New York Clipper (May 1923)

CopTriiM, I»23, mad poUUkcd w«ddr l>7 tb« Clipper C wpwsUiiU , l«Sa BnMwari Maw York. Eaurad at Itaa FM OOa* at N«r Taik, Jaaa 34, 1I7>, ■CGond cUaa mail matter wadv act of Uafca 3, 1979 nAMK QUE! > >7 Of, 18S3 NEW YORK. MAY 16. 1923 VOLXmE LXXI NoL 15 Price Flfteea Ccnia. •S.OO a Yaar TWO COMPANIES TO PLAY SAME SHOW IN BROADWA Y THEATRES "Blossom Time," Number One and Two, Called to New York, Where on Monday Night in Theatres Opposite Each Other, They Will Ray—Both Have Had Previous Engagements in New Yoric For the first time in the history of the theatre two companies of one production which ran sixteen months in New York, wiJI return here and play in opposition to each other in theatres located across the street from each other. The com- panies -will be the number one and two of "Blossom Time" and the theatres they will occumr will be the Forty-fourth and Shubert Theatres on Forty-fourth street. The opening will be next Monday night. The decision to bring both companies to New York and have them appear simul- taneously was made by Lee Shubert last Monday. Mr. Shubert arranged to bring the No. 2 company this week playing Brooklyn into New York immediately after closing Saturday and the manager of the No. I Company playing at the Great Northern Theatre, Chicago, was directed to return to New York immediately after the performance of next Saturday night, when the Chicago engagement is ended. This decision was made after Mr. Shubert had received an unusual number of requests for the return of the "Blos- som Time" company after the completion of the road engagement. Then again he calculated that with tlie New York City Jubilee and Pageant which is to take place the end of this month in progress there would probably be close to 2,000,000 visitors in the city -with the result that the presentation of the operetta by the two companies would prove most lucrative. Then again another angle on which busi- ness is calculated to come on is the giving of an opportunity to those who had pre- viously seen cither the number one or two company in the production to see the other company play it and make comparisons. According to present plans the No. 1 Company will be housed at the Shubert Theatre and the other comi>any at the Forty-fourth Street Theatre. The houses will both be scaled at $2.50 top for or- chestra scats, with the possibility that the ' Lc Blang agency will be called upon to handle seats for the upper portion of both houses at the cut-rate counter. An en- deavor will be made to keep the lower floor seats out of the cut-rate agency. The Forty-fourth Street Theatre has a seating capacity of 1,444, while the Shubert has a capacity of 1,395, making the combined capacity 2,839. The first New York performance of "Blossom Time" took place at the Am- bassador Theatre on September 29, 1921. The attraction was acclaimed an in- stantaneous hit from the start with the re- sult business was very big until the show closed for the summer on July 1, 1922. After a vacation for the cast until August 7 the attraction reopened at the Ambassador and ran there until October 2, when it moved to the Jolson Theatre. It ran there until October 21, 1922, when the company closed and went to the Lyric Theatre, Philadelphia, where it remamed until March 10, after which it moved to the Apollo Theatre, Chicago, where it opened on March 12 and ran for six weeks, after which it moved to the Great North- ern Theatre where, it will end its engage- ment on Saturday night. The No. 2 Company continued the run of the other company when it began its career at the Century Theatre on October 23, 1922, and remained there until Janu- ary 27 of this year. After the company closed at the Century it went on. tour, playing the various week stands in the East until March 12, when after the de- parture of the No. 1 Company from the Lyric on March 10 the second company replaced it on March 12 in Philadelphia by _ continuing the run at the Adelphi, which was concluded last Saturday night. There have been two productions of the same name, or two similar productions on Broadway at the same time in the past, but there were never two companies of one production running in New York or any part of the United States sponsored by the same management playing in op- position to each other. The length of the run of the two com- panies has not as yet 'been determineid, but it is expected that they will continue until late in June, with probably - one of them continuing after that period. The Forty-fourth Theatre has been vacant since the failure of the Producing Manager's production of "As You Like It," which was to have established the American National Theatre, several weeks ago. The Theatre Guild's production of "Peer Gynt" is now in the Shubert and will close its run on Saturday night to make way for the opening of "Blossom Time." The Shuberts will launch a big publicity campaign on the proposition and will en- deavor to have the dramatic critics of the daily papers revue both companies and make comparisons. MIXUP OVER OPENING TIME Montreal, Can., May 14.—There is a big mixup in this dty over the opening hours of the various theatres as a result of the difference of opinion regarding the adoption of the new daylight saving rule. As a result of this it is with great diffi- culty that curtain raising time in the the- atres can be judged. •At present the Princess, Imperial and His Majesty's Theatres are operating on the Daylight Saving schedule, while the Allen, Loew's and Capital Theatres are running on Standard time. Railroads throughout the Dominion operate on the Standard schedule. BRADY COMPLAirrr DISMISSED The Grand Jury which has been hearing the evidence in the case of William A. Brady, and three members of the cast of "La Flanune" for alleged violation of the Sunday law, reported that no indictment had been found.. Mr. Brady and the three players—^John Cromwell, Jack Grieves and Mae Hopkins —were held for trial by Magistrate Levine after a complaint had been made by the Rev. Harry L. Bo^vlby, secretary of the Lord's Day Alliance. At the request of the attorneys for Mr. Brady and the Slayers, die case was taken before the rand Jury and the dismissal of the com- plaint resulted. The case promised to be a test of the Sunday law which prevents the giving of legitimate shows. Brady wanted to test the law and find out why concerts and picture shows could be run but not dram- atic or legitimate shows, and so gave the performance. He expected a test case before a Jury but the Grand Jury failed to indict. A. E. A. ELECTION ON JUNE 4 The annual meeting and election of offi- cers of the Actors' Equity Association will take place at the Hotel Astor on Monday, June 4. The regulation ticket is as fol- lows: President, John Emerson; First Vice-President, Ethel Barrymore; Second Vice-President, Grant Mitchell; Record- ing Secretary, Grant Stewart, and Treas- urer, Frank Gilmore. Among the nominees for places on the Council are Edmund Breeze, Frederic Burt, Will Deming, Leo Ditrichstein. Mal- colm Duncan, Elsie Ferguson, Henry Hull, Doris Keane, Otto Kruger, Bert Lytcll, Bruce McRae, Ralph Mor^, Rollo Peters, Echlin Gayer, Joseph Santley and Ernest Truex. MUSICIANS AIRING TROUBLES A delegation representing the Musical Mutual Protective Union, local 310, which was outlawed from &e American Federa- tion of Musicians two years ago, were sent to St. Louis last Saturday for the purpose of interesting delegates from all parts of the country in their endeavor to have their side of the trouble with Federation Presi- dent Joseph N. Wel>er laid before the meeting. These delegates will endeavor to get the Federation, which is in session in St Louis this week, to consider the reinstate- ment into the Federation of the M. M. P. U., and they will also participate in a move to defeat "Weber in his efforts to be re-elected president of the Federation. SMALL BELIEVED ALIVE Ambrose J. Small, millionaire theatre man who disappeared from his home in Toronto on December 1919 and has been missing ever since, may still be alive. Blackstone, the magician, back from a western trip, says that he saw Small in Juarez, Mexico, long after the theatre man had disappeared. Blackstone declares he is sure the man he saw was Small—as he knew him well and at one time was associated with him in a business way. Small was very wealthy and a reward for $50,000 for information which leads to locating him is being offered. "COD OF VENGEANCE" TRIAL ON The trial of the cast and managers of "The God of Vengeance^" charged with producing an obscene play, begaa last Monday before Judge Mclntyre and a jury in the Cout of General Sessions. Many Weinberger, one of the prodocen of the play, who is also an attorney, de- fended the accused, including himselL He reported that Rudolf Schildkrant, the star, was sick in bed and that Virginia McFad- den, another member of the cast, was out of town but would be represented bf counsel. The indictment against the pro* ducers was returned on complaint of R^)Im Joseph SUverman and other prominent Jews. In addition to those already named, the following are oo trial: Esther Stoctoo, Marjorie Stewart, Irwin J. Adler. Mae Berland, Samuel Gaffe, Morros Carnovdcy, Dorotheen Nolan. Aldeah Wise, Lillian Taiz and James Neighan. Frederidc J. Sullivan, counsel for Michael Selwyn, manager of the Apollo Theatre; where the jnece was showing at the time of the indictments, asked that Mr. Selwyn have a separate trial if it was de- termined that "The God of Vengeance" was obscene. To this Judge Mclntyre as- sented, saying he did not wish to preside at Mr. Selwyn's trial, since he was at one time counsel for the Selwyns before going on the bench. "The God of Vengeance" originally opened at the Provincetown Theatre aoA created sufficient interest there to be taken over by Harry Weinberg, who transferred it to the Greenwich ViUage Theatre. Tie sensational play subsequently outgrew the Greenwich Village Theatre and was trans- ferred to the Apollo for a Broadway nm. It was during its appearance here tliat the indictments were lodged against its players and management The piece is now bavins a supplemented season at the Greenwim Village Theatre. ELTINGE THEATER CLOSES With the closing of "Morphia" at the Eltinge Theatre last Saturday night, the house went dark for the balance of tbis season. It will reopen early in Augnst with a new A. H. Wood's show, as yet not selected. To know now flood a cigarette really can be made you must try LUCKf STRIKE MTTSTDASTED'*. Who wjn mako your noxt onom 7 BROOKS""' flMMA who hawa bought ffotn urn i l«a7 ■•WAV. N.Y. 11.000 OOSTOKS FOR RENTAL