Variety (Oct 1932)

50 VARIETY LE€ITIM/iTE TueBflaf, October 11, I932 Plays on Broadway WHEN LADIES MEET Comedy drnma In three acta presented at the Iloyato Oct. 0 by John Golden; written and staged by Rachel Crothers, Mary Howard Frieda Ineacort JiMinile I.ee . .Walter Abel Mr.i. Uridgcl Drake. Spring Bylngton Walter Manncr.<i. Robert I^owes Ro'eera Wooaruft .Herbert Rawlinson Pierre.. Auguste Ararolnl Claire AVoodrulT Selena Royle The first hit o£ the season, away out In fi'ont of the other dramatic entrants, both as to wrltlnff and act- ing, 'Wiien Ladles .Meet/ is a di- verting evening in .the theatre. Rachel Crothers, • who xan gen- erally be depended upon to deliver arnusiiig plays about interesting wohien, Mas lifted her success score with he.r latest script. John Golden "presents t^ie new play, but he gave the ?iuthoress free reign with direc- tion and , casting, as he did two Reasons ' ago when her 'As Hus- bands Go' ran brightly. , It was evident then that this shrewd man- ager had walked out oh the clean plays thing; :.' Not thaf 'When Ladies Meet' is haughty. But It is racy. Amusing llMes are. follpweii, by a situation Vdund ' to' 'atli'act adult interest, .handling the eternal triangle liew- ly arid cleverly 'brlhging the two ^prneh Iri thie case face to face. , :l 'ti is th;.e frinkest, stage, discussion of a perennial problem. Miss Croth- ers has the intchding mistress meet th.e .Avlfe) .neither aware of the oth-J tjr's /identity. ' The ;girl has .written' thfe ' 'situatlpn 'in fier latest: book; She,. irii?ists ! that" the girl, Ijeciiuse /£fj\e layeii ..the, njari, would' go to the ' ,w,ite'and/state-her.'c^se. .The wife; t'h'inks riot, butvis siire of the uri- ^5ippn,ka.bl$, .thjnga ishe would say if ^th,ail hijp^jehed .to her. v.'Jji^yf.lpg this converisatlpn, which Is ;.i.he,',t38'risegt.. scene in th© play, Mrs. (iClaJMs^Toodruff dlscoyers that Mary. .£iCoi,wiird,. cultured; brilliant writer. Is-,, jier^.,husband's.. current flame, .^he haa sensed his other affairs, but' as soon ais she heard his key in the .lock,: somehow everything . seemed .,«^l',Llght. But now, having actually .'met the other woman, Claire's vision CDTOipletely ^ changes. She had told, Mary that all of Rogers Woodruff's; ,Affairs -.were .just tjhat and that he ;filwaijia.oame bacl^ home. Mary be- Jleyed ^he sreatly loved the man and: ,that--.after>a time they would be wed,! he promising "to get a divorce. Wheni iM.arjr realizes :that she is just an-j ■othftr ^donfluest,; her" relations wlthj ♦ithe man-,are o»ef.- As for Claire she! rleaves her':husband>.behind the elghtj ball with neither wife nor sweet-; i'hesrtv ■•■«>. ; ..•■^ .: . ■ j I'lThe lightei" . rtibmfents 'of - the play; ^jioweverif seemed to^'stand out over! 'ItW interfacing; sex treatment. Jim-I mie Lee, a newspaperman, Is Very! JmUdhln love' with Mary, Who thlnksi him . tot>- '•• pliacfd :for; -a husband.' From him. there are inacny giggles., ^It .' 1& 'he who-• stirarables things> . ^ibfetween the women, i To Mary's ^earlyi queryl -T. wonder If you are . capable ot'- .a. greatv-ptii^sion,'- he; answers: 'God, ,1 hope not.' For. blm: .'Liking' i&. the:'greatest emo-: ■ . tlon;.because''it outlcists- every other" fetiiotjon.'• : , ■ ' i; The- comedy is .fairly-.well spread; throughout;'the. play 'and is not limited to "one person. There is the^ 'Widowed Bridgl0 D£ake who keeps", stalling, offi-ah. adntirer because he is; l:jO;;y^arfi her- junloi;. Three excellent .setsKhi^lp, one a. pleasant balcony at Mary's "Washington Squt^re apart tmsnt, and : the last sc^ne 3ridgie's country home, . reconstructed •bar.n/-• ■ , -- . ■ ■v,.:(The fine cast hap Frieda Innescort .a^-f^xryt trirn. of iflgure, pretty and a bit aloof. Besl;,a.QtiA? Jn s.easpns .by, ;§elo;(ia Royle cdn^js • in. herj por , tyaya,! ,,of the. w}(e. TJie; .bubbling ,Slir4nar..Byihg.tojL:P.vits_over a fine •score as the, funny; Bridsle, the; ,wldow.,_who .cannot ,.iiia)tie. up "her .J7^1hd,as to. her conduct with m^n soi .}3 'di^icp'nsplatel'y decent.; "VVojUer Abel' is .excellent.»a8 j^It^mle^ .who ;isi smart enough to. step-in and capture' his., JWary. aftef;: all.,.. Most. lik.eable! Ttlilnir.. he has .jioine 'lf\ rseasphs, top,! IjJe'rbert', Rawllnspn, is the ierring' li^i^D'axid,. npt a sypnpathejlc part. .Agii^te. Aramiril, amusing "jis ; a French biitleh •Wh.en,La|Jles Me^t' Is a deceptive iiile. ' Sounds like, a woman's dry club sessl6n. As .a, matter of fact," it is A swell show; . .. Ibee. AMERICANA Revue In tsvo acts, 21 scenes, written by J. P. McRvoy and presented by I,ee ShU' bert. Producllon lighted and deijlgned by Ali>ert R, Johnson. Book .itaged by Harold JolinsrU'l. Donees staged by Johnny Boyle oniJ Charles 'Weldninn. Music by Jay Oof- ney,. Herald Arlen and Richard Meyers. I.yrlcfl by E. T. Harburg. Opened Oct. 0 at the Shubert, New York; $4.40 top. ■' CMf comprises. Qeorge Glvot, Gordon P.mtbh, Lillian Fitzgerald, I^loyd Nolan, Albert Carroll, Rex Weber; Prancctta Mal- toy. Georgle Tapps, The Musketeers, Bon Barclay. Ralph IjOcIco, Teggy Cartwrlght, Allah' Munn, Alfredo Rode's orchpslra, Charles .Weldman Dancers and Doris-Hum- phrey's 'glrl"'Ilne,., The lew mom'ents of merit in thls^ new., revue unfortunately - ^lanhot ovefcome d preponderance pf mate-' rial that doesn't belohg on the ^dm&, block, let alone on the "same stage. And that's a shame- tPo^ liecause a: number called 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' and the other mi-^ nority items ■ deserve much better surroundings than they have been accorded in this in-and-out mu- sical. The combination will have a tough time making a ijale at $4.40 In'these items, and .that'sTiot over- looking the scarcity of bpposlsh on. the lepit ILst just now. The big mystery—what happened to J. P. McEvoy's book—is also, the biigr drawback. A revue minus com- edy, is almost as istrarigo as a Shu- bert revue , minus stripping. Tlils Shubert revue lacks both. But what happened tp McEvoy's book? Either it was manhandled by the producers, or that McEvoy rapier—Iceeh, satiri- cal insight into current affairs with the lash of a gaucho's whip—has dulled. There's nary a heavy laugh in .the wliole perform{ince, with the dialog either flopping outright or failing to advance beyond the snicker and giggle claas In results. Rex Weber, the Charles Weidman dancers, a puppelt sieiuence and the Dime*, song provide the few meri- tprious moments'. Weber, and the Weidmans are forced to oYerdo a good thing. At flrst-their ventrilo- quism and Impressionistic .danolng; respectively, are refreshing pieces of reVue. stage buslhess. But they re- peat and-they repeat and. they re- peat, "Wpber, formerly of Wilton , and Weber, is the unquestionable hit of the show, with ho other individual .(ev4n. threateninp to flhlsh. a . close sficond. So if it accomplishes npth- ing else, 'Ajnerica' will haye ushered ahoth'er vaudeyillian from tjie four or, more a day to the Broadway ranks.-: "Weber Is called, on,for..too niuch time and effort, but he man- ages to shine sufflciently on two oq-' caslons to overcome the effects of unforgivable and nearly murderous overstaying. His flrst click Is the show's flrst, also, arriving in the fourth scene ^ after practically .noth- ing has happened. It lifts 'Ameri- cana' out of the doldrums for flve minutes, and that's .about as long, as it gets out of the box at any one time. ■■ ■ .Not lintil scene 8 does the per-- fpvipance again hit a fakt stride, and."Weber gets in on thls one, also, with his delivery of the 'Dime' song, backedl. by a n\ale singing chorus, an4:. the song itself becoming- the; mosti^emorable items in the enter- tainment. E. Y. Harburg wrote the topical lyric and Jay Gorney the strrlng. melody. A[;it»all^, .nf the depression, it's^ not::of. the. popular tyfee, but the' lyric's* tltrifeliness" arid thV tune's quality should make It a popular ^aoitiist -"^eber handles It proficiently witte'thfe aid of a singing male .cho- The semblance of a plot, satiriz- ing the nation and its politics and taking the 'Forgotten Man' gag for a Sleigh'fide,- runs thrbiigh the show, "but between the opening arid closing nilmberd It isn't very niuch. in evl- dencei- Most of the dialog that de- pends on the theme for a motive Is delivered via' microphones and Is: 6ften ti'nintelHgible. , •Between AVeber's- veritriloqulal sock in the fourth spot and hia re-- peat with the breadline number; the show Umps through a Series'of un- distinsTuished skits and specialties. It Tevived -with 'Brothier, Can -Yoii' Spare a Dime?' and then reverts to what aeems-.to be type in this case, with, nothing more- eventfui than' a smart- lyrical ■ play on Jimtriy Wal kec-3 ►predicament—'Let Me Match My JPiilyate Life With Yoirrs'= is the. title—by Albert Carroll to kfefep au- dleiice interest aliye.. - ■ ■ . lAlfreda Hode and His Royal Tzi- gane Orchestra, an Intiportationft^onn PailS, open ^up the • second part, playing r two numbers and>i;takirig: ahdub-aer'minutes to dO-4t, 'Rode, ai fiddling leader- In front-.of-a strong orchcfetm, .makes 'Blue . Danube'- ■ a 12rio6urse dinner, in the European mantter.of extending everything, in-, eluding meals and music, beyond it's natural-length. There is quality be- sides, .novelty burled-In-this group of musicians, but it's hard to. find. The puppet show, arriving toward the flriish,. is the second, part's high- light. Figures of Al Smith, Hoover and John t>. RockeifeHer afe cleverly riianlpulated to offstage, vocal ac companlment. The lyrics are the libretto's nearest approach to the grade of satire McEvoy has written in the past, but -which is present nowhere else in this show. The Weidman dancers; probably from the concert field, were at the Roxiy for a week s.ome time ago and rtpcat two of their pldture house routines herein. Comprising' three men and two women, they're fol- lowers of the modernistic, futuristic dance school, that teaches jumping about and the description of angles with the elbows, by way of symbol' Izlng the machine age. They're a novelty for awhile, but the stager forgot when to let them off. Same fatilt is- to be found Ayith the Doris Humphrey girls whose 'dance* on linoleum. In which they interpret ^eat -waved caressing tlie shore is okay fdr the first-few rippleS, but after that a i>»»». Tfwy wear skin. tight fleshings, but Albert Johnson'a lighting effect ratta all the credit for the element of suspense. . The veteran^Linitin Fitzgerald: ha^l little to do' In thQ proceedings,. b.ut| she's as eprlgbtiy. as ever and a| cheering: sight for those with mem ories. Albert Carroll does only "the Walker take-off arid thSn goes'eVei-i nlng gown- as Lynn Fontanne in! 'Reunion In Receivership,' In which! the script kids the producersV^wn! predicament, but rriot virlthout drag.-| ging lb Erianger's and the Theatre! Guild. It always looks like Carroll; is' enjoying himSelf morS. than the; audience Is enjoying' him In this nuhiber, and that doesn't demand' much enjoyment on his part, either George Givot does his Greek mon- olog In balcony box, which he ought to have! dropped'..by. now, and his Harry Rlchman imitation, but ot-hn erwlse disports himself favorably. He's, been knocklrig. around in nu-; merous shows and looks about due for a good one. Allah Mann a,p^' Georgle Tapps, the latter from: vaudeville and the picture houses, i handle most of the solo dancing and' very neatly., Francetta Malloy isj the singing Ingenue and passable.: Gordon Smith and Peggy Co;rt-i wrlght are the Juve leads In the s. and d. numbers and also fair to" middlln.' Miss Cartwright,- an.Eng-j lish importation, slings a heavy ac^ j cent. - - ■ • ■ -,.■= 1 Don Barclay is weak In the com'-j edy lead.jwith the piroducers equally at fault In borrowing his old-time' moving picture re^el for the script,! The film 'with Barclay's side com-i ments has been .done to death .byf Others In vaudeville and elsewhere. Costuming throiighout : IpQksl above average for a Sh'uljert revue NONA Farce comedy. In threie acta. Presented dtj the Avon Oct.' "4 by Pelggy Pears. ■Wrlttfni by Gladys Urser.. I/enor» Ulrlc etan>ea.] Arthur Margetson- featured. jStageid-vbyj Burk SymtNi. . ., ii> ! Joe...IMIlUrd P. Mitchell! Otto Vogel........^..^ Hans HanWehj Miriam Bkldwell.....;v....Patricia. Calvert; Mr Compton..................Dudley H^vleyl Dolly Armartronff, ....■<.,....... .Franc ' Hale I Anna Jane Fet-rel Henry Cad»..............Arthur Marg6tson: Man frltli a lV>ui>ee...«w.. .John McCloskcy Nona..i.V^..>...,. . .Lenore - Ulrica- Roeco. ;.Arl8tlde9 De Lepnll Lyle D. Armstrong Russell HIcIcS: An Old Lady... '....Genevieve Dolaroj Pliotographer Bernard Susman! Handsome Young "Man Warren Stei-lWgl Pullman Porter...., V. • -.-^ • • Oscar Polk; Sta.tlon Master m.... .Harlan' Brlggs*. The October crop of new' legits; holds a lot more promise of ^orth-i while diversion- than September's wobbly burich-T^that Is, bn pajJeij, 'Nona' Is'b«tteir tliisuii most of th'^ earlier entrants, and. should last about 10 weeks. ■' • 'Nona'. Is thS Sfscoiid presento^tlon of Peggy Fears, who made lier debut as a manageress last season with Child of Manhattari.' Her plaiiS S.r6 ambitious, and a third attraction IS in the maklng-r^'MusIc. In the Air.' ah operetta. . " .! Best thing abotit 'Nona' Is LbnOre Ulrlc, one. of the, ihore alluring afc"- tresses on thei ' ' American sta^'e'. When she Is oil, the shoW. sriati's along. At other" times It is gabby and rather meaningless: First act seemed a,welter of chat- ter by other ch'alr&cters, biit the s'ec- ohd act Is very good-^in fact,, ,1s nlost 6t 'Nona,' because the' third act Is principally appended romance, the story having already been con- cluded. ; .^urtslh- .linp was not as bright ' as ' intended: In , fact, lt| seemed, on the borderline. ' Produc tively the show was okay with lAck-i erman settings. > Directionally the: the dialog, was hurried in. act ■ one); wheire there waa.not enough.'editing. Staging was by Burk Symon, former aide to the Idte David Belasco. , .. , Miss Ulrlc Is 'Nona,' an emottonk)^,'. temperamental Contlhsrltal.' ">v^e}s 1 • • \ < Pliiys lhit of Town . . PURE IN HEART- . I , ' ■., Baltimore, Oct. 4. 'Drtoia Ih three -a'ots;-iBlx scenes tiy Jobn Howard I>awaon. Presented by the Thea- tre Guild under auspices of the Amefloan 'I^eatre Society. Directed by Theresa Hel- burn, ' Setting designed by "Woodman Thompson.' At th'e Maryliind, Baltimore, Oct. 3. Annabel- Sparlc0.v>'*«»Mi:k<..■.JuAe Walker <Tohnnle Spal^ka.«•'•>««n....Cbdrles Powers Ma' Sparks .*>•«»•*.•..;•.....Eva Condon Pa Sparks.. .-v^w.vo^... .Erskine Sahfonl Abo Schullz......-..-:...,,.Robert .C. Fischer Homer Edwards.«.,. .«.-John Eldredge Eddie!.,, ,...•'I.. . >. ■ Alan Baxter Joe ..','.,,.,...-.,...;'....'.'...,'..Ella .Kazan Fdlth McCartil'<.y,....... .'Ruth Chorpennlng .^tage. -Manager,,.«.,.,.......James'. JoUey Doctor Goshen; ......Osgood Perkins; Al Del Motte'.'....^.V.;..'.Edmund Zlman' I^trry .Oordon.,.,..'..,... .. i. .Paul Kelly. Edwlnno. Raleigh ,...'... .Helen Flint Junius B. 'Mellon; ..F< Thurston Hall Spanish Dancer. ...'Nalda Narde. A 'Comedian.',,;.. ;..,.-..l,e6 Curley A Ghoi-ua- Girl:;.... -.Mary Howard 'Wilkes ..a Detective).,'....'..Arling Aiclne. Q U9. ,>,.,<;., V • t,< •' •'• .Robect Shayne Bill .. •. .Leo Curley . That erratic ecrlbblet; Howard LawSoh. is giving'nbticiS that he's leaving the Intellectuals and the In- tMlleentzia flat; He^s tTirough with' Greenwich Village and the 'newer': arl^Ws' In playwtlghtlh'firL That 'ap- p'eatA' tb be the-back^trpund^for the- vi/i^litliig ■ of this play. ' Bit "LaTlifspn,- irL ^hls 'evident eff6rtla-;to .fr;^o'hirri- yeif of the old. radical' Writing fever, has leaned backward';" s'6"tar back- ward; he's giving the theatre the. same stuff as they got .ih the 10-20- 30 days.'-* " ■' ". ? ."• ■ ' And . In .presenting this play the Theatre QuHd .Stai'ts Its local sea- son off with a unrelieved weak one. !Dh'P; subscription "Ide^ this year is] ipiigh! enough arid a|.^okiEjy| melo-' dtt|jii|fa' 1sri*t gping. (fo'i maks'It any' 'easier. There's enough actual material In this play for a quartet of more' calmly written shOws. Lawson has; evietytlillng In it; gtinmen, washed-up; sex»en. - actr«sses, ^k-^ducet's, - song- r iwrit^si th6 old -homesteadi sweet; oldi-mothers, loy.e, seduction, mur-| ders, gun battles; philosophers. The- entlre outlay gives only a jumbled impression, and the thought that Lawson wasn't so sure -himself what; he was-driving at,-T\--- .. ' filtt's a stbry:of a stage-stt-uck girl; who auits her upstate home .to crash; the .t)lg light ' district;'.-.Everything; goes before, her desire to get: her- self l^ehlnd the foots. ' But that she's good.;a heart at least Is revealed: wl>en slie falls for a gruninan mur deret, and she' leaves' '\t^v, 't»Iif ..OP ijortiiriity to go with liitii '\v;hen he'sj dri'th'6' larti from th'i'pdllcV.' .As a! SoH! ofkntl-^eilrtiAx, O^ftotJd, t'erkins- 1h th'e last kcene''tiririi;^e^''to tflll the rfesf'^f'the- cist ^'and tHe'-.'audlehfcei thatf the g^al &hd hef-b6!y: frtiiia'W^re gl'^eh liarpS by ii pollbe sqdda. Why LaWsdn- left out that jblt-'pf'-'plctotlal efforts-after having shb'wn th|& aiii'- dience everything eisfe, IS U'question; • '■ Cast is superior*' '• to' -the: 'Script. June-Walker has- thei'fa,t liWes and hahdies . them Well," -getting hics shSdlhgs 'In her' dellheailioiN-Of a stage-struck lass-v^hb;'thoU'gh 'a bit goofy and not tPP bright; Ijs'd -mihe of determination; Osgood Perkins in utterly wasted ■ in his' i>dr£,' of - the doetor-associate prodilcer, the phil- osophical failure. The prid' bit Of weakness in the castihg'tirkis Robert C' Fischer as Abe SchUltz, the' pro-> ducer. Fischer handles -the dialect •badly,- more than'^ bfjCeh' 'forgetting about It, and occasionally' fiwltch-; lire;the.nationality; '.'.'-.-- '■ ■ > • ■' ii.,.i MADEMdlSE^ttE touring America In dance recitals, She travels in a private car, carry- ing a retinue. Including secret-iry, manager, pet musicians, and so forth. In her.'„rc(9mS"oft the st^igc at Symphony Han,'Philadelphia, she flres.the Italian accompanist. Henry. Cade,, wealthy and well appearihg, steps into the job.' He had come to be presented i)y>Hl3 Sister from Den.T ve'r, whose liusband'; Is on the make' for.Nona. ,. -.- '■ ■. Sij having variiped, Cade Iri' k flash sees In Noria the woman pf .his! desirS; He assuriies the name of 'Mr. Finale,' and, she later reminds him, he is 'npt the whole damn or- chestra.' Nona had had her ;Ro- mance, with a titled German, and declares herself through with love A condition she sets forth in engag- ing Finale is that he must not m.-ike advances to her. 'i?he manner in which the tempes- tuous dancer goes after hec man and the teasing way that he covert- ly leads her oh, then reminds her pf their agreement, provides the fun in 'Nona,' Most of It Is set in the liv- ing room of her special Pullman;; No sooner do they clinch than they: quarrel. He finds a' check for 50 G's from that Denver guy, brands her as every kind of dame, then hops off the trsiln. which has been, stalled In a snowdrift somewhere- west of Chicago. Later, in a, humpty-dumpty railway . statiori;! there ore Sxplan&tions—the morieyl CContinue^ on pabe 53) . " ;",' ! . ' . ■ -■ . - . -SV: I - . I * . . ........f. ,v>,''i.»i ■': 'j?hna^i^ij(^j^/Q|Ct.;4o,. \ f. .^IJ.lji^im 'A; .Brady- ftppeacs'ito ha.v,e Iri this riCw" comedy a far letter prospect thaA 'Domino,' although 'Mademoiselle' also suffers from a translation jthat is not always in the splDlt;;ipf! the original French piece byij'iJ^ca'jesi.Deval which has been a Paris hit. With Grace George, Alice Brady, A'. E, Matthews and a youngster naipe-d, Pelggy Conklin who. *optrlb- utesi'a''- ftrtfe 'i!i"ertol'ma.'hc^;''.^Made- mplselle'/has ,,^1, .i:ui)^ii.lnj5,.^tart. To be sure, nonie of the"se 'pliyers can be..isatd;-to oaptur.e'ithe Gallic mood, j but their -yery personalities,,lend,the: pliy'^'iri' i'ritdti'st "thit 'Va's'liixJkl'ri^ in *DOn*inb.''i' i i':;!'j ..:;i:- I . . .Th«| story,, which hn,Si a, nw^l^r of j:^lcky and delicate.. angles'. Is an exceptionally interesting' brife, the only danger being the possibility that American . audiences will not understand the motives of certain characters D:nd the': Continental viewpoint of the author In one or two spots. The play concerns Lucien Gal- vosler, a successful French lawyer and his wife, as irresponsible arid turbulent a pair as could be im- agined. The husband is a}>sor)jed in his practice; the wife . In . her social activities, and they airily dis- miss their parental duties to a ID- year-old daughter by hiring" gov- ietnesses; The daughter, however, is not as safe as they believe and at the start of the play, a newly hired ,.gb'vern- eSs arrives In the household juSt iri tinie to discover that her ChatgS Is e'x^pectlng an illigitirimte "bAby, Said 'gpverhess. (played by Miss . George) is a 'doiir and unprepossessing Old mhlid. fronj whom .one iwould'.hafdly i^xifteCt 8e,ntlniept ot" syn^^athy.' but she agrees to help the girl keiap her secret from the mother ahd father' ^ In the second act, two months later. It becomes necessary to take some decided action it the ap- proaching motherhood is to be con- cealed and so the governess brings In her brother, an eccentric inven- tor, and persuades him to pose.aa a doctor and to. prescribe - a rest cure in the 'country for the girl. • The. governess then explains her motives in the case; A- confirmed man-hater, she has always had a" longing for a child and she sees iii this arrangement a chance to sat- isfy: her maternal, cravlnes. • The parents, always self-centered and completely, blind , to the real Sltua- • tlori, allow their daugliter to go away for several months.: The last a.ct shows her return and thelt; elaborate welcoriie for her; The baby has been born, but the girl shows ho. isreat feeling about it. Accordingly, the governess assumes the parenthood of the child, which considering her old-maidish appear- ance, is' a cause of great astohish- raient and some amusement to Mme. Galvosler. At any rate, off goes 'Mademoiselle' to devote her life to the up-brinprlng of the youngster while the real rinother' prepares to re-enter the social swim. . . Grace George, In an almost gro-- tesque make-up that includes horns. , rimmed glasses ahd the severest of clothes, plays the Governess on ah even plane of- subdued .repression. There are- sbme who believe that her two scenes in whicli she explains her child-lovlhg complex, should be more emotional, but that is really not the way'the character has been conceived; • Alice Brady dominates the per- formances w4th a high comedy per- formance as tlie young mother that Is 4iftecent. frohi anything she has attempted. .. The : contrast to her Layini.a in. .'Mourning Becomes Electra' makes her fluttery nicely- : pointed interpretation all the more remarkable. Matthews, who is as French as Trafalgar Square, is im- mensely amusing as the preoccupied husband. His role really includes very little that is clever In dialog,, but he 'niiiggs' the part so neatly that he wins many laughs. Miss Conklin, save for one. fa}ss scene towatds th^'eiid of the play, Is. capi- tal as the'daughter. Hers is a tough -fble and she deserVes airthe credit Ih the world for her playing of it; 'Mademoiselle' is nicely set and nicely dir'BCted; As before noted, the translation which lis often far from Frehch ih ^plrlt. Is its biggest dfawbaok.'Hoyevek'," It should stand tt, irery; good chance. ' Wdters'^ HARLEM HOllywoodjf Oct T. Drama In three acta by -William J. Rapp and'.Wallace Thurman, -'Produced by Rob--- ert Levy.. Directed ^y Edftar Forrest. All- Negro cast. At. the,-Music Box .theatre. Hollywood. Oct; 7.. $1.60 top. . As with- all -Negro dramas pro- duced here, .this one suffers from lack of experienced players. Every- one In the. Cast Is prone to overact. Direction has little to. do with this.' as the players are. Impossible . to hold down. .Robert.levy's production.is well framed, but stands llttlo chance of getting [kny money. With a cast of 66 In a..900-§eat-hoQse at $1.60 top. thei:e*s. little opportunity. for profit. T.hen, . ,^o.o,, .the ..colored production Is'o^lIn^lted.app^aU Coast audiences like colored, musicals, b.iit outside of the biacK liielt,' dramas haive never received-a: break out here; . - ' ;Qe the,lengthy cast, Mai>ceo Shef- fleld'-as .the police sergeant turns in the... best; performance. . New ;herB,; he -.should-! :attrac;t attention - from plctMr^OvProduQers who And it dif-^ flcyit to .:gst: ;goo.d cqloried players* '^lier^sa ; .f^rrIs:;,. and.,:, Lawrence . Criner in the leads chew scenery, witli the,,f.oriper,the worst offender. (Charles' ,9ldeni. ap .the "West Indlojiv ifegfo, ^tfalhs,' tPO Itiard; with hi{» 03<fordla,n, EngflisH.. .,'Negroes from the Isiands use a peculiar English twang on a few words, but most of their lingo is a picturesque Jargon of their own. ; i Clep'' Desrtiond, ..Georee . Jleea, Harvey Brooks, Cliff Ingraham, Charles Hamilton,; Arthur. Ray, Charles Moore and Helen Conway are satisfactory in the main assign- ments. Piece is in fOF two weeks, with hope of more. If sold as a novelty it may get a little money, but tho chances are all against it. Call. ABSENT FATHER Philadelphia, Oct. T. This comedy by Francis D6 Witt, produced by the new flrm of Kenney & Levitt, reopened the Broad Street theatre for a single week's engage- ment. After a first act that showed some promise, although ihcllned tO talkl- ness, 'Absent Father' went consist- ently to piecesi It is another of those yarns about^thS -Vourig gen- eration' and its alleged wlldness. 'A. few years ago when • eveiTbody was talking about the flappers' follleS and the - fla'sk-totlng, parked-car- (Cpntln'tied on" page 00)