The Washington herald., 1918-11-11
Sunday Theater Openings


NationaI-"shc Took a Chance"
Only one thing is needed to make
the current attraction at the National
Theater the most aptly-named pro-
duction in America. The title of she
Took a Chance" should be changed
to read *. and E. Take a Chance"
and then the National will offer, bar
none. the best-namcd play on any
stage.
An actors idea of paradise must be
IA Washington audience on Sunday
night. 1t will laugh at anything. The
wise producer. however, viii assay
this kind of applause carefully. It's
bred of the routine of army camps.
rather than of critical APPRECIATION
of a play. That's why we decline to
be misled by the applause that greet
ed she Took a Chance" last night.
We heard even more tumultuous ap-
plause accorded The Walkoffs," and
Mr.. Morosco knows what dramatic
warehouse The Walkoffs" now deco
rates.
Declining, therefore. to accord She
Took a Chance" full recognition as d
successful comedy, il seems only fair
to offer Klaw and Erlanger, the pro-
duCers, such constructive criticism as
may be handy. There are two ways
to make She Took a Chance" pos
sible. The first would be to throw
away the music entirely and allow
She Took a Chance to revert back
to it's previous incarnation-a really
entertaining farce with an idea, by
Fred Jackson. The other way might
work. but it would involve a further
gamble: Have some one write three.
or preferably four, sOng-hits of the
type that made a success of The
I Rainbow Girl" and insert.
We stake our reputation on the
first remedy only. THE Rainbow
Girl was built as a musical comedy
she Took a Chance was not. The
latter was born a farce, attained sue
cess as a farce and a regiment OF
Henry Blossoms could not. probably.
convert it, in its decling years. into
a musical comedy.
There is reason to believe that
Klaw & Erlanger were experimenting
with a new" type of musical COM
edy when they musicalized the pres
ent Offering. 1t is unfortunate. TO
our mind. that the effort was not a
success. as any effort toward novelty
Of a wholesome sort is commend
able. farce. however, makes a Sc
rious bid for attention as to plot. 1t
is impossible to ignore the plot of
She Took a Chance and just as
equally impossible to follow it. because
Of the interruption of stuck-in musi-
cal numbers which have not that
quality which will carry a piece TO
success, regardless of the rest.
Just a word is left for story and
cast. The plot concerns the com
plications caused by an exchange OF
| grips between a lawyer and a burg
! lar in a Pullman and the embar-
easements that ensue when the
grips are opened. The cast of She
Took a Chance" is really uniformly
| good. Dallas Wexford and May
Vokes. who are featured. drop far
behind, in their work. two lads,
named Ray Raymond and Alfred
Gerard. Miss Vokes. particularly,
made little claim to fame as a
comedienne, even OF the "slob" var
iety. Other parts are capably taken
by Fay Marbe. Wanda Lyon, Una
Fleming and Benn Linn.
ida Waldrop, who wrote the
music. has contributed but one tune
full number. "A Hundred Years From
: Now" though there are several
other songs that are pleasing. Bows
are in order for the careful. fin-
ished manner in which Julian
Mitchell has staged the chorus num-
bers, one in particularly. "Spooky-
Ookums" being noteworthy in its
excellence.