New York Clipper (Feb 1923)

Fcbruaiy 21, 1923 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 5 WEBER AND iFIELDS AFTER SOCIETY BA CKING FOR MUSIC HALL PktMpectus Mailed to Sniait Set Invites Them to Buy Stock in Newly Fonned $3,500,000 Cbiporation Which b to Sponaor . Venture—Roof Cabaret to Be Additional Feature of Enterprise WOODS-LEBOWICH SUIT SETILED A. E. A. BRINGS OPERA CO. BACK That Weber and Fields are aogliDg for . society backinf;, both from a patronage and financial standpoint, in their new Weber- Fields Music Hall venture became knowu this _ week, when several hundred society fashionables, many of whom have never even displayed the slightest interest in things theatrical, were the recipients of a well written prospectus, mounted on expen- sive stock, which graphically outlined the policy of the new venture and even went as far as to illustrate its architecture with wood cuts. Attached was a veiled invi- tation to invest in the recently incorporated $3,500,000 corporation which has been formed to finance the venture. According to the prospectus it is the plan of those behind the scheme of rehabilitat- ing the Weber and Fields Music Hall for Broadway, to build their own theatre. As planned it is to be a mammoth structure representing the outlay of $1,000,000. In addition to the theatre it is to house a roof garden cabaret patterned after the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, which will be utilized as an open air dining and entertainment place in the summer and will have a glass inclos- ure to protect it from the winds of winter. If the plans go through, and there is every reason to expect that they will, the enterprise will provide New York with its only roof theatre. Prohibition sounded the death knell of the "Ziegfeld .Midnight Frolic" and since that place has now been renovated into a regulation theatre and re- named The Dresden there is little likeli- hood that the Ziegfeld midnight entertain- ment will ever be revived in New York. The fact that such an enterprise would prove successful is graphically illustrated in the phenomenal business of The Board- walk, one of the Salvin-Thompson chain of cabarets which is stagniK the only mid- night frolic now nmning on Broadway and is attracting a patronage that indi^lei many of the former Ziegfeld regulars. The prospectus continues that the pro- moters have obtained a tentative site in a desirable location and are offering their stock via this method to find if such an enterprise is desirable by fashionable New Yorkers. If the scheme never accomplishes anything else it has at least got its idea over to the smart set. Whoever conceived the idea hit upon the unique angle of using the Social Register and The Blue Book as a medium through which to reach the society folk. The names and addresses are said to have been culled from both volumes. While many of the society folk were flabbergasted by the invitation to participate in financing the venture there were others who were quite amenable to it. The imlicy of the Music Hall, which is to be the theatre proper of the enterprise, will be to stage musical revues patterned to a degree after those which rode Weber and Fields into popularity at their old music hall on Lower Broadway. The success of the Music Box and its annual revues has convinced those back of the Weber and Fields venture that there is room for an- other music hall in New York and argue there is no better people qualified to spon- sor it than Weber and Fields. Definite action will be taken as •soon as funds are raised. TED LEWIS REVUE OFF Ted Lewis, the jazzologist, has aban- doned the idea of launching his own revue this Spring and has renewed his contract with Bohemians, Inc., for two more years. Lewis is now on tour with last year's edi- tion of "Greenwich Village Follies" and continues to hold up as a show-stopper. Lewis' original contract with the producers of the "Greenwich Village Follies" was to have expired this coming June. Lewis had announced earlier in the season that he would not renew his contract, primarily be- cause it prohibited his appearance else- where than in the "Follies." In previous seasons Lewis had been in the habit of ty- ing up with a leading hotel or cabaret in practically every city the show played and, with his band, rolled up an additional in- come which was said to exceed his weekly stipend in the revue. This season the Bo- hemians refused to give him permission to engage in any outside jobs unless they were to receive a goodly portion of the profits. Lewis couldn't see it from this angle and immediately set plans in motion to produce his own revue. Lewis claims that he has not entirely abandoned the idea of heading a show of his own, but has merely delayed it until he has fulfilled his new contract with Bohemians, Inc. "LOLA IN LOyE" COMING IN "Lola In Love," under the management of Abe P. Waxman, will make another ■try tonight (Wednesday) at the Hemp- stead Theatre, Hemj)stead, L. I. Just this one performance will be given this week and the play will be then brought to a New York theatre next week. "ROSE BRIAR" CLOSES MARCH 10 The engagement of Billie Burke in "Rose Briar" at the Empire Theatre will termi- nate on March 10. Miss Burke and her company will make a short Spring tour with the Tarkington comedv to Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Chicago. Due to an amicable settlement being reached out of court, Al H. Woods has withdrawn the suit recently instigated against Joseph Lebowich, late of Boatoo, whom he was suing for $3,600, repieseut - Jng in part a sum paid to Lebowich under a contract-whereby he was to render his services to Woods. The matter involves certain property owned by Al H. Woods in Boston on "Tre- mont and Warrenton streets. In 1921, the theatrical producer claimed, he paid Li.'h<>- wich, who at that time resided in Boston, the sum of $1,837.68. under an agreement whereby he was to have cancelled for Woods an assessment on the property amounting to $3,675.36, or have it lowered. Lebowich failed to h^vc the assessment i«- moved. according to Woods' complaint, with the result that he bad to pay the full amoimt of taxes as per assessment Lebo- wich failed to return the money as per agreement, if he failed to have the assess- ment cancelled, which Woods thought ex- cessive. Alfred Beekman, of House, Grossman & Vorhaus, attorney for Al H. Woods, represented the producer in the adjustment out of court as well as in the legal action instituted. JEWISH PLAYS IN MINER'S BOWERY A number of actors and actresses in the Yiddish theatres of New York have obtained a lease on Miner's Bowery Theatre, 16S Bowery and will shortly re- open it under the name of the Royal Union Art Theatre, with a Jewish art company conducted entirely on the co- operative plan. Those who are prominent in operating the new venture are, Mae Simon Malvinia Lobel, William Nordalsky. Isaac Janover and David Baratz. All of these people will appear in the plays given at the theatre. According to Jerman J. Rubinstein, who will handle the business affairs of the tfieatre, the company will present in Yid- dish all of the great plays that have been done by the Moscow Art Theatre in Rus- sia. The first production will be Gorky's, "A l>Iight's Lodging," which will be fol- lowed by several of the Ibsen plays an>i "The Cherry Orchard," by Checkoff. Endeavors will be made by the com- pany to develop among young authors new- talent and in order to do this, a new play by an unannounced author, entitled "eoTr gotten by God," will be presented early in the season. There will be twelve members of the company and all will share equally in the profits of the venture. "SUE DEAR" IN COURT "Sue Dear" was no cheap girl at that, according to a suit filed last week in the Third District Mianicipal Court against Bide Dudley, dramatic editor of the Eve- ning World, who does an occasional show on the side. Earl Van Ackerman and George W. Korb, doing business as the Beaux Arts Scenic Studio, filed the suit against Dud- ley for the sum of $638 plus interest from July 8, 1922. In their complaint theplain- tiffs allege, that scenery worth $1,628 was sold to Dudley, on which he paid $990, leaving a balance which they seek to re- cover. "FOOL" AFTER LENTEN BUSINESS The Selwyns are making a strpng play for Lenten patronage with Channing Pol- lock's play, "The Fool," at the Times Square Theatre. They are exploiting it as "The Lenten Play" in their advertis- ing matter and in the lights on the theatre marquee. They have also sent out several thousands pamphlets playing up the moral lesson of the play, rather than its enter- tainment value, hinting that its moral preachment and theme has already been endorsed by the clergy of all denomina- tions. PARK THEATRE DARK The endeavor of the Minskys to give Hrcadway "Burlesques" stock entertain- ment at the Park 'Music Hall result- ed in the promoters taking a loss in the neighborhood of $50,000 and closing the theatre last Saturday night The Minskys tried for tv.cnty-fivc weeks to accustom liroadway to their type of show but the gross business could not pass the average nf $5,000 which resulted in a large loss TIERNEY IS GENERAL MANAGER Joseph V. Tiemey, maiuger of the Har- ris Theatre, is acting general manager of the Sam. H. Harris enterprises during the absence of Abe Levy, who is in California vacationing for three months. Levy was in very ill health when he left New York, each week. No future policy has been set for the house. The Actors' Equitv Associatioa last- Saturday advanced $2,j00 to bring twenty- one i»rincipals and the choristers of the American Light- Opera Company back to Chicago- The company closed at the Pan- tages - Theatre, Oakland, California, last Saturda>L.iught The players would have been left high and dry had not the Equity. deputy prevented the stranding by wiring the council the day previous and apprising them of the conditions. Upon receipt oi the wire Paul Dalzell, assistant executive secretary, telegraphed the above mentioDed sum to defray outstanding hotel bills and pay transportation expenses. This is the second tune the company has stranded since it started out from Chicagq two years ago^ according to Mr. Dalzell, 'The company had originally been spon- sored by Ralph Lhinbar. About a year ago it stranded in Pheonix, Arizona. It was decided to reorganize on the co- operative plan and the Brandon Brothers, who managed a theatre in Phoeni.x, came in with the new arrangement. "Some time later Brandon Brothers sold one-half interest in the company to Rex Reynolds. Reynolds is said to have taken over all liabilities, signing contracts and thus establishing himself as manager. The company moved on, playing sometimes to fair business and at other times practically nothing. "When the American Light Opera Com- pany arrived in San Diego, Cal., a week ago, its travelling deputy telegraphed to the Los Angeles representative of the A, E. A. to come down and help them out of their difliculties. The latter found mat- ters in bad shape. Salaries had not been paid for many weeks, and members of the company were receiving only enough money for the- bare necessities of life, sums ranging from $10 to $20 a week." "Rex Reynolds then negotiated wtith Alexander Pantages to bring the company to his Oakland Theatre. .They were to have played a fonr weeks engagement, providing their first week was succcssfuL However, the standard English operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, such as 'Pinafore,' •The Mikado,' and 'The Pirates of Pen- zance,' failed to draw, and the opera com- pany was closed after the first week. Rey- nolds seems to have vanished." "When Ralph Dnnbar began organiz- ing the company in Chicago he had made representations that he was a member of the producing Managers' Association. I.ater when the company stranded for the first time the P. M. A. repudiated him. saying that he had never qualified for membership." WAYBURN INCORPORATES Two organizations in which Ned Way- bum is interested were incorporated last week under the laws of the State of New York, each for $1,000. Dittenhoefer & Fishcl arc the attorneys. One of the projects is the Ned Wayburn Office. Inc., to produce and present theatri- cal enterprises of varied character, and maintain a booking oflice of stage attrac- tions. The other project in Ned Waybum Studios of Stage Dancing, Inc. and is for the purpose of conducting a dance studio and give instructions in all kinds of danc- ing. "SLAVEMAKER" OPENS ON MAR. S Mary Ryan will make her debut in The .Slavcmaker," a sensational drama based on the drug evil at Ford's theatre, Balti- more on March 5th. If the play shapes lip properly, Sam H. Harris, its prodncer, intends bringing it into New York in April, so as to have the first play on Broadway, this season, dealing with the drug evil. MRS. CHARLES GERARD Mr*. ^p.J— Garmnl wife ol the poiprirtDr i.'f the Gerard Greater Showt. The above pictue was taJcen in San Domingo City, R. "D^ «ben the fthow ptaya daring t£e winter nMuthi. "UGHT WINES" FOR CHICAGO "Light Wines and Beer," which has gone into rehearsal here under the direction of A. H. Woods, will not open in New York as had been previously planned, but will be shipped out to Chicago, opening there on March 11. This is the Aaron Hoffnon comedy which Kolb - and Dili have been appearing in oo the Pacific Coast tmder the title of "Now and Then."