Variety (September 1918)

LEGITIM ATE, lor Barnum, creator ot ‘‘The Orea^st on Earth.*’ There Is hardly eDough plot in It tor a 20-mlnute vaudeville sketch. As entertainment It Is a rare treM to old- time show folks and those In thp allied the- atrical trades. Average theatregoers of , the preseqt generation know little of P. T. Barnum and hts clever schemes (qr humbugging the public. He still lives in theatrical history and only In that way. The “Barnum” trade- mark attached to circus entertainment hasn’t the magic financial potency it enjoyed a gen- eration ago. For that reason, employing the late circus impresario as the central character ot a series of incidents In his life for stage purposes Is not 'strong enough to attract paying patnopafiO —at least not in New York. Thomas A. Wise is oast for the titular role and a better type could'^not possibly have been selected. Those of us who pcrsmmlly knew the great showman will appreciate the fidelity of the'Interpretation. The only criti- cism gn that score is that the original spoke slower and with more of a drawl. According-to the play ini which he is belns presented, James A. Bailey operated a shell- game wl^ the tent show when Barnum made his acquaintance!''which latgr developed inip a'life partnership. In the various' incidents Barnunn is given 'Credit fpr having created "pink lemonade,” "the wild man of Borneo,” “Oeneral Tom Thumb” and a' number of bis other famqus attractions merely by accident, the result ot sudden inspirations. According to the ijlay when Jenny Lind arrived in ^erlca to ap- pear under hie management, Barnum was in- volved in a land deal In Bridgeport and was “stone broke.*' He gave "the Swedish night- ingale” a worthless check for her guarantee, whereupon she handed* it back and arranged lo play the tour on a partnership agreemqhh There is shown his practical adoption of p young New Orleans girl who ran away from her drunken father to Join his circus, which culminated In her marriage to bis secretary whom he looked upon as a son. No mention is made of the circus man’s wife. Types galore are shown, such as an old clown, boss canvasman, midgets, the skeleton man, the fat woman, female circus' rider, snake charmer, etc, They are ail adequately portrayed, but the plot Is so flimsy it falls to hold interest; “Mr. Barnum” po fqr as New Yprk Is con- cerned, is destined for absolute failure, with the probability of a similar fate If sent on\ tour. iTolo. CROPS AND CROPPERS. Annie Irene Daley Janie tyimpole Eleanor Fox Margot Marhrook Louise Cook Peter Weetgn Ben Johnson Allison Marhrook Eileen Huban Ray Parcher .' Thomas Mltcb'ell Stetson J. M. Troughton Jean Georges Flateau Mrs. Bradley MadoHnp Valentihe Dr. Truesdale Vernon Kelso Stephen Marhrook Henry Stanford Mrs. Spenper. Helen 'Wescley Mrs. Pray Maud Siaclalir Pete Cobh. ....Charles Kennedy If you are earnestly desirous of doing war work and have a definite idea ot what you want to do, before starting, acquird some practical knowledge of your undertaking, otherwise your efforts will be unavailing and will end disastrously. This is the lesspn con- veyed from the amusing little comedy by. Theresa Helburn, presented by the Iden Faynu company, pt the Belmont, Sept. 12. “Crops and Croppers” la really an Idyllio ' farce on society farmerettes, who are strong on purpose but short on practice. This Ip what the ultra-fashionable heroine of the play was up against when she look up farming to help win the war and found, as the old Con- necticut homesteader put IL “farming was standing on the brink of o’ bell and throw- ing checks into the hole.” The plot is light. One Is always under the Impression the girls are out for a lark and are treating the whole thing as a novel ex- periment in which there Is “lots of fun,” rather than seriously and this Impresion re- mains until the last act, when they really get down to business. Having renounced society, Allison Marhrook (Eileen Huban) buys a farm, tor about three times what it Is really worth. Having the property, she, promptly proceeds to misman- age It. Financial ruin descends upon her and she rents the house and goes to live In one of the cottages. Her love story parallels her war work. In the first act, which, In- cidentally, is slow, she is writing letters to seven young soldiers, one for each day of the week, at the same time being formally en- gaged to one of them. By the last act ehe is sincerely in love with a French officer, who has been sent over here to recuperate from wounds and' is working as a farm band on the place. Eileen Huban played the heroine with a natural grace, while Georges Flateua re- vealed a gift ot robust comedy which was re- freshing. Ben Johnson was quietly effective as a mater-of-fact uncle and "near guardian.” Louis Cook, sister to the tarmerette-ln- chlef, was exceedingly clever as a breezy and , likeable young thing, but totaly ■ irresponsi- ble, Her witty remarks were accountable for many laughs. The rest of the company per- formed creditably. The three scenes were simple, but effective, and Miss Helburn’s play is smart enough in dialog to survive for at least a time. SOME NIGHT. John Hardy .....Forrest 'Winant Robert .Chas. Welsh-Homer Mrs. Hardy .Ca/nilla Grume Marjorie Grace Edmond Daisy Anna Fredericks Bobby Harry Lambert Joe .Louis Simoa Dorothy Wayne .Roma June Madden...........'..* Thos. H, Walsh Joe Scanlon ;......James C. Marlowe Henry Spiflens Chao. W. Meyers f Chas. Ball Gonstableq { J, W. Willingham ' [...Charles Fulton NslshkoVs-^EIalne Landau, Llndley Lenton, Jea'npe Dare, Virginia Roche, Dolly Alwln, Helen Halpren, Edna ' Richmond, Laura . Lyle, Billy 'Vernon,' Catherine Hurst, Blaqche Terrell. > The main thing lacking to t^h complete success of ‘'Some Night” is a more experienced producer. Of Harry Delf, who wrote the. story, words and music, one might say: "The kid is clever.” Taken in bapd by a good pray-dbetop a great deal more could have been gotten out of the production. It starts/off with snap and giqger and finishes cleverly, but nee^s k lot of girding of loins in between, revlsipn ot the plot, recasting of several of the principals and'so on.' The show la the Initial production made by Joseph Klaw. A jrouog girl coines to a man’s home in the belief he ia a private detective, aud bands him $51,000 in bonds to bide for her, as she. la followed by the police. She is, a few momenta later, and the sleutha' demand the wealth. Botjt refualng, the man and the girl are locked Iq the room until they “come through.” This scene is laid in the man’s houge where reside his mother, sister, etc., aud although they are only kept prisoner for one hour in the afternoon the Incandescents are switched off and they light a candle and are supposed to fall asleep on chairs under stress of such a situation, where the girl be- lieves sbe Is In- the den of white slavers. As the young man Is an artiht—a painter—why not have made the scene hls studio where his family visited him and. have the detective lock the pair up oyer qlght? How very much iuore romantic and giving scope lor comedy and just a little spice. The first act finishes with an anti-climax;^ also the fault . gf lusdsfi’^hte difuotloa and quite obvious to most people. The second act resumes where the first left off, with the couple lockbd la the room. Through one ot the doors locked by the de- tective comes a half-witted, dbaf and dumb gardener of the place. How he opened the locked door Is not revealed.' This gardetteTi by the way, admirably played by Louis Simon, should be rewritten to give him lines to speak and make of bim only a shrewd chap who pretends to be deaf and dumb in the presence ot the detectives. Ijt’s gevgr quite funny to watch the antics of a human h^ius bereft ot any of his senses. Simon got a lot out of the part through most elfeoUve pantomiming. The outstaudlhg hit Is the chorus—a bunch of 11 han4Bome' girls who sing, dance and play musical instruments with a spirit and dash that earned for them innumerable encores. Forrest Winant as the leading man, sang well, but was a trifle stiff and “unyielding.” Roma June, the leading woman, was the weak- est member of the organization. Sbe con- stantly permitted her scenes to drop and was wholly unsympathetic and out ot the picture. Anna Fredericks and Harry Lambert, Juvenile and ingenue, pleased very much with their singing and dancing. specialties. The lyrics are clever, the music pleasing but unoriginal and the plot, suitably revised, more than adequate for a musical comedy. It kept on the road a tew weeks longer until "fixed up” it would have been a certain suc- cess. In its present form the result is doubt- ful. Jolo. ANOTHER MAN’S SHOES. Dick Lionel A twill Miss Fodmore.; Ethel Wilson Mrs. Wolfe Lucia Moore Anne Carol Lloyd Hughes, •• Paul Porter Dora (Mrs. Graven) ;...Elsie .Mackay ■ Dr. Worrall George Backus Slade (alias Grouse) Richard Taber Mr. Wolfe Aubrey Beattie Dawson Erville Alderson Mllgs Cyril Raymond Mrs. Milson ...Gllda Leary Frederick McKay has been reaching for something in the legitimate production field for some tiiqe, and at last he has been re- warded with a play that should make a fair hid for favor, although “Another Man’s Shoes” Isn’t a piece tbat will break any rec- ords at the 39th Street theatre. The play showed out of town for one night last spring, came back to New York, thep went to Wash- ington for a week. “Another Man’s Shoes” is a comedy drama of the mystery type, succeeding without sensa- tionalism in keeping an audience puzzled un- til the last minute. It is founded on a story entitled "(Iraven,’’ written by Laura Hlnkley, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post In the issue of March 10, 1012. At that period the peculiar affection known as aphasia was popularly supposed to be uncommon, that be- cause the dailies dug up many a talc on such cases. But Miss Hinkley went them one bet- ter by writing a story keyed on what is known as double aphasia, which, as the physician in the play explains. Is “dlsassoclatioii ot per- sonality” or an “alternating complete am-- nesin.” Mabel Perris collaborated with Miss Hlnkley in fashioning “Craven” into a play. It opens with Dick Craven in bed, where bo bad been for six weeks recovering from a railroad accident. He regains consoiousness soon after the curtain arises and makes it known he is in a strange place. Hts 'Wife is either a dream'or some pretty creature about whom he has no definite knowledge. He In- sists that ho is Dick Trent and his home town, Glenco, Nebraska, where be worked on the “Herald.” He tells the doctor this, but when the medico asks him questions about hts early life, Dick fails to remember details and es- pecially figures. He cannot recall be is part- ner in a business In New York In any way. Dick Is sure that they picked up the. wrong man In the wreck and attempts to leave his bed. Dick has explained that the last he remem- bered was taking one Enid White, to a dance in OlencQ aii'd tbat he was sort of keen on Enid. In the second act he Is strange to hls wife, Dora, with whom he is deeply in love. Rather than hurt her by continuing to im- personate Craven, be would rather depart.,,But the doctor, who cannot understand the case, tells Dick that Dora is to become a mother and that be should take qg chances by leav-r ing aitd thus shockiag her, Dick’has a pe- culiar 'sort of sneeze, which Is recognized by an electrician wbo comes to fix the hells. The man demandg hush mongy, saiing that Dick Is Trent,' Craven told the doctor that In Glencg ha had won the enmity of the town toughs through exposures In the “Herald.” He had asked the physician to write to Olencg to certaip people, but the letters came back and It' also de- velops that Trent is unknown there. Thus In the final act, .when the bebg has come, hot alone does the audience know whether Dick Is Craven'or Trent, but he doesn’t know himself. But it comes but, when Enid appears, through a letter that bad followed her. Sbe relates to Dick, the doctor and lb? others that after the dance, Dick Trent' had been struck bn the head by a stone by the toughs 'hear the rail- road. The men bad piled bim into a freight train. He later recovered in a Chicago hos- pital and had apparency gone east,* having taken the name of Craven. The recent rail- road accident had deprived him of part of hls memory. When he asks why bo was not known in QIcneo and why he was net Trent, she further explains that the roughs had struck blin twelve years ago. Dick swoons, but as be recovers calls for Dbra. lyhich makes everything alright and apparently leaves him as Craven after all. Lionel At^lll Bs Craven gives a very care- ful and effective charaoterlzatlon. This is Mr. Atwlll’s third year th this country, bo drawing attention to his playing In “The Lodger.^’ Elsie Mackay, pretty'and quietly clever, furnishes a likeable Dora. Miss Mac- '-kay Is an Australian girl. She appeared as a lead In the Beerbbbm-Tree season at the Am- sterdam a season or so ago and last year was the feminine lead In the 'western compcny of “The Gypsy Trail.” George Backus made a clever doctor, Lucia Moore truly played an Irritating mlddle-dged lady, while the other roles were well taken care of. The play Is tastefully produced and its stag- ing shows the skilful hand of William H. Gilmore. Ibee. THIRD A^^E STOCK. “■Why Not Me—A Woman” is theplay of the Third Avenue Stock Coraijany under the direction of Martin J. Dixon at the Third Avenue Theatre this iveek, at 10-20-30. For the scale much -can not be looked for and much is not re- ceived; including the play itself, written by the business manager of the house, Stephen Champlin. Mr. Dixon had the Third Avenue some years ago and has it again. The house has tried everything but car- bolic. Mr. Dixon has an idea for the stock run or walk. He wants to give budding authors a chance and will produce new plays. That’s a good scheme to save royalty. Besides what do they know on Third Avenue of Broadway. It’s even money that there are as many people east of Third ave- nue who have never been west of it as those who have. And the city gave Third avenue an awful slam this week when the J traffic authorities decreed only trucks could use that street. Who- ever that traffic guy was he knew Third avenue almost as well as he does Riverside drive. All the props of the old styled meller are in the "Woman” play. It’s about equal rights, or wrongs. If the man can do it and get away clean why should the woman be daubed scarlet for the rest of her sinful life. The dialog keeps harping on it. After awhile you vote for equal suffrage in every thing and declare, if elected, in the hope the play will end, but it keeps on, right on to the finish, through a drawing room scene, where they say, "I’ll lay for you,” "I’ll get you” and a number of other inelegant expressions that are not inelegant, however, on Third avenue. The show Is chatter and business. take your choice. The leading lady mi^t be Margarite Fields—her name is in the heaviest type, but if they ever hold a voting contest on it, the chances are it will be an even break. Margaret Pitt is the villainess, Eveta Knduesen has a small role this week that helps some. Bernard McOuarrie is the hus- band of the sinning wife, and next week, "In Old Kentucky,” which Mr. Dixon says will be the first time in stock in New York that “Old Ken- tucky” will be played. How Broadway can keep away from the Third avenue stock company is a mystery. Perhaps it doesp’t know qI it. But what better way to ruin an eveninjg? "GLORIANA” IS BRIGHT. Atlantic jCity, Sept. 18. “Gloriana,”,at the Apollo last Friday night is certainly charming. As back- grounds to achieve this result the new John Gort production offered scenery by Joseph-Urban that was bold in its severe outlines and expansive blues; costumes attractive in^the lightest fab- rics; music by Rudolf Friml, as'whis- tleable as any he has written ; girls who were pretty and a cast ably support- ing attractive Eleanor Painter. ^ “Gloriana" as a play is not yet per** feet, but the long expectation which made an intended Monday opening oc- cur on Friday night proved that prep aration did its best for the public wlu packed the Apollo. The first act is in need of much swifter action, but the second and third fully sustain the promisep of the enterprise. Wit and humorous pleasantries about commonplace things have a large place . in the book of Catherine Chistiolni Cushing. The audience laughed and laughed again in spontaneous enjoy- ment of the brightness. Specialties are numerous throughout the perform- ance, though it must be admitted they do not fit quite as smoothly into the combination of story ajid song as in “Fiddlers Three,” which the same man- .agement recently offered here. Amongf the special events are Gilbert Wells and Balfour Lloyd as 'two por- ters. Their cleverly agile dances pleased as much as did the “dance of the servants” or "Chianti,” another trio number. ' The chorus was not noted for voices, but for good looks, the charming gowns they wore and the pleasant steps they tpok. The music has a few especially attractive numbers of the usual style of Mr. Friml’s compositions. “I Love You Dear” proved the most at- tractive. "Why Don’t You Speak for Yourself, John?” was not only pretty, but well staged in imitation of the famous Puritan saying. Somehow Mr. Friml’s music did not occupy as promi- nent a place in the importance of the . evening’s success as it might have. Besides Miss Painter as widow were Dorothy South as the real wife; Jose- phine Whitall as a costumer with fetching gowns; Ursula Ellsworth as ■ a withered squeaking aunt; Helen Marqua in the pose of a daughter with ancient costumes; Curtis Karpe as an Italian grocer; Joseph Lectora in the hero role of naval attache; Ralph Whitehead, the husband returned from the army in France; Alexander Clark, a woman hating solicitor; find James Dunn, a clever butler. Jessica Brown danced and sang under the title of "Jessica.” The cast made up in voices ' for any deficiencies of the chor^us. “Gloriana” was announced for a New York opening, Sept. 23, but owing to the inability of John Cort finding a desirable theatre for it by that date, it will play two weeks in Philadelphia before reaching Broadway. “‘Gloriana” is in Washington this week. It was reported that the show in which Klaw & Erlanger are inter- ested with Mr. Cort may play at the Amsterdam or Liberty, when reaching New York. ittii iiis i? e-iimwi /