“Darlings of Paris”

Comic dialogue and singing.

For a genuine old fashioned two-part farcical burlesque show with plenty of horse play and low comedy. Chas. E Taylor's "Darlings of Paris" at the Yorkville this week answers the requirements in every particular. The comedy has been given preference over the balance of the production departments, and accepting the success registered at the uptown house as a criterion one might correctly conclude that Taylor has properly sized up the situation. While the production proper represents a conservative investment with no pretense at extravagance, the show looks good with an occasional "flash" here and there, the whole combining to bring the affair close up to the average established on the American wheel, where the loftier grade of burlesque is quite as unexpected as unknown. The performance is given in two portions with a specialty sandwiched in during the action of each part. The comedy honors are shouldered by Frank P. Murphy and George Wopman, the former an Irish characterist of the old school with Wopman essaying the duties of a Hebrew comic on more or less original lines. Murphy is a capable man, scores his points with extra emphasis and controls the situations with a fairly good balance. Opposite Wopman, Murphy shows up decidedly well, for the couple work nicely together and share the results in a manner beneficial to the show rather than the individual. Wopman is the conventional Hebraic comedian, insofar as make-up and general mannerisms go, but has a good style of delivery and behind his crepe hair is a generous portion of personality which helps considerably. Harry Seyon also does character work, getting in his best effort in the opener. He looks good, carries a burlesque asset in enunciation and fits nicely into the general line. Jim Horton and Elwood Benton complete the list of male principals. Horton doing the bulk of the work in the "straight" role with an occasional light character "bit" on the side. Benton is a good singer, and with Mae Clark scored nicely with a specialty in the first part. Mae Clark, Josie Dennis and Grace Louise Anderson are the women principals, the latter assigned to the leading duties. Burlesque is not over-strong on good principal women of the Anderson type and a few more would be welcome. Miss Anderson is of the tall, stately specie, matured, but attractive and noticeably graceful. She is a player of parts principally, for in this line she earned her best mark at the Yorkville. With Murphy and Horton, Miss Anderson carried off the comedy prize of the evening, a table scene supplying the opportunity. She is an excellent reader and climaxed the comedy points with perfect accuracy, doing sufficiently well to corral a solid hand on her exit, something unusual in a burlesque house. Her wardrobe could be improved upon, but this evidently is a matter of interest to the producer and not the principal. Grace Anderson will bear watching, in or out of burlesque, for she has all the qualifications of an accomplished professional and she certainly stands out conspicuously in "The Darlings of Paris" The burlesque is purely farce with Murphy and Seyon both doing the same character. The complications are nicely gauged and the hook is completed. The numbers in both sections are acceptable without any startling hits, although none failed to collect encores. The costumes, as aforesaid, never taxed a bank account, yet they seem measured appropriately and the lack of finery is hardly discernible. It's a good, genuine old fashioned burlesque entertainment, clean throughout and productive of the exact results strived for where the "family" brand of amusement is in demand in preference to advanced burlesque. The like it rough at the Yorkville.

Variety, 40:11 (11/12/1915)