The Washington times., 1912-01-17

Somewhere In this broad land there
may be those who prefer the dramas Of
sophocles to those OF shaw; who would
rather spend the evening with Henry
James than w. J. Locke; who enjoy
chess more than five hundred-in short
who like to have their entertainment
thoroughly mixed With deep thought,
but there are very few OF these at the
National this week. Those who do go
and there are many-apparently belong
to the class known as the "tired busi-
ness men," and the I. b. m. enjoy them
selves TO the limit at one OF the clean
est, cleverest musical shows Of the
season, a production entirely worthy ~
George Ade, who supplied most Of the
plot; Of Henry Blossom. who wrote the
songs; of Charles Dillingham;, who pro-
duced the piece. and OF Elsie Janis,
Joseph Cawthorn. and the company,
who player THE Slim Pricess."
No one with brain flag need fear to
go to the latest Dillingham-Ade-Janis
concoction. True, there In . plot. q
much more healthy one than 10 usually
found In musical comedy, but the pur-
poses of the story are only to enter
tain and, having fulnlled its duty dur
ing the first two-thirds Of the perform
ance, the plot steps aside during the
last act and leaves tho stage to Miss
Janis. her dancing, her gowns, and her
limitations.
Comparative Comeliness ~
A Bar to Matrimony.
The governor general Of Borevenia--
got these names from the program.
for no one could be expected to remem-
ber them--is blessed with two daugh-
ters. Jeneka, the younger, IL beloved
by the courtiers because she Is go lus-
ciously fat that the only ready made
garment she can get to At her II
handkerchief. Kalora, the older, who,
according to the laws Of the country
must be married before her younger
sister can become even engaged. ID. to
the Turkish eye, horribly ugly-"ugly''
being synonymous with "thin. Having
been sent to Paris to gain weight. she
returns thinner than ever and the
Rno9 what ss aoer to do With vi h'' her wsen ssn 20
young American, Pike by name and
the object Of sundry undertaking ar
ucles in an American magazine. climbs
sm aGp npon being Sxs 10 %
within the palace grounds, Pike escapes,
leaving behind him the magazine which
shows Prince Malagaski that slim
AMERICA xDSs Therefore. efs he orders Kalora
to America, and the second acts shows
the porch and golf links Of our own
Chevy Chase Club. After the princess
ian ia "ea count an sSe finally i s suecumbs % to the
American who mentions to father that
he ID possessed Of $50. 600. and the
curtain falls on q conventional but de-
cidedly pleasing finale.
Freshness and vivacity
In Happy Combination.
The charm Of the piece. every number
of which was encored last night, lies
principally in its freshness and vivacity.
together with the happy combination Of
Elsie Janis and Joseph Cawthorn, who,
in the part Of Louis Won schloppen-
hauer. has q fine role.
Just to hear him sing II Like En-
Plump or That's Why Never Mar
ried" is worth the price Of admission,
while his dialect shows TO best advan-
tnge in his attempt to explain the thin
with the railroad time table In the last
act. Germ an comedians are ranked by
many as among the things which
should be permanently eliminated from
ance in "The Slim Princess" entities
him to position in the same rank
with Lew Fields, Sam Bernard. and the
late Gus Rogers. :.
back in the days Of 1.-THE Vanderbilt
Cup" not to mention 1.-THE Belle of New
York" her performance in her present
vehicle comes as nm anticipated pleas
DAYS, but 1t needed the development
and training which can only be secured
through experience. Her Kalora, how
ever, leaves little to be desired. while
n ore than their customary meed OF ap-
pla.se In addition the audience paid
her the compliment of instantly recog-
n!zing each limitation, despite the fact
that more of them were labeled
Ethel barrymore, Sam Bernard, Eddie
Foy, ard Sarah Bernhard all were
initiated" as they would have appeared