Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-04
NO BLUES IN TRAIN
OF RAINBOW GIRL"
New Musical Comedy at the
Forrest Drives Dull Care
From r. B. Ms Brow
CHILLY" VAN AT HIS BEST

THE RAINBOW GIRI-A musical comedy.
IrGSs'fa Iyfes BY K RennoG MaG Volt Music By Louis
K Hirsch s,aged by Julian Mitchell ia and nd
Urban. Forrest Theatre.
Daisy Meade, a soubrette. Rene Parker
Frand Scuddcr. stage manager,
Geraldine Fordyce. .;........ Dorse Plowden
Gus Norton. New York theatre manager,
Robert Vernon Dudley. Lord wethsrsu,.
Mollie Murdoch Of the Rainbow Giri
Clergyman an............... Frederick Su'omnn
Miss Dudley. the younger,
Marun Bennett. butler sydney Grccnstreet
susannah Bennett, u housekeeper,
Honoria Bennett ..........K Kathleen Lindlcy
Ernest Il Bennett ''.'....'...,.... Harry pclf
Act @scenc l. Green room 1n"VTf Of the HoVfiiI Fri
yolity Theatr". London. Scene .. tUne week
chester. England
Act ,IIW&Ths & following after noon Drawing
SIR, parlor and breakfast room in wetherell
There are supposed 20 be seven colors
in the well-behaved rainbow, but one got
lost on the way to the Forrest Theatre
with the result that when "The Rain
bow GirlS opened there last night the
sblue could not be found. The rare tint of
indigo which trounces the ~ b. NJ ."
especially with the stock market acting
the way it has lately, was driven out of
Phllaueiphia to some such pllC az
Ception Shoals" when the new show
came into town, and the truant color
isn't going TO come back until The Rain
bow Girl' packs up and leaves for Broad
| way.
This spectral maiden is by far the
best musical comedy which has been
heard here since her cousin. "rhe nj
Viera Girl" opened the season. and one
can as assuredly predict for her the
| same whule-hearted success as was won
| by the earlier show. 1T has been a long
time since Rennold Wolf has given us
so fresh and mirthful Il book There
are number Of hearty laughs scattered
throughout the four scenes which do
not bring back fond memories of form ,r
years So much cannot be said TOR the
/ lyrics. but at least they are not of the
| overworked variety. And, wonder of
wonders there is real plot Built
upon the farclcal situation of the errant
niece of G. baronial butler marrying the
lord of the manor all uniSnowing to the
parties concerned the story is worked
out with deft touch that is all too
rare on the musical comedy stage.
The music. though not entirely origl-
nal, is catchy, and many of Louis A.
Hirsch's melodies will be tried on the
piano" an4 whistled about town The
second act might well be called the
'syncopatcd act" there Is so much
rhythm floating around that It Is almost
impossible to sit still. All the songs in
the act are good, catchy ragtime
Few Of the principals are known TO
the average theatregoer. but the cast is
of uniformly high merit, Dorothy Fol-
lis Is a comely. lovable Rainbow Girl
with an exceptionally beautiful voice
Unfortunately. she is suffering from a
bad cold, which considerably increased
the burden of her debut, Henry Give
thoroughly enjoyed his part of Gus
Norton. What actor wouldn't have a
fine time being theatre manager? Alar
Hale was the attentive lovcr-Lord
Wetherell.
sydney Greenstreet brings 10 the mu-
sical comedy stage one of the finest char
acter studies In it's history. As Martin
Bennett the "hardshell" butler uncle OF
the Rainbow Girl" he gave a subtle
complete sketch of the servant born into
the Wetherell service who is leaving q
copous third generation to ser''e the
Lord as housem aid. footman and wha
thoroughness and understan nding which
characterized his work in Shakespeariar
repertoire and on the legitimate stage.
At the end of every rainbow there Is
n pot Of Pold" Billy Il Van is the
present shining vessel. His antics a.
the muchly divorced alimony-dodginl
comedian equals his best work of for
m"~ wears. Especially fine was hi,
Bishop of waiapu. BILLY" pulled tn,
first scene through to happy finish
Nfter that the show stood on its owl
merits and the comedian made 1t f;
clean Knockout
Joseph Urban has produced In minia
ture some of the superb effects which II
has created on a large scale. The room
in Wetherell Hall are exquisite studie
in taste and color effects.
The show is produced with the fin
regard for detail and ensemble whic
we have come to expect of Julian Nit
chell and Herbert Gresham. The choru
has the additional advantage of bein
able to act. enh incing the charm Of vote
. and feature. Prominent among tn
many Broadway lights and satellite
who viewed the premiere of THE Eain
! bow Girl" was Billie Burke. v. II. L.