The New York herald., 1922-10-15


passable singing but first rate acting,
and a plot that would stand independ-
emily without any music at all. The
plot, for instance, of one OF the most
successful musical shows, Die Kleine
Suenderin.' Is a complete farce In itself
antl might very well dispense with the
music, which is rather commonplace.
Few musical comedies have choruses.
The high cost OF chorus girls and of
silk stockings has made large casts a
costly speculation, As II is the few
choruses that aroused parade the stage
in bare legs.
Musical Comedies With Plots.
"verliebte Leute" is less of musical
comedy than light opera 1t is all very
pretty and sentimental and old fash
ioned. Madame Pompadour" is Leo
Falls latest, a magnificent performance
handsomely mounted, well acted (on
the whole) though the star, Fritzi Mas
sary, is forever doing her best to prevent
the rest of the cast from becoming popu-
lar. Madame Pompadour is of cotirse
one of the most picturesque figures In
history and she Is undoubtedly adapt
able to artistic treatment oh the stage,
bus Leo Fall has committed the 'unpar-
Niennese music where the subject cried
aloud for something. at least remotely
reminiscent of the eighteenth century.
"Die Wunderlichen Geschichten des
Kapellmeisters Kreisler," which goes TO
America this season, is an ingenious
contraption of imitation motion picture
scenes. about which. or into which, has
been spun a thin plot of no great merit.
You sit In the darkened theater wonder
ing what will happen next. and as you
leave the theater you wonder whether 1t
was worth all the trouble.
The charming French farce. 'L'Ecole
des Cocottes," was deodorized year
ago and sent to New York The proc
ess Of deodorization was not deemed
necessary for Importation Into Germany.
but IL was none tile less accomplished
through the acting Of Leopoldine Kon-
stantin, who. try al she would. could not
delude the audience into thinking she
was anything but q perfect lady. a
heavy production in which fragile but
terhy was too easily broken.
The Russians have been busy In Ber-
lin The moment the Studio Theater OF
the Moscow Art Theater had ended Its
brief season with repertory, including
dramatization of the Cricket on the
Hearth" the Alexandrovsky Theater
from Petrograd mounted half dozen
modern and classic plays. AZ the same
time you might hear The Balalaika or
chestra every night. attend the -"Blaue
VoEeT'--a glOrned "Chauve- -Souris" IN
It's proper environment Ga cabaret -at
least three different Russian ballets, and
any number of singers.
Max Reinhardt is not producing In
Berlin this year. for difficulty OF secur-
ing actors at reasonable salaries for
three theaters is a. very serious one:
and the producer has gone for the time
being 10 Vienna. However his theaters
have been sublet. The Crosses Schaus.
pelhnus Is now playing to capacity with
very Teutonic version OF Offenbach' 5
"Orphee aux enters" an entertaining
musical farce with little Of the charm
and grace Of the original the Deuteches
Theater plays Strinberg's Father"
Moliere's "Tartufe" ana Scribe's "verre
d'eau" (thls last by the way. Is acted
TO perfection by Agnes Straub and q
few nssociates); while at the Hammer
spiele may be seen n large variety OF
one act plays. French ana German.
Tho war has had very little effect
on tho German theater. There is ap-
parently no desire TO discuss the war o.
contemporary politics In plays. In Ber
lin. ut least, the theater is refuge.
but It "a 10 be borne in mind that a
refuge TO the German is not necessarily
a light musical show. Even during tho
war German audiences sat through
tragedy as well as comedy TO them
an escape from unpleasant realities
meant, as often as not, 20 plunge into
the unpleasant realities OF fictitious
characters. Should the coming winter
bring revolution or the direst hard
ships TO Germany VIC may bc sure that
The lheaters Will In spite OF all. cling
10 theif ago old maxim, Business az
Usual"