New York Clipper (Feb 1923)

Copyright, 1923, aod published wedilr by the Clipper Coipontion, KSS Broadny, New York. Estcrcd mt the Po*t Office at New York, June 24 1879 u accond dau mail inattB undo- act of Uarch 3, 1879 ' Founded br PRANK QUEEN. 1853 NEW YORK. FEBRUARY 14. 1923 VOLUME LXXI No. 3 Price Fifteen Ccnti. «].00 > MONDAY MATINEE HARVEST FOR BDWY. TOEATRES-NIGHT BAD Thirty-Eight Attractions Practically Sell Out on Afternoon Performance But Holiday Prices Charged at Night Proved Boomerang—^Last Week Box Office : £ ^ Takings on a Par With Previous Week Lincoln's Birthday matinee proved a har- vest fur the attractions along the "White Way" that gave performances, but the evening, on the other hand, was not nearly as lucrative. There was business, busi- ness a plenty for the hits, but the other attractions suffered at night, due to the fact that the holiday price prevailed and the evening being fair, persons preferred to promenade to paying the advanced tariff for admission. There were thirty-eight matinee per- formances Monday afternoon, and of the attractions giving them only eight found it necessary to place their wares in the cut-rate ticket office. The others found the advance demand quite heavy and there were but a few attractions which did not clean the rack entirely for the perform- ance. Some o{ the attractions found busi- ness so good that they were even taxed to their standing room limit. The attractions which found the Le Blang Emporium a savior at the matinee were "It Is the Law," at the Nora Bayes; "Jitta's Atonement," at the Comedy; "Listening In," at At Bi- jou; "The Lady in Ermine," at the Cen- tury; "R. U. R.," at the Frazee; "Glory," at the Vanderbilt; "Whispering Wires," at the Broadhurst, and "Sim Showers," a new attraction at the .^stor, which dis- posed only of its second balcony seats through this medium. The night, of course, found a good many more attractions ready to cut the price of their seats as tickets were avail- able for "Johannas Kreisler," "Jitta's Atonement," "The Humming Bird," "Sun Showers," "Why Not?" "R. U. K.," "Mike Angclo," "The Square Peg," "The Lady in Ermine," "It is the Law," "The Green- wich Village Follies," Mme. Nazimova in "Dagmar," "Passion for Men," "Up She Goes," "Wni Shakespeare," "Mary the Third," "Glory" and "Ice Bound," which opened at the Harris last Saturday night. Though the cut-rates were the medium of greatly increasing the business for these attractions, there were but few of them that could boast of coming close to the sell-out mark, with the majority of them doing just a bit better than an average Monday night business. Ethel Barrymore opened in her new play. "The Laughing Lady," at the Long- acre, that, evening. A $S.SO top was charged for orchestra seats, which were all sold, but the upper portion of the house had quite a few noticeable "bald spots." Monday was calculated upon by the pro- ducers as being a "sure thing^ and an event to bolster up the receipts for the bal- ance of the week, as with the beginning of Lent, or .^sh Wednesday, this week, they feel that quite a slump will occur in business for the balance of the week. Some of the attractions which gave matinees on Monday have called their Wednesday matinee, as it is figured that it would not be very profitable, while Monday was sure of being. In this way the productioos were enabled to save an extra eighth of a week's salary, which they would have had to pay the performers if they gave the regular matinee. As usual, of the musical contingent, "The Ziegfeld Follies," "Little Nellie Kelly," "The Gingham Girl," "The Music Box Revue" and "The Qinging Vine," sold out Monday night. Of the dramatic at- traction those to post the "S. R. O." sign were "The Fool," "Rain," "Six Charac- ters in Search of an Author," "So This is London," "Secrets," "Loyalties," "Merton of the Movies" and "The Seventh Heaven." Last week in the theatres did not show any improvement over the week before. A good many of the attractions managed to hold up to the gross of the previous week, hut there were quite a number which could not come up to that average even. The Le Blang establishment had seats for twenty- six of the shows along the "Main" thor- oughfares throughout the week, and as it did the previous week, saved a good por- tion of them front hitting the "stop mark." I Among the attractions where there was a noticeable decline in business were Leo Carrillo in "Mike Angclo," which leaves the Morosco on Saturday night, "Listen- ing In," its next door neighbor at the Bi- jou, which will wend its way to the Wil- bur Theatre, Boston, that same evening; 'JJitta's Atonement," which abdicates the Comedy, also that evening; "Passions For Men," which will halt at the Belmont on that night: "Extra," which disappeared from the Longacre last Saturday night; "The Humming Bird," which goes out of the Ritz on Saturday, after having cost Frank Eagan, its producer, around $75,000 in four weeks on Broad "ay; "The Square Peg," at the Punch and Judy; "Whisper- ing Wires," at the Broadhurst; "It is the Law," at the Nora Bayes; "Johannes Kreisler," at the Apollo; "Glory," at the Vanderbilt, and "Lady Butterfly," at the Globe. • The hit attractions, both musical and dramatic, alt managed to hold their own, with "Abie's Irish Rose," at the Republic, standing up well among them. This at- traction seems to hold fast, with it being quite difficult to get balcony seats for it several weeks in advance. None of them, however, cleaned their racks on the first two days of the week, but Wednesday was good for them, and Thursday, on the other hand, was a bit ofF, with Friday and Sat- urday business being up to the mark. Monday night had three openings, two dramatic and one musical. "Peer Gynt," (Continued on page 6) NEW YORK HAS FREE THEATRE The first free theatre in the history of the New York stage made its appearance in the metropolitan district last week, when Butler Davenport, playwright and sponsor of the Bramhall Players, threw open the doors of his diminutive Bramhall Playhouse, at 27th street and Lexington avenue, and invited the masses to witness the current production of "The Fool's Re- venge" as guests of the management A few skeptical adventurers from Broadway, who were certain there was a catch in-it somewhere, made the trip southward, but were chagrined to find that not even a hat check fee was exacted from the sev- eral hundred patrons. The idea of the free admissions are said to be part of a plan Davenport has in mind towards estaibUshing a free art theatre in New York. He is said to have interested financial backing for the en- terprise if he can convince the subscrib- ers that New York wants an institution of this kind. Hereafter, admission fees will be waived on Monday and Tuesday evenings of each week, with the regular scale of prices in vogue for the remaining performances of the week. Uptown managers have scouted the art idea and believe it to be merely an adver- tising experiment to fill up the house on these traditional bad nights of the week. DOPE STORY PLAY STARTS Baltimore. Feb. 13.—"Open .Ml Night." a new melodrama by Willard Robertson and Kilboum Gordon. \ns given its pre- miere last night at the Lyceum Theatre. The authors have taken the traffic in nar- cotics as the background of a story of the present day in New York. For time- liness of theme, tense dramatic situations, many of which are given a surprise twist, the piece seems to have a chance of teking its , place with the ' melodramatic hits of the'season! Orme Caldara was seen to advantage in the principal role of the piece and was surrounded by a competent cast which in- cluded Frances Howard. William Evarts, Dorotliy Leeds, Jean Downs, Olra Lee, Joseph Creban. Ralph Murf^y, Emerih Campbell, Betty Williams and Robert Briter. The production is credited to George P. Marshall. Wfllard Robertson is the author of "The Cat and the Canary," which his pres- ent collaborateur is associated with as the producer. "UNCLE TOM" IN BOSTON Boston. Feb. 12.—"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is not extinct as a dramatic classic. The management of the Arlington Theatre seem to have so much faith in the Harriet Beecher Stowe offering that they have ne- gotiated with Newton and Livingston to present the play at their house for two weeks, starting today. The cast is com- prised of Metropolitan players, with the scenery and costumes being new and lavish. 200 FOR "THIS IS LONDON" On Tuesday night of this wedc. "So This Is London," the George M. Cohan pieco at the Hudson Theatre registered its 200th performance. "YOU AND r* PRIZE PLAY IS GOOD - Stamford, Conn., Feb. 13.—"You and I,"* a comedy in three acts, by Philip Barry, . which was awarded the prize in this year's competition at Harvard, was presented ' here at the Stamford Theatre with Lucille Watson in the leading role, and H. B. Warner and Geoffrey . Kerr in support While some of the climaxes are not so strong, the play on the whole is well writ- '. tei and contains many excellent lines, with : a good comedy plot Lucille Watson and H. B. Warner, m the roles of Nancy and Maitland White, had planned to send their .' son abroad to study architecture, but - be £alls in love with Veronica Duane and pre- ' fers to stay on this side of the oceaii, and * in place of a career takes a job in a soap . factory in order that he ma;^ be married. ' The girl, although deeply in love with ' Roderick White, played by GeoffrQr Kerr, . breaks her engagement with him so that.' she will not prove an obMade to the plans .■ made for him by his parents. Maitland White, in the: meantime, has had a lifelong yeamiiig to paint pictures [ although he went into hnsiness in order to ' get enou^ mone^ to mariy on. He man- ' aged to live happily_ with his wife although ' he did not paint as it washis ambition when '' a boy. 'Prompted by his wife, who under- stands the situation, Maitland resigns his ' position to spend considerable time in a - garret while he did some painting. This resulted in one portrait, such as it was. ' done with the aid of the maid who had . acted as a modcL Larter, when the pic- . ture is exhibited to some people by a friend.. of the painter, despite the -general fear that .■ the unknown portrait painter was but or- '■ dinary, a soap manufacturer takes a bacy '. to the picture and buys- if for $4j000. Perceiving that at middle age he ia far removed from the dreams of his youth, ■ White decides to re-enter business ud so provide for his son an architectural career abroad as well as. conjugal happiness. Miss 'Watson war excellent as Mrs. - White, and gave her usual effective per- formance.' H. B. Warner created a fine character study as MahlaAd White. Frieda Inescort as Veronica Duane, and Geoffrey Kerr as the boy portrayed a fine type of' youth, although somewhat of the English. - style. Miss loescorfin particalar, had the advantage of a very charming presence. Others in the cast were fully adeqtute. CRAVEN RETDHNG raOM STAGE. " Frank Craven is planning to retire from - the stage at the condnsipn of his present agagemen.t in "The First Year," and will'. hereafter confine his activities to writing- and produdng. He has just completed a new comedy, "Early to Bed," which he will, produce in the Spring in coojonction. with John Golden. BROWNE JOINS P. M. A. Porter Emerson Browne, producer of "Ladies For Sale." which lad its premifre at the Majestic Theatre. Buffalo, oo Hon-' day night was elected a member of the ■ Producing Managers' Association last week. "WHERE SUBWAY ENDS" CLOSES ScR.vNTOs-, Feb. 10.—"Where the Sub- way Ends" dosed its season at the Acad- emy in this city toni^L COSTUMES foMmosf Mmkmrm at StagB AMfB Uw Man amf Wontsa Wo luvHo Oompmrleou of Oomigm, Pfhto mail WoHmu BROOKS-MAHIEU H^*. Y. C.