The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-23
"The Girl From Utah" Is a
DELIGHTFUL Bit of FripOl
Demonstrates the Cleverness of
Each of Its Triumvirate of Stars
Without the Sacrifice of Any
One of Their Parts to the Other.
By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

The largest audience that l have
seen in Washington during the cur
/ rent dramatic season entered thor
| oughly into the rollicking spirit of
The Girl from Utah." impersonated
by Julia Sandersoh at the New Ma
| tional Theater last evening. with
Joseph Cawthorne and Donald Brian
as co-stars in the elaborate produc-
| ton of a musical comedy which has
| just the right dash Of every sort OF
pleasantly that one could desire for
| The Land of Let's Pretend"
| That's a borrowed phrase from the
| pretty conceit in the way of pro-
| logue, in which the triumvirate of
stars tell the audience that the road
to be travelled is a fiower-strewn path
| where no serious thoughts keep COM
pany with the passing throng, and no
| exactions are made of the onlookers
save just to join in the spirit of the
occasion.
This invitation to follow Charles Froh-
| mans triple alliance" and the company
| surrounding them. into THE Land of
Just Pretend" Is doubly happy in its
choosing. in that 1t leaves no room for
complaint that James 7. Tanners book
furnishes but the thread of a plot in
which the charming heroine of the story
is tracked from Utah to Europe by her
designing Mormon from whom she event
ually escapes into a happy marriage with
one Sandy Blair. leading man at the
Gaiety Theater, London.
After the Introductory explanation of
| the object of the piece, a somewhat dis
appointing first act follows. limiting but
| vaguely at any special accomplishment
| on the part Of Paul Rubens and Sydney
Jones. who. with Jerome d. Kern. are
responsible for the music.
The principals of the company do not
appear for some little time after we are
made acquainted with the interior Of
tea shop in st. James street. and i'm the
interim the musical numbers are not re-
markable for their melody. nor yet for
the manner of their rendition.
But from the moment Donald Brian
begins TO trip the light fantastic. Joseph
Cawthorne assumes the responsibility of
the comedy, and Miss Sanderson injects
her win. inc personality into the piece.
The Girl from Utah" becomes as crisp
as a properly cooked gingersnap. From
this point the music also takes on Tilt
that is irresistible, and through all the six
scenes which succeed that of the tearoom.
the audience last night spent about half
the time in repeated encoreS to almost
every featured song or dance.
OF the former the most attractive are
The Girl in the Clogs and Shawl" sung
by the tri-stars in the first act: Miss
Sanderson's I'D Like to Wander with
Alice in Wonderland Same Sort of
Girl by Mr.. Brian and Miss SandersOr;
.Florrie, the Flapper." Mr.. Cawthorne's
big personal hit: They Didn't Believe
Me-" another duet excellently rendered by
Miss Sanderson and Mr.. Brian, anil the
latters polka song, which is followed
by one of the most attractive dances Of
the evening, in which Mr.. Brian is grace
f,,II tod hxyC
Interpolating the rapid succession Of
songs and dances runs the elusive plot.
as we'll as several novel features. such
as the naturalization of the Alice in Won
derland dream, and most ludicrOus bur-
lesque of the movies in which Miss
Sanderson and Messrs. Cawthorne and
Brian play the leading characters.
THE Girl from Utah is a delight
full bit Of frivol, and never have j seen
three associate artists play in such COM
plete harmony as do Mr.. Frohman's triple
star combination at the National this
week. There is a spontaneity about their
work which carries the impression to the
audience that they are all three engaged
in some happy prank out of which they
are being as thoroughly entertained as
they are giving entertainment
Considering them separately Miss San
derson is as generous as ever with the
smile Tor Wnlcn she mas become famous,
sings in just that same plaintive fash
ion which won her first stellar success
in THE Sunshine Girl and has added
so much Of grace to her dancing since
last We saw her that her terpsichorean
feats are as much feature of the music
al comedy as are Mr.. Brian's. and this
is saying a good deal for the Brian
feet have lost none of their skillful agil-
ity.
And Mr. Cawthorne accomplishes that
most difficult of all dramatic feats He
makes comedy out Of book which has
little humor. Go back over his lines Il
bit il you were there last night ana
you'll not be able to find any clever bits
of repartee. yet you'll remember to have
laughed every moment the Cawthorne
personality was dominant. all of which
was due to the Comedians own individu-
ality-his peculiar gift of fiinSing fun
across the footlights with. or without.
the help of good lines or course his is
all low comedy. but it is genuinely funny.
and tickIes the public risibilities with de-
Iightful persistency.
Yes. it's a good show. is THE Girl
from Utah" And quite the sort Of
each of its gifted stars without the sac
rifice of any one of their parts to the
other.
As for the staging and the supporting
cast, the former is elaborate and in good
taste. while the latter is, in the MAN.
satisfactory.