Evening star., 1924-03-02
The Revue as a Dominant
Influence In Entertainment
By Ph;1ander Johnson.

in the vocabulary of llumor), there
are scattered far and wide more girl
shows than there used to be Uncle
Toms Cabins" Predictions are free
ly made that next summer there will
be another Equity strike, and should
this occur, Mr.. Carroll will have
available at the tick of the telegraph
squadrons of strike-breakers, each
one as husky and resolute as any
that ever welded lipstick.
Discussion of details of this kind
is not conducive to the preservation
of pleasant illusion. But Mr.. Carroll
would insist on tearing away the
draperies. No episode of perfunctory
sensationalism was neg ected. Even
the faithful police were called in.
though weary with their labors in
censoring Simon Called Peter"
They were polite police, not looking
for i'll intent where arts name was
invoked. and apparently impressed
by all explanation that some of the
performers could not be seen be-
cause they had their fingers crossed.
x \ X
The type of entertainment OF
which "Eanities' is the most recent
expression is important only because
of the overwhelming preponderance
it assumes in theatrical interest. It
gathers a momentum of audacity
until it seeks to exploit as a merit
features which reasonable taste
should mention with hesitation.
X i: X
The fact that Mrs. Joyce's stage
career has been prefaced by divorce
publicity is not without distin-
guished precedent. The same thing
happened with Mrs. Leslie Carter
and with Mrs. James Brown Potter.
Perhaps Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Pot
ter, had there been revues in their
era, would each have purchased her
self one and been content to allow
he really hard work be done by the
stagehands.
The ultra-spectacular production,
whether regarded as humor or
pathos, marks an epoch. It makes
the theater the place where money
talks, sings, dances and jazzes. Rep
utations are made to order by capi-
talized publicity and flung into the
arena of popular attention like
biscuit or breakfast food. The big
work is done by the least known of
its contributors, the advertising ex-
pert. He organizes lobbies whose
activities should challenge the ad-
miration of veterans in govern
mental corridors and studies all the
avenues to print with the keen per-
ception of the most polished propa-
gandist. He should, some day, be
worthy of chapter all to himself;
for he is the one idealist thrilled by
contact with the theater and work
ing, in many instances. without a
mercenary thought on his own be-
half, to project into fame those
whom his imagination has clothed
with. strange and superior charm.
He is like, the sculptor, seeking a
Galatea, only to find Himself too
often in the position of a Franken-
stein.
X j: X =
The dearth of music is remarkable.
The mechanical facilities for ex-
pressing it were never SO abundant
and SO highly developed. New in
struments have been devised to
achieve the most delicate differen-
tiations of tones and quality and the
pressure of button briggs flow of
melody into every home. The pub
lie is in the position of man who
made collection of priceless violins
but who couldn't play a thing on
any of them except Little Annie
Rooney. The demand for music is
as inexorable as the demand for air
or sunshine. Its commercial ex-
ploitation is based on the theory
that it is as common as both of
these and as. spontaneously de-
veloped. Its distribution is COM