New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-22
NEW MUSIC HALL OPENS.
Weber and Fields Stock Com
pany Appear in Feast OF Light.
MARIE DRESSLER A HIT
Bessie Clayton's Spectacular
Dancing Finest Feature OF
New Entertainment.

The habit OF victory is almost life In
surance in itself 1t bewtches all who
come I'm contact with II and carries It's
possessor to new successes. The habit
of victory made itself felt last night at
the new Weber and Fields Music Hall az
soon as the curtain went up on bill
/ iantly lighted and brilliantly arrayed
| chorus. Every beauty in line smiled with
II and every voice rang with II. The
audience caught the spirit OF II and APP
plauded. No better beginning could be
| asked for new house than this.
Expectations run high when Lew Fields
and Joe Weber are concerned. Last night
perhaps they ran a little too high In their
demands for something new and epoch
making, for there was a shade OF disap-
pointment felt when the two principals
came out in their familiar old music hall
make-ups and spoke in the broken dialect
of former days Times have changed
around them and the wit and brightness
and frvolity with which they have sur
rounded themselves in their new enter
| tainment belong TO these times, but the
central figures cling 10 the fun making
that brought them fame thirty years ago
The all-star stock company and the
| particularly al-star chorus have been
well chosen for the purposes OF the music
| hall. The principals are new constella-
| ton 20 be associated with Weber and
| Fields They have been accustomed to
shining very much alone in their various
fields Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth'
the lightweight champions OF vaudeville
were especially prominent in the irst' or
''Roly Poly" part OF last nights pro-
gramme. As a college bred son OF an ex-
mine owner Jack Norworth looked his
| nattiest, while Nora Bayes, constantly
changing from one costume creation 10
another, sang and "quipped" and waved
her shapely HANDS.
| In "Roly Poly" the three scenes or
which were laid at the spring OF Raaten-
/ bad, the characters. precarlOusly related
! 10 one another, wOve themselves thread
| OF plot and used It to string speclalties on.
| Weber and Fields made legal document
| the basis OF their first dialogue. Frank
| Daniels and Marie DRESSER, as father
and daughter, discussed education ana
| family life in a bit OF repartee that stood
on tiptoe for wit.
Marie Dressler received an ovation
when she came in. and during the course
OF tho evening she fairly won another.
Although several rather bad falls were
required OF her. she lived through them
| 10 be funny In legitimate lines and situa-
tons. She is welcome In the front rank
OF condolences.
Bessie CLAYTON was the particular star
| Of the evening In some OF the most splr-
| tied dancing that has ever been seen on
| the stage h,r.abouts. She is the emOodl-
rcut Of the martial spirit In dancing. and
appropriately enough, her speciaiues last
u.gnt were devised, as 20 costume ana
significance. along military lines Her
"Neue Art Won MuuCheu.' with It's back
ground Of green curtain. through which
slipped the members OF her ballet IN gor-
seous white and red costumes, was a TIL
umph of high spirits.
AT the end of the programme came
capital buTlesque Of Within the Law
which gave Marie Drcssler an opportunity
10 take on Jane Cowl as Merry Urner, "a
victim OF honesty Handcufed 20 In
| gpector Bunk Joe Weber,, she dashed on
/ the stage with the inspector coming
| through the air after her.
The only way 10 keep out OF Jail in
| New York is 20 De- crook she an
nounces. Every one iH the Tom6s Is
| innocent
An evening enliyened by a Wcberhelds
entertainment is too fun OF separate in
cldcnt 10 record more than scattered
idea Of Il. The more or less dgestible
dramatic dessert" as II was called, was
mixed" by Edgar Smith. as heretofore,
and the whole affair was favored with
the familiar snap OF mis- wit Il. Ray
Co.tz wrote the lyrics as could be
guessed for instance, from the title or
Frank DanicIss song. Work Is the Curse
~ tho Drinking Glasses" \. Baldwin
Sloane tuned" the show with lots Oh
swinging music. and Gus Sohlke staged
tho enormous whole So the old guard did
q all as they have 90 many times before.
Tho new house Is white and red. spa
c,ops enough. especially between seats, to
n. comfortable. and Illuminated by means
~ golden bowls OF light hanging from the
ceiling. one Of the secrets OF the success
of fine Wcberiiclds stages last year and
tbis has been the use OF a special brilliant
white lighting on the stage. 1t gives the
ensemble a sort OF halo and makes the
pird ~ dazzle that IL lnspIritlng I'm itself.
Although parts OF the long programme
dragged last night, there was enough taat
was good IN It to carry "Roly Poly 10
another success.
CAST OF "ROLY POLY"