It seems scarcely necessary to enter upon a detailed discussion of Dennis King's performance at the Uptown Theatre when the box-office has already given such an accurate account of the show. At the opening night the price of admission for those who insisted on seeing (and hearing) Mr. King immediately, was five dollars but has subsequently been reduced to one dollar for all seats. This expresses the situation exactly--and uniquely; "The Vagabond King" is well worth one dollar but scarcely worth five.

To the actual mechanics of the production, all credit is due; done throughout with technicolor and the vitaphone, it is undoubtedly an achievement, and sets a high-water mark in sound-photography which will endure for a brief space at least. Sound and color effects alike leave nothing to be desired. Although a masquerade Ball which is introduced toward the end of the performance seems a needless display of fire-works, as a whole the elaborate scenes are admirably controlled throughout by the able hand of the director, Ludwig Berger. Incidentally, he also shows considerable skill in avoiding the artificial introduction of supposedly spontaneous quartets, a practice which mars so many efforts of the talking screen at the present time.

Dennis King, however, is a mild disappointment. His voice is faultless enough to be sure, but as an actor Mr. King is not a success, and woefully overdoes his part. His antics in the tavern are but a poor imitation of Douglas Fairbanks with far too much waving of arms and too many scowls of the vintage of 1900, and as the poor-but-honest king for a week, the reflection of John Barrymore is equally unimpressive. All the laurels for individual presentations go quite unchallenged to O. P. Heggie who gives a thoroughly convincing and extremely clever portrayal of Louis XI, never once exceeding the bounds of his role, playing his part with a moderation and yet sufficient variety to render it altogether charming and adequate. Jeannette MacDonald is also noteworthy for her ability as well as for her good looks, and does excellently except at those times when she is inveigled into singing, which spoils the dramatic effect entirely; be it said, however, that her voice completely makes up for any momentary loss of prestige. Lillian Roth, in a role which has excellent possibilities, gives at best an amateurish performance. "The Vagabond King" is not a master-piece, but taken all in all, it will well repay the time, the dollar, and even the car-fare, necessary to see it.