Fashions and Pleasures of New York

JOHN McMULLIN

THE extravagant way in which modern entertainment is presented grows more astonishing every day. A whole theatre has been done over by Morris Gest to augment the presentation of the second chapter of his farfamed Chauve-Souris. So decorative and amusing are these murals at the Century Roof, one anticipates regretfully a time when they may be replaced by some less imaginative artist for some less commendable production. Great credit is due the producer for having brought the ChauveSouris to this country. The history of its run in Paris and London reads like a romance. In both places it was weeks before the smart world discovered it, stamped it with their approval, and so popularized it. Mr. Gest, however, took a great chance when presenting it to the American public, who, unlike the Continental public, do not follow the recommendation of the beau monde. Nevertheless, it has become one of the popular divertissements and will undoubtedly continue to be one of the noteworthy institutions of the summer season.

Another example of luxuriance in modern producing is Ziegfeld's latest Follies. It burst upon Broadway with a splendour which has never been rivalled. The high spots in this year's spectacle are the fairy tales, which are beautifully told, the Sicilian ballet, conceived and costumed by Jimmie Reynolds, the round of scandals by Will Rogers, and the Lace ballet. It is rumoured that Mr. Ziegfeld paid $40,000 for the right to produce this ballet in the iridescent medium which has made it one of the wonders of New York. It is really an extraordinary effect. All the costumes in this number are made of lace which turn to fairy-like opalescence when the lights fade out. Fan shape head-dresses and lace crinolines become, green, orange and scarlet flowers shining out of the darkness in a most fantastic way. Reynolds has outdone himself in the colour of his latest ballet. The story is one of vivid tragedy; the scene a romantic gypsy wedding in Sicily. Reynolds has just returned from wintering there and his work is replete with the romantic warm land. colour Now and glamour that his of ballets that have become an institution in the Follies, one wonders what corner of the globe the next will reflect. Where will his next year's wanderings lead him? If he visits India, we shall be sure to see in fantasy Kipling's Punjab glorified; if Alaska, Eskimos will frolic at the New Amsterdam. How wise of the modern producer to cull from the palette of the travelled artist its latest full-blown creation rather than force through the hothouse some hybrid growth of imagination and technique ! Artists have come into their own in the theatre. Seemingly they have only to suggest their pet idea to a man like Mr. Ziegfeld to be recognized. Miss Clara Tice has a passion and a genuine flair for doing entertaining figwhen ures of she nymphs was given and carte bathing blanche girls to do so the decorations at the Rendezvous, the result was a huge success. Her inimitable sense of humour found expression in characterizing many of the celebrities of New York's night life in groups of comic figures on her pictorial bathing beach.

Summering in New York has become quite popular since places of amusement are daily growing in number. Since I last wrote on the subject of cabarets and amusement resorts, many new corners have taken their places on the list of "Where to Go." The Boardwalk has come to town. Deauville is having a post season run at the Rendezvous. Castles by the Sea has become an exotic Japanese garden. The Terrace at the Grand Central Palace has blossomed into a roof garden. The Casino in the Park is all freshly done awaiting its share of summer diners-out. There is another negro revue called "Strut Miss Lizzie". The Greenwich Village Follies are about due on the theatrical horizon, Take the list above and you have a whole summer's amusement. Deauville with its calcium moonlight overhead, its makebelieve beach under foot and its most professional sea breeze is, certainly, one of the thrills not to be overlooked. It is there the Clara Tice murals may be seen. The grim facade on the Park Avenue side of the Grand Central Palace blossomed into a roof garden. There is nothing dearer to the New Yorker than something new in New York and we are nothing if not Cosmopolitan in our amusements. We exploit the Russian phase, the Japanese phase, the negro phase and any other phase that may come along with equal "wim and wigor", if it gives us novelty, "Strut Miss Lizzie" is the culmination of the wonderful performances the negro actors have given us this season. Raymond Hitchcock has a lot of Michio Itow's best stuff in his new revue. Itow has a genius for arranging ballets, and he has brought a touch of originality and interest to this review which makes it very much worth while to the critical theatregoer.

Francis Bruguiere, one of the foremost artists in photography in this country, has had a finger in the pie in lighting the sets. There is no mistaking that it is the work of an artist. Nothing more lovely has ever been seen than the Degas Ballet. It is after that artist's picture of the school for ballet girls of the French opera. Margaret Petit, the Premiere Danseuse, is one of the loveliest sights one can see. This review is full of the dance. There is a burlesque ballet, done by six tramps which is a combination of burlesque and decadence that amounts to genius. The Pin Wheel Review grows on one. Raymond Hitchcock, as the official barker for the show, and the influence of the Japanese school of dance as applied to the ballet create a very odd and diverting atmosphere. Apropos of the Japanese, Castles By The Sea, of Vernon Castle fame, has been turned into a Japanese Garden for this summer's run. Next season it will probably be a Spanish Castle by the Sea.

Motoring out of town to dine is one of the popular summer sports. Any night during August our best "nuts" may be seen dining at Castles by the Sea, the Pavillion Royal, or Joe Smallwood's down at Glen Cove. The Pickwick Inn at Greenwich is another good run by motor with the assurance of a good dinner at the other end. Of course, everyone goes in for Coney Island at least once a season and the most "bangup" way to do this yearly excursion is to start with a shore dinner at Tappen's, succeeded by an alternating routine of hot dogs, scenic railways and ice cream cornucopias. And, by the way, there is a wonderful

place to dine at Coney Island. Behind Feltman's beer garden there is an inner court yard where they serve perfect food and the near beer is nearly as good as the real beer of the days gone by.

Coming back to town, there are still many diverting places. An evening at the Boardwalk is as good as a week-end at Atlantic City. It is a very clever stunt indeed to have got the atmosphere of that place within the four walls of a cabaret. The diving girls there are a great sensation. Water sports are very picturesque. A great exhibition of swimming and diving is given every Thursday at Madison Square Garden by youths and boys of all ages. It is a fine sight, and a whole evening's entertainment to watch the crowd.

Flying has become quite general now that summer has come. The Aeromarine Company Corporation have a daily service to Atlantic City. Their ship sails at four in the afternoon and returns to New York early every morning. The fare is not exorbitant; $45.00 one way and $75.00 the round trip. The flight takes seventy-five minutes.

Or, if you should prefer Long Isand, it is only an eighty minute fly to Southampton and the fare is about the same. Newport takes a little longer, about two and one-half hours, and, of course, it is proportionately more expensive. A great many people are continually making these runs during the summer. It is the most novel and luxurious way of traveling. From the Curtis field at Garden City, it is possible to hire a plane and to do a tour of the Long Island Estates.

Of course, every one is familiar with the photographs of the famous country houses taken from airplanes. Such views give a wonderful idea of the layout of the house and its grounds and, incidentally, it is a very severe test for the architect and landscape gardener, because any inaccuracy in the proportions or in the relation in which the house stands to its garden is shown up in a cruel way.

It is not hard to imagine how interesting a bird's eye view of the famous Long Island country houses as seen from the air would be for a Sunday afternoon's entertainment. This sort of flying can be done at the rate of fifty cents a mile. Flights may be arranged over the telephone at a moment's notice with confidence that nothing will go astray.