New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-19
STRAY THOUGHTS
ON VAUDEVILLE
Being Lines Written After
Seeing "Anna Karenlna'
and Other Turns.
Rv ARTHUR RtHI.

The Anna karenina' which Miss
Harmed is playing at the Palace Music
Hall this week bears little resemblance
10 the fun sized play Of the same name
ir which she appeared several years ago
and stu less TO Tolstoy's novel or the
favor Of that great piece Of fiction there
is no trace. All the audience grasps IN
the two brief scenes is that there is an
unhappy wife, a tyrannical husband. a
lover: that the wife is about TO fly TO the
latter when she is drawn back, apparent
" TO stay. by the voice Of her angel child.
The piece serves as an agreeable break
between the more staccato turns or the
regular vaudevillians (and this is often
a sufficient explanation for the insertion
OF such meaningless sketches, aside from
the fact that they give the music hall
audience a glimpse Of well known players
from the regular theatres, but as "seri-
GUS offering It is not in the same class
at all as Barries Half an Hour pre-
scented by Miss Blanche Bates at the same
theatre last week.
one occasionally wonders while viewing
good vaudeville-and the rest OF the bill
is excellent-why people ever submit TO
the elaborate and expensive banality Of
the average musical comedy. The vaude-
williams art may not he fine spun nor very
nourishing, but II is at least. irresstibly
cheerful and alive.
Though he know how 20 do but one
thing, that he does supremely well. He
is a specialist master OF his little mo-
ment. and I'm the brief time he is on the
stage vivid. vital and sure. No sparring
for wind. no artistic "stalline' here he
must get his audience, make his own at
mosphere out Of that still tinsling with
his predecessors applause. expect to he
burIesoued by the one who follows him.
How pale and futile appear the mechani-
cal evolutions OF doll-faced show girls the
long stretches of Indifferent comedian
talk contracted with this breathless. cut
throat game. these quickly shifting inter
walls Of concentrated cleverness.
At the Palace this week you may hear
Miss Elizabeth Murray, who until few
DAYS ago was the life of musical com
edy-as II happened an unusually good
one. Miss Murray is singing com
edienne. and she can both be funny and
OF personality and srt-May Irwin and
Miss Marie Cahill, in their different WAYS
are other examples-who cheer and warm
while they make one laugh. who are
comnletelv comfortable" Miss Murray
sings "All Aboard for Dixie and lot
OF other songs. and the audience has
them one after another in a delishuul
string. gets what it wants when II wants
g so 10 speak. instead OF having II clut-
tered over as il might otherwise be BY
tho dead wood OF less accomplished enter
tainers.
In nolter vein is Miss Joan Sawyer
who waltzes. one-steps and tangoes on
stage set as a ballroom. Miss sawyer all
fers from some OF the other dancers OF
the moment. I'm not having acquired the
had manners with which some OF them
started and which others have fallen into
since fame was suddenly thrust on them
She dances so as TO please everybody ana
vet always 10 appear like n civilized YOUNG
woman i'm her own drawing room. She
was ALI in black Yesterday. with an over
drass or overcoat or whatever they call
Z, NJ black let, white tulle scarf floating
about her SnOulutIss II NONiN 'i'N 49,
more lightly than she. however. Neither
the birds OF the air nor the wet seal OF
the sea has anything on Miss Sawyer
Miss Trixie Frganza followed Miss Saw
ver and tried good -naturedly. but without
much success. TO comment ioculariy on
b.r predecessor Everything else she tried
IN make fun out Of she succeeded with
,d,nirabIv. and her Ourios1ues OF
"apacho." ballet and Interpretive dane
ing OF the Gertrude Hoffman, variety
we're irresistiby comlcal.
When a ballet dancer wrinkles across
tho stage and. poised on one toe Is
caught in the arms Of her dancing part
rcr she seems 10 the audience TO have no
y eight AT all. but doubtless this is not al
vavs the impression OF her partner iiis
,ecbnioue enables him TO cover up his feel
i,es whatever they may be. Miss Frisanza
shows YOU what YOU might think would
happen-but what never does happen
thanks 10 the dancers skill-and every
time she throws herself into the arms Of
her partuer he is bowled over rs II he han
tried To grab fallins tree. II Is certainly
very simple fun. but II rs Just az certainly