Pete Clark’s “Runaway Girls”

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The first part of the act is in four scenes. It opens in the Italian Gardens at the Savoy hotel in London. The following three scenes are short. The opening romp is labeled "The Runaway Girls in Dixie." prove and display versatility which they do. In the first part the bulk of the work falls to Clare Evans (playing an Irish character), Joe Opp (playing an English character), George Clarke (playingtwo characters, a Swedish army officer and a "straight" Scotchman), Babette, Adelina Roattino, and the chorus. Roattino and her splendid soprano voice walked away with the singing department. Her best number was her opening, "Robert the Devil," which was also the musical hit of the program. She also led "Here's to the Girl" and "Bonnie, Sweet Bonnie, the Maid of Dundee," a Scotch number in which she was assisted by Clark. Babette contributed largely through her dancing and dialect. Other players include Violet Rio, H. L. Richardson, and Chas. Fagin.
The chorus girls look good, dress well, dance excellently, and sing better than any group that has visited the windy city in several seasons. The chorus girls hardly vary more than two inches, with one exception, a diminutive blonde who holds down the end. She was probably selected for her ability because she outworks the rest of the line. Pete Clark failed to provide an interior one drop for the second showing. A street scene is used but a hall drop would have been more appropriate.
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Variety 24:1 (09/09/1911)