Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-01
MARY" IS ONE
BIG LINGERIE SHOW
George M. Cohan's Production
Scores Great Success at
The Playhouse.

MARY" musical comedy, produced
by that master stage CRATER, George NJ.
Cohan, opered a weeks engagement at
The Playhouse last night before large
number Of spectators who demonstrated
by frequent applause that girls, and music
and dancing, and q plentiful showing Of
lacy lingerie is pleasing 10 Their MajestIes,
The American Theatre Patrons OF 1921.
Mr. Cohan proved himself to be n naster
student Of the group mind when he staged
this success The book and lyrics Of
"WaTy" were written by Otto Harbach
and Frank Mandel The music was com
posed by Lou Hirsch Julian Mitchell
and Sam Forrest are gwen the credit for
the stagirg Of the piece, but the skillful
hand Of Mr.. Cohan is observed in almost
every scene.
The story-yes, there is full plot to
"Mary'-is that of pretty Mary Howells,
who, ont Of gratitude to the Keere family,
agrees to permit Mrs. Keere to advance
her socially 50 that she cnn marry n mil
lonaire. After thc marriage is cons1unated
Mary is TO divide her finan cial spoils with
the dowager who has lost most Of her
morey because Of the failure Of q bank
Jack keere, the son Of the elder lady, is IN
love with Madeline Francis, pert bit of
feminine baggage, who realizes her social
position. But Of course Keene goes west
and makes n fortune in filthy oil, and
returns about IL o'clock just in time
TO save Mary from marrying for money
In fact, he marries her himself, discovering
that she is the one whom he has loved all
the time, and not the said bit Of baggage
mentioned above.
There is not an off color line, nor a
risque situation, in the entire show Judg-
ing it by the book and lyrics alone, il Is a
conventional musical show, Of the old
Merry Widow, ard Prince of Pllsen, and
Golden Girl type But and this is a great
point the skill Of Mr. Cohan has turned
thi, into n snowy an evening of lingerie
as has ever been seon since the days when
s'The Queen of the Moulin Rouge
sh ockcd half of us
There are over 20 women in the show,
and every blessed one of EN- shows her
knees. and more too, with one exception
No girl crosrte the stage for kris. even,
without kicking up her dainty draperies,
and putting on display eli If her shapely
possibilities Ard they are .h,pely
There il one exccption-one woman whose
part calls fer a VIRGIN chasteness in sp-
parel, aid she is Eide Mae, who portrays
the part of Mrs ksene As to why Miss
hfse, who certainly is beautiful, should
be Disseminated against, when every
other miss js given full opportunity -
please the spectators. Is more than the
reviewer could discover i Is interesting
n note that when 0I5 came around, and
Miss Mae vas still acting faodestly, that
some mere males began to lay wagers as
70 whether her part would call foT her
% indulge IL n lingerie showing. sad 70
relate, il did not.
The above lines are not intended 70
imply that there is vulgarity in the show.
There is none But one should remember
that in the theatre al things are impure
10 the most pure among Us. Who could
look upon one and twenty girls, all dis
playing their shapely knees-and more
too-without wondering il solomon had
ballet of such shapely little hussles?
OF course few persons can sing even
one note IN this production. Who wants 70
hear songs sung, when lingerie can be
SEEM Il must be admitted that pretty
Edna Pendleton, who has the role q
Mary, has fair soprano voice which
occasionally can he heard above the or
chestra Bert Gardner, as Jack keene,
has tenor voice which cen be heard
even 10 the back Of the gallery. One or
two men in the male chorus open their
mouths and warble pleasingly On oc-
casion; everyone else preteDds 70 sing,
and gets by with t. The dances are excel
lent-very excellent. The staging 5
superb And the lingerie displayed IS the
ucst plentiful seen b Y mortal man sine
Cleopatra dressed her waiting ladies II
the silks, satlrs and laces of the Orient