New-York tribune., 1918-05-26

diligence in war times, for it is consid-
cred good for the country's morale to
let people forget in occasional inter-
ludes the carnage in Flanders. Were it
otherwise "Sinbad," the current Winter
Garden production, would Of a eer-
tainty have to be classed with German
propaganda and other subtle poisons,
removing, as it does, ali thoughts Of q
belligerent or painful nature.
The sort of person who is always
kicking about something has remarked
from time to time that all Winter Gar
den shows are alike. The answer to
that is ut isn't true" Each year the
shows are more beautifully staged, sup
piled with girls whose beauty grows
more and more vertiginous and the in
spiration of whose raiment increases
to keep pace with the cost.
Still another sort Of person has de-
clared that it is automatic that all mu-
sical shows are built on two principles
-women's right legs and women's left
legs. In the case Of the Winter Gar
den, however, it would be necessary to
add third principle so as to include
AL Jolscn, the comedian who knows how
to he funny without i'll treating the
furniture, pouring soup in his pocket
and directing kicks at prominent por-
tions of other actors anatomy.
AL Jolson is an integral part of the
annual Winter Garden show, and, with
several other principals, is retained
season after season. Patrons go to
laugh at his quaint humor just as they
go to listen to the British "haw-haws"
of Laweancr D'orsay, to which Kitty
Doner's nimble feet and to recall the
mole on the off shoulder blade of the
third blonde from the end. Surely il
would not be nearly so pleasant to pop
in the Winter Garden some evening and
find Frank Tinney had been in Al Jol-
sons makeup box, or that Florens
Tempest was in Kitty poner's trousers,
or that there was an unfamiliar mole
among the chorus. And then, too, the
Winter Garden is one of the few places
in town where one may be sure Of
hearing jokes that do not antedate the
Spanish war.
That even the chorus girls are coaxed
to become fixtures is quite true. There
are Marian Rooney and Grace Keeshon,
for instance, as shapely pair as ever
pointed toe to ten minutes Of 6. The
girls "lead" the chorus on and OF stage,
and their very proficiency keeps them
back in their profession, they say. Who
knows but what they might have been
prima donnas Or something by now had
the management felt able to spare them
from their posts?
Miss Rooney, twenty-four years old,
is the veteran" girl with "Sinbad," for
this is her fifteenth season with the
Winter Garden. Some one with moth.
ing better to door 1t may have bsen
the press agent-fgured out that Miss
Rooney had made $500 changes of cos.
tune since signing her frst Shubsrt
contract, which Is only few less than
other chorus girls make when they
spend the summer at Atlantic City.
Winter Garden shows are designed
primarily for speed. Nothing that may
retard the rapid-fre progress of the
performance is permitted to remain
after the first night-which is played
out OF town and sometimes lasts until 8
o'clock in the morning. No matter
what the cost Of scene may have been,
II 1t drags behind the mitrailleuss pace
set by the rest Of the show it is thrown
out the stage door into the alley. Thus
the tired business man ia not allowed
to slump quiescently in his seat. His
nerves may only be rested by the con-
trast OF having something disturb them
more than the business deal that failed
to 60 through at tho office that after
noon.
The evening upon which these obser-
vations about the Winter Gsrdsn show
were gathered AL Jolson was waiting
and moaning all over the dark portions
OF the stage every time he wasn't par
ucipating In . scene. Not even .