Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-11-30

faint applause from friends of the
victims. II didn't look as If there
were a smile or a real hearty laugh
in the house
Then along came Dave Nowlin and
sang song to be immemOrially
known as "Buckwheat Cakes" Mr.
NOWlin hitherto had appeared TO be
handsome elderly gentleman cor
reCtly attired for the most part in
evening clothes and high hat. Sud
denly he transformed himself into a
! darby singer that brought back to
memory the days Of everybody from
! George Primrose to Billy kersans.
| 1t was song about buckwheat cakes.
| and he sang il with an appetiZing Unc-
| ton that aroused even the faded pal
| ates Of the Thanksgiving grouches.
! You could fairly taste the cakes and
| lasses that an imaginary Rastus was
| implored to pass along.
That woke up the sleepers. 1t also
slipped the show up to the fourth
speed and thereafter it was a COM
plete reversal of form. Not that Mr.
| Nowlin's fellow-conspirators on the
stage uduu uOuo IIlSlI patti was
simply that it took time for the tired
audience to catch the spirit of the
thing. and Mr.. Nowlin had put it
over" at the psychological moment.
"Spedelbounder's Dream" the bill
in which the company made its de-
but, is a cross between all the rural
comedies you have ever seen and all
the musical comedies you have ever
seen. And some you haven't. 1t
concerns Malaria Center" which is
some place outside New York, and
real estate operations thereat. Sped
elbounder, owner of the farm, falls
asleep and dreams that a great city
has sprung up in his potato patches
and cornfields. When he awakes. the
skyscrapers vanish and he finds him.
self sitting under his old oak tree
with his irate wife sailing into him.
The rural settings allow milkmaids
and farm-hands to stroll around en-
masse, while the city scene gives the
open-face clothes a chance to work
Bert La Blanc is the only one of
the former Hughes company back
again. and he is the same funny Jew.
The Dutch comedian is Frank Vack,
who takes the part Of Spedelbounder.
Vack is better as a rough-and-ready
comedian than the Dutchman here
with the Hughes aggregation before,
and he is refreshingly free from His
predecessors taste for coarseness,
with the exception of one -tiresome
scene where he loses his hat repeat
eddy to the accompaniment of epithets
that are not funny even when reiter-
ated some twenty times.
The unusual thing about this COM
pany is that almost every member is
strong on specialties. Carlton Chase,
the near-tenor, sings more than a lit
tie and carries himself with the ultra
George Cohan air that is the popular
idea of Broadway youth. He shows
signs of dancing but never quite does
it. Miss Teddy Martin isl clever and
cute in urchin makeup. Harry Bur
CESS carried small "rube" part we'll, |
Miss Anna Clarke was farmers
Scolding wife to the queens taste
and Miss Caroline Philips had an
ingenue role that was we'll done. Miss
Eugene lie Blanc is a real acquisi-
ton to the ranks of merry-makerS. |
Her role last night was that of |
Amanda Skaggs, help at the farm, a
sort of Sis Hopkins part. Her real
hit, however, was in dancing med
ley toward the close of the show. |
She step-dances with untirfng indus |
try and much effect and deserved all |
the bounteous applause she received. !
Miss Gertrude ST. Clair, who appear |
ed as Maize Grace, a New York wi
dow, is possessed Of a good~mezzo- |
soprano voice. The biggest speciality !
feature last night was grand opera !
burlesque by Mr.. Nowlin and Miss |
st. Clair Nowlin is a versatile chap. |
and underneath all his exaggerated |
minstrel-like performance there is |
genuine humor and. more than Or
binary voice. The grand opera bur- !
lesque gave the audience ten min
utes of almost continuous laughter.
. The chorus is small, too small. in
fact, but the seven lassies who made
1t up, dance we'll and can stand criti-
cism on the ground Of anatomical
pulchritude. The scenery is new and !
bright, carrying out the promises 81
the advertising, and Bob" Hughes |
is always to be relied on as a must |
cal director. He was given a pat of
applause on MS appearance last night.
The next change of program is Mon
day night, December 2, when The
Grafters" will be put on.
The cast last night:
August Spedelbounder, a truck far
mer NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Frank Vack
Silas Levy, the village pest. ...
....... .... Mr. Bert La Blanc
|. Bunkum Goode. a real estate
boomer .......Mr. Carlton Chase
George Bushel, city fiat dweller
......... ..... Mr.. Dave Nowlin
Willie. his son. -. Miss Teddy Martin
Old man Watts, a leftover.
Gigg Hank Billings. :. Dave NoWlin
Maize Grace, New York widow |
.......M Miss Gertrude ST Clair
Amanda Skaggs, help at the Spedel-
bOunder Farm. Observation-Disclosures.
...... Miss Eugene lie Blanc
....-........ Miss Anna Clarke
Mabel, Bushels Daughter ...
....M Miss Caroline Phillips |