New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-26
Ginger and Color in New
Midnight Entertainment
on the Roof.
WILL ROGERS SINGS
WITHOUT A ROPE
Dolly Sisters Dance, and Even
The Tribune Takes Part
in the Show.

The third in Florenz Ziegfeld's series
of personally conducted Midnight
Frolics" was produced on the New Am
s,erdam Roof at point equidistant be
tween extremely late Monday night
and an early hour Tuesday morning. In
round numbers. 1t is a swell show. IL
contains everything, from "a slack-wire
net to Ethel Barrymore In gorgeous
no. that must be changed. Miss Bar
rymoro was present ct the opening, but
il IS not yet certain that the manage
ment has contracted for her nightly
appearance.
At all events. the third Frolic differs
in no great way from It's predecessors
which is to say, that 1t Is zippy'
snappy. tuneful, handsomely gowned
and carefully staged entertainment,
and that it moves with dash that IS
not always 70 be found In the shows
that begin three and one-haf hours
earlier. Like its predecessors, TO wit
hess it gives one the feeling tna'
George Jean Nathan can say what he
likes. but this is the life. Il isn't every
night that one mas a chance TO see
Ethel Barrymore laugh at a Ford joke,
and diamond jim" entertain with ms
reputed lavishness, and Herb S"ope
get out of his seat to puneture bal
loon with cigarette. They are oc-
crrrences 10 treasure in the memory.
The Frolickers themselves are for
the most part unchanged, and one OF
two of the more popular features o.
the previous shows have been retained.
So much for the points of similarity.
There are changes in abundance and
there Is one great artistic advance.
For at last the midnight Frolic' has
been brought TO a point where IL com
pels consideration equal 10 that gwen
arv production on Broadway. ~ hnhl-
~ contains somebody under the per
sonal direction and by the express per
mission of Elisabeth Marbury.
Probably the best known names or
the programme are those Of the Dolly
Sisters. Roszika and Yansci. Ihey are
adept at dancing, and, as VIII Roger
remarked, they are pretty ana don
try to sing. Still. watching them per
form is not without MS ntellectu"i
labor One is constantly deep IN the
problem Of trying 70 PICK out the one
who il married 10 Harry FOX.
Rogers. of course, has not oeeh Pc
mitted TO jump off the roof since the
previous show closed. Here Is man
whose brand of entertainment ~ unique
if anything In the show business ca.
be unique. lie capitalizes ana lur n'
10 account even his limitations. In inc
present show. for example ne slhss
entirely without the AID OF MS a'cuS
toned rope Along about me se'otN
verse there was "a disposition ." ~,
mart Of the audience TO SEM l9r 5"o
rome. but in the absence OF ie"ue'
the plan fell through. .
Oscar Shaw and sundry members on
the chorus have a song eHtolllnE tne
merits of the feminine portion o. Ne~
York. in the course OF when o@i''0
representing Park Row appeared ID d"
dress composed exclusively OF hFS va" '
editions. The sign Of this paper pens
the eternal truth. it may no, De s,H.y'
that The Tribune was her sole proleo.
or But il required only casual sGfu-
tinv TO discern The Tribune, printed on o..
a silken sheet and carried Just aoai'
"Tbe New York World
Odette Myrtil, the Latin Quarter 'lo1
linist. is another who mas been ne'u
over from the earlier Froiles, as mas .;a5
Peul Gordol.. wire artist. Among ne
newcomers are Genevieye Warner VINO
plavs harp. and Marion Harris VINO
go and looks. Joseph Urban mas
painted gorgeous setting iul. OF G0loS
and blues and things. and Ned way,
burn has rot hesitated to use some tea ai
IDEAS in the staging of the muSlc".
numbers. The best Of the latter was
"Tnana Lou" Hawaiian number.
By way OF giving all the creait 'h"I
ia due. it should be further mentioned
that Gene Buck and Dave Sotampe,55
wrote the songs, and that Flo Liegie',di
nassed on the chorus girls, refusing al
who total.ed less than 100 per cent
Furthermore, the fire and flame eHeSt
used in the finale was ach eYed by ia
Fuller. and is fully protected by Her
under-iust second United States
patent No e43,493.