Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-18
ADJUSTMENTS
RAYMOND HIrCi,tOCK Funny
IN "lIIE. lIE.AI,'lN Snl

RtIN SI1op''
Amt this II silly play" RAYMOND
iiltchcock contidcntially and INFORMALLY
asked his audience at the Academy or
! Music last night. after il had Laughed
( itS"it INTO Il sort of hystcria at his
'itN'r ioolery in the three acts of The
he"uty shop. Certainly it's silly,''
inc audience would have replied If he
hMd given ii chance, that's why we
l'ke II: we didn't come here to think
"po"' PlotS, possibilities. stories and
things We came here to laugh and tho
Sillier YOU make this silly thing the
better we'll like it,"
But he didn't give anybody "A chance
10 SAY anything, nor did he need 10
ne saw that the whole house was ready
10 roar whenever he wiggled his finger
:" ne Kept steadily ~ ii and the house
kept steadily roaring. That. was after
i'""tNer' he had found himself. or had
heEun to understand the house Re
fore he reached that point. he very
nearly Grabbed" the whole show
curing the first part of the first ace,
ne hnd the house. He WAS giving
M bright lines and lyrics of Chan
! hlns Pollock and RennoId Wolf rul
N''"e more value even than was in :
I ulhSic IN them, and lie Was nonotouiup
ms way through Gebest's music to the
Wil"le-souled joy Of Il happy audience
"htn' To use his own phrase he got
! fresh lie sang All Dressed IN ana
40 race 10 Go" until the house mus
clhus could hardly MP" the hruss.s
nntiI II. had exhausted the written
verses. ana then hc said hc was roin,.
/" Try one more. which he knew WINS
"'hsefouS. You can set AN audience
against yon in Il ninh,c.' he said Ana
| then he did it,
rue evolved ana pcrpctratcd another
| verse winch. FOR sheer vllcncss and
shameless iudecency Of sIp.rs,iou'
Z
h""h SAID. sung or limited ON amy re.
Spectacle stage in Richmond-so far :, =
may DE recalled 10y a memory tina,
covers period of some twenty wears
MA us Very weight buried ii in its own
'hire' lew IN the audience who un-
hcrst"od it laughed, hut most of ms
/ th"usht ttiHt the show WAS sun.
i;ut he went to work then ana i'm len
or iiIi""n minutes h" had again taken
hold OF the risihIcS Of TN, audieuc.
FROM that time on 1t was All inst
frothy, absurd ana wholly irrcsistihlr
run Mr.. Hitchcock viii hardly try to
XIII ms show again. so uat The
'eautE SHOP is cordially recommend
"d 10 those who want to forget that
they are either tired or ever had to
worry about business
It's all Raymond Hitchcock ANA
there's no use trying 10 describe mis-
methods. They ar" his alone; he is :,
class of his own. lie can dance - lIttle
nit and sing Hitler bit. but neither
OF ines" accomplishments carries him
I"I: he goes far because he is Raw
mond Hitchcock. True. the book ana
I lyrics. as has been said are bright. ana
INC inusn is ut least "plcasIng"-tne
quotation marks go with the word
True. again, the east is COMPETENT TO do
what !iltle Is written for ii To DO: Anna
orr ~ "a wholesome and unusual TYNE
IN musical comedy: Marion Sunshine Is
"a charming miniature comedian and
d"hc"r, who ~ ably assisted -spas-
mod!cally-b by Joseph Herbert Jr.. the
most uneven worker that ever danced:
the oth"r speaking parts. unlnportant
as they arc. arc well played, and there
- large chorus, while an augmented
orchestra adds 10 the general spright-
Illness or tho whole.
But. /" repeat. The Beauty shop" is
Raymond Hitchcock. If YOU want to
be sill. and glad OF it, go ana sec hin,
cithr' isis afternoon or Tonight.
Douglas Gordon.