The New York Clipper (February 1917)

to THE NEW YORK CLIPPER February 14, 1917 NEW CGRT FARCE AT CRITERION BRIGHT AND BREEZY AFFAIR "JOHNNY am YOUR QDN."—A farce In a prologue and three acts by Bdnuiod Laupane* Burke, re?lied by Dorothy Donnelly. preseDted Monday evening. February 12, at the Criterion Theatre. OAST. Jog '. M. A. Meyer Sieve Howard Fay Assistant Director Harry CnsCaden Robert Charlton Barton Williams Mr. Froatllla John Iran air. Wilson Hubert E. Homane Johnny Wiggins Louis Bennison Bert Whitney Srerett Butterflcid Miss Floetta Blllle Scott alme. Chllllnl J»ne Carlton Camera Man Carl M asa siy Willie Frltxl Tom K. Corliss Jerne Boy Cochrane Jordan Lorraine Frost Pollett Balph Nairn EHlxa Burnham Kate Mayhew Mrs. Tapper Boee Winter Janet • Grace Valentine Duke of No Moor Bchllo Gayer Mr. Henry Cotter Edward Poland Ur. John Hilton Berton Churchill ' ''Johnny Get Your Gun" is a John Cort offering that is likely to stick around New York for some time, if the verdict of the first night audience is any criterion. Those first nigh te rs just reveled in its fun and made the house ring with laughter. Johnny Wiggins is a cowboy movie actor who leaves the studio in California to go Kast to help Bill Burnham, a pal, a task which requires him to masquerade as BUI. Bill doesn't appear in the action of the play but we learn that he had been ranching ever since he was a little shaver and bad lost all track of his family. He receives word that bis sister Janet is to marry the* Duke of No Moor, an adventur- ous fortune hunter and as he can not get away be asks Johnny to go. Johnny goes East: lands at the Burn- ham country home on Long Island, falls in love with the parlor maid, Jordan; pre- vents the Duke from eloping with Janet; and, to top it all off, at the point of a six- shooter forces a high-finance manipulator, who had robbed the family, to buy back the worthless bonds which he had foisted on his unsuspecting victims. In the development of this little story there are many ludicrous situations, which come quite naturally and probably no play of the season, fashioned for laughing pur- poses only, better fulfills its mission. Louis Bennison as Johnny Wiggins and Grace Valentine, as Janet, "walked away with the show." Bennison was little known to New York before last Monday night, but he is destined to become one of our most popular comedians. Miss Valentine, who is already famous as a movie star, should never go back to them. She put over her part with a finesse and voice that are really needed on Broadway. Lorraine Frost, Echlin Gayer, Everett Butterfield, Ralph Nairn, Berton Churchill and Kate Mayhew, all did good work. The production was adequately staged. WHAT THE DAILIES SAY. Times— Immensely amusing. Sun-inminj play. Tribnne— Breezy and amusing. Herald—A routing farce. World— Bennigon't acting striking feature. American— Roan came from the audience. FINED FOR SUNDAY VIOLATION Ft. Wobxh, Tex., Feb. 9.—O. F. Gould, manager of the Majestic Theatre, was fined $20 and costs in County Criminal Court last week for violating the Snnday amicably. "LILAC TIME" IS SIMPLE STORY, WELL ACTED AND SET LEASE RESTORED TO CORT San Francisco, Feb. 9.—The lease of the Cort Theatre has been restored to John Cort his differences with the Madi- son Realty Company having been settled amusement law. "YOU'RE IN LOVE" AT ~ CASINO WINS FIRST NIGHT AUDIENCE "YOO'KB IN LOVE."—A two set musical comedy. Book and lyrics by Otto Hanerbach and Bdward Clark, and music by Rudolph Frlml. Pre- sented February 0 at the Casino. OUT, Judge Brewster Jack Ratreel Lacey Hart Laurance Wheat Dorothy May Thompson Mra. Peyton Fiorina Arnold Georgians Marie Flynn Hobby Douglas Harry Clarke Mr. Wix AL Robert* Captain Albert Pellaton Passengers Barbara Valdina M. Cunningham, Hasel Clements Sailors C. Balfour Llnyil. Gilbert Wella Deck Steward George Plerpont Stewardess Virginia Wynn Score one more success for Arthur Ilammerstein, who seems to have a happy faculty for picking "good" ones. "You're in Love," his latest offering, is a credit to him as a producer, and a credit to Ru- dolph Friml as a composer. It is one of the most tuneful musical comedies we have had on the local boards in many a day. Of course, we always ex- pect good melodies from Mr. Friml, but in this work he lias fairly outdone him- self. To be sure, lie hasn't furnished any numbers that come under the head of catchy, but "You're in Love," "He Will Understand," "Be Sure It's Light" and "Loveland" are of the lilting variety that are sure of popularity. For the staging of the work Mr. Clark deserves the highest praise. Novelties in chorus numbers are difficult to think out, but lie has several in this production which would stamp him as a producer. And the one which ranks with the best the local stage has ever produced is that used in the "He Will Understand" song. It begins with the chorus of the song, and one after another of the members of the chorus spring apparently from nowhere and form a line near the footlights across the stage. Another feature of the sensational or- der was furnished by Marie Flynn near the close of the performance. As Georgi- ans. Miss Flynn is supposed to walk in her sleep. She appears in pink pajamas and walks out of hex cabin on to a boom which swings from the mast over the heads of the musicians. Here she sings "I Am Only Dreaming." WHAT THE DAILIES SAY. World— Happy Solace for the tired. Times— Richly melodious score. Herald— sparkling new musical play. Tribune— Lilting musical comedy. Sun— A tuneful dainty. NEW PLAYS "The Imaginary Invalid" (Moliere) at the Harris, tomorrow afternoon. "Oh Boy," at the Princess, Monday. "LILAC TIMS"—A play In three acts by Jane Cowl and Jane Moron. Pro- duced at the BepabUc Theatre, Febru- ary 0, by Selwjn & CO. CAST. Hawkins Henry Crocker Jacques IttfTard GulUlame Deux Madame BliTard Louise Coleman Stmpscn Charles Hampden Madame Berthelot Hlcbelette Buranl Jnllen Cecil Yapp Harris Harry Hanlou McCane Charles Eedale Major Halloway Henry Stephenson Ueut. Philip Blytue Orme Caldara Jeannine ...Jane Cowl Capt. Standing Lawrence Qrant Lieut. George SmyUe W. Mayne I.yntoc Captain Paget Felix Krembs Cure of the Village Bmlle Detramont Captain Watllnge Cecil Owen PHILIPP REVIVES "ALMA" Adolph Philipp revived the musical play, "Alma, Where Do You Livet" Sun- day night at the Yorkville Theatre. Mr. Philipp played the role of Anatol, which he created in this country, and Mitzi Gizi was Alma. "IF" IS THE "SPIRIT , j OF 76" PRESENTED IN 1917 MANNER Jane Cowl is no longer just a weepy heroine of tear-stained roles. She's an authoress now, for "Lilac Time," in which she returned to Broadway last week is by none other than herself and Mrs. Jane Murfm, of Chicago. Between them, an ef- fort has been made to create a new type of role for the star of "Within the Law" and "Common Clay" but, despite this fact, the piece possesses points of similarity to the other parts which she has done so splendidly in recent years. "Lilac Time" is a play of June, of the open country and of love, and probably possesses enough of the sweetness of the flower after which it was named to draw Miss Cowl's admirers to the Republic for some time to come. The story is simple. Quartered together when the curtain rises are a number of British army officers, somewhere in the Northern part of France. Jeannine ia a pretty French girl, quite as sweet as the lilacs with the scent of which the country air is filled. She falls in love with one of the officers who is shortly afterward called away on a dangerous mission. As they part, she tells him that she will never love anyone but him. Twelve months pass, during which slit- waits patiently for his return. But he does not come. Instead, bis Major comes to tell her of bis death and to place in her hand his war cross. At first she is unable to comprehend, but then, with the whole weight of her sorrow upon her, rushes to the window and shouts to his comrades, "Vive la France." In that last speech is the keynote of the piece, the wonderfully heroic spirit of self- sacrifice that is evident among the French people. She gave her all; She could do no more. Throughout this little story. Miss Cowl, as Jeannine, is delightfully sweet and uttered her lines with a half-English accent that it must have taken her considerable time to -perfect. At moments too, she in- jected a depth of true emotion and tender- p?ss into the part that so strongly charac- terize the intense natures of the daughters of France. WHAT THE DAILIES SAY. World— Has the mating of a popular suo- cess. Times— Theatrical and artificial. Herald— Not UTcr.Sy of Miss Cowl. Tribune— Stimulating. "IF" —A four-act melodrama, pre- sented at the Fulton Theatre Wednes- day evening. February 7, by Bllnn and Shesgreen CAST. Benjamin F. Wright Forrest Boblnson Helen Wright Sydney Shields Toko George Probert Preston Sbarpe • Ben Johnson Bobby Wright Reggie BheBlelO Bradley Polk Charles Mackay Betty Polk Floy Murray Walter Brand Bert Lytell Mania Craven Both Benson Avery Craven Taylor Oravea An Aide de Camp Bdward Oolehrook A Lieutenant Walter Carter An Orderly Arthur M. Loewy A Soldier Peter Craig A Famous Character in American History Arthur Hyman Holbrook Blinn, aa an individual, can always be depended upon to do the ex- traordinary and many of the first nighters who saw "If at the Fulton Theatre last week, have decided that the same may be expected from Blinn and Shesgreen, the corporation which offered it as the first of several productions. "If is a play in four acts by Mark Swann, according to the program, but, to the audience, it was "the spirit of 76" handed out in a 1917 dressing. Its first scene is a quiet California vil- lage where a new "pork barrel" courthouse, costing $200,000 is being dedicated in a town of 6,000 population. The Congress- man who secured the appropriation is to make a speech and the "boss" who made him a Congressman is- listening from a window of his home. Up to that time the latter had been a pacifist, refusing to allow his daughter to marry a United States Army Captain and his son to enter West Point. As he listens to the speech, he falls asleep; He dreams that his Japanese servant is not a servant at all, but the commander of the Japanese forces in California, made up of the servants of his neighbors. They set up headquarters in his house, seize Frisco and Seattle, kill all the soldiers who are attending the celebration outside and then tear his daughter from his very aims to be the wife of one of them. / , The "boss" then awakes and, being con- vinced that the country is unprepared, or- ders the Congressman to get through an appropriation for arms and war munitions. WHAT THE DAILIES SAY. Tribune— Cheap jingoistic melodrama. Sun—at "rip snorter" in patriotism. World— Extravagant and jingoistic. Herald— Affords excellent entertainment. American— Splendid patriotic play.