New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-24
stem.
(Bv HAYWOOD BROUN)

The music Of "Katinka' is excellent.
The book contains a joke about the
sound Of soup. A little later the
breezy American addresses Russian
named Boris as "BoraX," but after
that the humor declines little. There
is no let down in the music. The
,horuses crash and rumble and the
solos glide along with lit and ripple
or whatever it is solos ought to have
At any rate they fall pleasantly on the
ear. Rudolf Friml wrote the music ana
Otto Hauerbsch hammered out the book
and lyrics.
Certain Of the lines did not seem
quite SO heavy as the rest. Adele Row
land spoke them. Certain OF the songs
had a shade more swing and melooy
than the others. Adele Rowland sang
them. She enjoyed her work ana so
did everybody else. ,-.-.
May Naudan brought a good voice
to the play In the part of katinks ana
Samuel Ash also sang well as ivan
Dimitri. Franklin Ardell was deslg-
mated to supply the comic interest. ne
didn't hut the blame is not his. lie
was supposed TO be breezy American.
" was easy to tell that he was breezy
because he talked carefully prepared
slang and sang a song in which he put
his arm around the various members
Of the chorus in turn. Then, TOO,
when he shook hands with man he
moved his arm up and down very
rapidly like q pump handle.
We. for one, were not in the least
surprised when he referred 20 Boris as
"Borax." IL was so American, don't
YOU know Naturally he had song
entitled "In a Hurry" This belief that
we of America are always in a hurry
is a delusion into which foreigners
have led us. Il is the impression
gained of us by distinguished visitors
az they come up the Lower Bay Inc
thought strikes them only a second or
so after they have decided that Ameri-
can women are the most beautiful IN
the world.
This American in a hurry, who IS
he? He is a newspaper man hurrying
TO be early at the office, fireman, a
doctor. or a pickpocket, and he is IN q
hurry because ne Is a member of his
own particular profession and not be-
cause he is an American. Anybody
who knows anything about public tele-
phone booths can testify that not all
Americans are in hurry.
Yet after all Ardell did have one
funny line. $50 she shall jern the
dancing girls" was what he said.
"Katinka" is the sort of a play in
which when a character wishes TO sing
song she exclaims what shall | do p"
Fortunately, the leader of the orchestra
was there TO inform her. By what
ever hook or crook, every song was
welcome.
"Rackety Coo" by May Naudain was
particularly effective. "Your Photo"
and 81 Want to Marry a Male Quar-
tette" were the best of the numbers
sung by Adele Rowland, Russian
dancing is always interesting, and the
rumber contributed by May Thompson
and Makalif was good, as was a solo
dance by Miss Thompson.
"Katinka" Is laid in Yalta, Russia; in
Stamboul, Turkey, and in one of those
gay cafes of Vienna where the fair
heriones say: ooh, he's only my hus-
band" The plot concerns the efforts
of two men TO keep old Boris from
marrying pretty Katinka. 1t would be
altogether too much bother to explain
just why Katinka took on the guise Of
a dancing girl or through what mistake
Mrs. Hopper was sent to the harem.
Nor do we think it would be of more
than passing interest TO explain just
why two ladies came to the hotel in
STEAMBOAT, each calling herself Mrs.
Hopper. Let it suffice that all these
difficulties were Strengthened out TO the
accompaniment of a number of harem
jokes. and a song about Allah. The
play closed pleasantly with music, and
people went away whistlng, "Rackety
Con"