Judge — June 21, 1919 — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Drown by Hrnwax Panacea T HE S H O W S H O P MON Burl sac heatrical terms a safe. This, indeed, was que is the Al- both kinds of burlesque rolled .orraine. This ’ into one: Mr. Belasco treated onechappy pro. | Broadway’s Irredenta ]] with tevity, and a scuttle of ince of fun has for coal handled with all the awe- years suffered under the oppres- ness of Mr. Belasco. sion of crude hobo comedians His current opus, “The By Lawtox Mackaut Bs and beefy chambermaids in Royal Vagabond,” while con- t in Broadway li now goes as taining nothing quite as choice as the above-mentioned “refined burlesque” is a nasty misnomer. Real bur- incident, is the best burlesque of the season. Here the ~ lesque a healthy, light-hearted sort of gaiety which burden of spoof falls upon comic opera itself, which is the dictionary defines as “something tending to excite exposed as a world of picturesque senselessness where laughter by a ludicrous contrast between the sub things are said and danced for the sole reason that they and the manner of treating it, as when a serious subject have:always been. Thus the opening chorus states is treated ridiculously, or a trifling one with solemnity” succinctly that it is an opening chorus just to start is afraid to be called by its own the show off and introduce the principal personages name. ¢ ugly usurpers have well- Each character is in turn shoved out in front of the nigh crushed it to death to make an ience as a prac able puppet. he apothe- ice-man’s holiday. y, for example, sings: “I’m Janku and I ‘ in But not quite. Fun may be down drugs, and get my laughs with funny mugs.” but itis never out. Leaving a lifeless After such a beginning what can plot and pink dummy of itself with the vulgar, the romance and stage illusion do, poor thing: g y spirit of burlesque has fled and now time they try to be important, Cohan kids their pears under assumed names, such as dignity from under them. When the Society atire,” “take-off,” and so forth. of American Singers resume their opera One of our leading harborers of this comique-ing this autumn, they would do well fugitive from justice is George M. Cohan to profit by his friendly quips. The Cohan Reviews have abounded with Herein lies the chief service of burlesque it. In one, you remember, the solemnly to humanity. It is the Joyous Corrective. dramatic courtroom scene from ‘‘Com- Let us hope that “La, La, Lucile” with its mon Clay” was put into absurd ragtime wildly exaggerating bedroom travesty where rhythm, transforming something seri Jack Hazzard and the homely janitress con- into something deliciously hilarious. The vene in a bridal suite to provide grounds trick was such a success that Cohan re- for a divorce, will wean the public from the peated! it in his next review with the notion that bedroom plays are piquant. scene from “A Tailor-Made Man” where Many are the things that might well be Bart wins over the strike ‘leaders. In the “sentaway with a smile.” Passionate Cohanese version all the class-hatred dancing gets what it deserves at the - stuff, rights-of-labor arguments and new- hands and feet of the Dooleys in ndustrialism projects were delivered in “Monte Cristo, Jr ” and from hefty strict syncopation. Even the telephone May Boley and her panting partner tights; so that w us i ang in rhythm. \ in “Toot Sweet.” Also in “She's The other type of burlesque, the =, \ a Good Fellow” Olin Howland and treating of a trifling subject with “ Joseph Santley pay their respects to the standard stunts of dancing pairs, such as furniture-scaling, companion flinging, and trailexits. It is a noble work. If the burlesquers keep on the job, even- tually the managers will be forced to give us something new. solemnity, he employed apropos of the fuel shortage then rampant, i by opening the show with the august David Belasco emerging from the “Tiger Rose” trap- pp door bearing a scuttle of coal 4] which he proceeded to pour into ” caught comicbooks.com