Variety (March 1961)

Wednesday, March. 15, ‘er. Do Re’ Cost $479, 18 io Bing hb; 26 More Sellout Weeks to Recoup| | -Jt'll take another. 26 weeks of4 smash. business to put “Do Re Mi” in the black. That's based on’ op-. erating: ineomé:aloné and does not take into consideration such sub| _sidiary-revenue as-might. be forth-. -coming from .a possible film sale. © The David Merrick production, currently in. its 12th ‘smash week ‘-at the St. James Theatre, N.Y., was financed at $400,000, but: cost $472.923 to produce.:On top. of that’ there was on overall loss of $9314. ess : ‘gevenweek tryout’ -tour, “Her. . Finny, Logan wil Bow . In Legit with ‘Wedding’ -_Aberdeen,. Scotland, ‘March 14." “Vaude ‘and. revue “comedian Jim;my Logan: will make ‘legit. bow at ‘April. ‘He will-appear in “Wedding | >Fever;” comedy ‘by Ulster scribe ‘Sam Cree, which Dennis cee | $2,500 music royalty, bringing ° ‘the Broadway opening night tab to $479,738. The musical, which has ‘been in -the capacity groove since its Main Stem preem, clears & little over $13,000. weekly: on its. maximum ” hoxoffice. take. The opérating. profit for the first five weeks on Broadway, plus four preview perform-ances, was $66,729. That covered ‘the period through Jast Fan. 28, when. the deficit’ on.the Phil Sil-vers-starrer was still °$22.059° in; €xXcess: of the $400. 000 investment. : ‘jncluded in ‘the. deficit Was» $9. 050 owed the. production. on. tie; author's: £10,000: share. of orchestrations. Exclusive of. that’ amount, the coin to: be recovered as of Jari. .. 28 would. have totaled $413,009: In ! the ensuing. six weeks: the produc tion is figured to have picked up. another $78,060. at the rate of $13.-. 000 weekly, W hich reduced the unrecouped costs as of last’ Saturday “G)) to én estiniated $335.000.: still excluding. the author's. share ‘of orchestrations. ‘On the basis ‘of a $13.000 x eekly operating . profit. have to run ‘enother: ; recover the present deficit: “around $335. 000. Incidentally, music. ‘orchestrations and: copying “was $58. 806. That was” unusually steep. .although it included the _ $10. 000 author's share. | _ of Other, productions costs, facluded. the. nusical will: 26. weeks’ to the will direct. ; ‘The play,with setting, designed. byAnn Jasper; is.skedded for the King’s “Theatre, Edinburgh, after some years to play. legit. His sched-. uled tour v ill-be limited because of his: engagement ‘to’ do Howard & Wyndham revue, ‘““Five-Past Eight,” at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow, ‘in May This will. run, “as -usual,: “until, October, : oo oe wet: Gul Amer, Rep By HANK WERBA Madrid, March 14. Helen Hayes, June Havec.. Helen . Menken, Lelf «Erickson and the “Theatre Guild-American. Repertory -€o. of 25, took eight.deserved cur+ Carlos. .. ‘tain calls last’ Tuesday night: iF), ‘atter | their: initial per formance of Thornton . Wilder’. “Skin , of ‘Our Tecfh’™ -at the” Teatro Espanol in Madrid: The aftair drew a. distinguished. audience including ‘Prince Juan Franco's :expected © successor), Minister of “Defense Baryoso, Foreign Minister Castiella. Minister of the Movimiento’. Solis and Information. Minister . Arias ‘Salgado: ‘Ambassadors were a dime | “$102. 093 for setnery and ar Ops. and. : °$91.514for « costumes. ° Boris. -ATONSOR, Getting fees of $5.000 each. were eostunie desianerIrene’ Sharaff and: ‘director Garson: Kanin, who adapted -the. book for “the musical from ‘his™ ‘short ‘story a{ the same title. The musie was written by Jule Siyneé and the. lyr jes. by Betty ‘Comden ‘and. Adolph. Green... The ‘pt ‘oduction pave: $175. wee ke y for an insurance. policy: covering . Silvers, who's in on a’ ‘percentace “ef the ‘gross. ‘The St. James’. share of the ross is 25°C. “Margo Jones “Award To Spur Onportimity For fee ‘of '$7.500was. “paid. -to set. saesianer ° “sentatives of. the . Spanish a dozen: and only a total scarcity: of tickets restricted’ a full ‘tuinout or Madrid’s -diplamatie ¢olanv: ‘Also prominently. ‘conspicuous. ‘at this glittering occasion: were represtage. Hollvwood filmites on active duty cvereas and a hearty smattering of Castilian. nobility. The reception Was ‘So: jmiprecsiveand.-tickets “so. hard-to obtain that spectators in evening ‘dress’ were -spotied chang. ing from: the. lop. rails. The Madrid bow -of “Skin* Was follow éd. during the four -day stand hy three Performances of William xibson’s “The Miracle: Worker” end two af ‘Tennessee Williams’. ‘The’ Glass Menagerie. * ‘ta mark : the. first’ ‘Jeg. of: a’ three-month | American . National . Theatré & The Tate Ma: ‘go Jones. whe pro-Giiced ‘and Gitectéd phivs on ‘Bread, way and for many years at her ‘numesake: arena theatre in. Dallas. a ary 4s to be honored with the establish: ment of an annual. theatre award. The citation. desianed te encourage the discevery: of new -plars .and new dramatists, will be presented tt a Broadway theatre each’ 7 . : ¢ ] a rivary. beginning next yéar, consist ‘of. a commemorative me dal ta’ bas s-rclief : of ‘Miss Jenes! and -a cash prize. . A minittee” of judges’ will an-.. : co J Major city circuit néxt season. the past: he’s geared his hinterland. presentations touring ‘of ‘generally out-of-the-way ‘split-week stands. -hooked by Broadway Theatre Alli Dually, sclect-a producer or theatre executive. in the U.S, who. during “the prier calendar year, has * the | “most sienificant contribution te the dramatic art ith “hitherto. having un unproduced.. plays, . that.’ ‘been ‘the . ardent ‘spirit ‘and. remitting purpose. af Margo Jones.’ Miss: Jones. who. made. it a policy ‘made’ chem. U ‘nited Performing. Arts, . to present new works af her Dallas: theatre, introduced plays there. by. such writers as W. illiam Inge, Ten“ nessee Williams, Joseph: Haves and the team. of ‘Jerome Lawrence and --Robert E. Lee. . The judges © “include. . Freedley.: curator ofthe “Theatre Collection. ‘of. the NeY. Publi¢ -Li-; brary; John Rosenfield, ~amuse major: city . ‘stands in smaller towns. George |: ments critic of the Dallas. Morning ‘News; and playwrights Inge, Wil! liams.' ‘Howard -Lindsay, ‘non-voting: administrative comniit ‘Lawrence. and. Lee and “Included dn. a. manager. for. Jast 18. years, will _¥ent season: She also resigns her tee are Arthur Kramer; president ‘ of the Margo Jones. Theatre: Jonas Silverstone, attorney and producer, ‘and J. -B.. ‘general Jones Theatre. ' Theatre critics in cities through ‘Continued on page 74) ‘Tad). Adoue; ‘onetime’ manager. of the. Margo “ Assn., Sy mphony Orchestra concerts held -Manently shutter..May 31,. ‘Censent! on tire road. as COproducer with C, Academy : tour that: will take the. “Lawrence. Langer ‘troupe. to 24 ‘princinal . cities: of Europe West; New. Authors ‘and Plays.’ Yugoslavia and’ the Middle East.. The three-cornered | repertory Was staged. Mtricftly: in the Ameiicon tradition. without the customlocal ‘claque. or after-cutain: ‘Continued on’ pace 72) TAHSE SHOWS TO HIT ‘BIG TIME NEXT YEAR “Attn Tahse, who's acquired ‘the. road ‘rights. to the current. BroadWay. productions: : ‘af “Advise and. ‘and: “ATiracle Worker,” intends’. te uring: bath shows an the In for bus-and-truck The dates were ance, which has’ ‘sold its subscrip-. tion setup ‘covering 82. cities to ‘Tahse is currently. “represented Edwin Knill of ‘the. touring: edition of * ‘Fiorelio,” which is playing both time. and split-week Myra Peache to. Retire. As: ~ Mer. of Pabst, M’w’kee . Milwaukee. March 14. "Mera | ‘Peache;: Pabst ©. Theatre retire ‘May 31. the end of. the -cur post with Milwaukee. Orchestral ‘sponsors of the | Chicago’ at the Pabst. The’ Pabst-fs . scheduled to perunless : the City .of Milwaukee or other; ‘interests assume its. managership. I. -|year-old operation, -+pranted non-profit status last year, -Majesty's Theatre here in|... the: last 14 Nears.’ {Plan 10-Tryout Season | At Kentucky Strawhat _A‘season. of 10 tryout productions is: planned by Col. Eben Henson next summer for -hisPioneer Playhouse, Danville, Ky. The 11 which was will launeh the program June 20. The plays-will be selected by an. | ladvisory. committee of producers, directors, play agents and educators... Huntington Says “He Lost $19,995. On Spa in 1960. . . . Saratoga. March 14. Jobn ‘Huntington, who has oper‘ ‘ated the N. Y. Stateowned Spa ‘Summer Theatre. in’ Saratoga for i the-last14 seasons. says that the | istrawhat lost: $19.995' Iast_ summer. ‘He asserts, “Not one single cent; is owed by me. or by. my corpor a| area. I have: paid these losses out f my own ‘pocket, since the’ cor ‘porate. pocket is empty. in ‘Saratoga for he continued, “I. -have never asked anyone for <o much as a nickel for my support. All the money I have needed ‘to run ‘the theatre I have supplicd ‘out-of my own. funds and put into ‘the corporaticn. which I sel up in 1951:to run Spa Theatre.” Despite ~ his financial situation, Huntington declares, . “There are now ne.creditors in Saratoga wait ing’ for’ their money. The producer ‘attributes | his 1960 lonses | chiefly to what he says were excessive fees: and percentages to stars: who failed to do business at the boxoffice, plus the fact that. the highway between Albany: and i ‘Saratoza was torn up last summer. Huntingtan hopes. to obtain. a’ new lease on the 587-seat theatre. However. Dr. David E. Liston. man-. aging ‘director cf the Spa Reserva‘tion, has announced ‘that the State | owned spot: will be up for bidding. and that a number’ of persons: had ' indicated a desire to leace it this’ year, Williams College Giving US. Preem-of ‘Long, Short’ Willis Hall's “The Long and the Short. andthe’ Tall,” which had a -Six-month London’ run in 1959. “As -producer (Brokers Want In on Twolers Claim They Lose Regular Patrons ANTA Is Sponsoring Chi Chicago, March 14. “The Chicago chapter of the American National | Academy is sponsoring a local run: of “Fantasticks,” the off-Broadway } If you can't Jick ‘em join ’em. ‘That appears to be the attitude of ‘Broadway ticket brokers toward Stand for ‘Fantasticks’ the flood of twofers being circu ‘Tated this season for fading Main .{revue currently in its 11th month | . twofers for ‘Stem productions. The brokers want to add the discount ducats te Theatre & their racks for customers who re quest them. Brokers are generally against the he simple reason at the Sullivan St. Playhouse. N. Y., they're detrimental to a business, The Windy City edition. packaged : ; Which exists on the sale of theatre tions, has been cast and “rehearsed | ‘pr emium. in New York. It opens April 4: ‘at the Del Prado Hotel in a 327seat auditorium with a connecting bar. . ANTA is furnishing the house Broker hatrons pay a ‘minimum of $1.50 fee in addition Jand has pledged promotion. Others . wise, show is covering its own end, ‘without a guarantee. It’s here indefinitely. : “Fiorello Tourer Nears 1006 Net The touring production of “Fiorello” is. nearing the $100,000 profit mark. Thats based on a Fceh. 25 net profit of $76.998. plus extimated subsequent operating income. ‘ The musical, which completed frepayment of its $190.060 invest{ment last month, distributed an p | mnitial $19.0060 profit, last week. Included in the shou’s earnings is an operating profit of around |} £$33.000 on a gross of $153.843 for ‘a fortnight’s stand Feb. 13-25 at the O’Kecfe Theatre, Toronto. The CC. Edwin Knill-Martin | Ta hse bus-and-truck edition of the Robert E. Griifith-Harold S. Prince | Broadway: hit is currently in, its '32d week of operation. The proj duction. hooked by Broadway : Theatre Alliance fer its network . 6fsplit-week subscription stands, i also pp avs major city dates and is ‘tion to anyone in Saratoga or the. ‘Bows mn Madrid ‘expected to teur at least throuch: the end of next season. A reyelty. which hes gone as high as 422° of the touring com;pany's weekly gross in recent ;months, is paid to the original | Miiin Stein edition of the musical, ‘which has a book by Jeronie Weidman and George Abkott. music by Jerry Bock and tyrics hy Sheldon Harnick. The origingl preduction is currently in ils €8th weck at the Broadhurst Theatre, N. Y. will be given its. U. S. preem tnis , week at the Adams Memorial Thealre of Williams College, Williams-* ‘town. Mass. -It will mark the ‘sec: ond successive year.the co-lege has} been responsible ter the U.S. showing cf.a British original. | ‘Last ‘wear. Jonn Osberne’ s unsuc! cessful London ‘musical, “The. World of Paul Slickes.” was fiven . its initial Amcrican presentation: Jat the college: theatre. The Hall. play is scheduled to be presented tomorrow !Thurssi through next Saturday ‘1x at the Adams under the Girection af Giles layfair. It'll precede by a little. ‘more than.a. month the scheduled U. S. rélease of the film version : of. the play in May. was given. its. North American hreak-in last 1all at the Crescent . Theatre, Toronto. It All Depends _. Walter Kerr. as drama critie “-of. the N. ¥. Herald Tsibune, has one of the earliest deadlines of any-of ‘the daily reviewers, and. ‘is .conséquently among ‘the first to bustle up the .aisle at the final curtain opening nights on Broadway. He didn’t. cover the premiere Jast Wednesday night :8) of “his .wife Jean Kerr's. play, “Mary. Mary.” but sat -with her in the last row during the performance.’ As: the: curtain was: falling ‘and. all the critics were crowd_ing:-up. the aisles, including Herald ‘Trib drama. editor. Ju‘dith Crist, subbing for him for “the occasion, a manager associated with the production . leaned. over to ask Kerr what he thought of all those people -. rushing out and maybe missing the last couple of lines. The non-reviewer-for-a-night grimaced, “then grinned and ‘replied, “The dirty dogs.” initial: The drama: | Anderson, , New Mexico, ‘who. served as first . +-Genet’s MRS. O'CONNOR QUITS ALBUQUERQUE THEATRE Albuquerque, March 14. Mrs. Kathrn Kenedy. O'Connor, for the last 30 vears read ef New Mexico’s oldest barn, the Albuqueraue ‘Little Theatre. hz:s announced her retirement at the end. of the current seasen in June. She founded the group in 1930 and has directed 205 productions in’ the house. She was Broadway actress and understudy to Jeanne Eagies. Puntil she moved to Albuquerque in 1927 for health reasons. _Her husband, James O°Connor. technical director of the house and i ‘helped found it, is also retiring | to the stipulated boxoffice scale for a show, while twofer customers see the same production at half the regular price. — The situation subjects bickess to ‘complaints from their custamers, particularly the regulars. who not :only purchase tickets at the start of ‘doing so aver Jong periods continue for visiting businessmen and relatives. a show's run, Dut alto “A letter reeently received by Le Blang’s agency from one cf its ‘customers illustrates the tenor of ‘effective. in June. A native of Ire-: Jand, he appeared there with the . Abbey Theatre in Dublin before ‘coming to Albuquerque. Tittle theatre group was Clinton P. now U. S. Senator from i president. Frank Quinn. owner of ' indie radio station KDEF here, is: | the current president of the group. . {‘Destry,’ ‘Take,’ ‘Mattress’ Set for. Upstate Tent ‘|. .Three new post-Broadway stock ‘releases are among the eight pro-. iductions planned for the upcoming , ; season at Melody Fair, North Tona| i wanda, N.Y. The three properties ' are _the musicals. “Destry Rides | ‘opens June 6 with “Destry,” will iTun two weeks each. ' Dylan Thom as’ ‘way repertory March.28 with Jean “Balcony” at the Circle in ‘the Square, N.Y. the beefs. The letter, sent by a member of a New York firm, points eut that the companv is frequently offered discount exchange tickets for siows for which they have ta pay tne full price when ordering tickets through the avencyv The letter cmphasizes, “We feel thet this situation is almost ridiculous.” The letter is one of many which Sul Lencourt. head af Lebl ns claims the agency has received because af the recent spread of ty ofers. In view of these commiaints, Lancourt has written to several theatre operators and producers susvesting that the twofers he made available to the hrokers far resale to their customers, possibly at helf the usual servire charve. Lencourt feels such a move would not affect the brokers’ cale of full-priced tickets. since these who prefer the better locatines available at the resular tariff veuld pay the regular cease. J's his contention. however. that by havine fwofers. at their disposal the brokers could hold the cus tomers who refise to pay the reenue lar price fur tickets to a show they know is on cut-rate, AS Lancourt puts it. “The present-prectice mav alse ‘have a tendencv to alienate the hroker cus fomer, not oenlv from the breker, hut frem the theatre. when he suddently hecomes a second-rlase cog. tamer iter having sumporte 7 ie preduction by busing the futl-ni ice Velket ell during the main portion ef the run.” Lancourt’s letter wg cent fo pradveers David Mery «k end Kermit Bloame*rden end ti eetre onerators Jatin Saubert. of the Shrhert orean*zation. ane Lonnie A. Lotito. president of City Plsybovces, ond viee-president of PraCacers Theatre. Kenley Adds Columbus To Setua in Warren, 0.: 2-City Stock Overation Warren. 0O., March 14 John Kenley will expand the ‘operation of his’ Kenley Pla crs ‘this vear. Besides continuing to Froduce Jocally at the 2.418-scat Packard Music Hall, hell present a season of stock in Celumbus, probably at the 3.975-seat Veter .ans Memoria] Auditorium. 4+ .Another of the organizers of the; Kenley-Columbus, Inc., has been formed for the latter operaticn, Which fis scheduled to run 12-14 weeks. Officers of the’ corporaticn, now negotiating for rental of the ‘auditorium, are John and Frank : Kenley and attorney Nathan Rout | Again.” “Take Me Along” and “Once Upon a Mattress.” Productions at the tent. which’ ; man. The upcoming season will mark Keniey’s fourth here. His plan is to put on shows at the Packard and then move them to Columbus. Kenley had also been negotiating fer the Memorial Hall. Davton, but buwed out because of a State ‘aw preventing the county from fuaranteeing him a three-year oplion. He has a year-to-year lease _in Columbus on a six-year option. Kenley had presented a successful stock season af the Dayton hall ;in 1957, but moved his operation ‘to Warren the following year when ! “Under Milk’ ~ Wood” will. be placed in off-Broad the spot was Ieased to another producer. The Dayton showcase is now being sought by Jamies A ex, a former Broadway dancer who i now runs a dance school.