Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-31
10YEAR-OLD ''FOLLIES"
HAVE GROWN NO OLDER
Shakespeare "Take-Offs" for
Ziegfeld Holiday-Some
Chorus

The 'FolIies," ten years alive. celebrate
Shakespeare 300 years dead. The tercsn-
tenary Of the Bard affords the inspiration
for the tenth celebration Of a ZiagfeId hoii-
day. Twenty-fhree scenes were staged at
the Forrest last night before a typical
"Follies" audience. which by It's demonstra-
tions of joyance Indicated that the vintage
OF 1915 possessed an exhilarstins quality,
a bouquet and a sparkle that one does not
expect Of old wine poured into new nasks.
OF course Shakespeare was taken on. But
that wasn't all For. needless 70 relate.
there was . chorus, II proved that the
high cost Of living has an angle" In the
high cost OF dressing. Not that there were
any angiee In the lyric auxilisrtes, as the
young ladies fwho seldom leave broadway.
n seerns. prefer to be called instead OF
''broilers" draft horsss'' and other names
once familiar. why lyric suxiiieries 10
the monniker selected Is not audible 10 the
ear and IN sone Of the choral ensembles
one regrsfted vision was not the only sense
OF ths i've then active. Possibly ''pesps''
would be the right term instead Of lyric
suxiiiariss. Judging BY the vocal volume and
tone: anyhow. Il is . tsndsrsr. younger
term than the outmodsd ''broilsrs."
At any rate. they were there largely,
both numerically and quantitatiysly. for
soms wsrs ~ pleasingly plump as Little
cess syeiteDess. Most Of them we're pretty
ia various ways, such 80 blonde, brunette.
pouting. naive, Dresden doll. statussqus and
other eatsEoriss known 20 the fancier.
The matter ,of chief concern TO the
',Follies" connoisssurs need not cause them
much concern. They win All like ths
chorus.
For the pictorial part they have this year
again. 70 face a competition that was not
forced In the preesdinE nins 'Tollies,- In
Joseph urban's scenes These are glowing
with color, yet never gaudy.
convsntionaiity Is the keynote OF the
humor coarssnsd q bit 10 be apDroprife "a
the medium. Ten years OF the '.Foliies'
have not evolved sense Of authenic com.
edy; the appeal remains 20 ths eye.
But, a. one might say: what would you
ths Intellect This Is not visnnsss
operetta to seduce the ear. This Is not 4
Gilbert and Sullivan piece 10 intrigue the
rislbilities- This is the s'Follies" II knows
not unitles, Il knows not entity. II Is q
Kaleidoscope, phantasmasoria.
IL is huge, bowling success ~ its Dc
slsn. what more could BE- asked Nosh
ing more was asked BY the cnortlins. sp
plaunive audience So II Is no use 10 llsI
the syndioHts Of composers; what they com
posed can be heard In INFINITE varisty on
any phonoersph II is no uss 20 lisl
jokssmiths What they aid can Be heard
sf any vaudeville performance IL u al
lurublsd girls galore, scenery asiox. aarisi
costumes. tripping and ether dances
whsszss and jfbes. into congiomerats eve
ninrful of entertainment Of q sort tha
has its public Because the elemsnts ar,
ike potatoes in bas, which touch bul
40 not cohere. n no reproaob 10 tbs ''Fol'
Ne" school OF dramaturEy. II Wins ol
Its own pecuiisdtiss OF standard. Ever,
one u met this year. There are even Oh
,-VoIlIsss friends In the cast: Bert WI
l,snk Yannis brics. bernerd orsnsill1
Will Rogers. the marvellous iarikt expert
whose patter u waited a. Refreshing
breeze from the ozone-laden Vast into n,
vspors Of broadway Anna fennineton
ever. and for newcomers sab HARDY. ,
capital IafceCI and Don Barclay. tn
funniest new guy y ne 4hov ~ y ~