The New York herald., 1921-10-02

IN the CtuD sketches LudC ue CI6duiAoS
are most capable assistants in any ent
There need be no more musical plays@
without fun. Harris and Berlin have {
shown the way of creating more Of 1T
than any musical play has contained
in years. Hereafter the managers
need only engage the actors. The
lihrettists may depart in peace. 1t
may be that actors are more ex-
pensive Yet it has seemed more than
once of late that any sum paid to the
men who devised the fun and invented
the jokes in the musical pieces was
excessive.
Artistic Designing at It's Best.
What vast range of taste John
Murray Anderson of the Greenwich
Village Follies" endeavors to satisfy!
How could the spectator who appre-
ciates the beauty of Robert Locher's
imaginative and exquisite black ana
white attempt at a scene in the man
neE of Aubrey Beardsley be expected
to-have such wide sympathies as to be
pleased with the monologue OF AL Her
man? They are poles in the field or
Entertainment. De gustibus, of course.
Bot one must dispute taste OF such
extreme catholicity. There is most
uncommon beauty in half the scenes
of the present performance at the
Shubert Theatre. There Is abysmal
fun in the other half.
Yet after all, it is to Mr.. Anderson
that the single new note in the franz
ing Of extravaganza must be at
tributed. Half the plays with music
TINT are given now live from his ideas.
TIE swinging. translucent draperies
with their embroideries, the curtains
instead of the painted backgrounds.
tlie tableau posed against the diorama
rather than against what Is known in
the profession as a "backdrop'-all
these revolutionary and beautiful
things were introduced into our musi-
car plays by Mr. Anderson. The credit
reilly belongs to him. and 1t Is pleas
ure to acknowledge any such new and
artistic influence In any department
of-the theatre.
Mr.. Anderson has done more In put
ting at the service Of this kind or play
such Imagination and originality as
Robert Locher and James Reynolds
possess Mr.. Reynolds Is not repre-
Aented In the present Greenwich VII
lage parade, but there is a character
istic specimen of his work In the Per
sian interlude In the Follies. Mr.
Jocher has surpassed himself thi
year. The incroyable frocks shown II
the transformation scene are refresh
fngly novel and pretty, while 1t is dim
cult to conceive anything lovelier thar
the snow dresses especially the lustre
less white costume of Margaret Petr
The fresh and crude colors Of tn
village fair. which so artistcally indl
cate its purpose, are as uncommon
the disguises OF the nine wives G
Bluebeard, which are the pleasures @
life to be forbidden under future fegs
systems. Mr.. Benda's masks serve
dramatic as well as a decorative pur
pose here. 1t is, of course. the proces
sion of Beardsley figures down IN
sweeping terrace before its pines, wit
their ONYX leaves and the black pes
cocks, all saturated with the most dc
cadent spirit. that marks the highe'
point of the designers artistry. Is
10 be presumed that to any one spec
tator is vouchsafed such compreher
give taste as to revel in these beauu'
and take pleasure out of the ditties
Broadway life that reappear durir
the evening?
Mr.. Locher ought to be called In
design the decorations for ballet
the Metropolitan Opera House. 1t
10 the introdut ion of such talents In
the field of musical comedy that u
.public Is indebted to Mr.. Anderso
After while he may be able to dew
an entertainment which remai
throughout on the high artistic lev
or- his costumes. Probably IL he ev
Goes achieve so much nobody VIII ev
70 to see It.
al. Turning BACK the Clock.
One old maid has served for yea
In adding comedy TO plays OF neai
every kind. She was perhaps mt
popular in the rural drama. In
<sssbt lexicon OF hokrm there Is Pre-
ably no more effective fixture. Yet
cannot be said that she was of the NJ
drama. She dates from an cal
period.
A -.It is quite inconceivable, for
stance, that such modern ent'
preneur in the theatre as Arth
Hopkins could tolerate this figure
any play of his. He even seemed
AZ Tesmdn's aunt, although nobo
lafghed at her but Heddd, who did