Donna Darling in Rochester, NY: “Chin Chin” at the Lyceum, March 4th-6th, 1920

In the News
By Don Taylor

In early March 1920, Donna Darling appeared at Rochester’s Lyceum Theatre as part of the touring musical comedy Chin Chin, a production that had already enjoyed several successful seasons on the road. Presented as a half-week return engagement, the show played Thursday through Saturday, including a Saturday matinee, drawing on its established popularity to fill the house.

Chin Chin, produced by Charles Dillingham, was built around a fantasy framework inspired by Arabian Nights, featuring lavish scenery, colorful costumes, and a large ensemble cast. The leading comic roles were played by Walter Wills and Roy Binder, while the supporting company included a variety of specialty and character performers.

Donna Darling was cast as the Goddess of the Light, a named fantasy role that placed her prominently within the production’s visual and allegorical elements. While Rochester newspapers focused on the show’s spectacle and its principal stars, the Goddess of the Light was a role that required stage presence and distinctive costuming, underscoring Donna’s standing as a trusted ensemble performer in a major touring show.

Although critics noted that the revival did not fully recapture the magic of earlier versions of Chin Chin, the production was praised for its colorful presentation and familiar musical numbers. Donna’s participation in this engagement reflects her continued work in first-class theatres and her steady progress within the professional vaudeville and musical-comedy world of the early twentieth century.

Sources: All newspaper sources below are via Newspapers.com.

• 1920-02-28 – The_Times_Union_pg_10
• 1920-02-29 – Democrat_and_Chronicle Page_31
• 1920-03-01 – The_Times_Union pg 24
• 1920-03-01 – The_Times_Union pg 24
• 1920-03-03 The_Times_Union, pg 28
• 1920-03-04 – The_Times_Union, pg 24
• 1920-03-05 – The_Times_Union, pg 26

Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.