Evening star., 1923-02-27
NATIONAL-"Music Box Revue" "

The poet once stumped for want of
better description called something
"a thing of beuaty and A JOY for
ever" No reasonable person. by any
| possibility, could expect an ordinary
! play reviewer to rival this descrip-
| tion in referring to Irving Berlin's
| 'Music Box Revue" words and music
] by Irving Berlin, staged by Hassard
| Short" which Sam II. Harris pre-
sented for it's first performance of the
| week at the National Theater last
| night. But any ie who caught
glimpse of the beaming face of w.
Hartman Rapley at the close and
after he had looked the thing over
would never dare to try to fall back
would dare less to try to improve
upon it, for Harry" knew in his heart
| that he had given. in his handsome
new theater, the most gorgeously
musical and dancing entertainment
| that has ever come to Washington.
This. too, at time when they say
railroad rates are too high, salaries
! too high and everything else too
high. or too something or other. to
send big and beautiful shows on the
! road.
! The Music Box Revue is one of
the most beautiful spectacular pro-
! ductions ever staged. Everything
| that art. decorative and otherwise.
! stagecraft, mechanics and the beauty
| of face, form, action, evolution and
all else that goes to make up the
F! perfect creation, seems to have been
! drafted to produce the show. Youth
| is it's predominant Keynote and ac-
| complishment in the highest degree
| it's achievement. The great difficulty
! ri,,tr INT
, of it is that beautiful and expressive
| adjcctives have already been wasted
| upon lesser things and now, when
| the thing of them all comes along.
F., there is Il paucity of words to tell
! about 1t.
| Opening with prologue in two
scenes. the mammoth Offering unfolds
! "A series of exquisite incidents inter-
mingled with comedy that makes you
| laugh whether you want to or not.
| These incidents are numberless and
+! the actio that carries them on TO
| a great finale never Slackens, but.
| rather. seems to increase as new
| jar al the outset with a sketch at
| tributed to Frances Nordstrom, which
| is presented by arrangement with
y. II. Woods. 1t is typically Woodsian
] aud. while many laughed at it's alb
! surtities more wished the arrange
| fallen through. Except for that and
a persistent reminder of it in a song
later on. the show IS faultless.
| The Fan" presenting beautiful
| Ethelind Terry as the lady Of the
| fam Mile. Marguerite. with Frank
! Gill as the tassels" and a score of
! bewitohingly pretty girls as the
J girls behind the fap," is one Of the
| exquisite gems of the revue Dining
| out" with Ivy Sawyer and Joseph
| Santley as the diners and a NAM
/ moth cast to represent the head
| waiter the coatroom girl. the coat
room boy. the chicken. the oysters,
the caulifower. the mushroom. the
| French pastry. the cigar, the tips
| and the dolcful check. is another. and
| it is vain TO attempt to describe
! them
\ bit of eScrueia1ng comedy fol-
| lowed, with Solly Ward as the
angel: willie Collier. as himself
| and friend of the angel who under
| took to shape up a bad play for pre-
| sentation and succeeded in wipinG it
| out of existence; Joseph Santley, as
! Cooke, as the leading lady; Hugh
| Cameron. as the heavy man." and
| Ralph Glover. as THE author"
| Another artistic bit. beautifully
! conceived and delightfully."- executed,
| was MY Little Book of Poetry" fea-
| turing Paul F'rawiey. with Mary Beth
! Milford, Adele MacHatton, Frank Gill.
Beth Meakins, Frank Rowan, Chester
! Hale. Irene Duffy and a feminine
| chime of bells Still others are THE
| Fountain of Youth and THE Legend
of the Pearls" Comedy and satire
find their own in Words Mean Moth
| ing in the Movies" "A Fair EX
| change" and House Hunting" You
| have to see them to form even
! slight conception of what they are.
! And then. interspersed through
them all, are the individual offerings
! of NJ. Carlos and Miss 1neX. dancers
| superb; Mile. Marguerite and Frank
! Gill. dancers extraordinary: Florence
! Moore. Willie Collier. Solly Ward.
! Ethelind Terry. Joseph Santley. the
1 unforgettable BroX Sisters. Renie
| Riano. whose I'm a Dumbbell' is
! irresistible. and the wonderful on
! scmbles, including The Music Box
! Girls"
4, Columns more might be written of
! this wonderful production. but what's
! the use. All Washington will see il,
+, if that be possible.