Evening star., 1926-11-07
NATIONAI-"No. No, Nanette."

NATIONAI@"NO, NO, Ndnette.
mo, No, Nanette." Fl. H. Frazee's S
successful musical comedy with the
II Want to Be Happy" song and
theme, will return to the National TO-
night with popular little Louise
Groody and equally favored Hal SKef
ly heading the cast.
"No's No, Nanette" Is quite an ex-
ceptional production. 1t has prop
ably everything one can wish 1or OF
imagine in musical comedy. IL mas
music. Two of its songs alone tne :,
theme song and Tea for TWO, Wou,u
be almost enough to carry any melouE
play to success. 1t has wonderfui
color and it has a plot. with lts el-
f1cient stars and company tnaI III
cludes Frank Allworth, Evelyn oar
vile. Dorothy Waterman. Jonn ny
Cauley, Eva MAJ Francis, Edna w nls,-
ler, Gladys Yates and Beatrice Lee IL
has steam and go and zip
The story of the play hinges on the
discriminating predicament of Jimmie
Smith. a wealthy publisher of Bibles.
who has become involved with three
fascinating young women-Betty from
Boston. Winnie from Washington ana
Flora from Frisco. Jimmie is mar
ried. but that matters not when such
charming creatures are in distress.
The fact is, his wife will not spend
money fast enough to suit him ana
as he is of a most generous d1sposi'
ton, he endeavors to make life happy
for others. 1t is this thing of trying
to give happiness that causes all the
trouble. When he sings his soul-stir'
ring ditty. 'I Want to Be Happy" to
little Nanette, the ward of Mrs. Jim
mie, matters really become serious
and riotous situations follow.
Music of the lifting. haunting va
riety, in which the prize dance songs
frequently recur, with dellght1ui
clownery injected, completes the eX
cellent work of the authors. There
are II numbers in the score and each
has an especial appeal.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" in Modern
Garb.
A conspicuous feature in the pro
ductions of the Mantell- Hamper or
ganization, which will open its secone
week tomorrow night at the Wash
ington Auditorium in Shakespearear
festival. is the novelty in the mount
ing and lighting of the plays.
,, The conception of the stage pic
lures has been developed along line:
entirely original in the matter o.
stage settings. Many novel and fas
cinating effects are provided by mean!
of rose windows, elaborate panels ant
shadow silhouette. The whole ar
rangement is a combination of nat
ural and imaginative background!
with a wealth of many colored lights
properly correlated to the motivity Of
the plays. The scenic scheme also
provides for almost instantaneous
change of scene, thus reducing the
stage waits to merely the necessary
time lost for changes of costume.
1t is through this advanced inven
ton in the matter of scenery that the
| Mantell- Hamper organization is en-
abled to give more Of the or1glna
script of Shakespearean text than-ha:
been played on the modern stage ane
to give the performance in a shorter
space than is used by other classic
players of today. Many of the plays
are given in exactly 2 hours and D;
minutes, and the thread of the stor,
is never lost, nor Is the emOtiona
drive of the drama weakened.
The modern Hamlet" which will
be the opening play, repeated agair
for special matinee Friday, Is. ex
pected to attract extraordinary atten
| ton on account Of it's novelty. Thi!
| has been received enthusiastically il
| other cities. "As You Like 1t" will
| be presented Tuesday night, "Rome'
and Juliet" Wednesday matinee (ther'
will be no performance Wednesda,
night, King Lear" Thursday night
Julius Caesar" Friday night, "Th
Merchant of Venice" Saturday natl
nee and Macbeth" Saturday night.