The Washington herald., 1914-03-31
NATIONAL.
..The Doll Girl"

Richard earle, the irrepressible, and
Hattie Williams, the perennially young
and fascinating. make a team OF fun
makers that Is hard TO beat. Add to this
pair WIN West. Charles McNaughton
, Cheridah Simpson. Dorothy Webb. a real
tenor In the person OF Robert Evett, ar
excellent chorus OF fresh young voices
both male and female, and a bunch OF
good looking girls, and there is enough
entertainment to fit out a half dozen
of musical farces. THE Doll Girl" a
German farce adapted by Harry Smith
and musically provided by Leo Fall. was
presented for the first time In Washing
ton at the New National Theater last
night. and made an instantaneous hit.
1t would test the capacity of a secret
service detective and the abilities of the
most alert investigating committee Of
the House OF Representatives to discover
even the faintest shred of a plot or CO.
hesive story In the concoction of musical
nonsense: but who cares? So long rs
YOU can laugh until the cachinnatOry ef-
fort becomes positively painful. and can
vary this with listening to any number
of good songs and choruses. all wellsung:
and then II YOU can feast ycuI eyes on
such poetry of motion as was vouchsafed
by Bessie De Vote and u. Phillips. you
car afford to dispense with anything like
n fCEuIaTlIN. ana SuTTtllutE yourself 10
the tender mercies of such a company as
Charles Frohman has here gathered to-
gether.
Not since the days of The Spring
Chicken has Richard earle done any
thing so excruciatingly, irresistibly
funny as in this farce. His talent as a
farceur is exploited to the utmost in
the role OF the Marquis de la Tour
nellie. whether it be in singing "A Lit
tie Thing Like a Kiss" or in the reci-
tation of SILLY Tales" or his grotesque
dances with Hattie Williams and the
chorus. One of the cleveTest things
done was a take-On on the movies"
in skit called The Trspper's Wife"
in which Carle. Hattie Williams and
viii West co-operated.
Miss Williams never was more bewltch-
ing than in her costume of a Spanish
dancer. and in the character Rosaliila
she has added another not-tO-be-fOrSot-
ten picture To the long list of her stage
PORTRAITS. She made the greatest song
hit of the evening with Come on Over
Here" which had 20 he enCored over
and over again. and when the final cur
tain fell the whole audience either
hummed or whistled the tune. Dorothy
Webb is the daintiest little body as
YVette the Doll Girl. and sings and
dances equally well. Cheridah Simpson
as Nine. Prunier. Yvette's mother. made
a fine impression. not only by ner comeli-
ness. but also by some very good singing
Will West was capital in the part OF
Romeo Talmi. a theatrical manager. His
number. Il Am Going Away IS one OF
the best things on the bill. Robert ENett
has n delightful tenor voice and knows
how to use it. and in this respect is
highly desirable acquisition for such
production as this one. Besides. he is
quite a good comedian and can dance well
Our Washington beaux and bellies can
learn a whole lot about dancing the
maxixe and the hesitation waltz II they
will go and see these dances performed
by Bessie De Vote and Mr.. Phillips.
Nothing more beautifully graceful than
the latter of the dances has been seen
here.
Like all of M. Frohman's productions
The Doll GirI'' is splendidly staged. the
final scene. laid in the Bois de Moulogne.
being exceptionally fine. II goes without
saving that the sartOrial effects are no
less elaborate and in good taste.