Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-12-18

Rising above every past elLOII III
theatricals by any group or organiza-
tion in Douglas, pickles. presented
by the Douglas high school glee clubs
at the Grand theatre Friday, with a
matinee and evening performance,
stands out as a glorious success This
show, musical comedy, might have
been anything that it's production di-
rectors and its acsors cared to make
it, but as staged by the Douglas high
school it was a combination of beauty,
artistry, comedy and romance, with
beauty and romance as the leading
motifs.
The scenes were laid in Vienna. The
theme involved a tribe of gypsies, the
beautiful daughter of the gypsy chief,
an American pickle king and his daugh-
ter, an English widow, young Ameri-
can artist, an advertising expert en-
ployed by the pickle king, the captain
of Vienna detectives and two of his
men, an innkeeper, one waitress and
two walters
This was the cast, and in this play 1T
constituted but half the composition.
There was a chorus, and that chorus
beggars description. 1t was gorgeous
ly but artistically costumed. The ladies
were beautiful, the gentlemen gallant,
i-the voices more than good and the gen
eral effect one Of profound exactness
in color blending, rhythm and ensemble
effect.
| The play was truly splendid. All
| that can aptly DC remarked upon would
be the more beautiful scenes and the
more clever bits of acting. In this
| connection it may well be said that
| probably many persons who saw the
show will always think it's title was
"I Can't Get Along Without Jimmy.
| That was the title of the song in
| the next to the last scene and it was
sung by the two outstanding figures
of the play, if any of the actors or ac-
tresses could be said to stand out from
their company in their stellar work.
Alfred Levy, playing opposite Frances
| Larson, the leading lady, gave plot
! through three acts to the climax, when
the charming lady sang, 81 Can't Get
Along without jimmy and the
thought that would occur to the audi
/ ence would be, How Could Jimmy Get
Along without Ilona?" for Ilona was
/
I tiful gypsy dancer the waitress in the
Vienna inn, and the girl with the
smile.
Seldom does one meet with a dance
/ solo, in scant costume, with spotlight
and fine music, where it can be truly
said that the smile of the dancer is the
crowning portion of the dance, but this
was true of the different dances which
Ilona; the gypsy girl, performed.
The ensemble opening chorus of act
! three was the thriller of the evening.
If there was any known color not
woven into that scene, if there is a
contrast and a rhythm in massed stage
dances that did not appear there, and
| ii more artistically costumed, more
appropriately chosen chorus ever step
ped onto a stage, then Pickles" is
only The second best home talent pro
uction in the way of successes that
ha sever been presented locally.
The opening numbers of the show
seemed to drag a bit and the audience,
while interested, felt a lack of some
thing. The atmosphere was charged
with an unconscious impatience. The
first scene which dissipated this was
The Dreamy Schemy WluoW III
which Jane Neer as the English widow
appeared with James Mcclure as Jonas
Pennington, the pickle king. Follow
| ing the theme of the story sung by
Jane Neer In her sweet voice, remark
able because of the simplicity of her
expression male chorus appeared
and sang the ending of the secene,
The effect was unusual and brought out
the picture of men flocking about the
widow.
George Henderson and Margaret
Sparr did a gypsy dance as the thir
teenth number in the second act The
only descriptiNe word that this dance