Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-29

= ceptionally good one stands out
like the last bottle at New Years
party. La La Lucille" a musical
comedy with pretty girls. clever plot
n everything, is one of the excep-
tons. 1t opened weeks engage
ment at the Brandeis last night,
with matinees New Years day and
Saturday.
A pretty good way to judge
whether show is success or not
is to watch the audience. If a play
is supposed to be funny and the
audience laughs, it's called a sue
cess; if the audience howls the
shows knockout. Last nights
audience at the Brandeis howled
Therefore you know whether La
La Lucille" is worth while. ,.
The book for LA La Lucille" was
written by Fred Jackson, who has
quite a string of successful farces
to his credit. His latest musical
comedy effort is his best. Added
to the screamingly funny plot are
girls, plenty of them, OF the kind
that can sing and dance and make
the boys in the first few rows sit
up and take notice; good looking
principals, who can also do their
share of the vocal requirements and
kick around bit, too; and beauti-
full stage settings. There's SOM,
thing doing in LA La Lucilles from
the time the curtain goes up to the
third act finale.
The plot O; LA La Lucille" re-
wolves around a married couple who
must be divorced to inherit $1,000
600. Friend hubby gets a core
spondent, one Fanny, a janitress,
and the fun starts. Fanny's not so
much bother, but two other core
spondents turn up and there's the
devil to pay. But in the last part
of the last act-well, the windup is
| some surprise and not what the
| audience expects. A scream right
up to the finish
J Sam Hardy as the to-be- divorced
husband, John Smith, is comedian
| of the first water and a mighty
clever chap in all situations. Some
of the best bits of La La Lucille"
are handled by Eleanor Daniels, who
takes the part of Fanny, the jani-
tress. She rambles her way through
a difficult Coincidence role without
OVERRIDING it and gets laughs galore.
| ]. Clarence Harvey as Juggling
| Jaynes," father of the to-be- divorced
| bride, is scream. Marguerite Nc
| Nulty as the fluffy bride gets a big
hand and deserves it. She's awfully
pretty. A dandy juvenile is John
| Lowe, who does some great dancing
with Marjorie Bentley.
Others who please are Cordelie
Mcdonald, Tom Collins, Harry
Stanley, Henrietta Brewster and
Stanley Warner.
A houseful Of people rocked and
reared and finally leaned back in
the seats breathless and exhausted
last night at Boyd's, where Fair
and Warmer" was given another
gallop. Omahans apparently have
liking for this Avery Hopwood
tarce-and who can help liking it.
1t is such combination Of sophisti-
cation and impossible guilelessness,
Just a mixture of nonsense and
| cynlcism, as would result if someone
really did compound the ingredi-
ents Mrs. Wheeler put into the
stage cocktail she mixes in the sec
ond act If that be cocktail. what,
indeed, can a horses neck" be
like? But this is not to be an ad-
dendum to the "Bartender's Guide"
that book may not be obsolete. but
Int is in the discard.
Catherine Lexow and Edgar Fla
velle have the roles of the goodv-
goody husband and the loving wife,
who are left at home while their
Grant spouSes go forth to seek
pleasure in their own way. And the
party they staged was some party.
too. They did not know it, but
they put on one swell imitation of |
the real thing. Miss Lexow has a |
capital notion of how to point d. |
rectly to a meaning that IS just |
little beyond what she really saws.
and Ill her naive way she aroused
such glee as seldom is heard in
theater. Mr.. Flavelle seconds her
efforts with such zeal as to make |
the situation as ridiculously funny
as the imagination might fancy.
Mr.. Call and Miss Ezarim, the
other halves of the sketch, are also
we'll set for the work that falls to
their lot, The rest of the company
is in keeping. The farce is on the !
bill for the week. with special
matinee on New Years afternoon.
Make 1t snappy," is the slogan
this week at the Orpheum, where a
lively New Years bill made a sue
cesstul appeal yesterday for popular
favor, From the time Billy Fern
and his funinaking associates open
the program with "A Quiet Eve
ming until Van and Belle close with
their novel offering, there is not a
dull moment. Vaudeville attendants
may anticipate worthwhile enter
tainment this week.
Henry Santrey, accompanied by
his own jazz band, deserved tie in
dlvldual honors which were accorded
| him. His rendition of Irving Ber-
Inns Dear Old Pal" and an old
iavorite, Il Was Only Dreaming"
| brought the sort of applause that is
music to the ears of an entertainer
Mr.. Santrev adds a pleasing person
atty to his ability as baritone
singer, and it was evident that he
was among friends as soon as he
appeared on the stage Yesterday.
The Man Hunt is the name of a
| somnambulistic comedy, written by
Harlan Thompson and presented by
Isolde lillian. Vivian Pell, Arthur
Bell, Lewis Nelson and Ralph J.
Bailey. The little story which is un-
folded causes riot of fun from cur
tain to curtain.
! William X. Hewitt, Grace King