New-York tribune., 1920-08-18
ssTickle Me" Tickles
Audience; Olga and
Tinney Score Hits
New Hammerstein Show Is
Well Staged; Dancing,
Music and Comedy Blend
to Make Piece Pleasing

TICKLE ME--produced by Arthur Ham
merstein at the Selwyn Theatcr.
Mary Fairbanks. Louise Allen
JACK barton. .,.............. Allen kearns
Marcel l'oisson n.............N .Nic Casmore
Frank Iinney. ey..........,; Frank Tinney
Alice West Marguerite Zender
Customs Inspector. Benjamin Mulvey
A Native Boatman. William Dorriani
Dance specinlties-olea and Miska and
FRANCES Grant and Ted Wing
The Tongra. .............M Marcel Rousseau
Reeper Keen of the Sacred aTry csspss
And Chorus of Twenty-Five.
He who is not tickled at "Tickle Me"
should not be proud of his sense of
humor. Frank Tinney stepped into the
spotlight in the new Arthur Hammer
stein production at the Selwyn Theater
last night, and his black face was
crossed with a row of white teeth for
one, or possibly two, minutes, while the
audience welcomed him back He was
IN blackface then. But only then. In
the next scene he appeared without
makeup. Perhaps it was that or per-
haps it was the exquisite dancing of the
palr.-Olga and Mshka. At any rate,
the honors appeared to hang in the bal
ance from that time on, as between the
star and pretty Olga, the dancer. At
times, it appeared, the performance
surely would be seriously held up by her
success.
Tickle Me-" written by Oscar Ham
mersten I'd, Otto Harbach and Frank
Mandel, must be said to hold it's place
we'll with the usual fashy girl and
music production Of the times. 1t deals
with the trip of an American motion
picture company to Thibet, where the
purpose is to make pictures of the
ceremony of the Sacred Bath.
In the novel idea of introducing
changeable silken drop curtains be-
tween the scenes, and there are nine
scenes, striking effects are given. For
this Arthur Hammerstein and William
Collier, the latter Of whom staged the
piece, deserve praise. There was a
temple scene in which bubbles poured
over the top Of the walls, and through
which Olga appeared in one Of her
classical dances that will be a highly
valuable touch when it is more ac-
curately produced.
The music, all of which is by Her
bert Stothart, who conducted the or
chestra, is catchy, and one or two Of
the ballad numbers, notably "Until
You Say Goodbye" and "lf Wish
Could Make 1t So probably will be
WNlStleu III several nunurcQ homes To-
day.
sWe've Got Something" comedy
song number, in which the girls of the
chorus left the stage to placme in the
hands of most Of the men of the audi
ence a small bottle labeled "a Tickle
From Tickle Me- will be remembered
by many as the very best spot in the
performance. Many quenched a thirst
right there and then by lifting the
tiny bottle and draining its contents
There was a great demand for an en-
core, but none came. Perhaps it is as
we'll. The night might have ended
roughly. For it registered higher than
the law allows. We may be wrong.
Frank Tinney was at his best in the
last act in sketch entitled: "Broad-
way Swell and Bowery Bum" con-
fceived, rehearsed and acted within ten
minutes, and when he almost rode
away on the Sacred Horse he was i'm
mensely funny
The elegance of costumng in the
work, from the first gathering of the
pretty chorus to the last number, will
attract the eye Of many a girl who
likes to 'look sweet" Especially we'll
dressed was the group of eight young
women Of the chorus, who sang "If a
Wish Could Make 1t So" This bit
was done with fine finish
First Mr.. Hammerstein has his star
and the talented Olga to thank, then
IN order Of their Importance, perhaps,
his scenic designers and his well man
nered and intelligent chorus Of
course, there are others, but these give
to "Tickle Me" its flash. And flash,
it appears, is the objective.
Praiseworthy work was done by
Marguerite Gender as Alice West,
Frances Grant and Ted Wing, dancers ;
Vic Casmore as Marcel Poisson, Ben
jamin Mulvey as the customs inspector
and Marcel Rousseau as the Tongra.