Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-11-26
OFFICIAL OPENING OF
ROANOKE RAPIDS NEW
$e5,ooo THEATRE
will be Held Next Tuesday Evening
Presenting ''Dardanella," a Musical
Comedy With Haren ei Beauties.

Many people have been won
dering why the management ol
the Peoples Theatre did not open
their new $65, 900 theatre with
big show. The fact Of the
matter is they have been trying
to get q big show that would
please. This they believe they
have in "Dardanella", the great
musical comedy success, booked
for next Tuesdsy night. We pub
lish below a review of "Dardan.
ella" by the critic of the Bing.
hampton IN. Y.) news:
Dsrdanella, that lin. jam jem
of a jazzy jambouree and riotous feast
of revelous joy, delivered much more
than the usual 2. rs per cent. of promise
in performance at the Armory theater
last night. 1t delivered some more this
afternoon and will make its final de.
livery tonight. 1t is a musical comedy
with the soft pedal muffled,
Harry Manners, baked bean sales
man, lets his millionaire uncle In
Morocco do all the thinking for his to-
morrow while he thinks only of wed.
ding the daughter Of Josiah Pettibone
the pickle king, with weakness for
women other than his militant wife.
He has an especial weakness for q
vaudeville star who drifts to the same
seaside hotel.
The militant wife. who Is also mill
tant mother. has made . choice for her
daughter. Immediate Ind drastic action
is indicated to the bean salesman and
he consults the pickle father. He lays
before him hypothetical case and the
dad advises elopement and offers to
finance the job. Then comes the million
aires favorite wife, Dardanella, to an.
nounce the death of the uncle and his
wish that his nephew should marry the
widow who alone knows where the
uncle's wealth is hidden. Following on
her delectable heels is the Sultan's
emisSary with four-foot snickersnee
whose object Is to sequester the for
tune for his royal master.
The scorned favorite refuses to hand
over the ducats. So the nephew stages
the elopement to the great discomfort
and final reconciliation Of the pickle
king and his militant spouse and the
whole family sets sail for the East. All
adopt the garb Of the country In thei r
sleuthing after the gold but are iden-
titled by the emissary with the snicker.
snee and are marked for boiling oil
when help arrives
There Is plenty of action and chang
ing locale into which the choruses,
musical numbers and speciality stunts
fit naturally. From the opening at the
Hotel Chesutham ct Bevo on the Sea
near Beer, with its artistic sunken
garden and its colored bell hop, to the
streets of Morocco and the uncle's
harem, there Ii not . dull moment.
And that same bell hop, with ambitio
to be q detective (Tom Dayton) Is
some hop. Harland Hogland. the
nephew: H. C. Overton, the pickle
king, to whom falls the heft Of the
comedy; Louise Carter, his wife; Miss
Rita Lawrence, the daughter; Arthur
Jennings, the Sultan's hired man, and
last but not least in the direct action
of the comedy, Miss Elsie Esmonde,
the winsome Dardanella, are we'll cast
and oil have fair singing voices. Possib-
ly the strongest song hits are Zone
Little Girl, "''There q Magic In Smile,
Hold Me-" "The Master Key" and
"Mammy's Arms" The three musical
entertainers, Hyland, Grant and Hy.
land, make q hilarious getaway and the
inspirational dances of Francis Palm
linda give the artistic sense an oppor-
tunity for exercise.
Thomas Harding, who wrote the book
and Addison Evans, who is responsible
for the music, were large contributors
to last nights enjoyment.
Roanoke Rapids is positively the
smallest town in this state
''Dardanella" will play. It comes
from Newport News and goes to
Raleigh.