Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-11


S.iiowinr % attractions to choose from:
~ tbe Walnut; blossom Time" the
and Judy" the new musical show, az
st the Forrest; "Daffy DILL with
people," with Francine Larrimore, at
Adelphi.
nHROUGHOUT the first two acts o
j "The Goldfish" we couldn't get tn
,dea ont Of our heads that chorus o
evenly or more girls would suddenl!
come bouncing on to the stage singin'
something about "Lovc and Kisses
or "Thc Day / Met YOU"
They never arrived, but otherwise thu
atmosphere Of a rather high class musi
cal comedy always prevailed. Those
two acts were as thickly studded will
laughs US Miss Rambcau's last vehicle
here ("The Sign on the Door") was
with thrills. They were hearty outlaws
zoo. and therein lies the structural dc.
fect of "Thc Goldfish" If It were the
idea to make of this French play MI
ont. and. out farco or even buSlcsQuc,
,bc business of the rehearsal tf tho
opera box department scene wd,sa have
hcen a veritablo whirlwind, nut after
,ecine the final act of ''The Goldfish
.he blunt .edgcd and rampageous humor
Of those earlier scenes became n singu.
lar anoma.
II was interesting. too. to watch the
effect of Miss Rambcau's acting In those
Arst two acts on n person who had
never seen this talented star. why,
I never knew she was like that this
nerson exclaimed In disappointed
tone, "I'd always imagined her MS an
emotional actress with a lot OF real
ncrsonality." After the final act was
over the explanation was Forthcoming.
In this act we found the real Marjorie
Eambeau; before that she was strange
mixture Of Jobyna Howland of "Thc
Gold Diggers" and Florence Moore.
That Isn't to say that she wasn't
interesting. or didn't give a clean-cut
and interesting performance. She did
all that. but the part ns evolved in
Gladys Unger's translation from the
French, or as outlined by the stagers
OF '"The Goldfish" was hopelessly exag-
serated and out of tune. 1t may be.
TOO, of course, that some of the blame
should be attached to Miss Rambenu.
whose "dis and dat" and "woids" and
other Indications of musical comedy
,row " 80 farrirni "voiutions with a long
MnE " ouI .nn q "n,;, t'1, mow.n n tba Second
act.
II is quite astonishing the way the
various characters in "The Goldfish"
cbirk IN and become regular human
beings in the final act. The Jennie
Jones Of Miss Rambeau IAN illiterate
yir in Twenty fourth street fiat who
rises in the social world BY means Of
three marriagcs) becomes n pathetic and
attractive figure in the end. flooded with
wealth. finally the possessor Of veneer
Of refinement, but still in love with her
first husband, and still inclined to re-
yer; TO her old tough speech and flip
manners. Likewise, Herman Krauss
ILcr second husbnnd), who Is dist inctly
unplcasont and almost rcpulsive char
ac,rr when We first meet him, becomes
end. who admits that he hasn't made
goon ny pe,hs hISoaI"' put " s.l..
area!inl'S lond OF Jenny. Even touht
StenlsIans' IN" gentleman VINO ta"snt
Jenny department at so mucl, week.
showed a. human ana Interesting streak
NJ thc enG tnnt qul'e changed 1he mihns
9' the audience hp0nt nm. thought
J had in you super-woman. he says,
but ! find you're just woman after
nli.'
The only character who becomes more
stcreotyped in this act is Jim Wealth
'rrsby. the first husband, who has
changed from 0uarrclsome, Liliom-
like individual to n sleek and well.
hammered hero. In this case. Mt any
rate, We would have preferred the Jim
who threw his wife's roses out of the
window and tried TO beat her up.
The "bolI -face' humOr that brought