The Billboard 1924-03-22: Vol 36 Iss 12 (1924-03-22)

The Billboard MARCH 22, 1924 F YOU missed Tom’s effusion last week it { was for a good reason. : : : : He was t 1 > and didn’t write it. thing all week save the strange po n as Mr. PickWe were even g and tad to radio for amuses > Was some air and » station sin i ig they vaudeville attraction. that the had been he BROX ; agent had st of his kind. : : : : to see us and reports ffer to go to Australia in sundry musical shows. r, his ideas of salary and these ger did not seem to jibe. : : 3 $ Broadway until further 1 : : : : We paid a visit to WOODMAN THOMPSON, the scene designer for EQUITY PLAYERS, and watched him laying out the sets for ‘‘Macbeth"’ Being a perfect dub with a pencil ourselves we much admired the cmety with which he ui aS. : $ 3 : Incidentally, we learned quite a little of the practical details of scene design. : : : : We met GEORGE BILLINGS, who COLN in the film of that mame. : : 3; : GEORGE is still wearing the beard that went with the part and bears a striking resemblance to “‘Honest Abe”’ s ket " positively uncanny to talk with him. : : : : One feels that he must really be holding a eonverenti on with Lincoln himself. : : : : PINCUS WILLIAM TELL informs us that he is the author of two plays. : : : : We, in turn, tell PINCUS that is the least of it. : : : : The job is not to write ‘em; the job is to get ’em produced. sketche : tt: We were much amused while on a visit backstage to the pane PLAYERS to see a message on the callboard from the cast of “The New Englander’, which was closing, to the ‘‘Macbeth’’ Company, which was about to a, © 2.28 It read: To James K. Hackett and (* ; norituri salutamus.” ‘The New Englander’’ And then signatures = all the cast, 3 3 $ A pretty nice thing to do, say we. : : : : Saying the which he locks the typewriter up for the night. TOM PEPPER. COMING TO BROADWAY New York, March 15.—There are two offerings in sight for Broadway showing next nd a series of special matinees in One of the plays is the first Eugene na to be seen here in two years. play is ‘*Welded’? and will be followed the at the Thirty-Ninth Street Theater light 1t t) Selwyns and the diof the Provincetown Theater, The composed of Doris Keane, Jacob Curtis Cooksey and Catherine Col John Henry Mears will “Sweet Seventeen’’, the latest O'Hige Lyceum Theater, The hir » Charles LC é Filkins, e Eustace, . s§ i actress, will seen in a s of special -matinees in t ty Theat I g March “LaVierge Folle’, and lose Ruben and Eva Le Gallienne will supe HAMPDEN REPERTOIRE OFF New York, March 14.—The continued success Walter Hampden in ‘‘Cyrano de Bergerac’’ the National Theater has placed the actor anager ip the 1 position of having to efund sul in gerne for his Shakespearean repert which he had expected ‘Hi ywever, Hlampden promises to make good his promise of the Elizabethan classics in New York next season, and already is arranging to open here in ‘“‘Otbello’’ about November 1 2nd to follow this tragedy with ‘Hamict”’, ‘‘Macbeth’’, ‘“‘The Merchant of Venice’, “Romeo and Juliet’’, “‘The Taming of the Shrew” and *‘A New Way To Pay Old Debts’’ to present this year. 7 — DRAMATIC NOTES portrayed ABRAHAM LIN| Announcement that Eleanora Duse would appear in Cleveland April 9 apd 12 brought $1,000 dollars in mail orders in one day. Ina Claire, in ‘Grounds for Divorce”, will open at the Princess Theater, Chicago, March 24. Lynne Overman has signed with Lester Bryant, the Chicago producer, for the leading role n “‘Around in Par’’. “The Best People’, after a long and opulent tun at the Adelphi’ Chicago, will close this week until August, after which it will be shown in New York. Jose Ruben will appear with Mme. Simone er repertoire of French plays to be presented it special matinees beginning Friday of this week at the Gaiety Theater, New York. Gustave Blum, director of “The Shame Woman”, has resigned as president and executive director of the Independent Theater, Inc., in order to produce independently. Fay Bainter, having closed in “The Other Rose", wil] have a new play prepared for her by Williami Harris, Jr. The nature of the impending production still remains a secret. ““Abie’s Irish Rose’’ will close at the Colonial Theater, Cleveland, O., March 22, after smashing all Cleveland records with a run of twentyeight weeks. “The Bat’’ will follow at The Colonial. Arnold Daly held several rehearsals of his new play last week, and then decided to defer the production until later in the season. James Crane and Violet Kemble Cooper were to have been associated with the star. Samuel Jaffe has been engaged for the character role in ‘“‘The Main Line’, to be presented for a series of special matinees at the Klaw Theater, New York, beginning next Monday. Jaffe played last in “‘The God of Vengeance’’ Bertha Kalich’s revival of ‘‘The Kreutzer Sonata’’ has begun a week’s engagement at the Teller-Shubert Theater in Brooklyn. The star is listed to open in New York in the near future. Edgar McGregor is making ready to stage a new play by Maurice V. Samuels entitled **The Flame of Love’. Samuels is the author of “‘The Wanderer’, ‘‘The Conflict’? and other plays that have been presented in New York. Henry Miller and Ruth Chatterton will appear together next season in a comedy by Kate L. McLaurin, who wrote ‘“‘Whispering Wires’’. The new play will be put thru a series of trial performances on the Coast this summer. The Harvard prize play of 1923, ‘‘Nancy Ann”, was recently staged at the Apollo Theater, Atlantic City, N. J. As a comedy the play proved rather amateurish, but exhibited what young blood and study can do in the way of contributing toward the American stage, and offering a fitting role for Francine Larrimore. The cast of “Cheaper To Marry”, Samuel Shipman’s new play, which Richard G. Herndon is to present early next month, will include Robert Warwick, Alan Dinehart, serton Churchill, Jose Alessandro, Florence Eldridge and Myrtle Tannehill. James K. Hackett’s New York appearance in “Maecbeth’’ is limited to four weeks at the Fortr-Eighth Street Theater, and the next production of the Equity Players will be a play entitled “Expressing Willie’, of which Rachel Crotbers is the author. William Courtenay has resumed his tour in “Dangerous People’, the crook play in which be was seen in Chicago early in the season, Courte-ay has already tested several new plays in the Middle West in addition to appearing in vaudeville. Fritz Leiber will continue with his Shakespeare repertory company next season until summoned by the Theater Guild to prepare for the title role in Eugene O’Neill’s drama, “The Fountain”. Leiber denies the report that he is rehearsing in a new play. The Frohman management announces its intention to present ‘“‘The Best People” in New York next season at the Lyceum Theater. The play has been current in Chicago since last December and from the present outlook it is expected to continue thru the summer. Richard Bennett, now starring in “The Dancers’, will be seen next year under the direction of David Belasco in *‘The Faker’, by Max Marcin. Word comes from Chicago that Marvin's “Silence’’, presented by the author in association with the Selwyns, is hailed as a highly entertaining melodrama. Jessie Crommette, who created the role of Ma Bence in the New York production of ‘“‘Kempy”, will assume the same part in the revival of that play, which will have De Wolf Hopper in the role of Pa Bence. J. C. Nugent, who created the role of Pa Bence, will assume the part played by Grant Mitchell. Cosmo Hamilton's latest play, ‘‘Society’’, has been deferred by the Shubert management until fall. The author in the meantime intends to present his opus in England with Lyn Harding in the chief part. ‘‘The Mother Woman”, another Hamilton play, will be viewed in London shortly, starring Gladys Cooper. Touis Broughton, who was taken seriously ill while playing the role of the butler in ‘‘Spring Cleaning’ at the Eltinge Theater, New York, underwent an operation last week and is announced to be on the road to recovery. Bronrghton has been out of the cast for the past six weeks, during which his role was played by Arthur Metcalf. William Antony McGuire will be represented in New York next season by no less than four productions, among them being ‘‘The Lion's Share’, annexed by The Dramatists, Inc.; ‘‘Tin Gods’, to be presented by Sam H. Harris, and a new untitled play, of which Lewis & Gordon have the rights. MeGuire has also contributed the book for the 1924 ‘‘Ziegfeld Follies’’, The next program of the Provincetown Players, to be offered about the first of April, will contain a double bill consisting of Eugene O'Neill's “dramatic arrangement’’ of Coleridge's ‘The Ancient Mariner’® and a revival of Moliere’s comedy, “George Dandin’’. According to the present plan, “All God's Chillun Got Wings’ will not supplant ‘‘Fashion’® at the Provincetown Theater, New York, but will be presented as the final production of the season. | THE NEW PLAYS ON BROADWAY away with the opera. This is a habit of Mr. Gleason's and be has done it so often I wonder he has not been rewarded with a regular part in a regular show. Claiborne Foster is the girl who poses as the murderess, and she does all with the part that could be expected, Perhaps a little more. Harold Vermilye, who plays much like Grant Mitchell, is the lawyer and earned his share of laughs. George Alison struggled with an awkward part, one of a motion picture scenarioist, and injected a semblance of reality into it by downright good playing. The rest of the company, including William A. Norton, Ethel Jackson, Doris Kelly, Lucile Webster, Pay! Kelly, Charles Hammond, James Donlan and Lyle Clement, did all they could with the roles allotted them I do not wish to dismiss the playing of this cast summarily, but, really, they are none of them doing anything out of the ordinary ang which deserves extended comment. This is not their fault. The simple fact is that they bave nothing to work with that is out of the or. dinary. “The Lady Killer’ is just a badly made play, which stretches the probabilities too far and is not redeemed by any excellence of situation or distinction of dialog. An unfunny farce, unskillfully contrived. GORDON WHYTE. CHICAGO BLACKSTONE THEATER, CHICAGO Beginning Monday Evening, March 10, 192 MARGARET ANGLIN —in— “THE GREAT LADY DEDLOCK” A Romantic Play by Paul Kester, Founded Upon Charles Dickens’ “Bleak House” (Direction of George C. Tyler) THE CAST (In the order of their appearance) Mary, Lady Wentworth...........d Agnes Grant Allan Dedlock.. se -Kenneth Thomson Volumnia Dedlock..........ee. Olive Oliver Sir Leicester Dedlock, Bart. e Harry Barfoot Inspector Bucket of Scot! land. Yard Covdecccccscocccecsesvese Percy Baverstock William, a Butler eonveseo e Elwyn Eaton James, a Footman......ccccccce George Dayton Second Qo eee J T. Geiger Tee POCA. . scocceescasyias ” Harry Buchanaa BaGe DMeddeek. . wwceccceces eecccers Miss “Anglin se soecee Miss Anglin John Ivan Lec yard Mudie -Janet Cameron cases Al Roberts Elwyn Harvey .Harriet Sterling — 1 Churchill eocccccced Sidney Smitb Sir George Rarbe rry. Dramatic Art THEATRE ane the Direction of ROUTI NE Elizabeth Mack Pupil of Sarah Bernhardt An opportunity to acquire the principles of Dramatic Art, with special reference to the development of the voice and technique throuch actual stage experience wo SECRETARY, Elizabeth Mack Studios, (5 W. (2th St., New York. Alberti School of Expression Many Dupits in leedine New York productions, Pictures, pur z People’s Theatre and Stuart Walker's Companies 114 Carnegie Hall, New York City. MOROSCO THEATER, NEW YORK Beginning Wednesday Evening, March 12, 1924 MOROSCO HOLDING CO., INC., Presents a New Play in Three Acts se ” THE LADY KILLER By Alice and Frank Mandel (Staged by Franklyn Underwood) CHARACTERS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Gorden Kennedy ...ccccccccccsss George Alison POURED onsenetcvecdtosrecers William A. Norton Mrs. CRBOEY 6c ccséeesnduvebers Ethel Jackson Rena : Doris Kelly Henry Meecham ........seeee: Harold Vermilye Dene Beith .n.rccovvscccesssees Claiborne Foster EMEP cvvccccccovscccssces eeeeeeLucile Webster Jack Kennedy ..... cceccensess -Paul Kelly Gregory ..cccccececccccssessesssoumes Gleason TEOGAR cccccccscccecs naseonneene James Donian Per err -Lyle Clement All three acts take place in the home of Gorden Kennedy, Located about an bour and 4 half from New York City. 1} should term “The Lady Killer” @ farcical mystery play and a pretty bad one at that. For a brief moment in the second act it becomes interesting, mainly thru the excellent comedy playing of James Gleason. For the rest of the time it is very dreary. The story is of a young lawyer who tries to prove that circumstantial evidence does not always indicate the guilty man; that a chain of evidence may be constructed that will throw suspicion on an entirely innocent party, He deliberately manufactures’ evidence tending to show that the man he argues this with is guilty of a murder and the fellow is in a fair way to be arrested, when a girl who has fallen in love with him saya ashe ia guilty of the crime. She does this because a lawyer has told her that no woman ia ever convicted for murder. The evidence faker te not killed, of course, and turns up in time to put everything straight. Girl and boy in clinch. Curtain, The cast stroggle valiantly to put thie tale across, but as it ia written with the deftness veually associated with college theatricala, thelr efforte, tho well meant, do not bring re sulfa commensurate with thelr zeal James Slernson, as @ detective, In @ amall pert rune Sig ns of. 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