Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 3, 1954 LEGITIMATE 55 !• 9 < 9 « 9 By JESSE GROSS * Assn, of-Theatrical: Fress Agents & Managers,has just become in- volved in a snarl over James Awe, for the second time in recent months. Latest tussle is an out- growth of the former, stemming, from Awe’s employment last sum- mer as manager of the Westport (Conn.) Country Playhouse. Barn v placed on ATPAM’s unfair list because Awe was not a member of the union. Awe applied last. August for .lo- cal area membership in ATPAM mi forwarded a check for the necessary dues, ; Application was reportedly nixed and he was in- formed that his check would be re- turned. When he failed to receive ll lie stopped payment. Recently, producers Richard Aid- rich and Richard Myers submitted We for membership in the union under the “new blood' clause” with the intent of hiring him as com-, pany manager on their production of “Sailor’s Delight,” currently in rehearsal on the. Coast. Bid was nixed by ATPAM on the ground Awe was “already a mem-' bei\” A union official informed Aid- rich that Awe had been accept- ed as a regional member. As such, lie. Would have to wait three years and have 60 Weeks’ employment Under ATPAM jurisdiction before being eligible for transfer to Othei* locals, and be able to take job on Broadway. Aldrich & Myers requested;, a union membership committee meet- ing to vote on Awe’s admission un- der the. “new blood clause/’ but no such session was, held;, Harry Shapiro, an ATPAM member who. was standing by, was finally signed for the job when the deadline was reached for the “Sailor” .company to leave for the Coast. Prior to taking the Westport as- signment last summer, Awe had been general manager uf Aldrich’s Falmouth. Playhouse, Coonamessett, Mass. It’s possible that another at- tempt may be made by Aldrich & Myers to get. Awe into ATPAM to perform as company manager on their scheduled production of “Wooden Dish.” Meanwhile, he has withdrawn his application .for ad- mission and refused to accept re- gional membership or pay union dues. According to an ATPAM official, Awe s initial bid for regional mem- bership was neither accepted nor rejected at the time it was made., and the check was not deposited nor accepted. Decision to accept Awe as regional member was made almost simultaneously with the pitch to get him in under the “new blood” clause; Tandy-Cronyn Caught In Cal. Booking Mess; It Came Out All Right’ Hollywood, Nov, 2. The hazards of concert booking caught, up with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyrt a fortnight ago. That’s why their platform pres- entation, “Face to Face,” is cur- rently at the Geary, San Francisco, on a two-week Theatre Guild date filter a single stanza at the new Huntington Hartford Theatre here, ... Husband-wife team agreed to do the tom*a year ago; with the right of cancellation at any time up to last AUg. 1, National Concert Art- ists Corp. began setting up dates', creating an eastern, seaboard tour, plUs three Weeks in California, for which a local agency, Southern California Civic Concerts' Assn., guaranteed $22,500. Just before the tour was to begin, NCAC notified the Cropyns that the,,California guarantee had not been forthcom- ing and the dates Were off. That i left the Cronyns with a three-week period for Which they had to shift to. a. production status, with the attendant expense, and book dates here and in San Fran- cisco on the usual percentage terms. Complicating the switch was the fact that there wasn't sufficient time to arrange for the necessary press campaign. “It came out all right/* Cronyn, commented before leaving over the weekend for San Francisco. “But people Who are considering this type of tour should be Warned that Mich, cancellations can occur, It’s one of the hazards of the operation.” Montreal, Nov. 2. Tlie possibility of Gratien (Fri- dolin) Gelihas, French-Canadian Writer^producerractor, taking, part in . next year’s Stratford Festival Was suggested last week by Tom Patterson, the festival’s originator, during a talk to a luncheon club here in Montreal. The prospect of such, a move was discussed by Walter O’HeaTn, drama critic for The Montreal Star, as his lead article in paper’s Satur- day theatre section. O’Hearn point- ed out that many who travel to the Festival might appreciate the addition of French theatre to the established Shakespeare presenta- tions. Also mentioned was the fact that there, are other stage facilities in Stratforii for visitor attention. Patterson didn’t, enlarge on the suggestion of Geiinas appearing, whether • he would take part in the regular Shakespeare offerings (he speaks both languages easily) or produce a. separate show. Geiinas, whose play, “Ti-Coq/’ ran for months in Quebec i both English and .French and then flopped on Broadway several years ago, didn’t comment on Patterson’s remarks. Summer stock becoming a year-round business. In what is probably an unprecedented move, Sherwood Keith, \vh6 operates two non-Equity silos in Maine, has appointed a five-member staff to work throughput the winter in advance planning for next year. Theatres by Keith are the. Boothbay Playhouse and the Deer- trees Theatre, the latter at Harri- son!, Keith was ready to call it quits two summers ago after registering poor biz with a regular strawhat policy at Boothbay. He experi- mented, however, by booking New England community theatre groups into his barn. The dates paid off. As a result, he acquired the Deertrees and last summer contin- ued the policy at both spots. An extensive scouting plan will be | carried out this winter for the selection of 20 community theatre orgs to play ohe-week. engagements at either the Boothbay or Deer- trees next summer. Winter Staff includes Keith and his wife,- Louise Winter, who will continue as coordinator for Booth- bay Playhouse, Inc., headed by Keith. Others are pressagent Clifford N. Lenox and. Ruth C. I Schmitt and Marie L. Phillips, resident managers of the two the- atres. DEFONT DUE IN N.Y. FOR REVUE TALENT HUNT London, Nov. 2. Bernard Delfont sails Nov. 11 for; New York on the Queen Mary to look for new. acts for his two cur- : rent West End revues. He /also intends to gander the Broadway ..shows; both legif and musical- , Delfont, who last visited Amer- ica in 1950, will fake along his wife, former English musical come- dy star Carole Lynne. Delfont will also hunt for nov- elty acts and special material for the revue, starring Norman Wis- dom, which he and Val Parnell are mapping for the Palladium. This is inked for late, March or early April, after the vaude season, to run till fall. Equity Show (Nov, 1-13) Anne of the Thousand Days— Rivoli, New Brunswick, N. J. (10). Heiress—Lenox Hill Playhouse, N..Y. (3-7). Critical Intuition There’s a Broadway legend that critics’ wives have a su- persensory gift of picking hits ©r flops in advance. Accord-, ing to this truism, aisle-sitters’ mates always attend hit open- $ ings, but. invariably anticipate, punkolas and take a powder. Firstnlghters familiar with the longstanding theory were shaking their heads in recog- nition at the recent premiere of “A Stone for Danny Fish- er,” at the Downtown Nation- al, N. Y. Every first-string critic went solo to the show. The League of N. Y..- ; Theatres has finally tossed in the sponge on its hope that J, J. Shubert might, return to the theatre owner-pro- ducer organization. It elected Ernest H. Martin to the board of governors, filling a spot that had been held vacant in case Shubert might reconsider his walkout of last winter. Martin, partner of Cy Feuer in the production of . the current “Can-Can,” “Boy Friend” and the upcoming “Silk. Stockings,” is ex- pected to be a militant board mem- ber; As a member of the commit- tee that has. been negotiating with the Dramatists Guild, he has led the fight against the clause giving author’s agents a commission on the producer’s share of the pro- ceeds of film, sales of legit shows. ShUbert's exit from the League followed the board's refusal of his demand for the ouster of Milton R. Weir as attorney for the organi- zation. Weir was attorney for the late Lee Shubert, brother and part- ner of J. J. in. the Shubert theatri- cal empire. The two brothers car- ried on a bitter feud for some years before Lee’s death last De- cember. Withdrawal of Shubert, who op- erates 18 Broadway legit houses, reduced the League’s, income, so the dues were recently increased from $20 to $25 per week for each theatre or show. For Music Tent in ’55; Detroit, Nov. 2. With an investment of $150,000, a . group, of 10 Detroiters is plan- ning a series of musical medies to be presented in a circus, tent, beginning next June 12, Already definitely set are “Brig-, adoon,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Song of Norway,”. “Merry Widow,” "Fin- ian’s Rainbow,” and “Desert Song.” Group is promised first call locally on “Guys and Dolls” and “Won- derful Town.” Noil-star policy is planned. Gus Sehirmer, of N. Y., will fid the booking. Nut for each show will be about $12,000. President of the group organized as Melody CircUs, Inc., is Richard A. Connell, Jr., auto dealer and ra.ee track president. He said the arena-style tent would be pitched in a northwest suburb at a site still to be selected. Tent will seat approximately 3,000. Tentative prices will range from $1.50 to $3,50 top. Matinees will be Satur- days, with no performances Mon- days.....;'' Connell announced Ridge Bond, who was associated with the Cleve- land Music Carnival last year,; has been signed as production man-, ager. Director will be. Bobby Jarvis, long associated, with t]ie Detroit Civic Light Opera Assn, and pro- duction manager for St, John Ter- rell, w)id pioneered the Music Cir- cus at Lambertville, N. J., seven years ago; Scenic designer will be Greg Kayne, No Shoes? Rose Tobias, production aide. to Robert Breen and Blevins Davis on “Rorgy and Bess,” is currently in Europe with the show. It’s her first trip abroad. During musical’s recent en- gagement in Venice, the city left her unimpressed. She explained, “It’s, just a fancy Fire Island.” m Denver Post Posts 10G For top Gold Rush Play Denver, Nov. 2. Prize of $10,000 for the best original, romantic play about the discovery of gold Colorado in 1858 has been offered by the Den- ver: Post; Scripts will be produced at the Central City Festival. in 1958. Entries must be submitted by July 1, 1957, and the winner will be announced the following Nov. 1, Frank H. Ricketson Jr., presi- dent of the Central City Opera House Assn., leaves today (Tues.) for New York ;tp name a judging committee. If the winning entry, which may be Cither a straight play or a musical, is produced on Broadway following the Central City engagement, the royalties will be split even between the author and the Opera House Assn. London production of “Pal Joey,” which closed last Saturday (30), paralleled musical’s original Broad- way run. in 1941. Despite lengthy stands., both failed to pay off. Loss on Jack Hylton’s West End edition, which had a 31-week run at the Princes Theatre, was around $70,000 on an approximate $90,000 investment. George Abbott’s Broad- way original had a 47-week run without, recouping its cost, but ulti- mately got into the black on ; ills film Sale. Successful revival of the Richard . Rodgers-Lorenz Hart tuner in 1952 by Julie Styne and Leonard Key led to the London -presentation. In its second time on Broadway the musical ran 68 weeks, making an approximate $185,000 profit. Hylton’s London edition heeded about $8,400 weekly gross to break even, but despite favbrable notices, receipts generally fell below that. Musical opened at the. Princes last March 31, with Harold Lang and Carol Bruce costarred. Former, who was repeating his Broadway role in the revival, exited the cast early in the run. Failure of “Joey” in London may have been for much the same rea- son that it Was originally a flop on Broadway. That is* the musical may have, been “ahead of its time,” just as it was generally figured to have been in New York in 1941; The British, public refused to ac- cept the musical’s comparatively sordid characters.and cynical prem- ise, despite the generally-praised songs and click dancing. Whether Londers ever {< c£(.tch up” with the show, as Broadway audiences did in the 11-year interval between the original production and the revival, may never be known un- less the musical is revived some day in the West End.' Not 1st Musical/Pan’? .St, Louis. Editor, Variety; Regarding your review of “Peter Fan,” with Mary Marti now at the Winter Garden, your reviewer Kobe says that “Peter Pan’’ seems a perfect vehicle for musicalization and asks “how could it have been so long overlooked?” This is probably , the one mil-f lionth (sic!)- letter .you .will receive calling your, attention to the .fact that “Peter Pah” opened in New York April 4, 1950, with Jean. Ar- thur in. the title role and Boris Karloff as Captain Hook . ■« and with a score and lyrics by Leon- ard Bernstein, This production achieved a notable New York run and also toured with Joan Mc- Cracken as Peter. The songs and score .were re- corded by Columbia Records! Don, Dunn, [The 1950 revival of “Peter Pan” was a play with incidental music, while the current “musicalization;” i which the songs and dance num^ bers are integrated With the story.—Ed.] Outright revolt .is brewing in. Chorus Equity against the proposed merger with its parent , Ac- tors Equity; Although the general idea, of merger is apparently ac- cepted, sizable faction of the chorus branch, including ma- jority of its representatives on the Equity council and its executive committee, object to the term? of the proposition. Chofusers opposing; the merger program claim not, only that the drafted terms unacceptable, but that the Equity council is at- tempting to stifle, argument / ^ del* to steamroller acceptance of the measure. They dispute last Wee k ’ s Equity : announcement which stated that the matter had been approved by the. council and Chorus executive committee after “discussion” and “debate,” It’s claimed that the statement itself was issued without the approval or even, knowledge of Chorus councilors, executive committee or executive-secretary Ben Irving. It’s said to be the first time the union’s history that such step has been taken. Four Main Objections It’s asserted that . Chorus repre- sentatives Were not given suffi- cient chance to.present and. argue their, views, during council consid- eration of the merger Flan.. It’s also claimed that the/ council turned down a request to have the matter explained and fully dis-. cussed at a Chorus membership meeting. Specifically, the Chorus dissi- dents have four main objections to the terms of the proposed merger. They oppose the. suggested re- quirement of two years’ member- (Continued on page 60) Old Vic Dream’ Mopping Up on U.S. Engagement Despite N.Y. Crix Pans Despite its disappointing critical reception in New York, the U, S. tour of the Old Vic production of "Midsummer Night’s. Dream” is coining a hefty profit for presenter Sol Hurok. Against a $55,000 week- ly breakeven, including operating expense and amortization of. the round-trip transportation cost, the show has . grossed almost $500,000 for 43 performances to. date Broadway and the road. The musical drew about $325,400 in a 29-performance run at the Metropolitan Opera House, N. Y. Take for a four-performance stand at the Academy of Music, Phila- delphia; was $45,200. Gross for two performances at the College Auditorium, Bloomington, was ap- proximately $25,000, while three performances at the Northrop Me- morial, Minneapolis, got about $46,000. The Robert Helpmann - Moil* Shearer - Stanley Holloway starrer took in over $55,000 in its first five performances at the War Memorial Auditorium, Frisco. Show remains there through Sunday (7). and then continues its trek until the windup Dec. 18 at the Forum, Montreal. San Francisco, Nov. 2. Luther Nichols, drama critic of the San - Francisco Chronicle sirtce the mid ’40s, has been let go in another belt-tightening move at the paper. Bill Hogan, drama editor, will carry the department' alone with the part-time;. assistance . of Bob Hagen, second-string music critic. Plan New H’wood Legiter Hollywood, Nov, 2. Ground for, a $5,000,000. legit theatre and office building at Wil- shire and Fairfax has been pur- chased by realtor Sam Gen is from the Hollywood Pantages Corp., an RKO subsidiary. Architects Periera & Luckman are • drawing plans for a building reach- ing the height lii it and a theatre, laige enough to accommodate mu- sicals/