New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-06
NEW PLAY At CRITERION
"Girl from Montmartre" Opens
Season with Spirit.
MOVING PICTURE NOVELTY
First Night Audience Applauds
Comedy of Richard earle
and Hattie Williams.

Tne opening Of the preliminary thea,-
real sea, on last night found arce COM
.dy installed at the Criterion in Charle s
Frohman's production Of The Girl from
Montmart e" In fact, the Girl brought
more than mere farce from Montmartre
True TO the spirit Of her starting place
she carried in her train every variety OF
light enter al ment there is, from farce
10 vaudeville and from music to moving
-ictures. The Crittr.on's new piece =
elle5 With diversity.
S mellow. Harry 3. and Robert B. Smit
nave Americanized tn farce from its
continental form without "Broadwayiz-
ng' il, and II remains a rather typical
example OF one kind OF French farce
Georges Feydeau and Rudolph Scharzer
made the original book, and Henry
Bereny. composer OF Little Boy Blue,
wrote the music. AS 'Das Madel Won
Montmartre" the piece ran in Berlin last
season for about six months.
As g good omen for the prosperity of
the new play. a large audience responded
and IN en- unusually pleasant mood. u
the announcements Of the opening. ard
whether TO be in harmony with the audi
forum or for some private reason 81
their own the cast was in tremendously
good spirits. They played TO win. and
certainly succeeded with Their first audi
ence, who gave them quite spontaneous
applause from beginning to end.
The Girl from Montmartre" has "a
marital indiscretion" for the swing point
OF its plot. Dr.. Petypon has been slightly
sidetracked by that Montmartre girl
whom no one else resists any better than
he, and three acts OF brightly set and
colorfuliy costumed perplexity follow. in
which every one tries to keep Nine. Petty
pom from discovering the truth Unlike
most farces, the secret is kept intact
safely beyond the fall of the final cur
tain
Richard earle. who has not been IN New
York since he appeared here in The
Echo" played the part Of chief comedian
in his own rather different way. He has
a loose-jointed dignity that has way Of
keeping you surprised. Hattie Williams
though not native TO the heights OF Mont
martre had spirit enough to carry the
whole piece on her shoulders. She is
called Praline. and with discretion, for
she has all The snap and tang OF the
burnt almond Lennox Pawle, until re-
Gently in "Pomander Walk" adopted a
notable makeup as q witless mothers
SON" Alan Nude and Moya Mannerlng
made pretty good pair Of lovers, and a
chorus girl on the extreme right In the
song 100000 Lena" made a personality
hit and won every ones attention. Not
~ easy thing TO do.
Just before the end OF the piece there
Is novelty. The Girl cries out. ANY
one who loves me can try to find me,
and with that darts off the stage. TIE
lights go out, a white curtain Is lowered
and motion pictures in color take up the
story A good old fashioned "chase' Is
shown. which ends in real life on the
stage again in the capture. Il is clever
notion and was loudly welcomed last night.
The Girl from MontmartVe" has conf
dence in itself and spirit-and that's the
whole snow always.
CAST OF THE GIRL FROM MONT
HApTPr'