Eva Tanguay

Comic songs and singing.

"I Want to Be a Tattooed Lady in a Side Show" and "You've Got to Hand It to the Girls."

Eva Tanguay, back after a long tour of the West, is to be credited with some of the extra heavy draw, her appearance plus the Easter Monday holiday about being the answer. Miss Tanguay was a bit bent on staying away from Broadway, but lately, changed her mind and took on her Eastern bookings. She came with some new costumes and a surprise. That was the presence of two additional musicians in the pit who, playing with the orchestra, gave the music a decidedly Jazzy tinge. The extra players were very "piano" during Miss Tanguay's numbers, but during the costume change waits, they "shot the works." The blare of Jazz at the introduction puzzled the natives as to what Miss Tanguay would offer, but she adhered to style, with, of course, some fresh numbers. Down next to closing, entering at 10:45, there was some walking out, but that didn't bother the cyclonic one. In fact she had a lyric to prove it. The number was about Annie and Fannie who went to see Eva and who couldn't "see" her at all; just the same they came around the next day and after the show bought tickets for the following matinee. One ditty, "I Want to Be a Tattooed Lady In a Side Show," held a line that went for a laugh, the line being that she'd "have a picture of the Kaiser where no one would be the wiser." A song, "You've Got to Hand It to the Girls" mentioned most of the "starters" from Florence Nightingale to Carrie Nation. One or two of the new costumes were extremely extravagant a la Tanguay, but a tight bodice with blue tight sash showed off. her cute shape to best advantage. She had ' many admirers, as, usual, and her ability to encore appears not to wane. At the finish she said that when she played the Palace it was like winning a bet.

Variety, 54:9 (04/25/1919)