The Washington times., 1913-01-29
Introduction Of Members Of
Sect to the Stage a Pleasing
Innovation for Audiences.

4 MONG the queer methods of
~ earning ones living chronicled
/ u in the last census report is
given the task Of manning par
ior and sleeping cars" and It appears
therein that at least one woman makes
a very lucrative stipend by thinking up
new and euphonious names for the
latest product Of the Pullman Company.
Why not apply this to musical come
dies?
During the past decade there have
been several hundred. perhaps a thou
sand. musical shows produced. and It
would be safe to say that at least one
quarter Of these were either ''widows''
or Girls" Think over the na mes of
the successful musical pieces and see
how many Of them contained either of
these names, and then you'n see why
this appeal for something new in the
line Of nomenclature
This week Washington has two of the
Girls" with one Of the widows"
scheduled for next week. But, without
drawing any comparison between the
productions at the Columbia and the
National, would like to say that IL all
the musical comedies Washington sees
during the present season are as clever
and filled with music as Hitting and
catchy as the two Girls" now in town.
the National Capital will be very. very
lucky.
Yesterday it was "The Sunshine Girl"
l told you about; today 1t is The
Quaker Girl" Strangely enough, both
are London Gaiety productions al
though by different authors, and both
are extremely captivating. although |
pitched In different keys.
Almost as usual as the naming of the
musical pieces had come the choice os |
the locales for them. If in America the |
play was usually laid along the Gay |
White Way 80 as to permit of a back |
drop showing Times Square, ablaze |
with light. or the interior of some myth
!cal cafe. II abroad. Paris or fhe Ri |
viera. with perhaps just a dash of
Vienna or London, was the place gen.
orally chosen.
Authors of Production
Introduce q Novelty.
But. without departing from the beat
en- path enough to be called explorers
into the unknown, James T. Tanner
The Quaker Girl" now at the Ma
tioEal Theater. have managed to bring
into their piece touch of the novel in
musical comedy which Is extremely to
be desired.
The innovation lies not so much In
the locale Of the playa little unnamed
English village and Paris. where all
good Americans go while they live and
all bad ones when they die-as in the
introduction of Quakers into a musical
piece. The idea at first would seem to
be an anachronism, particularly when
one adds that the music throughout a
large part Of the piece follows the sober,
drab motif Of the Friends" But the
result is delightful.
The musical score to which the Quakers
enter In the first act, Prudence's simple.
dainty plaintive little song, "A Quaker
Girl" the theme of which runs through
the entire piece; THE Bad Boy and the
Good Girl" and the finale to the first
act where the Quaker girl. who has so
far fallen from the path OF rectitudc as
to touch a glass of champagne. Is cast
of by those OF her faith and told to
20 to Paris with the newcomers-all
these supply abundant material for
music of the better sort, but which.
fter all, is far from being lacking in
dramatic appeal.
Story of Comedy
Above the Average.
The story OF THE Quaker Girl" is a
trifie more apparent than that of the
average musical comedy. Into a quiet
English village. peopled for the most
part by Quakers. come an exiled Bona
partist princess, Mathilde by name. Fol-
lowing her come her fiance, Captain
charteris, of the Kings Guard, and
Tony Chute, an American destined to
be the best man at the wedding. The