Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-20

When a professional theatrical pro-
duction makes an instant success In
Its first performance the technical
saying is that 1t "got over" Well.
that is just exactly what happened TO
the amateur production OF THE Col
lege Hero" at the Shubert Theatre
Last night. 1t got over" and 1t got
over far better than It's most ardent
admirers expected.
This brilliantly -costumed, tuneful
musical extravaganza Is being given
by company of 100 Newark anna
tours this week for the benefit Of the
Babies Hospital, and from present
indications a fine sum should be
netted for that charity by the end OF
the week.
Musical extravaganza" is hardly
an appropriate name for such a pro-
duction as THE College Hero" 1t Is
more In the nature of spectacle,
such q spectacle as is staged at the
New York Hippodrome.
But the big New York stage never
achieved such an instantaneous sue
cess as did the production at the
Shubert last night. 1t was stipend
GUS. and 1t was grand. Praise can
be given 1t unqualitiedly, for it de-
served 1t. Those who went expecting
to see the hating, mixed and broken
up performance that generally marks
the first night Of an amateur produc-
ton were woefully disappointed, and
agreeably SO, for the performance ran
as smooth and easily as a well-oiled
machine.
Credit for this is due Wade Davis,
al ,-,IA A1oh TN.vrr NJ.
of the piece Mr.. Davis is the stage
manager. and did all the work of re-
hearsing the 700 persons who partici-
pate in THE College Hero" So well
has his work been done that last
nights performance was far more
like a professional one than one in
which only amateurs were taking
part.
THE College Hero" Is In two acts.
the first showing an interior of
Sagehurst College, while the second
shows the college campus. There is
just enough plot to string large
number of songs and dance numbers
on that go to make highly enjoy
able three hours performance. And
to the credit of the producers let it
be remarked that they kept their
promises. They said the curtain would
would be over at II o'clock. Both
promises were fulfilled to the letter.
The curtain rises on the first act
with over 100 persons on the stage,
comprising the college freshies,
sophomores, graduates. rowing crew
and golf groups, and other groups
keep coming on until there are prob
ably 450 people on the stage. You
notice that they have all come on
without any confusion, go easy IN
fact that you do not realize how
many persons are on the stage until
the orchestra strikes up THE Star
Spangled Banner" as a group Of
sailors comes on the stage and you
stand UP In honor of the national
anthem.
Then your eye grasps the wonder
full view on the stage. dozen dlr-
ferent groups all intertwined, one in
the other, fancy costumes and pretty
girls all mixed In an apparently
tangled up mass that makes pretty
picture, beautiful. in fact, but how
on earth is 1t going to get untangled
and off the stage again?
But II does. and you gasp with sur
prise as in a few minutes the stage
is emptied of all but the golf group,
who do a pretty dance. II is a bril-
liant piece of stage work and speaks
volumes for the careful work the per-
formers must have put in at re-
hearsal.
And so 1t goes all through the per-
Torrance. Groups come and go on
the stage, and there is never sem
blance of plans going wrong 1t is
this one thing that makes THE Col
lege Hero" the big success 1t IS. The
costumes are beautiful all being new,
furnished it is understood for the
most part by the performers them
selves. and not by the management
of the show. Pretty girls galore flash
before your eyes in constantly chang
ing groups. Golf girls, tennis girls,
basketball girls, college widows,
geisha and Japanese tea girls, banjo
girls, Spanish girls, Mary Jane girls,
girls, girls, girls. until you. can see
nothing but gir.s, until they stop for
a breathing spell and then you see
some boys.
But it is the girls that make THE
College Hero" production that
stands out as a magnificent effort
Ze.gfeld in his palmiest day never
put out as "girly'' a show. as this
one. And good-looking. too, every last
one of. them. 1 did not know there
were so many good-lookins girls in
Newark.
Miss Caroline F. Schaller. as Elsie,
country girl, got many laugh by