New-York tribune., 1917-12-31
Drama
Between Bites and Swallows
a New Midnight Frolic
Arrives
Bv |. Alexander Pierce

New York would be a sad loser If
Florenz Ziegfeld and his able lieuten-
ants. Ned wayburn and Joseph Urban
had lived in the days of Nero but that
impcrial pleasure crayer would never
have been driven 20 the extremity OF
burning Rome in his search for new
sensations. The sixth Of the Iegield
Midnight Frolics is on, atop the New
Amsterdam Theatre. It holds its own
on general merits with any OF It's
predecessors. while having several tea'-
ures that are friskier and more irolic'
some than ever.
The settings are quite the latest
thing in art nouvcau, and some oil the
innovations Of staging provoke wonder
1mrossible as it might seem to devise
original costumes in these days Oh
surorabundant reyues. the effect OF
freshness is here, heightened by new
combinations Of impressive and truly
ortisti, beauty. Without sttemp'lns
a1ytbirc like the stuperdous PSc-en-
-. IF "Chu Chin Chow. the roilC
rrornulgators have attained resul's a.
l,orcoous and more exquisite: An"
49, in addition to delights Tor eye
80 oor there are the seductlons o. 'ne
.aIato While Rome was burning Nero
fSJicd At the Frolc ne might nave
The Tbe chief contribution Of Joseph
I-rbon is an evening scene. a Ioity
srcb opens on a wide cXpanse OF SKY,
st;i blue and luminous IN the fadlhg
LIGHT Across the back Of the stage eN-
t1nds a balustrade, with classic statu-
arv N either side The effect Is as
striking as il is simple, and forms an
IDEAL frame and background Tor spec
tacular ensembles, which II throws INTO
biob relief. But. wonder OF WONDERS
the front Of the stage is seen 10 move
N come forward, slowly and steadliy'
until II has advanced almost across the
cnsdranple of dancing floor, thronged
,,.i+b ever-swelling numbers OF cory
pbees This telescope platform is the
invention os Ned Wayburn, and was
nsod for the first time at the premiere
Of the Frolic. ...,.,.
There was a goodly amount OF tinkle
about the entertainment, thanks 70 thS
musical talent of Leslie Stuart ana
Dave Stamper, and some furious use or
the little mallets ready-to-hand on thc
tab1c attested 10 the importance OF
certain lvrics by Gene Buck. The girI
numbers absorbed large part OIL the
attention available between bites ana
swallows, especially those captained by
Frances White. In the "BeautluI
Girl" feature the ladies OF the show ap-
neared as figures representing MAY
t;r,o - "Tbe King" "Polly With a
past" "Going Up" Tiger Rose
"Ceorqo Sand" "Chu Chin Chow THE
Coban Revue" Jack o. Lantern" and
"Business Before Pleasure
With some of the war songs ano
notriotic ditties the enthusiasm OF
the audience mounted to exceptional
heights. Ted Lewis made the hlt or
tho occasion Of any single performer
with some unusually rocco posturings
and antic steps. Frances White re-
heated her fetching "Gozinto" song
with which she scored in "Hitchy hoo.
The show worked up 10 driving hnlsn
with "Uncle Sam Is Santa Claus to the
World" in which eight Of the girls
were Santa and a dozen more wore
harlequin costumes.
There were some two dozen Zegfeld
girls on hand, all told, and the spectn
tors were requested 70 file ballots TO de-
terrine whose beauty best entitled her
to having her salary doubled for the
next Frolic. The contest will continue
throughout the run of the present
entertainment. II may be important to
note that the balloons worn in the sec
ond number, 1--WE Are the Bright
Lights Of Broadway" came from the
Howe Baumann Balloon Company, and
the stockings from Peck & Peck.