The Washington herald., 1913-10-21
BELASCO.
"Thc honeymoon Express"

The Honeymoon Express" pulled In
with a whoop last night on the stage OF
the Belasco Theater, carrying a carload
Of fun, which kept a capacity audience
In hilarious mood for more than three
hours.
The piece, which is programmed a
musical play" is in reality a vaudeville
hodge-podge hung on thread OF plot SO
slender as to be lost sight OF in the
melange OF songs. dances, and burlesque,
to say nothing of the frolicksome frisk-
ing of an unusually attractive and we'll
trained chorus, and the sumptuousness
with which the Messrs. Shubert have set
the stage for the Winter Garden Com
pany-
The fragmentary story has to do with
the matrimonial affairs of Henri Dubonet
and his wife YYonne, from whom he has
Just obtained divorce. Enter Al Jolson,
in the character of Gus the butler. with a
telegram announcing that. DubOnet has
fallen heir to a fortune, to possess which
he must have a wife. Yvonne also learns
of the fortune and seeks to regain her
husbands affection, but finds that he has
just left for gay Paree' on THE Honey
moon Express" whereupon she gives
him a run for his alimony by racing to
Paris in an automobile.
The plot makes its way down an IL
Illuminated back drop with startling real
ism. First the lights of the train are
d!scernible- Then two blazing head
lights of the automobile appear, both
steam engine and auto travelling winding
paths at break-neck speed until they
piunge into the station on the stage si-
multaneously, the engine letting of
steam with melodramatic earnestness.
The plot gets lost in the shuttle through
the most of the second act, but since II
is but incidental anyway, who cares?
Certainly not the Belasco audience last
night, for there was not slow moment
throughout the evening. The Honey
moon Express runs sixty miles a min
Ute from curtain to curtain. with every
minute laugh. largely through the
Cleverness OF Al JOlson, who is the steam
power of the ShubeTt Limited More
ridiculous than ever before. he was. ac-
corded an ovation by his home town"
last night responding repeatedly to en-
cores with an apparently ineXhaustible
fund of witticisms and legitimate COM
edy.
Nor was Mr.. JolsOn the only member
Of the clever company of Winter Garden
entertainers who was accorded the
glad hand" for Juliette Dika. trailing
in unlimited number OF French gowns
imore costly than modest, made capital
Of her delicious little French accent,
captivating her auditors as the clever
divorcee. Ada Lewis gave her customary
pleasing chatter to the piano accompa-
niment of Melville Ellis Mr.. Ellis, in
his musicianly performance at the piano.
was delightful. Anna Wheaton. in both
songs and Dances again reminds us of
her grace and her charm, scoring for
herself A distinctive personal hit. Donald
Macdonald. in his dance and song num-
ber. You'll Call the Next Love the
First" was effective. Doyle and Dixon
proved agile dancers. Ray Samuels is
A clever comedienne, who has wonder
full propensity for making a noise like
a bullfrog singing a dirge on the bank
of the Dismal Swamp Jack Storey, who
plays the leading masculine role, should
have been granted a divorce on the
grounds that he can neither sing nor
act if for no other reason. Earl Ben
ham fares better, in that his vocal de-
fciences are somewhat disguised by Miss
Wheaton's clear. sweet tones in 'Nhere
the Red, Red Roses Grow"
The entertainment is ii conglOmeration
of fooiishness calculated to dtspel the
most persistent attack OF the woolies,
for aside from the genuine fun which Is
afforded by the principals. there is an
Oriental bacchanaIe in the second act,
with L. Pericoff and Ethel Rose as the
central dancing figures. against color
full chorus in the costumes Of the Far
East, The ballet movements for the
hacchanale are arranged by Theodore
kosloff. with special music by A. Boro-
line
The book and lyrics of THE Honey
moon Express are by Joseph w. Her
bert and Harold Atteridge. while Mel
vile Ellis is responsible for the bizarre
costumes with which the chorus is scant-
lily clad.
The settings for the. two acts and six
scenes Of the melange are particularly
harmonious and effective. adding color
20 an entertainment already brilliant In
one. JULIA CHANDLER MANI.