Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-11-26

held full sway over the Theatre
week In this new musical come
dietta, presenting Clifton Crawford In
more nearly the lines of the real comic
opera comedian than any piece seen IN
some time. are two separate and DIS
tinct trains of thought. One is quite
serious and gives opportunity for first
rate vocal display. Running paraiiei
with this theme is little comedy all
to itself, in which Crawford has ad-
: mtrable assistance by Adele Rowland,
who has with the snappy personality OF
the soubrette a certain quiet poise OF
: mentality that lends the dignity of true
comedy The play was new. There
g were moments when the performance
would have betrayed that fact indie
pendently of the announcement. Some
of the ensemble numbers which intro
duce dancing by no means rivaled the
% elegant precision of the Ballet RusSe'
which had held the same stage for the
preceding half of the week Yet tne
comedy was irresistible. the songs al
Turing and the sentimental drama SO
pretty in its own way that IT was WEI
come. even at moments when IL APP
peared almost with the abruptness OF
= intrusion.
/. The Diashileff Ballet. which came as
splendid surprise when first brought
TO this country the play-toy OF a
group of wealthy art connoisseurs, mas
drifted slightly toward the convention
= ality of the usual touring theatrical at
traction. though still too large propo-
sition to play out week stand as
matter of perfunctory custom. 1t mas
taken the star system which has OF late
: been reflected so conSpicuouSly IN the
, drama and transferred it to the dance.
The name. Nijinsky. is made so prom
inent that it overwhelms attention 1t
may be doubted whether American
taste is sufficiently discerning in mat
tiers of dancing to understand the fine
points of expression which would ele-
waite single interpreter beyond the
merits of the picturesque and poetic at
mosphere with which he is surrounded
in such graceful and proficient CO.
ordination. The male dancer is still an
exception in American attention. save
when he appears as the dancing part
ner of a feminine star.
So long as the auditor regards the
dance as superficial display an ap-
. peal to the eye. more than an express
. sion of idea, the male dancing star,
however graceful his poses and delicate
his standings in pantomime. is likely to
be regarded more as curiosity than as
the artistic marvel which Nijinsky is
conceded to be.
The legitimate drama found its most
ambitious expression during the week
behind footlights to which it had been
ne MOST serious pay was
Your Daughter" at the Cosmos
Theater. compact in form, but bold and
interesting in graphing with themes
which have been exploited with less in
far greater share of the auditors time
and attention.
Nobody missed Chin Chin" The mel
odies have been sung. danced. phono-
graphed and whis,led. Fred Stone has
a bunch of tricks that are new to
Washington, although they are old to
New York, where the piece had a long
run before it took to the road. 1t
shows no traces of its lengthy career,
being snappy in its style and fresh in
costuming and scenery. The saxo-
phone sextet comes right along with
the more elaborate devices for enter
tanning and could take more encores
than any other number in the piece.
1t appeals to all tastes. We have no
crowned heads. but Monday il received
presidential smile Children cry for
it. The old story of Aladdin and
His Lamp" makes jolly fairy spec
tacle that is all that could be asked
Il. in the course of its construction
the dialogue had happened to be mad
yertently omitted. Chin Chin" is ex-
ceptional in two respects: One of the
biggest of big musical shows. 1t does
not depend upon a blackface comedian
for its main element of comedy, nor
is there a moment of suggestion that
could be open to the slightest appre-
hension on the score of p-opriety-
y y
OF course. Chin Chin" does not rep
resent drama. Palmy day warnings
find no balm in it's ripping cadences.
yet its presentation may be regarded
as realization of the reform desired
by no less distinguished a dramatic
critic than Washington Irving, who
wrote when paimy days were at their
palmiest- Irving said: Il would recon-
mend to the actors-Iess etiquette, less
fustian. less buckram; to the Or
chestra-new music and more of it; to
the pit-patience. clean benches and
umbrellas; to the boxes|ess affecta-
tion. less noise, less coxcombs; to the
gallery-iess grog and better consta-
bles. and Git is not until his last item
that Irving falls into line with the
eternal cry of the true critic to the
house. inside and out-a total reforma
ton"
In the big music show. the supremely
dominant attraction in current taste.
there can be no complaint of super
abundant etiquette among the actors,
nor Of absence of new music. The mu-
sic flows in ever-augmenting album
dance. the pit has grown patient as it
reads the hints on the program for
ing theater, where. instead of
benches. will be found comfortable up
hOIStery, with absolutely no Tear OF care
less marksmanship in connection with
the banana skin or peanut shell. There
is no need of umbrellas. We no longer
take luncheon to the theater. and even
the adjacent refreshments which used
to spread odor of cloves or coffee
beans along the row of people forced
to accommodate a peripatetic thirst.
are now remote and soon. perhaps, to
be banished forever. To hint at af
fectation noise in the boxes would
be a preposterous thing. Your actor of
today is self-possessed person, thor
oughiy in command of the situation,
which permits audience to behold
him only with the understanding that
a ticket of admission is individual
license revocable at the will of the
management. An inattentive box party
might look for reproof. speedy and ex-
pert The gallery has no need of less
grog There is none at all. And the con-
stabulary service is more than sufficient
to restrain any disorder among an as
semblage warm with the spirit of graf
itude for being permitted to be among
those present Yet amid all this serene
ideaIism the modern critic clamors
again for total reformation" 1t is the
discomfort of humanity. He wants TO
go back to those crude inelegant days.
when the player solicited the audiences
kind applause in terms OF deferential
grace and when the rugged tempests OF
yirile emotion reused the energies and
often called forth response from the
auditorium in the spirit of man TO
man The critical sense simply Will
not be satisfied.