Evening star., 1923-11-19
The Ziegfeld Follies.

A production costing in the neighbor-
hood of a quarter of a million, offered
by an impresario who has elevated
theatrical spectacles to fine art, and
who has dedicated his latest creation
as .'the national institution glorifying
the American GIRL" even If 1t had not
been staged by Ned Wayburn. master
in the manipulation of femininity In
the manufacture of public entertain
ment, requires a reviewer of fine appre-
citation, good memory and an inspired
pen. Such an institution, fresh as a
daisy" as beautiful as fence OF
morning glorieS,' and as cleverly CON-
structed as the artistic skill of master
in his line can make it, appeared at the
National Theater last evening, for the
first of its weeks performances. All
Washington knows it was the famous
Ziegfeld Follies, the best of it's line
in seventeen years. and so beautiful, so
attractive, so alluring that even New
York could not let 1t go for year and
half on it's customary mission.
True, there is a popular number MISS
ing. Gallagher and Shean, an amusing
pair, with whom phonograph fans. per-
haps, are more familiar than the world
devoted to theatric art and entertain
ment. But were they missed? Opinion
will divide on the answer. Judging from
the demeanor of a we'll satisfied audi
ence of capacity proportions which left
the theater last night, the yeas must
come from another source.
The FollieS this year are magnif-
cent in size and wonderful in their
various beauties. There are comedy
novelties that evoke ripples of laugh
ter and others that call for the roar.
here are exquisite tableauX. There
is an army, a veritable army, of beauti-
full girls. who pose in marble and bronze.
and who help in the creation of picture
masterpieces and dance as girls never
danced before, from the tips of their
toes to the fiat of their backs. and
he oil ~ -
battles and make the professional
athlete hump to keep apace with
them. There is one little girl whose
right to theatrical fame is based, sim
gularly, upon the fact that she hap
pened to be in the neighborhood of
big prize fight, and her pretty. inno-
cent face offered such "a contrast to
its other accessories that even the
careful members of the press raved
about her--and Ziegfield had to have
her.
The music of the show. even the
songs. is pretty but not inspiring, and
yet one grew to like it very well,
some to hum and others to whistle
it after the performance.
Nothing in the public eye seems
to have been overlooked in providing
material for the show. Even present
day building conditions have been
amusingly burlesqued for its satire,
while the statues of the gods are
W IpuSht " iiie " auu ZtSt ~ It's al l.
The famous in stage art and craft
and the masters in music have con-
tributed their share. Even the IA
miliar songs of years and years ago
appear to help in the sentiment.
Above all there is refinement ap-
parent throughout the performance
that fairly speaks. and yet il is the
Ziegfield Fo,lies of old, but Elorified
To attempt to describe it in detail
would be hopeless, for its features
are as many as that veritable armv
which contributed to its preparation
and its presentation. You'H have to
See it. and if you do. it is the opinion
of one at least that you will not mur-
mur because the cost seems rather
high.