The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
FOLLES COULD RUN SOLID YEAR
Birmingham Crowds Jefferson Theatre For Opening Per
 formance Friday Evening

The Junior League "Follies of 1922 could run a solid year right here in Birmingham and have packed houses straight through to New Years day.
 And it's deal-level cinch that hun. dreds would buy tickets again and again. That is just how good the -Follies" are this year.
 Birmingham, or as much of Bir- mingham as could crowd into the Jeff erson theatre Friday night, placed the stamp of approval on the production. 1t turned out to be everything the ad- vance notices had claimed for it-and more.
 4fIt is a musical revue in two acts and seven scenes and its laugh loaded from start to finish. It has a terrific punch throughout and there is not a dull moment from the gong to the grand finale.
 \ For years it has been aximotic that showmen with a musical connection, filled to the brim with girls, make a sure-fire hit in this metropolis of the south.
 And when the girls are Birmingham $ own pretty daughters, and when they put on a show that most professional companies could take points from, of course they are going to sweep the audience off it's feet
 That is just what happened Rriday s night. The packed house was dazed, at the magnitude of the production and at the precision and ginger with which it was staged. It is easily the best bit of work that Magic City home talent has yet done, and it will be pity if the two-day engagement cannot be ex- tended in order to give more people a chance to sse the show.
 The Junior league is to carry on it's k work for the coming year with the revenue which the ''Follies" p reduce. A most worthy cause, to be sure, but no person who saw the opening engage nent could want more for $2 than the clever players offered.
 The Joe Bren Production company of Chicago sent Ted Routson to Birming- ham to supervise the show, and it must be said that MT. Routsoh has done his work well. But it also must be admitted that he had exceptional talent to work with.
 Wonderful music, plentiful and expert dancing, clever comedy, good singing and various other successful combina- tions are included in the production.
 The chorus of beautiful girls was everything that could be asked. They were tired out at the finish, for they were brought back time after time, and on each appearance they gathered new laurels for themselves.
 The offering opens with court room kl-A s. ell Nt,a Bingville County Fair in a later scene provided still more uncomfortable laughter.
 Then there is the feature scene-"A Musical Comedy i'll the Making" in which almost the entire cast appears. j Mrs. C. C. Pearce and Miss Margaret Price were the s0loists and they were encored repeatedly and given prolonged ovations.
 $. l.. Melee, C. II. Nelson, Percy sRosenberger. Bob Lambeth, as a black face comedian, and Elwyn Cobb were some of the young men in the show whose work brought continued applause. Mrs. William Moughon, Jr., and MT. Rosenberger offered bit of comedy that went over with as much en. thusiasm as anything in the whole piece.
 With big flashlights, the chorus girls in the last act left the stage and toured the theatre, Looking for MT. Simth. ' Miss Price sang the song.
 The chorus was composed of the fol- lowing beauties: Misses Mabel Cren- shaw, Ann Tart Perry, Emily Smith, Florence Lyle, Lorraine Webb, Myrtle Crenshaw, Amanda Parker, Malvina Coleman, Sydney Adair, Catherine Massey, Margaret Craig, Lois Rudolph, Louise Agee, Olivia Robinson, Yankee Silby, Virginia Foster, Lucy Anderson, Mary Ida Wood, Caroline Harris, Mar garet Builder, Florence Jordan, Mrs. c. P. Allen, Eleanor Willis, Margaret Ashton.
 s'The Follies of 1922 is show that will not be forgotten in 1925, or even in 1940. It is a great show for a great cause and it is sure to play to great crowds at it's two concluding perform awnna-H E R