The Washington times., 1914-02-10
"A Wedding Night,'' a Night In
deed for Lovers of Lively Farce
By JULIA MURDOCH.

T HEARD a man say not long ago
that II you gave a French chef a
ii chicken and an Aunt Jemina cook
book, and both begged him and paid
him to make chicken stew with dump
lings, in the simplest and most old
fashioned way that he could find in the
book, he could not to save his life re-
sist the temptation to flavor the dump
lings, put some sort or 1ungent sauce
in the gravy and generally doctor up
the whole dish until there was a new
strange taste in each separate mouth
full.
But, after ALL" he added, ut would
be pretty good eating"
About the same thing is usually true
OF the general run OF French farccs.
Given the most simple plot any good
Partisan stage chef will cook up a dra-
matte dish that will have more different
flavors and sauces than could be pro-
duced with the same ingredients in any
other country on earth.
II you don't believe this is true go to
see The wedding Night" at the Belss-
co Theater.
The Wedding Night" has got a plot.
Twenty years ago when all well-regu-
lated variety theaters forced all their
performers TO play in an "after-piece"
there were dozens of twenty to thirty
minute sketches, the action OF which
reyolved about the frantic efforts of a
newly married couple to escape from
their too enthusiastic friends. They
were always good for a continuous
laugh from the time the first handful
of rice was thrown until the fleeing
pair found refuge in time to get the
curtain down. But in those days the
- II ~~N III
hour and usually in twenty minutes.
That same old plot is the basis Of
The Wedding Night which in the
hands of two French authors was built
up into two hours and a half of the
highest favored and sauciest musical
comedy which has been seen about
these parts in many a day.
. The Shuberts are responsible for the
American production of The Wedding
Night" 1t was originally called "Oh,
keroul and Barre. In the original
French the piece had a tremendous sue
cess IN Paris and in its first transla-
tlon made a great hit in London. 1t
was still further rearranged for its
American production by Sydney Blow
and Douglas Legare. Jerome u. Kern
then wrote the music and THE We'd
ding Night" was offered as a laugh
maker.
With this its avowed mission it GER
IL
for there is 4 laugh in almost every
line and there are three acts of the
lines.
With the ramifications which have
been furnished the old-timo plot the
woes of the bridal couple now concern
their efforts to escape the brides
mother, who thinks she ought to be
passenger on this honeymoon eX-
press" and also to dodge an actress who
has been sweetheart of the BRIDE
ora nm EVVV.t .svl1s .tV...
that the spot the newlyweds select for
their hiding place is the Paris apart
ment OF the actress rented to them
by her maid In the owners absence
and that the actress unexpectedly re-
turns, it will be understood at once
that the bass Of all ythe laughter is
well provided for.
Probably there are some few people
who will say that some of the lines
are-'wcll, little broad, my dear
thing to be said and are said at the
moment in all good ma
turC, without any leer or suggestive
gesture to point out their risque side,
they get the laughs, and they got them
last night without offending any one,
young. old or middle aged, in a re-
markably large audience.
The movement of the farce itself is
frequently by tune.uI songs
and some very clever dances, and the
piece is eNcellently cast
Two splendid pieces OF character worI,
fall TO the credit of Waite: Jones as
the father and Jeffrcys Lewis as the
mother of the bride. Of course the
leading role OF all is that OF the actress,
and it is beautifully played by Cecil
Taylor Holmes makes a
decidedly good part out OF the pursued
and puts enough acrobatics
into his worries to furnish many laughs
which are not dependent on the lines ,