Variety (May 1937)

54 Plays THE DARK MARE I>asadena, May 17- Comedy In,.three Acta (seven soenesV hy Soaeph Carole, preeentecl May 17.. "iJ, ni J.Hlmratoi-y tfientrc of Pasadena Commuiiiiy iPIayhouse; directed by Gustnve Schlrnier; "VVaHer AUen, art dltector,. Frntik Bayes .Jimmy Judapn Mary Bayes ,.. .V.Patay ClinllBreii Clara Eagari.v. .Mildred .Touhgr Katie I i... .,,.. i... .Barbara. Parniley- Rlchard Bayes; Stephen" Poiveia Tjoiiello: Bayes. i .Phyllis .C'6oi>er Desmond Basmusseh.... r., .Gustave Tweer Albert Dunhlil;;i .. .Barton Bbolh £dward Moss George ReynoUla Premised on the ancient story of the wife who opposes her politiciah husband, 'Thei Dark Mare,' by Joseph Carole,, bienefltis from a treatrjient tyned to modern family and political trends and emerges as good pro- spective riiaterial for further stage or screien consideration. As presented in the Jjaboratory Theatre. of the Pasadena Gommunity Playhouse by .student players, it is pretty rough and in rnainy instances obviously'in need of further: scripting, but the elements of sound entertainment are at all times visible,. '.Frank Bayes is mayor of a small city and a. very, egotistical and boast- ful husband 'whose family is quite .tired bf his eloquence; Obviously in the hands of political sharpshooters, he faces a $tifl campaign. for re- electioin. When reporters visit the hdme^. his wife, Mary Bayes,. tires of hearing his boasts and remarks that sh£\couId run aigaiinst him and beat hinw The next day It is all over the front pages of the local papers. Political opponents grab at: the op- portunity ancf talk her into, running. After i. spirited campaign she wins, but hei: defeated husband departs for parts tinknown. Assuming office, she sets the politicians in their places and. aims to .isave ^e t6wn from bankruptcy. When ..firemen go on strike^ she puts their iwives on the {*Qbs until they tire of doing the lousehold chores and beg to be al- lowed to return to work. Her son, Richard, turns loose a dangeroils criminal from the city jail and is. gone for days, but returns a hero when he brings back not oiily the liberated scoundrel but a flock of hunted gang killers; Her sister, Clara Eagan, decide)? to take a hand in municipal affairs and moves in as Unpaid secretary but marries the paid secretary and . then they .both BiQve into the mayor's home. A daughter, Louella Bayes, marries a young communist who changes his views and makes good when his mother-in-law puts him to work driving a city truck. In the final scene the husband re- turns home j'ust as political leaders are drafting his wife as. a congres- sional candidate. Unable to resist a chance to boast, he recites his wife's acceptance and then goes into a long personal eulogy as the family yawns . and the curtain, drops. Initial show had benefit of several good performances, particularly those by Patsy Challgren, Barbara Parm- ley, Louella Bayes, Gustave Tweer and Barton Booth. Mur/. THE LONELY MAN Chicago, May 25. Draina fantasy In three acts aiid a pro- log (nine scon es) by Howard Koch. Pre- sented by WPA Federal Theatre Project. Directed by Robert Mllton, under the su- pervision of George KohdoU. Settings,. Olive RlckaVaugh; Ughtlngt, Duncan Whlte- Ide. At Blaclcstone, Chicago, May 10, '37. Cast: E. M. Johnstohis, .Tohn Allmnn, May Adams, Lucille Colbert, George I.ewia, Victor Sutherland, William Courneen, Al- fred Clarke, Charles Lum, Michael ICIngB- toh, Otis Gordlnler, Tom Broivne, Forrest Smith, Art Smith, Harold Rogers, Oliver Kenning, Lester Portewell, Brent Wrcnn, Everett Marshall, I3dgar Tegner, Glen Beverldge, Pat Devlin, Charles Gordlnler, Grant Foreman, Charles Conkllh, Henry Latler, Hubert Stumpf, Willlart Pollavd, Barbara Burruss, Kay Ewing, John HUa- ton, Henri Hartzel, Tom McDermott, Lea- He Spears, Herbert Sladc, Jack Herman, lltMj Pollack; Gertrude Lyall, May Enst- jni»n. Vera Pollitt, Albert Storch, Jack Bean,'Hclene Jordon. June Rose, William Pitts, William Hllllard, Patrick BuUer, Ed. Santoro, ..George Dayton, Larry Brooks, Guy Hlcknihnr Albert Storch, Maurice Gaz- <lRn, Silas Phelps. Clara Tlngr^en, Clara Onefawa, GertrUde Lyall, Besisile Tlbblls, Violet I>eClRlre, Virginia Robinson,. Op.il Walker, Patricia O'Heatn, John Allmnn, Marlon Cashnmni Betty Sexton, Patricia Swisher, Dgrothy . Karl, Helen Hopkins, Ruth Sinythe, R'Aert -Anderaon, Sam lanU tello, Charles. Ernst, Henry. DUworlli, Li»- roy Toms, Sr., Lloyd Co.bbell, and Samuel Clark. tipn on the part of casti settings and careful planning. jjL KondolE and his assoRates have taken ai fqhtasy, and have wrought out 6t i t a play .whitih is completely interesting to the most humble, ini the audience. It has taken the fantasy of the return of . Abraham Lincoln to these Uhited .States, arid has made ol that a. living depiction of the■ Great Emancipator's reactions and' strug- gles to and with the problems of the modern day. Rather leftist, per-haps, in the key-r note'of the play, leaning frankly to-, ward labor as; being held in capitisl- istic slavery; but it is, nevertheless, down-torciarth and aimed completsly for the hearts of the cpmmbhest-per- son in the audience. Robert Milton has directed the show at a funeral pace and the long waits between the many scene changes; work an unfdrr tUnate handicap on the smooth fldw of the play. Many of the show's faults are due to these wpeful waits, and much of the early lethargy of the play is the fault of thfr staging. But through it all blooms the sin- cerity bf the purpose that makes the 'Loiiely Man' ride as the true herald of. the WPA theatre projects. This sincerity of purpose is what, makes the work of John Huston, son of Walter Huston, ■ so, forceful i > the role, of the reincarnate Lincoln, re- turned to earth, as David Hildebrand, instructor .in political economy, at: Lincoih University in Kentucky. Huston -gives an "excellent account of himself.- It is up ,to the WPA theatre group to produce such plays . as 'Lonely Mail'; plays which deal with vital, industrial, prbblenis touching the lives of ail men; plays which the commercial theatre backs away from as from, the plague. And the cour- age and vision of . the Kondblf unit ih presenting this play to, the public must be admired. To discuss frankly the quiestidn of the industrial slavery of coail miners in the midwest, and to depict the re- incarnate Lincoln's attempt to eman- cipate them, even, in the face of cap- italistic opposition takes consider- able (Courage; particularly for a gov- ernmental project. Yet Kbndolf and his company have faced the qiiestion squarely and have cione a bang-up job of it. They have here not only a pldiy which Will arouse consider- able public' comment, but > which must necessarily be admired for a precision of producti Loop. DOUBLE BED Hollywood, May 25. Farce comedy jn. three acts br Samuel .Tessw Warahawsky. Presented at Little theatre of Beverly Hills Mjiy 10, '37. i- rected by I'rederick Cehrmann. Geprgn Wp.slon............. .Pat O'Malley Joe Schell. .Peter Potter Pauline Stliell .Rose Ijdve Blanche Schell,...;, ...Louise Lannlng Dr. Dnvid sholt. .Charles Brewster (^or^ Slioit. ..Kathleen Nelson Julius Shott i .Joel Frledklii Ella Bomi ...Ethel Bell Fivd Bond.... alcoijn Graham Randolph Miu'.slmll .Doug Spencer Emily Caney.Josephine Dlx EGITIMATE G*bo,| which is another of the Ben BaK '4ving cast' plays. ^JthAred by Ralph .Birchard and Bej^alJi Pie<is is a. travesty in five sceK mkt often makes previous plaHkBing Hollywood lukewarm. It 'H^nntertaining ofTering foi- tho^^^Hnf' activities of. the J^feTnlilm plant and those who toil within the gates. AS a popular offering,, however* it is a dud. So technical; are most of the scenes and; dialog that thie gen- eral public would miss their point by seven leagues. But for those. in the trade there are plenty of genu- inely appreciated laughs; . Rather lengthy, play gives Bard actors plenty of opportunity to dis- play- tjhieir. wares and the front is nicely niounted for the agents aiiid the talent scouts. . Story itself does not imprec;s. It is strictly, . characterization and ^ ialog throughout. Everything happ.ehs in a picture studio. As the chest-beating and desk- pounding producer. Jack Carson is acceptable'" Edmund Gloyer and Julian Madison also perform well, Ben Bard directed.' Barr, Wediiesdaj, May ^6, .\9^^ Plays on PLAYS ABROAD IL DESERTO TENTATO ('THE ystei-y llni, viiith reeted by direction^ dlre<;tion| V^^gnett 1. Florence,' DESERT AtTEWlPTED') Florence. May. 11. plnv in. one art by CorV.'ido Pavo-' muali- by Alfredo fasel.la. DI- Dr. Lolhac Wullcr.'^lPln; danc'e. MarghPrllu Wallman; musical AnloplQ GaarhlPi'i; settings, At T^alro Vitrorlti- EninhuPle, rin the M.iy' Miislc.-.Festl.vnl. 'Lonely ManMs the culmination of a successive -upward seriies of .steps oh the,; part .of the local Federal Theatre Project. It marks the high mark for production on the part of the WPA theatre groUp, and. it, along with other efforts of the Chi- cago FTP, ranks as solid theatre. Local WPA group has done many fine things in the theatre sinpe com- ing Under the leadership of George kondblf, but 'Lonely Man' rates as the best of all these things. Play, while not a corhmercial in that sehse of the word, iSj neverthe- less, worthy bf good; solid produc- tion. And the local FTP group de- serve- plenty of credits for its fine presentation of a difficult play. For here is a play which probably would find no producer on Broadway, and if such a producer could be found —to present it so whole-heartedly, and give it the complete co-opera- *Double Bed' is a trite, inconse- quential and thoroughly boring dust- ing off of the timeWorh story of a yoUng couple suffering from inter- ference of in-laws. The play, pre- sented for the first time by a cast largely, composed of student players at the Little Theatre of Beverly Hills, is nothing more than an ordi- nary dud. It will last as long as the personal fans of a large cast care to show up, but it has no potentialities for future presentations. Play, authored by Samuel Jesse Warshawsky, has no surprises and no previously unexplored situations. The lines are devoid of mirth-pro- Vokiiig qualities. Story is built aroUnd a young doc- tor who returns with his bride ifrom a honeymoon in Europe to have his practice ruined, his home broken Up, his. personal fortune stolen and his own reputation blackened by med- dling inrlaws. With this drab Drem- ise for coihedy, the author sends the happy coiiple OUt to Texas to start life anew. Pat O'Malley, Peter Potter and Charles Brewster struggle through the awkward script to give the best performances possible under the cir- cumstances, but their efforts come to, naught. MiLTf. Greatest Find Since Garbo ■Beverly Hills, May 22. . alii'lciil rnmccTy In Hve. .scene.s. Written by liiilpli 1lli-(-.hi\'r(l nnd Ben BHrd, Pre- .sciUpil unci (ilrrclcit by Ucii Bard at the. ..iJiU'd. |ilftyli6us<», This play.hiis been much publi- cized in advance as an attempt to represent the Italian conquest of Ethiopia in the form of an old myis- tery or morality play;.: The mUsic was said to Be the equivalent of a church oratorio in lectures and inr terviews by both Pavolini and Casella on the drama being dead as a form of artistic expression. Their play was to be something: entirely riew and different. Premiere shows, however, that the public here is not ready for an oddity of this sort. Reaction was unfavorable, and the critics were unimpressed.. Poetry without dra- matic conflict and music without dramatic, quality do. hot blend well oh the stage in tWs instance. Everything in wte performance is supposed to be so significant that it is rather a straiti to follow \t. Trees talk, the earth speaks apd fcrplanes aire piersonified and become lloquent alongside the aviators. ThVe are beautiful poetic passages anoLsome delightful musical interludes, pit the whole thing does riot hang to. as a theatrical production. The work of Dr. Lothar Waller stein as director; of Marghe|j.ta WaUman as diredtress of the dan Antonio Ouarnierl, orchestral c<. dUctor, and Vagnetti, set desigrii was commendable. Heln: COLAS BREUGNON Moscow, May 7. Play adapted by N. Itfemrhenko and. V. NoviHOva frujti Hoiiiain Iftnlland's novel 6( the.same name. DlrPi-leE by N. Okhlopkov. At the Reall.sllc theatreBMoscow. Colas................... ..;... V. Noylko* W Belefte....'. .'..;;....¥....... .Beleiikaya Cure Chainui 1 le Ar-zhanov 7 I.POholil (Suatiiv (! •BUrk l-iPlMllnKi .,.'. Kenny Janiisoii,. ; .Uuby Nash ... I*ug T,:\rry T-tuv p. ,,.. lilnda T.iin,-"......,.. C'yntfii;i dir.'.-..... U(M) '-r;rrf>i|......... Lorfv I'iirkor..,.,. ArUiur Conwny T:i(f f^tPVP iVntli.'Pw's. .. . .(•iwl Si-huUz../.... Jr;>rliiir KlInK. .... Si.llv Crj.MM-ri...',;. K. K. (irillln ......-. .Jack Ctiraon ..,. .I'Mmund Glover ,...'. Julltin M.-xdlson ' 1''^rmi(;e.s .RhKll.«h Jnmca McNolIy .;... Jock . Cordon ...... Blria lievel .TiOe Pnrdridpe ....... Hal Mf.nd .Tcinne Kcltor ........Bob tnslcy . .Ilimllpy llobortson ,..,; WliUnm On- .Jack Mullor ,....; .ICva MrVcngli ...;... .Tom i^andv.Tll ..... i. .Arthur. Knox. , Clhrice. Itbma Newest play to give the inside workings of a studio and rib sa*- tiricully is 'The Greatest Find Since Okhlopkov, witl^ his stark, natural- istic direction and modern staging methods, which suit most modern Soviet plays, makes a difficult choice when he sets oUt to capture, by Ihe same, manners, the spirit and philos- ophy of Romain Rolland's charming play of the 17 th century. The re- sult is riot entirely satisfactory. Novikov and Belenkaya deserve miich credit: for excellent work in trying parts, the latter especially be- cause she has to grow from gii'l- hood through 30. years to the borders bf old age in the course of. the play. Novikov does well, in conveying the rebellious capricious soul of a cabi- net-maker .who IS a poet arid a gour- met in the fashion of Rabelais. OkhlOpkov studied the novel close- ly and catches the details, but sacri- ficeis Rolland's complicated .develop- ment of a philosophical point of view in doing, so. It is probably, something that demands the space of a novel and can't really be han- dled on the stage at all. Mill. IGM LlEBE DIGH ('I LOVE YOU') VBerlin. May 10.. roincdy. In.three aeUs l>y ISonmn Niewiar. owioz. .Uerniun .adaptntUip l>y Julius Ilorst. DIt-eclod- by .sialil-NaohliKur. '.^ctitngH, (Jolirrled 7.UI ' Wlnkel. l^-e.senied at Kompdle, Berlin.- ay 3. r ■ Evn rji'ftiv Wi'lspr I'erc.-:....... .................. iioic IMiiiie. This comedy in one set, a PolLsh slant on shrews and how to tarhe them, presents one of the trickiest problems that directors £all heir to, namely, a cast for two. What sleep- less nights may have been spent are not in evidence in the finished pro- .ducti , for Stahi-Nachbaur has not only overcome plenty of. hefty ob- stacles, but also steers the siiow into the stream of commercial appeal. Rudolf Platte, as the mule' lead, had : never before set foot on the rostrum as a straight juv. With 'I Love You' one is aware that he ha.s a good speaking voice, a «oneror,s I (Continuod on page 58) ROOM SERVICE Faroe in three acts (foiir acenpsl by .fohn Murray, Allen Boreti!, piesented anil ataged b^' Ueorge Abbo<t at Corl. N-'-y,-: >'«y ?». '.; ; set, Clrkor and Bobbins; top. . Sasha Smirnoff ,,.. .... Al^x^nUer Aaro Gordon MUler.... .. . . .. •:• ^' V^f.i! Vln^fr* Joseph Cribble...... i V i• • Harry Blnlon....... .... • • .Phl»P i'aker Ehglund..;......,......, • •• • ^^f.^^ Christine Jlarlbwe....... - ^^^'^^S^yfy^"}}^Il ] ,Po Davis......... :■... . V.. .. .. • I'-^dle A Ibert Hilda Munney...........,;. • • • ;?e(}y Fl^ld Greffory Wasnfr.... . '1^'^"?'?. . .Simon Jenkins;............... .Phil p Wood Tlniolhy Hogai th,.,...,; Jack .^BYine T)r Glass....................■••'H«ns Robert l^a'nic Mesfienererv....;.:. .WlllJain Mendrek ^Senator Blak?............. .Bi«lPh Morehouse •Room Service' is a wacky'comedy with a lot of laughs; so much; so that it should goodly time on Broadway. "There's no rhyme' hoir reason it—but Ifs a farce, so what's the di ical of the George Abbott han- dling, 'Room Service' has, moee than anything, pace and action. There are very few dead moments.. if the action sometimes borders on the in- gane^ifs action.. And it's fun. Alien Boretz and John Murray, irt the writing, have taken one of those typical Broadway shoestringer yarns and crossed it With giddy hotel- keeping;: It Works. Especially;, as cast from what begins to look like the George Abbott stock company. Sam Levene is the priaducer who has everything except money. His brdther-in-laW happens to he the manager Of a hotel so Leven nibVes iri, cast and all. And, in order to hold the cast, he lets them eat on the house. Just about the time they're all to be thrown out a money man shows up. They've got to get the "show on in five days or lose everything. They, do. But in ber tween are three acts of screwy ups and downs in the life of a hectic i)usin6ssi Most show biz farces of this sort (there have been dozens tried) suf- fer from being too local; the writers too frequently forget that the lads but frbnt don't ; know the wacky things that go on backstage and therefore can't laugh at them. In this play, this isn't quite true. The inside stuff is there for; the show J wise mob, hut there are plenty of laughs and dOwn-tO'-the-norm situ-' ations. Thus, a lot of the old plays of this type, which flopped, made, flip cracks about Vareety in a casual rrianrier. But in their play its a; real laugh when the producer says to the playwright, 'Don't you ever read Variety?' and the scribe replies 'I jyueht. one once, but -I couldn't un- oerstarid the damn thing.' £evene, as the producer, is part- nered by Philip Loeb, A-I. as a come- and-get^it stage director, and Teddy Hart as a stooge. Looks almost like this part was written in for Teddy, Larry's brother, but it's Worth it; as handled. That makes a triumvirate reminiscent bf' the same stager's 'Three Men oh a Horse'—and that's okay, too. In fact, the play could almost be called 'Three Men oh a Script.' Cast is complemented l>y DOnald MacBride, who does a Sock job as the apopletic hotel nianager and Ed-' die Albert (out of the same pro- ducer's 'Brother Rat') who makes a grand sap author. There are others, all good, with Alexander Asro ex- cellent in a bit, but those are the reai fun-makers-r-and between 'em they keep the giggles coming , loud and. long. In fact, on opening night, es- pecially in the second act, the laughs were coming too fast; some of the lines were lost; practice and timing should take care of that in the fu- ture. One scene in the second act. In which Albert, Loeb and Levene eat a dinner on stage, after having gone hungry a day or two, is just about tops for pantomiriiic comedy in re- cent . years. It is perfectly directed and timed. While, the .acting is good, and the writing good^the fact, nevertheless, remains that the stagirig arid produc- tion, are what count. George Abbott IS the baby to reihembe.r.. Kaii/. MONEY MAD . Comedy in three acts (four «o«peM) bv Pi llz Blockl. Presented by Kdwln A. Ber- kin; staged, by Rowland -G. Kdwards- aeti- tinKa, Staceoraft Studloij; At 40Lh St X. Y,, May 24, '37; $2;75 lop Alllton Chance... . ...: - ■ - Bcrnlce'Chance;... • luanc. Burton 1....... M: Chat^ce........ Loii .Ohiincp.. '(."olp.ijraph Boy Uruco Humbersloii. Glailys.,,...;.. Wi^'K^ina. ; .; .Tiilir-ttP... ......... Baxtpr.....;. .'V. ^. ifcCaulPy.........,, CyruM .1'.. Wallij..,, David- illon ........BerntPe (^a ryl .;. .I.ane Allan , r r.. oris - Undenvood -........LudwiR Sat?: .... ...t. .Tohn Foster •........ ..Tohn -cinrlte ... .Gladys Shelley ..^William Valentine . . ..^..lullPUe Howell . ..i i ., Waller li^pnner ..,....... Scot t oore .Leslie King . IRewntten by Fritz Blocki, recast and otherwise retailored for another on Broadway, the Block!-. Wilhc Howard comedy. 'Bet Your Lite, Comes up under the question- ably enticing title of 'Money Mad' and tries to point a moral as a means of varying poor burlesque. Play offers some promi.se in its first act, uv spite of Ludwig Satz's slap- stick, but.^ with the arrival of the .second act, this promise is getting distant, and with the third it is gone entirely. . " Satz, star bf the Yi ish stiige does the family head of Simple means who cashes a sweepstakes ticket for $150,000 and carries his family through a spending spree fbir a Jew months, then returning to poverty only to have an oil Well investment come, through for a finish. Sajx varies his acting ?6 much it is diffi- cult to figure ou.t what kind; ' character he really ' playi never is very deflri|te, ., with the exception of three per- sons, John Clarke; WiUiamVa lent iiie and Scott Moore, the rest of the cast is also new. A ne'w director, figures as well, Rowland G; Edwards. The ison daughter of Lou Chance, who wins the sweeps ticket, 'are I)a- vid Milton ..and Bernice Caryl, re- spectively. . They prove satisfactory but add- nothing brilliant to the .scenes here and .theire where Satz is an interesting, appealing chiaracter. On the Occasions Where Sati: arid the rest are moving, oyer from comedy to teai'-jerker draina, no one proves interesting. The mother, who goes. dafiy over bridge and parties, is done well by Doris Underwood, The pert maid, is Gladys Shelley. The Wirihing of a sweeps by a faimT ily such as headed by Satz could be much more effective comedy than it. is i 'Money Mad,' iand no moral, is required to make it entertainment. Blocki attempts to show, how un- fortunate a lot of money,, suddenly achieved, can be. for the kind of faih- iiy he has written his piece aroiirid.: Dunipirig the whole structure of 'Money .Mad' and doing it all- over again> as broad farce, leaving o.ut all thought of tearrjerking or tragedy, might bring desired tesults. : The play, as standing, has aU the odds against it even with a low nut ■arid a $2.75 top. Chor'. SEA LEGS Musical coniedy in two parts presented by Albert Bannister and J. Edmund Byine; book and lyrics by Arthur Swanstrom; music by .Michael H. Cleary; staged by Bertram -Harrison; dances, -Johnny. Maltl- aoh; Dorothy Stone, Charlos . Collins and Rosco Ates starred.. At Mansfield, N. Y.', May 18, '37; *3.30 top. Captain J^ordstrom. Charles King ' Mrs. Alice Wytcherly........ .Mary-SarRent Georjfe W. Tuttlfe.. ...... Walter N. Grea/a Val Tuttle, Jr.....Derek FAirman Mildred..... i ..Bosie■ Morim James McC'racken; Rosco A tes. Bill HallUlay. Charles ColUna Isobel We.'rt..........;...Kathryn Mayneld Barbara Deeds............... Dorothy Simio Deeiice.'..... ".. .Dp Pat... .• ; . Patricia Khi And Ben Yost's Catallna Elg:ht An economical musical comedy is the affair called 'Sea liegs.* That it was produced in. one set does not necessarily put it out of the running, but the story about a black cat all tut wait^rlogs the yacht Pi the Of which are mirthless goings is fair, but the cast oh warblers, While dancing is more to the: fore. The matron who. owns the. boat has a bad-tempered tomcat named. Henry VIII, and the cruising party becomes involved in a plot to toss the feline into the drink. A cat doctor is summoned, but turns out to be a young man infatuated with the hostess' niece, then changes his mind and goes for her daughter. He also is supposed to have a wooden leg and gimps about except when hoofing. 'Sea Legs* is the second musical show within a week, the first ('Orchids Prieferred') having been promptly shuttered.. It is the initial musical try by the presenters, although one was identified with several low-cost comedies. 'Legs,' however, has several names' which are calculated to be box-office. Dorothy Stone arid Charles Collins are back on Broadway for the first time since they stepped into 'As Thousands Gheer,' and it is their dancing that easily tops the, per- formance. RbscO Ates, who is also starred, has the cOmedy assignmeht, which misses fire. He plays a loose- lipped,, sloppy steward with too rriariy lines, mostly concerning that cat. ■ There w:ere favorable reports after a Weak, opening in .Boston, but prob.^ ably from those wearing rose-colored glasses. Charles King, as the cap- tain; tries, but cannot recapture the spirit that was displayed in ahother nautical musical of other seasons, 'Hit the Deck.' Rosie Moran, of the ..music halls, coritributes some of the worthwhile dancing, and two cho- rines are aliso specialists in that line. Kathr^n Mayfield, as the prima ;.d6nna,. does not impress early in the show, but is better later on. ■ Duets mo.stly go to Miss Stone and Collins, with Ben YOst's male singing eight coming in on most of the choruses. They do best with 'Ten O'clock Town'-and 'Touched in the Head and Smitten in .the. Heart, about the show's standout tunes along with 'Infatuation.'' sung by Miss Mayfield arid Collins. Kinff gets something with 'The Opposite Sex,' also a rather catchy melody. 'Sea Legs,' bogged down with it.< book, is a doubtful summer entry., Ibce.