Evening star., 1914-10-13

vocal regret that the morning after
should be SO inferior to the night be-
| fore. and OF other singing, dancing
and 5oke-bandying spirits, make up
| the two acts of the musical play MY
Best Girl which had its local premier
at the Columbia last night. New York
and Governors Island serve as back
grounds for the plot-allowing a plot
and the soldiers. chauffeurs, salesmen
! and an alluring quantity Of pretty
| girls are all of the made-in-America
variety-except for the foreign favors
contributed by the little stranger" a
curious young person from that part
Of Germany where caps and peasant
waists still survive, and frolicsome
dancer from the Moulin Rouge. Victor
flying and engagingly overworked in
the matter of love making. scored a
success at every turn Of his hilariously
complicated affairs.
There isn't what the musical critic
would call depths OF melody to my
| Best Girl" but 1t is breeziiy tuneful
throughout, with here and there num-
| bers of real song value. notably. II
Do Like Your Eyes" the duet between
| runs like silver thread throughout
the score: I'm Smiling At the Moon
That Smiles At You," sung by James
Burke. and "A Regular Army Man"
Porter. Inez Bauer. as Daphne. danced
with a picturesque agility suggestive
Of the whirling wings Of '"rhe Red
MILL" from whence she came. and
ground-tumbling in the quicksilver
like dancing numbers that fell to
''The Little Stranger"
Miss Coleman was gir1ish1y demure
as the best girl" and If comparisons
feminine voice in the cast-due. per-
haps, to the fact that the others pre-
ferred to talk their songs: Estelle
McNeal. who also proved she could
sing when she allowed herself the
chance, notably in her chorus work.
was vivaciously attractive as Be
atrice."
The ladies and gentlemen Of the en-,
semble"-meaning the choruses-d1a
to the fun, though 1t must be said. con-
fidentially, that the going was bit
slow until the star thrust an unexpected
head out Of his automobile window.
And that set the gait.
MY Best Girl" represents the com
bined work of Claiming Pollock. Rem
mold Wolfe. Clifton Crawford and Au-
gustus Barratt. and has had success
full season in New York.
Polls.
A woman's love for fine feathers"
and the pace she can set her husband
along the road to dishonor are visual
lied in the presentation Of Eugen~
Walters play, which drew crowded
houses to the Poll Theater for two
performances yesterday.
Despite the modern disposition to
relegate tragedies off the stage, this
play, which is the acme of tragic hap
penings, grips the audience with its
realism and close picturing of a Pc
culiar and dangerous phase of modern
life.
Jane Morgan made much Of the role
but honest-minded contract inspector.
who is tempted by a former college
mate to pass inferior cement Tor big
dam. Her love for pretty clothes.
low him NJ to satisfy. had previously as
serted itself to his financial embar-
rassment, and when she overheard the
false friend Turing him to sell his
the glitter of the gold. When he re-
fused to listen to the proposition she
conspired clandestinely with John Brand.
the business man. to trick her husband
consequences Of her folly the husband
filings his honor to the four winds and
goes the pace. The collapse OF the
dam, killing thousands in a food. fol-
in the market overwhelms Robert
Reynolds. the husband, with the reali-
zation of how low he has fallen, and
he blows out his brains.
band is one of the strongest pieces
Of acting he has done since coming to
Washington. In the tense scenes he
was particularly effective.
Dick Meade, the reporter. the one real
friend of the misguided young couple,
always at hand in the critical moments,
was carefully, if vivaciously. imperson-
ated by William H. Evarts. Herbert
Dobbins. as John Brand, the villain,
was effective. and Miss Adah Sherman,
as the neighbor always making
breaks" and Miss Louise Kent. as the
hired girl, slow at everything but
breaking dishes, handled the comedy
roles in a way to relieve the tension
of the tragic situation. Miss Marie
Carroll was a pretty and demure nurse,
and Hardie Meakin performed his GUS