Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16
A Drop of Literature in
An Ocean of Corgeousness
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.

anybody insisted.
The Young Lady" she repeated
IN accents which threw voice culture
to the winds. that's what | said
And you heard me, Boz A hasty
retreat was beaten by the overcon-
fdent pair In an evening OF rather
perfunctory entertainment the thrill
of experience was perhaps worth
something 1t is probably the first
time in all their secluded lives that
either Of them had ever been publicly
addressed as "Bo.'
The mere word revue is no
longer powerful in persuading people
| 20 pass the box office and invade the
realms of fairyland still more ap-
propriate to the Christmas holidays
than the seasons grind of enter
tainment. A seat upon the stage
near the players. fought for by men
OF fashion, IN the times of which
that most distinguished dramatic
critic. Addison, wrote incidentally to
his comments in general, is no longer
valued. The average person expert
ences no curiosity about the doings
back OF the stage beyond possibly
wish to visit for few moments a
player friend or TO request a sigma
ture IN an autograph album.
/ Y x X X
The cruel story about the man
who tore the leaf out Of the auto
graph album and wrote Pass two"
above it has never deferred great
| players, along the list from Henry
Irving to Thurston. the magician,
from being liberal with these me-
mentos; although number of them
| have shown care in writing as close
as possible to the upper margin of
the leaf.
If the audience no longer cares to
be among the players, the players
will go among the audience. Going
among the audience must be ar
| ranged artistically. if it is to avoid a
hint of the Western dance hall,
where acquaintance with view to
interests pertaining to liquid refresh
ment are encouraged. In "Vanities"
the pulchritudinous intrusion was
not deftly arranged to avoid the APP
| pearance of advertisement of a GIN
ger ale, as we'll as an insinuating and
self-satisfied alusion to the notorious
| episode which won widespread con-
demnation, but with the palliative
consideration OF a still widespread
display of type and pictures.
X u
Al Jolson has shortened the run
| way which the Shuberts once pro-
Jected far into the auditorial area,
but still insists on being far enough
this side of the lights to convey a
genial impression of readiness to
come on down and shake hands, or,
maybe, start pinochle game (who-
ever heard of blackface pinochle
player!) at any moment.
Even lie Mares Affairs" conducts
conversational incidents in which
players planted through the house
participate. As a grand climax a
minstrel parade proceeds from the
entrance door down the aisle and
across the footlights, high white hats,
Silken overcoats, brass band and all.
X
The minstrel number, with all its
beauty and utilization even of femi-
nine chorus to enhance the lavish
| splendor of which a true minstrel
man has always been so fond, is a
dream come true. Like many dreams,
! it comes true too late in the evolution
| of minstrel fun to mean anything to
the dreamers themselves, who now
sleep beyond mortal awakening.
| y X "
Familiarity breeds contempt
and stage trickeries serve best when
not well understood. The breaking
of an illusion, the establishment OF
cold human acquaintance must be
deity managed, indeed, as it was II
the Affairs" minstrel parade, to
avoid sacrificing the charm of mys-
terry. The complete barrier between
stage and audience is sometimes sug-
gested by the simple device of put
ting andirons and hretongs squarely
at the curtain line, while players sit
facing the front-row seats, appar-
entity oblivious to anything except
ing an imaginary blank wall. Chrys-
tai Herne in "Craig's Wife" gave the
finest example of obliviousness to the
orchestra chairs when she estab-
lished by her acting the impression
of wall across front stage which
she inspected for blemishes, such as
might cali into question her attain
ments as an impeccable housewife.
* y
Joe Cook evidently cherishes no
immediate aspirations to invade legit-
innate comedy. He still bills him
self as Joe" instead of sending out
the signal of foi NAL first name, as
Willie Collier did when he became
William"
Cook is versatile in the extreme
and inclined to share with Ed Wynne
a generous willingness to extend his
personal activities into nearly all the
scenes for fear that a laugh might
by some inadvertence be lost, strayed
or stolen during his absence. He
employs an amount of mechanism
in order to compel smile which
would qualify him as an architect
and builder in a very short time
should ne cease preterring to be a
comedian.
| X X
Collier when he hourished as an
individual comedian in a rather in
coherent show called City Direc-
tory" did not hesitate to lay a very
elaborate foundation for a very
small laugh, although he did not
call in rivets and sledge hammers
He secured an old coat and sewed
sleeves on to it, ending them with
stuffed gloves until he had more
hands than an East Indian idol.
What is that9" dutifuliv manfred