CRIMSON PLAYGOER

Good sets and fine lighting effects were the outstanding features of "The Dancing Girl" at the Shubert Monday night. The widely-advertised living curtain, which bids fair to become a fixture of all of this season's revues, much as the radium gowns of last winter's musical comedies, was a horrible disappointment. It presented what might have been five bathing beauties in gold one-pieces. Or the five most beautiful girls who have appeared in the Police Gazette this summer. Possibly they were certain muses: the Winter Garden is an authority on muses. Anyway, the curtain lasted only for a moment and didn't deserve half the space we've given it.

Trini snapped her fingers and stamped her feet in the second scene, but though she was the out-standing woman of the piece, she wasn't allowed either to snap or stamp again and therefore became a bit boring. Her Hawaiian dance was the next best thing. Lou Holtz accompanied a Jolsonized monologue with two strings of his take-down guitar, but most of his jokes were old and a bit off-color. It seems odd that a black face and spoken song make a presentable imitation of Jolson. Kitty Doner's feet were in excellent form, and Jack Pearl, comedian with a Keith accent, made himself reasonably funny. His part as Sombrero Jack when he took three falls was perhaps his best attempt.

A red-haired lady named Marie Stoddard had a great deal to say. A good many of her remarks were worth repeating--and the picture that she made should be held up to many women as a horrible example of several breaches of theatre etiquette. A prize-fight was scheduled to come in the first act but for some reason was left out until later. It could have been forgotten entirely with little loss.

All that doesn't give a very good impression. Nevertheless, Trini's Spanish dance, Kitty Doner's several appearances, and Marie Stoddard's volubility made the show very presentable. We think that Charlie Mac's drunken stagger, though not drunken, deserved more attention than it was given. This stagger is a masterpiece of its kind. On the whole, we don't believe you'd count an evening at "The Dancing Girl" wasted. By the way, the final seene was omitted on the first night. It may have had some good points. The program called it "Venetia at the Ball." You may guess what that signifies for yourself