New-York tribune., 1916-02-18
II Contains n, .clSOn and
Plenty or Song, Dance,
Dash and Noise.
ALSO SOME HUMOR
OF VARYING SORTS
Good Staging and Huge Chorus
Will Aid in Making the New
Show Popular.

Robinson Crusoe. Jr.," is full Of
song, dance, dash, mole. girls, scenery,
costumes and Al Jolson. The new show
at the Winter Garden is not designed
for the highbrow, or even the fifty-
fifty, but there are a million or so
persons who will be hugely enter
tanned by it, and justly so. In addi-
ton to possessing most Of the qualities
of successful musical comedies from
time immemorial, it contains rafting
good idea and treats it quite well. IL
is a show that will undoubtedly pack
the Winter Garden until the buyers
nest again.
Since his last appearance in these
parts Al Jolson has had to put up with
considerable. He has been travelling
around the country for large num-
Der of consecutive weeks-if one had
time the exact number could be dug
out of the files At all events, he estab-
lished a record. In consideration OF
this fact, and also in recognition OF
services rendered by him in musical
shows galore, he received tremendous
ovation from the Jolson fans upon his
first entrance. Thereafter they laughed
loud and long at his jests, and ap-
plauded strenuously at his songs. Hon.
estly, there isn't the slightest bit OF
doubt about il. Al Jolson is funny.
The Robinson Crusoe idea is so good
q one that it is hard 70 understand why
IL was not used long ago for musical
comedy purposes. Several seasons ago
there was a plan sfoot to adapt 1t TO
the grave form of Bert Williams, but
nothing came Of il. The Winter Gar
den authors-it is never possible TO
list the names of all the Winter Gar
den authors-have used the idea well.
They have evolved play that gives AL
Jolson, the scene painter and the
costume designer opportunities to show
at their best.
II was rather a wonderful island
TO which his dream waited Hiram
Westbury, the millionaire. 1t IS
doubtful il it would have been recog-
nized by De Foe-Daniel, not LOUIS.
In the first place, it contained lot
of chorus girls, whereas you will search
the original volume from cover to
cover without finding single word
about chorus girls. And in some man
ner CAPTAIN Kidd strolled into the pro-
ceedings. too But in the end 1t all
made for jollity and song, and you
couldn't have found any one IN the
auditorium who would have had II
otherwise for a minute.
Jolson, as Crusoe's man Good Fri
day. was at his funniest while making
n stump speech TO the cannibals-par-
ticularlv when he examined menu
card and discovered that he was the
entire table of contents. Before ana
after the dream Jolson was Gus, the
reckless chauffeur of the dashable nero.
Scenicallv the production reached is
height at the end of the first act, wner
dainty pirates scampered up the rig
qing while a ship went down in the
distance. Other good scenes were IN
the haunted forest, where chorus girls
posed as trees, and on the lawn IN
front of Westbury's home. There was
almost a Joseph Urban tinge about the
latter. Throughout these scenes ana a
dozen others a large and really mana
some chorus disported itself, or them
selves. At first the chorus was IN
clined TO be distant, but later IN the
evening il walked right out on the run
way and invited the audience 70 nelp
with it's knitting.
In its humor the show observes
strict neutrality. Some OF the JOKES
came from Punch" and others from
"Flegende Blaetter Still othels 49,
strictly original. AS matter OF lact,
the original jokes were the BEST ana !;
was was rather a pity that the authors did
not throw tradition 70 the WINDS ah1
use use original matter exclusively; Such
is the perversity of audiences that the
new gags met with discouraging 81,
lence and the old ones were welcomed
with roars Of laughter.
The most capable work is done by the
male members of the cast. Jolson, OF
course. is much in evidence. Claude
Flemming is thoroughly capable IN W Wthe
title role. but Lawrance d'Orsay mas
ceased TO be humorous-assuming that
he over was. Barry Lupno was an &c,
centric tumbler who should have had
more to do. and the same was, true OF
Bowers, Crocker and waters, va Ina tna' D,;l soUu
nine ,6les were in the hands Of Helen
Shipman, Kitty Doner and Nine
COmOnt.