The Washington herald., 1914-01-04
by JAMES 5. slErcALFE.


The girl-and-music show as II Is don't
On Broadway has become 50 common
place that II Is a question whether Il
worth any consideration or. the part y
The theatrfca. reviewer. except 70 que.
whether or Lot II Is likely to keep tns
.fTed business man awake. That the giri'
and-music show may be very good en-.
tertainment indeed. even for those WY
lay some claim to taste and judgment
is shown by the immediate impress'on
made by "The Girl on the Film, oons
by a company imported complete rum
London.
- We have had foisted on the AmerlcAn
theatergoing public SO many OF tnese
musical shows with rag-time scos'
stupid librettos. singers who couion sue aa,
comedians who were not comic. ano W.
garity everywhere that We all SIT UP anu
take notice when daintiness anu 49,
taste take the nlace of coarseness ana
general meiiocrity 1.-THE Girl on tue
Film is nothing startling In oook
score but its music is very pleasing, ene
its story, lines, and lyrics show at ieas.
an acquaintance with good Enehsn anu
some other inspiration for fun tnan W,
York's Broadway and Bowery parrooIs
Its women, notably, Emmy Wehlen anu
Madeline SEYMOUR, and not excepting
the studied coarseness OF Connie Eoiss'
have a way of doing things with an ar
fistic refinement almost unknown 10 our
musical comedy stage. Or course, tne
comedy methods Of George Grossmitn
take him entirely out Of comparison win
our own roueh-house laugh-makers. Anu
to add TO the class of the producuon Ens
land sends Is a real nobleman In the per
son of Lord Dangan, who, although not
wonderfully talented, at least looks IKE
and carries himself as gentleman.
America Also Scores.
To save our pride in this oirecuoh
{ simultaneously there comes along a ois
tinctly American comic operetta' wnlch
for a wonder ranks creditably with the
London piece in every particular. In tact'
in striking originality of story and lts
treatment and in the wit of Its lines ana
lyrics il goes its English competitor con-
siderably better.
No one who read Mr.. Robert W. Cham
bers' 'Iole'' would be likely to jump 20
the conclusion that it could be success
fully made the basis Of musical COM
edy. Mr.. Chambers, aided by very time
fuI score by w. F. Peters, Ben Teals
technical knowledge. and an exceilenty
chosen company, has set verY high
mark in this field Of American accom-
plishment There is even strong sug-
gestion of Gilbert and Sullivan In IT, al
though il lacks Gilberts satire ana the
finished musical ability of Sullivan III IN
a way, though, recalls Patience. al
though more broadly funny in text and
more closely contemporary in music
Frank Lalor, as the fat poet, gets the
spirit of the role exactly and excites the
risibilities of his hearers without Offend
ing the sensibilities of the most fastidi-
GUS His eight daughters. with ferne
Rogers as the Iole. are melodious,
graceful and dreams of beauty. especially
in their pink costumes, constructed on
the pajama model
Even in the face of the strongest Brit
lsh competition "Iole' is quite able TO
hold its own, and will easily last out the
rest Of the season at the Longacre.
The shaw of Earlier Years.
Fond as is George Bernard Shaw of
talk, it may be well doubted that even
he If he were writing "The Philanderer
today instead of twenty years ago, would
have filed it with 50 much conversation
on even his favorite topics. 1t is very
much of Ii extremely clever talk. mainly
about the&ehsnged ed=reiation of the sexes
due to feminine emancipation from the
now obsolete womanly conventions.
Twenty years ago this was a much newer
topic than jtis today; in fact, much that
now sesfas-eemmonplace in the play must
then have borne the air of extremely
doctors and slurs at vivisecticn are more
in the tone Of today, but all in all four
acts of Mr.. Shaw's views not greatly
vivified by dramatic action are rather
trying to the patience of even such in
telligent audiences as Mr.. Ames attracts
to whatever he does at the Little Theater.
To an assemblage of average American
theatergoers THE Philanderer" would
very likely prove 10 be a bore.
III |
English company sent over under the
Joint selection of Mr.. Shaw and Mr..
Granville Barker. although the princi-
pa! honors went 10 an American actress,
Mary Lawton, who had the rather diff
cult part of Julia Craven, a woman who
finds it difficult to adapt her old ideas
ard ideals of love making and matrimony
to emanCipated conditions. Mr.. Charles
AIaude, a younger Lrother of the distin-
guished Cyril. brought the right frivol-
GUS and trifing spirit TO the portrayal OF
Leonard Charters, whose business ir
life it is 10 philander with such members
of the opposite sex as come in contact
with him. The rest of the company had
been selected with discretion. and its
members did their talking, walking. sit
ting. and standing with that ease anu
finish which distinguish the English
actor from his American contemporary.
THE Philanderer' will amuse, even X
Il does not greatly instruct the small au-
iiences which fill the Little Theater, but
Il is not a play for big public.
Eleanor Gates New One.
THE Poor Little Rich Girl" certainly
showed that its author had strong vein
Of originality. Although with I'VE Are
Seven" she takes us into an entirely dif-
ierent field, that quality is equally pro-
The title suggests the Jean
lngelow poem of childhood, but here the
children are all imaginary. They are, to
be sure, seven in number. but they exist
'nly in the fancy and Intentions of the