The Washington herald., 1913-09-02
cHASE'S.
Polite Vaudeville.


The inauguration of the la1S-h season
of polite vaudeville was given an enthusi-
astc greeting at the Labor Day matinee
in Chase's Theater yesterday. when an
audience which taxed both the seating
and standing capacity of the fouse
turned out to welcome the first vaudeville
bill given in this city under the pro-
prietorship of Mr.. B. +. Keith. For, de.
spite the fact that Mr.. chase's name Is
still flashed in electric letters oyer the
door, and appears on the program. and
that next week Is announced as the Of
fetal Keith opening. all connection with
his Washington enterprise was severed
by Mr.. Chase some ten days ago. II
but now remains for the b. +. Keith nag
to go up, with whatever may constitute
the change to the Keith policy.
As far as the bill selected to open the
season is concerned it might as well have
served the official opening OF next week
as the unofficial Keith inaugural of this.
being of an excellent balance unexpected
at the beginning OF a season when acts
are gathered from the four corners OF
the country to comprise the initial enter
tainment.
The Meistersingers of Boston give a
most delightful three-Quarters of an hour
in their eleven vocal numbers, grouped
in the program as ''The Wild Woods"
a title which refers rather to the effect
i've scenic spectacle which this aggrega-
ton of three male quartettes of the Hub
city carries as a setting for their med
ley of melodies. The Meistersingers are
comprised of the Harvard, Shubert, and
Weber .ouartets of Boston, which quar-
tets are composed of business and pro-
fessional men OF that city.
II was only after two months effort
that Chase's was able to secure the New
England singers, who are spending their
vacations from the cares of business in a
brief vaudeville tour, just for the fun of
the thing, winding up their unique lark
in October.
The Meistersingers have excellent
voices, giving to Washington patrons of
polite vaudeville a rare treat this week;
for not only do they sing the solo and
chorus numbers given in the program,
but are most generous and good-natured
in responding to the enthusiastic applause
which must of necessity greet their Of
ferings.
Following the Meistersingers in impor-
tanCe OF position on this weeks program
is S. Miller Kent and his company in a
detective skit which is clever enough in
construction to hold the audience in
tense expectancy until its close. The
tabloid drama is called THE Real Mr..
~ NnOIl MI htHl lIllGEsOHdNts with
an artistic sureness which is most satis-
flying.
Added to these headline features are
Elida Morris, a dancing and singing
who has Vivacity enough
for two. and who wears some very
chic and startling frocks to accentu-
ate her syncopated songs, and Morris
Golden and Grace de Wintress, the for
mer a clever impersonator OF The
Yiddle and the Fiddle" while Miss de
Wintress springs a ventriloquial sur
prise, which would lose its effective
ness il you were told about 1t before
hand.
The Misses Leitzel and Jeanette
opened the bill yesterday in daring
flying ring feats, in which Miss Lett
Eel particularly proved her strength,
grace, and agility.
Swan, Dale. and Hal billed as The
Versatile Trio" and announced in the
program to open the first bill OF the
new theatrical year in Washington's |
home OF polite vaudeville, were at the |
tag end, coming here from an engage |
ment somewhere out in Montana, miss |
ing connections en- route, and arrlv- |
ing just in time to breathlessly don |
their swallow tails and appear, at the
end of the program, in their comedy |
pantomime, which they have apfly en- |
titled Poker Phiends." The three CO.
medians are TO be admired for their |
courage in Immediately following so /
pretentious a vocal entertainment as |
that offered by the Meistersingers. pre-
senting their act without rehearsal, !
and presenting II so cleverly that no
one in the audience was in the least
aware OF the difficulties under which
they worked yesterday afternoon.
The new orchestra at Chase's, under
The direction OF Z. o. Weber, deserves
l word of praise for the manner in
which the work of The Versatile
Trio was followed, as we'll as for the
and appropriateness of the
music rendered throughout
he afternoon. most particularly that
which accompanied the showing of the
[inema color presentation OF Every
man," the picture play which this
week closes a vaudeville show at
Chase's, which, despite its dearth of
striking novelty, affords exceptionally
good entertainment.
J. c. MANI.