The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-05

| Bijou---"AImn, Where DO You Liver,
! CoI0nini--vaudeviiic.
|. Empire-Miniature Musical Comedy.
| Lubin-VaudeviIle.
Still the Funniest Man In the World.
| General. Is there anything we can
| do for your says Vaughan Comfort
| TO Cicero Didimus Jones George
| Evans). posing as General Wool
| Wool. ''Yas, sun" replies the general.
you can tes' dip mo In river of
| GIN
II that doesn't strike you as being
particularly funny when you read 1t.
| so and hear the Honey Boy say II,
and If you don't laugh at that and
hundred other things. go straight and
| sec doctor.
Evans's show is good from overture
| to final curtain. His chorus is we'll
| drilled both In singing and dancing,
it's singing. in spite OF temporary
lack Of bass, being extremely effec-
tive both in the rag and mush num-
bers on account of the unusually we'll
blended tones of many young voices,
while the dancing, indeed the whole
action of the first part and after
piece. is speeded up to a pace so swift
| that one laugh or outburst of applause
| trips upon the one before.
Vaughan Comfort continues to act
as interlocutor In his easy. rapid ,nim-
! liable manner, and to be about half
chorus in himself. besides covering
| himself with glory as a minstrel solo
! list to the nth degree: Joseph Gillespie
sings one OF those Mill Stream songs
called Dear Old Rose. in baritone
voice that shows the results OF study:
James Meehan cieverly changes from
tenor TO faisetto I'm That's How I
Need YOU" and others unravel rags
until the house howls. Sam Lee and
John King are moro amusing than
ever, while in the second part lot of
boys and girls exhibit some good
chorus dancing. followed by Tommy
Hyde's smooth soft shoe work, and In
tcrrupted by amusing eccentric dane
ing by Raymond Maxson.
Then the Honey Boy pulls his mono
logue. punctuated by songs OF his own
and shouts of laughter from the house.
! That monoIogue is a minstrel show
in itself. but he hasn't begun yet.
There follows the afterpiece. The Co
lightly Guards Reception" and in that
The Minstrel comes into his own. In
his monologue there were occasional
breathing intervals between laughs,
but in this black-face sketch there :
a flowing river of fun. a sustained yell
of laughter, side aching scream OF
uncomfortable mirth. and 1t Is created.
fostcred, encouraged and intensified
by the one and only Honey Boy-may
he swim in gin IL II will preserve him.
They change him from hungry
doll him up in a uniform that would
make stone gargoyie shed tears-for
instance. his epaulets are whitewash
brushes. and one of his medals is a
dog biscuit.
And then he-oh. what's the use?
Harry Lauder is great artist, n mar
velous character actor. but George
Evans remains the funniest man In
the world and one can't explain why
The is SO "doggoned" funny, any more
| W fE
backwards at the knees. He just is.
and he made my head ache H'ith his
foolishness. anyhow. and so we'll let
it go at that.
W. Douglas Gordon.
"Some Alma" Indeed.
Indeed. she is some Alma" as we
heard before she came. May Latham
is her name, and she is an opulent
warm, lovely and altogether edible
peach.
Very handsome. very gracious and
very attractive, she sings Briquet's
pretty music in a manner that adds to
the infinite variety of her charm and
makes us marvel that Pierre lie
Peach-so called because the book re-
quires it's able to withstand her
even for one act,
The piece itself is broadened by the
addition of elements of low comedy
and various interpolated songs until
some of it's original racy charm is lost
but with the result that the Bijou au-
diences eat ii alive and still Kicking
naughty.
But, fortunately for the success of
her performance. Miss Latham is not
called upon to supply any of the
broader ingredients that go to make
Alma. Where Do You Liver a whoop
Of joy at popular prices. On the con-
trary. she plays Aln.u with the same
delicacy that marked Nanettc Flacl<'s
work in the part--a delicacy that con-
ceals the original conception of the
role and endows 1t with daintiness
rather than suggestiveness,
Wilbur Cox plays Theobald q bit
down with much humor, while Avita
Sanchez pleases the audience the
maid.
But, in the words of the book. Alma,
you're ALL right"