The Washington herald., 1913-09-07
Iheate Begins Al WILSON, Has Opening
MUSICAL COMEDIES
SCORE BIG SUCCESS
"AdeIe" Captured Broadway Last
Week, as Did Also ''The
Doll Girl"

Occasionally there slips into the met.
ropolitan theater a surprising offering
utterly unheraIded. Such is adele"
the new musical comedy which has cap
tured Broadway.
mot since The Chocolate Soldier"
says the Times, have we had anything
quite so legitimately charming in a mu-
sical play. For Adele besides being
really musical. has the advantages Of
a book that is a relief from the common
or garden kind OF stun.
Paul Herye has written something
like an ineligible story, and the Eng
lish adapters. Adolf Phillip and Edward
Paulton, have so far assisted that the
dialogue comes through the translation.
not only with humor, but with wit.
There are whole scenes in which the
fun comes from the interchange of the
retort discourteous between two rival
pickle packers-played most amusinsly
by Will Danforth and Dallas weIford-
one Of whom twits the other with pre-
seryingA 'desiccated anchovies' and the
other Of whom reviles his rival with SELL
ing tainted caviare.'
''It is these two, the respective fathers
| OF Adele. and her would-be hance,
Robert Friebuhr. who are ultimately the
goats In the little game of matrimony
which Is played for fun and ends in
earnest. Though developed for the
greater part in the Hghtest vein, there
are scenes In the piece, like one at the
close Of the first act, in which some-
think like real dramatic quality is de-
veloped.
For Charles Is stony broke, he is I'm
love with a more or less rnercenarv
widow, he has contracted to marry
Adele in order to help her in another
love affair, and an obIiging man-servant
has unselfishly taken the pistols out OF
hook in order to further the heroic
young mans decire for seIf-destruction.
Not in long time has anything so
insinuatingly and insistently melodious
as Adele been heard here. And the
phrase has to do not only with the piece
in its entirety but with the song bear
ing the title. In its charmingIv
orchestrated blend of reeds and strings
this song provided not only joy in itself
but brought unmistakable success to a
hitherto comparatively unknown young
prima donna, Miss Natalie Alt, whose
fresh and unaffected vocal effort was one
OF the delights OF an unusually delightful
evening.
Another new musical play which Ia,
pleased New York is Charles Frohman's
Production Of The Doll Girl" Richard
Carle's new background.
Leo Fall, who wrote the tuneful scores
of The Dollar Prince" The Siren"
and other pieces. is responsible for this
new musical play, which bids fair to
equal the success of the others and
which came to the Globe Theater without
great deal having been said about il
beforehand In il as co-stars are Rich.
ard Carle and Miss Hattie Williams
be-
In more ways than one the premiere
was noteworthy. Musical plays at their
nrst performances have a way OF start
ing early and ending late. but The Doll
Girl was given with unusual smooth
ness, and the audience was in BroadvaJ-
Few minutes after IL O'Clock, and il
was, as they say in the theatrical trade
papers OF new vaudeville acts, "as IL
the three hours were one"
Also there was introduced to New
York musical playgoers Robert Eyett.
for many years leading tenor in Georrs
Edwardes' Gayety and Adelphi produc-
tons in London He made a favorable
impression and proved true all the nice
things that had been said about him.
Dorothy Webb had the title role and
sang and acted daintiIy.
Where The Doll Girl" pleased chiefly.
outside OF some bright lines and lyrics
by Harry B. Smith, who furnished ths
American hbretto, was in Mr.. Falls
music. There were in the first act three
good numbers. one by Miss Williams and
the chorus called Come on Over Here
which resembles "Alexander's Ragtima
Band" not at all; a song about smoke
sung by Mr.. Evett. and a duet called
On Our Honeymoon by Mr.. Evett and
Miss Webb.
Although the story which runs through
the three acts has been told before with
Tgrlauons, ETi,Ia, 1t serves the purpose. Miss
Williams was temperamental Spanish
Gamsel with a host of admirers. Hers
vas violent love, as Mr.. Garlic and the
springs of a stage sofa will testify. This
little wooing scene was the brightest biz
OF ourlesque in the play with the ex-
cepuon OF travesty on Russian dane
lhg' IN which VIII West, who has an
opportunity to shine more in keeping with
his talents, carried of the laure!s.