New-York tribune., 1920-11-09
Delysia Proves
That a Siren
Can Be Funny
Star From Paris Animates
''Afgar" by Her Ability to
Smile and Smile and Yet
Observation-Disclosures
BY Haywood Broun

Alice Dclysia from Paris, who ap-
peared last night at the Central The
ater in "Afgar," is the first stage siren
we have ever seen who seems to get
some fun out of her wickedness. There
IS dim suggestion Of Gaby about her
and perhaps just touch of Anna Held
but beyond all that there is a distinct
and saving SAVIOUR OF Fannie Brice
Generally the actress who appears in
n musical show in which she is under
the necessity of creating the effect Of
great abandon takes the responsibility
very seriously. There have been times
when we could almost fancy the lady
TO be gritting her teeth like Y. NJ. C.
A secretary at q stag smoker and say
ing to herself: "I'll show 'em can be
hussy in this scene if it kills me-"
ind unfortunately the more unbridled
grow their words and actions the more
they reveal the fundamental cstimable-
ness Of their character.
In all this there is no JOY. No ten
der person could watch without hoping
that the curtain would fall upon the
terrific ordeal Of immortality which the
lady was undergoing, $50 that she
might get back to her knitting. These
people trod the primrose path as if it
were q slippery trail to the peak of the
Matterhorn. Delysia is different. She
seems 10 be sliding.
We see no reason why musical
comedy depravity should BE earnest to
the point of gloom. After all. good
ft4f
deviltly unless one aims no higher than
{. paving post. Even if the author does
require his heroine to bite the hero's
ear. she may still smile about it,.
Delysia does. She attains most
amusing and genuine air of arrant
wIckedness because she has an in
fectious sense Of humor. She
possesses q real fair for misconduct,
and it is only thcologians who arc
foolish enough to contend that the gift
tnc common Inheritance Of man. It
is ore Of the rarest things in the
world. 1t is q true talent.
Deiysia can 10 more than smile and
- deyilish. She sings very WELL in
ceed, ana she does considerable honor
TO the magnificent costumes which
Paul Polret has designed for her She
IS quite the life of "Afgar.' Without
Ter IT would be uncommonly virtuous
md dur. The only aid Of Importance
which She receives is frome little
English actor called Lupino Lane, who
1 an excellent comedian and an ex-
traord nary rough and tumble acroba-
tic dancer
We DO not intend to give the impress
sion that "Afrar" is one continuous
round of delightful indiscretion. Some
Of It IS terrible: Most of the original
book IS very bad, although it has a few
bright spots, and upon this bad book
numerous editions designed for the
American trade have been reared.
These are much worse. The adapter
seems to have proceeded on the theory
that nobody can 20 far wrong if he
only says something now and again
about prohibition, Hobokon, the White
Sox, the costsof living and the Lambs
Club. His theory is sSincorrect. He has
gone upon occasion so far wrong that
nothing but Providence has kept him
rom wandering right past the ultimate
bad joke of all the world and toppling
over the edge. Possibly it was not
Providence which saved him, but the
tact that the void has recently been
fenced off with solid wall of Ford
stories.
Some of the music is agreeable and
there are several interesting topical
songs, we'll sung by Dclysia and Lupino
Lane Poiret's costumes are brilliant
and the settings are good