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Show THE CITIZEN 10 With The First Nighters all the rules thirteen sirens be more unlucky to a mere man than a single siren and ought to drive that man to madness, but Frank Dobson, playing at the Orpheum this week, is driven to ceaseless mirth by the thirteen sirens who accompany jiim in a dizzy circle of fun. When you see the musical comedy you will understand why these thirteen attractive girls are not called vampires. Kipling has placed his brand upon all vamps by describing his vamp as a rag and a bone and a hank of hair. The desription does not fit any of the thirteen sirens at the Orpheum, for they are pretty and gay and charmingly costumed. The word siren is not much used nowadays to describe ladies of the stage. We, therefore, consulted a dictionary to see if our first impressions were correct. We ran upon the following definition almost at first glimpse: An apparatus producing musical tones by the rapid interruption of a current of air. Dobsons ladies certainly produced musical tones by interrupting a current of air, but that hardly telis the whole, glad story. Another definition speaks of a group of sea nymphs who were said to frequent an island near the coast of Italy and by their singing to lure Dobsons mariners to- destruction. sirens frequented Coney Island and did not sit out on the waves singing for mariners to destroy themselves in the raging surf of lemon peels and banana . skins. - They remained close to an anchored schooner and sang only for the waiter. Another definition is A woman who sings sweetly. And there you have it. A vamp is a product of the movies and does not sing. She either curses or hisses. A vampire of musical comedy, therefore, is a woman who sings sweetly. The play is full of sweet songs and Dobson keeps the mirth sizzling on the griddle from the very outset to sunset, so to speak. Others who are supposed to supply mirth are Rollo, a sissy, and Cleo, a portly maid. Neither Cleos verbal nor physical lines are funny and as for Rollo well, we think he should be let loose among the Bolshevik! at sun- BY - vinced himself that dirt was wit. He is helped a bit by Winnie Baldwin who depends on grace and shape more than on stage talent. Espe and Dutton are demons for versatility. One of them catches heavy projectiles and solid cannot shot on the back of his neck just below the point where the hook would be inserted if he were not so good. This team does a number of brisk and unexpected stunts. The Shaws are trapeze artists of much agility and as a climax the lady does a dive which is designed to evoke shrieks of fear from the women in the audience and succeeds in its object. SALT LAKE puts everybody in a good humor. The characters are American, Western American, at that, and the humor is American clear through. It is a smart comedy, right up to date. The three acts are laid in the home of Senator Baldwin of Arizona, in Washington, D. C. It is a stately colonial home overlooking the Potomac river and all of the action takes place during a balmy evening under the May moon. You meet Judith Baldwin, a Washington debutante, much sought after, played by Miss Chatterton; Tod a young Western ranchman, who has just returned from the front, where he served as an aviator; Congressman Hamill, a silver voiced politician; Senator Baldwin, big, flenial, unmistakably of the West; Courtenay Blue, a society man; Miss Hallie Baldwin, the sister of the senator; Mrs. Langley, an attractive Washington widow; Pet Baldwin, the senators school girl daughter, and old Jefferson, the darky butler, who brings back memories of Mus-grav- e, kind-hearte- d, EVERY theatregoer willto look the apwith pleasure pearance of Ruth Chatterton at the Salt Lake theatre August 22 and 23 with a matinee, in The Merrie Month of May, under the direction of Henry Miller. Miss Chatterton is today the foremost young woman of the American stage and has a following second to none. Her remarkable success in Daddy Long Legs, Come Out of the Kitchen, The Rainbow, and other plays will be readily recalled. Since she first came prominently before the public under Mr. Millers her professional ad- management vance has been rapid. Her appearance in a new play is therefore a matter of genuine interest. The Merrie Month of May, written by George Scarborough, is one of those delightful comedies of American life that civil war days. of May is That A Merrie Month t produced by Henry Milleri is suffici- ent guarantee that it is done artist! - cally and that the surrounding company is of the best. Such is Mr. Millers way of producing and 'casting plays. PANTAGES ONE of the cleverest and merriest musical revues staged at Pantages this season is presented at that house this week in Some Baby, the headline feature of the bill now playing. Agnes Burr appears in the double brightest roll of the wife and the ((tree bunc(re pound baby and she is one of the big: gest screams of the year. Jofrunig Kennan is a lean, ill tempered hus-- , band and these fun makers have aq extremely clever company of girls. bill is scoring a The new six-adistinct hit and Val Harris and Jac)c Manion have a lot of new songs and jokes that get across the footlights ct lively shape. Maidie De Long presents a juvenile act that is refreshingly new and her clever songs and dances arq one of the right spots of the bill. Roy Stever and Mildred Lovejoy are unusually skillful dancers and the act is beautifully staged and costumed. Will Morris in his bicycle act is one long laugh and Faye and Jack Smith furnish a singing and comedy number that is unusual in every way. The Pantagescope finishes up a program of real merit, which runs through un- .!' til Tuesday evening of this week. , Beginning next Wednesday after: noon comes a new bill and the most important feature of the program is the announcement by Manager Frank Newman of Pantages that the Shlm-mi- e Dancers who startled Salt Lake only a few weeks ago will return for a special starring engagement. In addition to these Shimmie Dancers on the new bill, the latter will include Kajiyama, the noted, Japanese mental marvel; Clyde Hager and Wal-- ter comedians; Helen Scholder, the favorite American Cellist; Lawrence and Edwards pre. seating The Pension Office; Patton, Yantis & Rooney, Three Girls from & Grant Harmony Land, and Monre ... Goodwin, singing rise. Garcinetti Brothers are European novelty hat throwers. A third member of this lively group is a Boston terrier that bounces a big rubber ball by bunting it with his nose. He bounced it out into the audience and immediately a basketball game without the baskets was on. It was great fun for the dog and everybody. is a rustic A Rural Delivery sketch with a hayseed, an actress and an animated string bean as the caste. The string bean is dressed to imitate a zebra, laughs like a hyena and dances like a giraffe. In fact, she is a whole zoo of drollery. Percy Bronson has been funny in his day. He was funny before he con TAYLOR GRANVILLE AND LAURA PIERPONT N "AN AMERICAN ACE," VAUDEVILLE'S BIGGEST DRAMA TIC PRODUCTION, A T THE ORPHEUM NEXT WEEK, 1 . |