The Theatre: New Plays: Aug. 25, 1924

• Share

(2 of 3)

Marjorie.—When Andrew Tombes comes to town in a new musical show, it is an occasion for bonfires and public dancing in the streets. Suspicion has been growing of late that he is one of the Big Ten comedians. In Marjorie, Mr. Tombes is not endowed with any such happy material as his famous cinema burlesque in the "Follies," but there is much, none the less, to be thankful for. He plays the press agent of a famed actor and rewrites a "sap's" play because he loves the sister. The sap and the sister were played by Skeet Gallagher and Elizabeth Hines, respectively. Mr. Gallagher (no, it's a different one) plays a smooth blond part with a certain amount of contributory laughter. Miss Hines is as gracefully attractive as ever, though it was remarked in the audience that she had lost control entirely of her left shoulder. Then there was Roy Royston playing the famed actor with a distinct Cockney accent. And an amusing little tough child by Ethel Shutta. Probably not very much will be written about the music a hundred years from now, yet it sufficed for all those lacking too precise a memory. Laughs were distributed in favorable quantities and the dancers agitated happily. Casting up accounts, the visitor will find that he has received well above normal value for his admission ticket.

The New York American—"It has little originality or novelty, but it does all the old things well."

No Other Girl is a perfectly harmless injection of the usual musical comedy ingredients made interesting by the presence of Helen Ford and Eddie Buzzell. Playing the "weakest feature of the weaker sex in Quakertown," the latter hits upon a great advertising scheme, takes it to New York, finally acquires dollars to the general extent of a million. Meanwhile, she has been waiting for him. This seemed a serious error in construction on the part of the authors, since any libretto which eliminates Helen Ford from an entire second act can hardly be called flawless. There were one or two able melodies in the proceedings and many players of moderate reputation and ability. John Meehan, who long stood at the right hand of George M. Cohan, staged the piece and inserted welcome wedges of Cohan dancing. By and large, the entertainment is only mildly invigorating.

The New York Herald-Tribune—"All the ingredients which one has come to expect in polite musical comedy."

The New York Times—"Plenteously comic."