Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-09-08
Melodrama Is So Old That 1t Is New
to Lot of People, and Crowds
Keep Coming to See 1t.
HIPPoDRoME is STAGING
BIG PRODUCTION THIS SEASON
America" Is stupendous Affair and
Covers Every Part of Nation and
Its Development.
BY BEAU RIALTo.
Written for the United Press)

NeW 1Ofk, Sepl. O. W hltS si"'NiJ 40
the keynote of the season s melodrama
and perhaps it is not far cry to black
slavery. Hence the revival of "Uncle
Tom Cabin" It's the power of sug-
gestion again Perhaps the power of
suggestion is nowhere more potent than
in the show business. Every hit is fol-
lowed by its hundreds of imitators,
just as surely as man is followed by
his shadow. Peter lost his shadow, yes,
but by the same token he has never
been initiated, which leaves the rule
unshattered. With our drama slowly
but profitably selling itself into white
slavery, was it any wonder that Har-
lem stock manager thought of black
slavery and revived "Uncle TOm2"
"The Lure" at Maxine Elliott's was
the fOrerunner of an avalanche of $50.
cial evil" plays and here was Mrs.
Stoves slave play all ready for pro.
duction.
"Uncle Toms Cabin" is so old that
it is new to a lot of folk on Broadway
and off, and such a radical departure
from the conventional redlight drama
that it is small wonder that its revival
has aroused storm of discussion. It
was so popular that the original run
allotted to it has been indefinitely ex.
tended. All must agree that this in
tensely modern play is a revolt alike
against the false romance Of Barrie and
the false realism of Bernard Shaw.
Doubt has no place in dramatic criti-
cism. Barrie has often placed his heroes
in tree-tops and such places but he
never put his heroine on ice. Topsy,
when she tells Little Eva that she "ies'
growed" demolishes with one phrase
all the ponderous science of eugenics.
Up at the Hippodrome on Sixth ave-
nue., they have come back at last. AT,
ter going around the world and cover
ing every known and imaginary country
on the globe in their spectacles, the
Hippodrome management has come back
to America, That is the name of the
production that recently opened the
gigantic theater. 1t is a stupendous
affair, America, " covering every part
Of the nation and its development. In
the cast are Indians, cowboys, plains.
men, Alaskan miners, sOldiers-and
girls. There are hundreds of the lat
ter, dancers, singers, Cookers" and
just plain girls. For many weeks the
girls have been drilled tirelessly, their
rehearsals lasting from morning until
into the night, and they are said now
to be the best trained chorus in New
York. Over 800 new faces are to be
seen in the cast and chous this year.
But the chorus girls and men are not
to be seen in the stereotyped ballet, as
in former Hippodrome spectacles. The
greatest feature of this year s show is
the Carnival of Sports, which replaces
the ballet.
Arthur Voegtli, who trained the girls,
thinks that all of the sports of the
world lend themselves to art, and the
girls this year instead of going through
the old time dancing steps participate
in every form of sport, correctly cos.
TUNED. Baseball, football, racing, hunt.
ing, basketball, polo, yachting, riding,
tennis and swimming all are portrayed
And contrary to the usual Hippodrome
spectacle, this one has real plot It
involves the foiling of a plan to get
possession of certain Panama Canal
maps, love romance and subsequent
honeymoon trip into every part of the
United States, California, Arizona, Pan.
anna Alaska, the Philippines and other
places are shown.
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