The New York herald., 1922-06-04

| This becomes realism In another typi-
cal cabaret plot. A Judge commits a
murder, but another is accused and
the trial comes up before him. He is
about to fix the death penalty for his
own crime on an innocent man. At
dered mana friend of the accused who
| volunteered to play this part---slides
| across the stage. The Judge then slowly
| suffocates to death from fright, his
dying frenzy lasting full five minutes
| on the stage. This German cabaret
critics call realism. Without the effort
| to explain away the ghost they would
have called it fantasy.
Germans study Effects.
French cabarets by contrast put on
| melodrama but take no particular pains
| with stage effects. AS it is mostly
farce, any old thing will de. But the
Germans in the course Of one short skit
manage to turn on half a dozen differ
ent colored lights and to change cos
| tunes once or twice. The German art
lists take much pains with effects in
order to give the illusion Of the stage.
Then comes the sentimental German
ballad. In France this might be a
sweet ditty but with aJcYhic turn or a
raughty little song with a sentimental
turn. The poor little shopgirl is not re-
sarded as dramatic enough in Germany
to be popular with the German cabaret
public. But the lady of easy virtue who
eespite ups and downs still has her
heart in the right place is well received.
The popular barrack room song in Ger
r-any of old Kaiser days disappeared
with the army. The rollicking student
drinking songs which made Budweiser
and Heidelberg famous also have passed
away. Too many OF the students who
once participated in rollicking punch
parties are themselves waiting on ta-
BILE to-day to make a living for their old
carousing songs to ring true.
| Only recently the patriotic song ap-
peared again. German people do not
want to hear about the war and do not
respond to suggestions that they should
sacrifice their skins again for any cause.
But they are ready to shed tear for
the lost provinces. Willy Prayer. a
popular couplet singer. sang list OF lost
frontier provinces which sounded like an
| extract from the Treaty Of Versailles
and which closed. 1--WE poor Germans
have been bled white" Before me sat
two ponderous Germans, comfortably
rotund. Their eyes filled with tears at
the thought Of their having been-poet-
ically speaking - bied white. A song
about the old black-white-red sea flag
now registers popular enthusiasm. Presi-
dent Ebert and the new black-gold-red
nag will probably remain. but neither
provokes a cheer.
Public Is Solemn.
| The German cabaret public wants to
be spellbound. and usually is. The
American who wanders in for the first
time, unless impressed by very good act
ing, will wonder at the solemnness OF
both actors and public and whether the
players are making fun Of the audience
or the public of the players.
German cabaret audiences are very
appreciative. Any slapstick comedian
gets a hand on the oldest OF jokes II
the music works up to crescendo.
There is not the sparkling wit OF the
French cabaret nor the speed of the
Broadway one. No matter if the
tempo is slow, the German enjoys him
self, because he does not go to a
cabaret to philosophize and think but
to eat and drink. Just sitting Is still
ments in Germany.
Then there Is the dollar getting
cabaret. These came into existence
even before dollar" became the COM
monest word in the German vocabu-
larry. During the war contractors for
grain and army saddles had much loose
money they simply had to throw some
where. The dollar cabaret is so organ
lied that much money can be dropped
30 easily into the puddle that II hardly
makes a splash.
Nelson's Is one Of the most popular
OF these dollar cabarets. because II Is
one OF the most costly. A gold braided
porter ushers gold pocketed guests into
a gold colored lobby. Cabarets of this
class have much in common. Interior
decorating Is either sketchiiy futuristic,
or Of heavy gilded stucco. Huge
columns support nothing in particular.
Then there arc Gkep chairs. massive
tables and shaded Tampa The general