Arizona republican., 1912-06-09
CRITICISM AND
 COMPLIMENTS
Comment on the Efforts of the Empress Manage ment With Kindly Sug- gestions for Still Better Entertainment

of what is to be expected from it for the summer season planned by Manag- CT Reeves of the Empress Theater it is quite in order to review at some length what has been done Frankly speaking, the result obtain ed was a distinct surprise to many skeptiCa, all of whom wished the en- terprising manager success, because of his nerve and financial confidence so deliberately shown, but who still did not believe it could be done Each of the principals has more than lived up to the claims made for them and if there is any criticism to be passed it must be that there is an insufficiency of @ good thing.
 The vehicles are too short. there are not enough musical numbers and the many unusually talented members of the organization have not enough to do individually.
 But if this were remedied the per formance would be interminable in length and there is such a thing as ev- en a monotony of goodness. As it is. the performance of each vehicle has whet the appetite for the next to come The woril of the company has satisfied but never satiated.
 And here pause a moment to reflect on just what Manager Reeves is doing in attempting to give to Phoenix some thing that the majority of the largest cities never have had the nerve to at tempt-to furnish two musical com edies per week for a whole season without repetition. Why, after months and month of preparation, one musical comedy is launched for a whole season and for years thereafter. in the or3in- ary scheme of things. And yet Phoenix leads with something different and ac- tualIy makes good.
 This is a more pretentious thing than it first appears, involving as 1t does. two distinct musical comedies each week, new songs. new humorous stunts, new scenery, new OrChesratons, new costumes, untiring rehearsals morning and afternoon of every day with pub lie performances at night-and what not.
 The public does not stop to think Of all this-an1 all for F, 25. 35cts. But that it is pleased with what already has been done is evidenced by the at tendance. Certainly no such audience as was there Monday night ever before witnessed performance at the Em press theater And then came the fol- Iow-up house of Tuesday night-quite as good There is no complaint for the weeks attendance and if the residents of Phoenix will continue to support the enterprise in this manner-and they certainly should do so as long as the present average of excellence is sus- tained-thev will find their kindly en- couragement reflected in the quality ana ouantitv of amusement offered First and foremost in the company | come the two comedians. George l.. i SDanIding and Clarence Burton. For 1 farce and burlesQue effect these men 1 have to assume low comedian roles. i Yet their work has that finesse that 1 immediately removes them from the l average of this type and graduates 1 them from the road show class to the permanent metropolitan faVorlte 1lS- i tinction There is nothing vulgar or rough about their work. On the con trarz. everything is smooth, even ana free from cOarseness.
 Tn addition to putting over ms own lleen. sense of quiet humor, MT. Spaul- 1 ding shows q master-hand in the le'h- rioua of his stage management. every thing brcczing over with swing ana q dash that bespeaks many years oI natient application and experience And in clarence Burton he has hlgh- o1a,s nat,,ra1-born comedian who can oct laugh whenever he wants to Tor the simple reason that he never uIt9 u force oyer alleged jokes but depehuS "h the intelligence of his public to get "H subtle suggestion and innuendo, Wr'' he wishes to imply. He is really lauSi' ablv funny and that can't be SaIu oI any too many comedians.
 Earl Hall the leading man. Is an ao- ,,,irabIe offset for Teddy Martin th' soubrette of the show. It is slncer%iA +o hn boro;1 that in the shows to con' ,ooro may he seen of this couple II concertci work. for what they oo x mighty neat and Teddy cndoars hersti to those in front from the moment Sh' steps on the stage.
 Tn George Beech and Luela DaNl the comranY is fortunate in posSeS91i i'' two vOcalists of more than oTulll'i
 obi,itv MT. Beech's range equlps mn Ff
 for diversified roles and It can Salt' he said that Phoenix has never heard
 better soprano with any comic oPei ? company. To both of these princ pa "
 if would be only fair to aIlo' at '"s
 one additional number and no uo"' m
 dnets in which they can figure WILL ,,,'' n
 given in the course of thinsS' III Ii
 wouId indeed be a treat. Espec'a.l
 can it be said that too much cannot
 heard from a vocal equipment such
 that of Miss Davis .,o,
 Geraldine Wood as leading lady doe
 not need to act to play the ieli'I'
 narts allotted to her since they "n
 serve to mirror her natural se".
 waz. of contrast with the farcial 'i
 burlesou2. she effects oualtE p"
 ance that aaain demonstrates S''
 stage management. ,.i,,
 The chorus is hard "orN'',
 sprightlv. lively. pretty group, "'i
 formed. attractively coStumed 'i
 each one of them works with so mu'
 NF