New-York tribune., 1919-11-26
Musical ''Rose Of China''
Opens at Lyric Theater

The immense success of pidgin- Eng
i1sh Chinese he1oines is not to 90 un-
contested by the musical comedy stage.
1t has brought out its own aspirant
Tor pidgin-English honors in "The
Rose Of China" the musical comedy
which opened last night at the Lyric
Theater. Guy Bolton and P. G. Wode-
house have built her strictly according
to pattern. She wittily says, "Me for
you, kid" and "Me love you velly damn
much," and her coyness and sweetness
are as long-drGwn- as that Of her
sister of the so-called serious drama.
The plot of "The Rose of China" is a.
good deal more aggressive than mu-
sIcal comedy plots usually are. A
couple of Americans wandering around
China are. pursued by mob into a
garden. where presently they are di-
verted by f1irtatious Chinese damsel.
One of them, the comedian, kisses her,
gravely violating her caste.
10 save the young men from being
delivered over to the death penalty for
this, the girl claims the right to marry
the one who has kissed her, and names
the innocent young man, who is there
by forced into marriage with her.
His sweetheart from home, with her
mamma, turns up, but by this time
he has succumbed to the irresistible
Chinese heroine. The last act was late
IN tnlshing last night, and we left at
1880. uncertain whether at the final
curtain she turns out to be an Ameri-
can child stolen by Chinese bandits, or
whether his heart reverts to America.
The necessities of the formula
seemed to impose certain restraints on
the joyous Guy Bolton and P. G. Wode-
house casualness. When it cropped
out it seemed little thin and disre
spectful to the heavy and opulent Jo-
seph Urban sets which inclosed it.
Seldom have such opulent scenes been
seen in musical comedy. The three
Chinese settings were solidly mag
nifcent. Solid magnifcence is not in
the Bolton w dollhouse line. 1t seemed
to have depressing effect on them.
Nevertheless, there are a fair num-
Der of infectious lyrics. Bunny
Dear" "Our Chinese Bungalow" and on
The Banks Of the Subway" are un-
mistakably Wodehouse lyrics-amus-
ing, deft and workmanlike. The Boil
ton W DOLLHOUSE combination have been
sustained by a better third than by
Armand Vecsey, if memories are not
too short to recall Kern and Friml.
pretentiously as "The Rose of China
is fitted out it has not been furnished ID
with score of distinction.
Jane Richardson is the Chinese REQ
inc. She is a newcomer to the New
York stage. She sings with a sweet,
rather small voice, but her acting was
overstrenuously sweet. Such mincing
ogling and smirking is perhaps the
necessity of such a part, but Miss
Richardson perceptibly strained the re-
quirements. Mrank Mcintyre extracte d
the last drop of humor out of his
avoirdupois. Cecil Cunningham, with
an assured and vivaetous vaudeville
technique, made telling comedy fig
ure out Of a desperate spinster who
trails her prospect to China. Oscar
Shaw was engaging as the American
hero. There is one genuinely fresh and
amusing figure in the piece, that of an
enthusiastic Chinese American collie
gian. Stanley Ridges did excellently
with him. An attractive chorus was
handled in a deft. unobtrusive manner.
Louise Brownel danced two incidental
numbers effectively.