Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-24

THE GIRL FROM BRAZIL" a musical com
Edgar ~ Smith Gs from tsSs SIN Of julius BTSmeT
and Alfred orunwald, Music by Robert Win.
MspSsw MATING % %oed~aTa %na S%sis stassd by fs'S henTmo
ManSgement Messrs. shuoert. n Lyric Tneater;
colonel Zamzelius. .......... Richard Temple
Iseaiensn, Observation-Disclosures ,ewaas Msug Jackson GSei
Iona cederstrom .......... Dorothy Maynard
Carl Cederstol. ..................... Hal Forde
Hlimas mas.'''s... .......,.,.,........., Beth Lydy
Aesr 1or:c;I' ciaopSe tfsssei
baron yon 'f Reedi1ain. John IL GodsWortSy
Act fPaiaa and garden Of rcoSsS coGefstO" i resi-
Act II-Reception room Cederstors residence,
Act fIi-vIia of Senior Camborito. near Rio
Janeiro.
There are a good many liabilities on
The Girl from Brazil's" account book. and
one asset that wipes them all out. The la
bilities are utter lack OF inspiration In
music and plotwork. The asset is George
Hassell. II is an Incompatible example Of
how comic genius can redeem a trivial
entertainment, throw glow of golden hu-
NOR on pale lines and jests and make
the blase smile well as the ingenious.
Mr. Hassell is indeed. immeasurably
superior to his materials and surroundings
that one would like to dismiss The Girl
From Brazil in a line and devote the rest
of the criticism to him But as that would
scarcely be a fair way TO treat readers
of this newspaper, II may be set down,
swiftly and sincerely that the entertain
ment seen and heard at the Lyric last night
is a thoroughly conventional operetta of the
German type, replete to safety with
waltzes magenta, sunshine, impecunious
gentlemen and sweetly ocular ingenues, not
| forgetting the withered charmer who fan
| cies herself irresistible to the men, and
| such japes as BE sure to have her room
well heated" "oh, yes, that's right! She's
from Chile"
Now imagine injected into this farrago
4 m IN al w
| sceptical poll-parrot, William II. Taft or a
| baleful headwalter. Imagine the crisp
enunciation OF the best Bnglish-speaRing
| farceurs coupled with vocal range, in
| finite in It's drolleries and soaring from
| bass TO falsetto. Imagine n sense OF bur
| lesque that can Jump from suggestions OF
| Pecksniff and other Dickens hypocrites tc
| travestles on Lole Fuller's skirt dancing
| Imagine. II you can, after all that drink
| ing scene lifted into realms OF fun rarely
| achieved before the footlights humor ex.
| tracted from torn trousers. very droll simu-
| lations of frozen terror, bland self-content
and bullying inebrety. Mr.. Hassells tricks
are literally libretto-proof. He could In
| spire mirth in the role OF Barbara Frletchle
or of King Lear, or Of Hedda Gabler. He
| is almost too good TO be true.
| In his mummery he Is aided by some
| players themselves adept in the successful
| manufacture of nonBense-Louis Simon as
| a crushed and intemperate secretary, whose
1
| quite as entertaining as they were in zone
| Million Dollars" and in vaudeville; clean
| cut Hal Forde. with no part at ALL Richard
| Temple, veteran of many Gilbert and Sulil'
van revivsls, with even less part, whilS
| for attractive voice and features one IL
| impelled TO praise Miss Lydy, and to praise
| a shade less warmly Miss Demarest who
| is better In parody than when she takes
| herself seriously. The ubiquitous violence
| OF Miss Odell kept some persons interested
| and the drowsy eyes of Miss Maynard
charmed, even though she was sadded will
| an impossible partner.
OF course, there was scenery, which begar
| badly. became vastly better and then col
| lapsed, metaphorically. again. And there
| were the terrible tunes of Mr. Romberg
| Still II Is only just TO say that they wer,
| many times applauded, and that the ma
| Jority of the spectators seemed to like tn,
| whole show But one suspects that they
| knew Mr.. Hassell was about TO emerg,
from the wings. 1t was. you see. his eve
ming. B. ID.