New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-24
"TOWN TOPICS"
ASPUNCH IN TOE
Dance Numbers Pleasing
Feature of Big Show
at the Century.
LACK OF HUMOR
IS IN EVIDENCE
Girls, Scenes and Songs Galore
in an Entertainment Which
Enlists Many Specialists.
BY HFYWOOB BROUN.

BY HEYwOOB BROUN.
The theatre which was consecratcd
to the Learned sock" has been given
over to the merely facile shoe and
stocking. Ned Wavburn's Town
Topics" was produced last night at the
Century. once The New Theatre
On the stage where Juliet tripped
the boards and Cleopatra Elided Way
burn has modified score Of Juliets
and a half hundred Cleopatras. Profit
ting by the mighty acreage at his
disposal, the producer has reared
! baseball parks, subway trains. hotels
and the four seasons. The costumes
used by the chorus girls if placed end
10 end would reach almost from chin
on the programme as "the fairly tall
girls
And yet we wish that Mr.. Wayburn
would sell set or two OF his twenty
: seven scenes. dispose of a gross or so
( of costumes. even part with a blonde
here and a brunette there and buy Il
Joke
Have you a Cabaret" asks Bios
som Seeley "A cravenette," replies
! Lew Hearn; Eyes, but neevr wear il
except when il rains" II is only fair
to state that Cabaret" is pronounced
with a harsh final let" much kin to
the "et" in Have YOU ct your sup
PERI"
Later there was a witticism about
an Office boy. ball game and funeral
Of a grandmother. Will Rogers was
decidedly amusing in more or less
impromptu monologue and some of
the slang of Bert Leslie is funny,
but on the whole the dialogue is with
out humor
Wayburn never has had much to do
with the spoken drama. He is a dis
ciple Of La Savate. He relies on the
| loot for his punch. In the marshal
ling Of his dance numbers Wayburn
has always been skilful. and the con-
oerted numbers last night were done
with happy turn of pace and spirit.
One of the first songs on the pro-
gramme was "All Full Of Ginger" and
that undoubtedly was the mood in
which the piece was staged. The dress
rehearsal was somewhere out Of bounds
in regard to sme. but that was not
I because the numbers Jagged. but sim
Tly because there were so many of
them. This defect was remedied last
night by wholesale cutting.
Town Topics" is essentially a spe-
cialty show. There is no connected
plot, and although the name would
seem TO apply to a revue of current
happenings, this feature is not devel-
oPed. Musically it is pleasant, but
I,
it is excellent and dramatically it SIM
ply does not exist Book -" is the
way the programme phrases it,
"Only few years ago" said VIII
Rogers, in his rhonologue. "there was
lot of art splashed around here. "
Ned Wayburn is a disciple Of the
Splash Ne" method of production.
Freehandedly he throws ever so much
material at his audience and some hits
and some does not. We confess to hav-
ing been struck full and fair by the
scene at the Polo Grounds A big
stand and part of the diamond I'll the
stage, so the outfelders, in pink tights,
are stationed in the aisles. Trixie
Friganza at bat drives the ball to deep
centre and by splendidly sustained
sprint and long slide completes a
home run which takes her up one
aisle, down another and around the
back Of the theatre. Bert Leslie as
a catcher was at his best IN this scene
and Peter Page was amusing as the
umpire. Scenically the best thing in
the show was the spring set in the
dances Of the four seasons by Adelaide
and Hughes. who performed attrac-
lively.
In addition to her home run. Trixie
/ FIiganza had an amusing scene in a
! dancing academy Lois Josephine and
Wellington Cross danced together eff
! fectively and Mabel Elaine scored IN
a short specially.
Individually. viii Rogers was de-
/ cidedly the hit of the show. lie did
some of his clever lasso tricks in an
exactingly small space and his patteI
was amusing Best of all, we liked
/ him when he came out and stalled OF
pretended to stall for time while :
scene was being set. Rogers talked
shop and gave little sidelights OF The
happenings on and back of the stage
during the long rehearsals OF Town
/ Topics"
1--WE found in the dressing rooms
/ here" said Rogers, "a lot Of bows and
curtain speeches which have never
been used" Rogers snould not thro"
these things away. He may need them
| himself
Blossom Seeley had two good son2
numbers end appeared to advantage in
baseball uniform, which is more than
Rube Marquard can do. Others who
performed pleasingly were Mana
yucca, Eileen Molyneux. Clifton Webb
Qua Shy, Marie Lavarre and Vera
, Michelena.
The tap room and the uniformed girl
ushers are above criticism.