The Washington times., 1928-12-20


Circus Atmosphere
There was a true circus at
mosphere down in the great
basement of the Washington
Auditorium, where the show was
nut on in the afternoon and
evening. Huge impressionistic
posters, bright colored balloons,
side shows galore, a midway,
with all the catch penny devices
of the true circus lot, bands
and barkers, all contributed to
the realistic effect; and in the
hour before the performance
began last night men and
women in the smartest of eve
ming dress mingled in gay con.
fusion with acrobats, menagerie
animals, circus freaks and what
not--all recruited from the
ranks of the Junior League
girls and their cavaliers.
Ringmaster
The show began with a good
old-fashioned circus parade, with
the whole cast lined up in color
full array. Enter then John Philip
Hill to crack the whip in the
role of ringmaster-a gallant ring
master in the approved scarlet
coat.
He talked occasionally through
his l1at-perhaps due to long ex-
perience on Capitol Hill-where
the script of his part was tucked
away. If he ever lost his place,
however, he carried It off by
filIibustering until the time for
the next cue. and his great boom
ing voice carried the announce.
ment of the wonders to come into
the far corneirs of the big top.'
In the afternoon, for the chill.
dren's matinee, all the little Hills
had turned out to view their
father in his new role; and the
youngest. aged s, staged an un.
Programmed number in the inter.
mission when she dragged him
around the ring for a private
circus parade.
All-Stary
Impossible to give credit IN.
everybody in an alI.star cast.
which. under the direction of Lehr
~ Knowles, went through the
performance with extraordinary
dash and verve.
The clowns were perhaps the
most professional, and John
sweeney and Moran McConihe
could find place on any circus
bIil for their fTopsy Turvy
Tumbles.''
The animal acts were the fun
n1est. To be sure, the elephant
fcorrin Strong and G. Howland
Chase was a bit square and not
round and wrinkled" as he
should have been. But there was
inititable dignity about the wav
IN which he stepped gingerly over
the body of his trainer (Mrs.
W1nslow Van Devanter) and then
knelt beside her. The camel
didn't quite coordinate, but then
ne turned out not to be a camel
but a "goof." Dogs, monkeys.
skating bears and Fang, the
badiy-behaved leopard Griffith
Warf1eld), were all in Nine. Fora
bella's troupe of trained animals.
ana she also put the one and
only Spark Plug Samuel S.
Beach and William Mackall w
through his devastatingIy funny
PAGES.
Prof. Crackem and his musical
ponies with mathematical minds
shared applause with the interna.
tlonal Jockies, numbering Princess
Elizabeth de Ligne, Princess An.
tonette de Ligne, Miss Alice Davis
and other winsome maids in the
group. Miss Charlotte Clark's
contortionistic caljsthenics meas.
ured UP to professional circus
standards. And the Junior Leagues
olue ribbon educated ponies
three teams. black, white and
brown, pick your tavorites-put II
over with a bang.
1t sounded like Madison Square
Gardens when the ringmaster
asked the audience to award the
blue ribbon by applause, but the
coveted honor finally went to the
brown team, driven by Mrs.
Chauncey Parker, jr.
Dance Numbers
There were those dance mum.
bers for which the Junior League
has long been famous, with Miss
Virginia Peters-aII white tulIe
and spangles-scoring in the role
OF the circus ballerina. She also
had the solo part in a pictorial
number, Gypsy Romance. and
had Count Pho Macchi dl CeIlere
and Jasper DuBose disputing for
her hand in tale of the eternal
triangle. In this number, all
decked out with bright shawls,
We're a little group of diplomatic
daughters" as women of the tribe.
Iney were Mile. Refine CIaudeI.
Mile, Rosa Padilla and Mile.
Jeanne Cretziano. with Mrs. LIE.
ander Mccormick Goodhart-Iook.
ing amazingly pretty--and Miss
Helen Gary.
The Alabama Jubilee Singers
presented the final number, fea.
turing Mrs. James Crawford. Mrs.
Robert Pell, Mrs. Chauncey Parker
and Miss Elizabeth Hume. Miss
Hume had already had a half
dozen other roles, filling them all
with grace, and her pretty sister,
Jeannette, was one of the drivers
IN the pony number.
Circus Mood
The audience, in its circus
mood, was almost as amusing as
the show. One noted Nine. Clau-
del, Nine. Padilla, Princess de
1iene and Nine de MARITIME hob.
nobbing together outside one of
the sideshows. The Secretary OF
Agriculture and Mrs. .Jardine We're
among Mr.. and Mrs. William Nc