Variety (January 1914)

VARIETY \l ALL FOR THE LADIES About Women—Mostly By PLAIN MARY (Vesta Powell) The new Winter Garden show is one of the best scenic productions ever. It looks as though the Shuberts have picked a winner this time. The show is lull ot lively musical numbers and dancing of every style, from ballet to the turkey trot. Lydia Kyasht does the ballet work, assisted by Serge Litavkin, in a sort of dance story called "Harlequin and Bluebird." Miss Kyasht is a dainty little blue- bird in a ballet dress of blue feaflhers. Lillian Lorraine is wearing several new costumes and that is about the best thing she does do in the show. Some of her clothes arc becoming, some are not One of the nots is a freak affair cf silver cloth. It seemed a shame to see such lovely expensive material bunched in unsightly puffs around the waist, over a pair of long silver panta- loons. The pink and silver gown for her first number was much more be- coming. With this Miss Lorraine wears as a head dress a huge bunch of pink paradise feathers. It started a buzz when she walked through the audience, as it was difficult to tell what it was on the stage. Another striking costume was her Cleopatra robe for an Egyptian number in the last act. It appears a glittering mass of different colored jewels, and 1 was told Miss Lorraine got the idea for it from watching Pav- lowa. Miss Lorraine wears four large stone as rings, two on either hand, and tries for the snake effect Koshanara did at the Palace last week. But Miss Lorraine got little out of it. Melville Ellis designed the costumes worn in the production, and as usual they are wonderful combinations (costumes de- signed by Mr. Ellis always are). In the first act the color scheme is orange and yellow for one set, others are black, white and amber. Then there are gowns of green velvet trimmed with yellow fox. Several show girls walk through the audience (on the runway) to display their clothes. It would need pages to describe them individually, but they are all evening gowns of different style and color, some velvet, others gold and silver cloth, and so on. The girls walk first around wearing hand- some evening wraps. They go on the stage, discard the wraps, and stroll through the audience again to show the dresses. When all the girls line up, the stage is one bewildering mass of color and glitter. Rosika Dolly was a contrast to all the gloss in several dainty simple dresses. One was pale blue chiffon and crystal net, another an odd looking empire dress of orange satin, made perfectly plain. It is very helpful to Miss Dolly's appearance. With it is worn a poke bonnet. May Boley is attractive in a white satin gown with a wide girdle of purple vel- vet. Several others are worn by her. One set of costumes do not fit in with the rest of the Winter Garden ward- robe. They are satin bodices trimmed v/ith gold spangles worn over tights, one leg is red, the other black. The costumes would start a riot on the Eastern Wheel. Mile. Novita is the present dancing partner of Jos. Herbert, Jr. She has appeared in Broadway productions. Mr. Herbert's former stage partner, Lil- lian Goldsmith, was married Nov. 27 to Chas. D. Wilson, of the William A. Brady staff of managers. I see the National Association of clothing Designers decided that with the opening of next fall, or the the- atrical season, men will have to wear tight-fitting suits, with over garments of loose cut, and sleeves on the order of kimonos. Some men look funny enough now and the change in dress ought to bring a few more laughs. "The Queen of the Movies" (open- ing at the Globe Monday night) has a first act that is rather quiet for a music- al comedy, but the second and last acts atoned for the slow beginning. The first scene, an entrance hall of a new hotel, is gorgeous, a little' too dazzling, but the chorus girls all wear white gowns which tone down the color. The attraction of this scene is a real pink- lined elevator that runs to the second floor. Frank Moulan and Felix Adler make all the comedy. Mr. Adler got laughs in his easy careless way and be- came very popular. He had the song hit, "In the Night," heard often in the dancing palaces. Another hit was "Oh Cecilia," sung by Mr. Moulan and Valli Valli. This took about a dozen encores, partly to bring back eight pretty little chorus girls in wonderful powder puff dresses. They are short dresses of pink velvet with wide bands of white fox fur at the skirt hem. Sev- eral underskirts arc worn, each edged v/ith white fur. When the girls hold them up they resemble powder puffs. "Kitty MacKay" is a Scotch comedy by Catherine C. Cushing (Comedy the- atre). The scenes are placed in Drum- tochty (Scotland) and London. The first is the home of the MacNabs a poor family who adopted the daughter of an English nobleman, The girl is known as Kitty MacKay. Lord Inglchart, a widower with one son, while roaming met a pretty little country girl, married and lived secretly with her for a year, when she died in childbirth. Lord Inglehart gave the baby to the Mac- Nabs. They let her understand she was related to them. Seventeen years later Lord Inglehart repented and sent to Scotland for his daughter, she going to London still ignorant of her father. She meets Lord Inglehart's son (and her half brother). They fall in love and are about to elope. When her father hears of the infatuation, he confesses to the son he is father of them both. The son tells Kitty for a reason of his own he can't marry her. This was a very dramatic scene, the strongest in the play. Kitty, heart broken and believing her lover has thrown her over, returns to Scotland. Mean- while Sandy MacNab writes a con- fession to Lord Inglehart, saying the Lord's daughter died when a few months old, but as they needed the weekly allowance received from him, they had substituted a baby girl from an orphanage. Lord Inglehart and his son hurry to Scotland, tell Kitty the truth and the two young people are made happy The piece is always en- joyable, without a moment when in- terest is lost. It is splendidly cast. Any number of big laughs arc gotten from the bright dialog. Molly Mc- Intyre plays Kitty Mackay, the girl who makes the audience laugh and cry in the same act. Margaret Nybloc is opposite Miss Mclntyre, as Mag Dun- can, a plain spoken Scotch girl. Miss Nybloc makes Mag Duncan a great character and she shares all the honors. Lord Inglehart is Henry Stephenson; the son, Eugene O'Brien; Sandy Mac- nab, Ernest Stallard, and Mrs. Mac- Nab, Carrie Lee Stoyle. These and all the other roles are well taken care of. Sam and Kitty Morton (5th Avenue) are doing a song and dance they did 33 years ago, wearing special costumes for it. Mr. Morton has knee breeches of white and a coat of emerald satin, and Mrs. Morton wears a short skirt of accordion pleated chiffon and a coat to match hubby's. Mrs. Morton shows she is still in the "Chicken" class. Mrs. Frederic Voelker is well dressed in a blue satin evening gown. Magda Dahl, prima donna with the same act, is attractive in a white and silver gown. Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle (Pal- ace) in their new dances carry their own orchestra of about twelve colored musicians who play on the stage. No particular excuse for this, as the Palace orchestra would have helped the Cas- tles much more than did their own. Mrs. Castle wears a white chiffon gown draped with blue, over which is a blue silk blouse. The blouse is removed af- ter the first dance, but the same dress remains. It appears like two dresses. Janetatte Franzeska, the Dutch vocal- ist, has a good voice but lacks appear- ance. Miss Franzeska wears a green evening gown that is not suited to her. Florence Clements ("The Song Birds") is attractive in a blue brocade silk ev- ening gown. Dunbar's Hussars are nine good looking young fellows who wear spotless white uniforms, play brass instruments and sing. It is an attractive act. The uniforms fit the boys and the black velvet drop adds to •lie picture. Maggie Cline was warm- ly received Monday afternoon. She is now doing a Tango, assisted by a young fellow who enters in shirt sleeves, supposed to be a stage hand. Miss Cline was forced to a speech of thanks for the hearty welcome. Mr. and Mrs. Max Winslow were try- ing out some new Tango steps at om: of the dancing palaces Saturday night vr- n they happened to spy Mose uumble learning a new dip. After a few spins around the floor they met, but not until Mr. Gumblc stepped on tht foot of Mrs Winslow, with his numbci eleven "Regals." That is a new way o J getting even with an opposition music publishing firm. But 1 don't believe Mose did it intentionally, and anyway Mrs. Mose (Clarice Vance) was there for Max to do the same thing to, if he wanted to. Jane La Beau, leading lady with the Ginger Girls (Columbia Theatre this week), is a good performer and has a pleasing voice, but little idea of dress- ing. One costume worn by her is a cross between an afternoon and even- ing gown. The materials are well chosen, but that is all. It is blue satin with waist and tunic of heavy cream lace. A wide yellow girdle and huge yellow bow sewed in back at the hem of the tunic. The effect is not at all pretty. The bow could be removed for one improvement. Fay St. Clair is attractive in an emerald satin evening gown trimmed with crystal beads. The whole is spoiled when she appears in a race track scene wearing the same dress and a shabby straw hat trimmed with soiled white roses (besides garden hats are not being worn with evening dress this season). Luella Temple is a "cute" girl, but appears to be over- confident of herself as a soubrette. She looks well in a Scotch kilt, also in a red soubret dress. The cerise stockings worn with the latter look badly. Why not have them to match the dress? The chorus girls have one set of cos- tumes copied from those worn with Zeigfeld's "Follies of 1913" (where the girls appear to be wearing nothing but a few pieces of chiffon and fur made to resemble a muff). The effect is some- what startling from a distance. Emma Cams is showing some new clothes at the Colonial this week. Two of the gowns look well on her and two do not. A gold and silver gown for the first song is handsome, and a dress consisting of several frills of silver lace and a wide green girdle is very pretty also, but a white suit with a green vest doesn't look so well, neither does a flowered silk. This latter has two full flounces over the hips of blue chiffon. They make Miss Cams ap- pear too bunchy. Mary Elizabeth is dainty and refined in a pale yellow gown of taffeta. The skirt has several frills of taffeta over which is a corsage and tunic of heavy cream lace. A small lace Dutch bonnet adds to the picture. Lola Wentworth (in "The Porch Party") is attractive in a pink and sil- ver dress made on simple lines. COLD WEATIIKIl Hl/KTH. The weather the early part of the week was the worst opposition the New York theatres have had for some time. The temperature hung around the zero mark with unmistaken fidelity, while a strong wind kept Hroadway bare almost the entire evening. BUSINESS IS <.OOI>. "Mutt and Jeff" must be getting Gus Hill regular money. Mr. Hill has a new safe. If yon *•■'• •JwtlM la TABICTT, d«a't adrcrtlM at all.