The New York herald., 1921-06-26

the lncOM parable spectacle WnlSu
Mr.. Ziegfeld unfolded so smoothly
on Tuesday might have had its hab
itat anywhere Maybe the Barry
mores localized it little, even if in
this burlesque they were supposed
to be acting in Camille"
Mr.. Ziegfeld has gradually embel-
lished his yearly play until beauty has
become perhaps its most conspicuous
quality. The Persian dresses in "The
Legend of the Tree" are a credit to
James Reynolds. who has kept in the
color scheme of Bakst as he did in his
perfume ballet in the Greenwich VIII
lage Folies. little sister to the Zieg-
field enterprise. and there could be no
more beautiful stage spectacle than
the episode of eighteenth century court
life which begins the second act. Other
episodes-notably that of the rose
song-decorate the progress of the ex-
travaganza. OF course Urban and
Reynolds are after all incidental. The
beauty that is essential resides in the
cohorts that the impresario has Sc
lected with more than his usual fair
for the type that as YUDl-Yunt said Of
the moon. light up well. More than
once in recent summers has there
been some cause for doubt as to his
possible infallibility on this point. Was
he growing Indifferent? Was he be-
coming strabismic?
They Light Up Well.
The chorus this year definitely an
swers this occasional doubt. Never
has 90 much feminine loveliness been
so numerously displayed. Then what
there is Of natural loveliness has not
been altogether sacrificed on the
altar Of art The attempt to ad-
tust values to the mechanism Of the
stage has not made them look like
BARRIERS poles. In other words the
cosmetics are not applied with the
freedom Of the impressionistic school
which so often happens in summer
choruses. The natural beauty Of these
young women is therefore allowed to
exercise its full charm. The average
summer impresario appears to think
that his patrons are color blind so
literally does he allow the young
women of the piece TO smear on the
colors. All theatres are not as large
as the Madison Square Garden
Aid From France.
Mr.. Ziegfeld has not always had the
good fortune in his importations from
France that happened in the case of
Mile. Mitto. The new dancer is small.
athletic but graceful and not a mere
acrobatic leaper. Charles ODonnell,
who totters so perilously on the top
Of the furniture, caused one of those
furores OF approval that come from
the audience In a high class theatre
which Is for the first time making the
acquaintance of popular vaudeville
actor. IL In characteristic of the
scenes OF this kind that the spectators
always receive the favoritee from an
other field with as much astonishment
as II they were really trying TO make
them feel happy in their new environ
ment. There is a lot Of fun in the
two-a-day II one takes the trouble 10
look IL up. There was the same aston
ishment when Van and Schenck ap-
peared at the Century Theatre, and
after they had been high in favor at
the Palace for several years Savoy
and Brennan passed over to the Broad
way theatres to be received with the
cordiality due to unknown heroes.
None Of Mr.. Ziegfeld's earlier importa-
tions was more welcome than ODon-
nell and Blair.
Then there are some modest singers