
America. although we show any amount OF
appreciation for Il when IL comes 10 us wen
trained and expressive from the LONDON
music hall ballet schools or from the Conu-
nent
II Is not possible TO cover the enormous
field of vaudeville either in fact or by sus-
gestion In such a short space as tnis' ou'
II the music hall stage were looked upon
as place OF infinite possibility "here e
any and every sort Of performance OF iues
that was possible to dramatic form couio
be tried out then vaudeville would drop
the hundrum Of table dhcte ana take
on the crisp freshness OF la carte
II ever group of Individuals should mould
get together and put on the ya'sS
stage dramatizations OF foIne g., a
paintings. visualized interpretation. !" 90
new form OF their music "rewrites . iOr
the stage OF some o. Henryesque 80 =,
York street life. as well as nu,nv a.s,'
fantastic scenes showing rank in,po's,o a.
bilities. both in en- and animals v''sn Itch ~
not exist and could not, sketcnes " ,'ava
grayely take for granted reforms .i,,,es e"as %
never beea made in customs ond mora,lues ,n,,sS
and equally srsveiy show how they w0u''