Variety (Oct 1936)

Wednesday, October 21, 1936 CONCER1 VARIETY 67 SWING YOUR LADY (Con tl riu ed:from page C2) attention in operettas- at Jones Beach during the .past summer, plays Sadie and does it fairly well. Al Ochs is 4he towering hill-billy Noah, while John Alexander is no pigmy. His enactment of' hit-wit wrestler is the, play's most aroiisi contribu- tion. 4 Lady' was tried put last spring but folded* for cast and script revi- sions. Joe .Laurie, Jr., is a new mem- ber; playing Hatch, fixer-upper. In contrast alone, Laurie wins a goodly portion of the laughs, although the comedy lines are mostly assigned SLwSrJ!'' to otheW.If ; the show lands, LaurieT Lft,,l ' lfntn ' e ^ playing will be one strong factor. Dennie Moore , counts in a lesser de^ gree,' she being his alleged, secretary. 'Swing Your Lady' is boisterous and bawdy, has its tame moments, •maybe too many of 'em. It was built-as. a laugh play but grappling cards have often provided more real giggles at Madison. Square Garden, the Hippodrome , and armo- -ries..' ^ " Ibee.' 200,000 (IN YIDDISH) Oomeily Willi music In three nets ffon'r st'etieti) • by. Sholoiti Alecberii. SWtircO by Berino Stlineiilfi i. sctllnks, M. finloluioft;. mUHio, .Ben. Yortion; ilnhr&H, Benjamin Xp- Miich. Vreaentfd by Artet Player*, at .Artec beginning 0et,. . . a • a * 4 thpiifre; . N ■*i.nn- to Shlniele. . Etl Mene, ;,. Bullke......, Motl Komit.. Kopl Ffilbon Kollun..'.... Soroveltehlk....:.. 0»her- PJntt '.. ; Solomon. Osknroyl( Pefcvl... Butcher Orotery. .11 Mendl.. y-ofheved ...v...., Vlfcdorchuk.. . .... -Rublnchii^'^i... Flmt Gabal... Second Ga|)?i....'.;,.. Also ,S< Anlslelil. A. A. Cohen. .(>. : Diiite .'Horowitz. •. .. Hirshb ertstein,. S... 'N'jinoMiilher, S, Sllverberjr, T; podrlna. ■3(i. rlnsirinn V, . riymVr .. ,.Q.:. ItiiHslei* Levins Goldstein :.:T.: Freillcb- Hfi-sh'Deln- .Mv l«Y!e.;lmtto ;'S. ■ Silverl'ert? Scfineidernvin /.:-..\..v..I(.,Keniler ....:..' ''NaRottUlnei'' .■. r. i. ."ArilsMil ., . '. .;. . ;• Shaulro. ....... '.V. T.ow .......;.-. A. Cohen . ........ .M. KlrBh . . : ,: . Leveoatein . . . . ;•.A. >torWllz Babad, II. Bender, ,.T. Gost (risky. A; 'Iran..' ,V. Lev-: chn'eiUermiii>, WHITE MAN Drpma in--three acts (7: scenes) by Sam- ieon ItaphneJson, presented by.'and with Sam .Byril at National, "ti< y., "Oct/ 17, >«6;' di- rected.by Melville Burke; ta. Nat Karaon; :%.i/.io; top. •.... . •. . v :"■ PaiuGri' Mnt-y .Nile. :.... ..... Lucy Arlington. Jtlchard Arlington... Pansy, Wnahlntrtoti»; CountCHn Filllpe.. ... Hufus ..Nile......... Grctfl.* * »»•*••••- • • * t A. Nurse..,.'. „ .. Arcble.. Mi* Wife.... Stanley. Negro, Minister.. »-• ■ • A ......Sam 'Byrd ..-..."■ io'uisei Campbell ... .PatHy JBUth filler .».;.-. .Georfje Baxter SyLv)a. ! FJ«ild. Jeananifnn NcwcOmbc ...;Harold Gould ;'.. Ndncy. Cuahman' ;. ..... . .Mnry ' Jeltery i 'illlam Coley Grant .;..; Marietta; Warren ......wnilaiti Walker: Leigh W^ilpper Neifroeft of Harlem: I-oulse Eeynoldis,ISddle Berfr, Ctarent-e. Kvanp ; .Adblph Aikens, i'rank Swift, Edward Mathews. • Sjainson Raphaelson >yrote this play about five years ago' and has re- written it several times. Last year Sam Byrd, young actor in 'Tobacco Road, • got hold of the script liked it, dug up a bankroll (a healthy one, too) %nd produced -it for v and with himself. Raphaejsbn lean no*w go back to'Hollywood to. write scenarios- and Byrd ran go back to work in some- body else's play. Or produce some- thing else. He won't be occupied long with this one. It is not a good Play. Based, on the subject of whites: and blacks, it is in a tough spot right away because there are bound to be customers who - Will' ipbject to the theme and its handling. No doubt abo,ut Raphaelsbn being honest and fair in his tackling of the problem, but it just isn't good drama. ' Yarn tells of some Negroes who are almost white, so much so that they 'pass' as tyhites arid don't riiix with their own race. One of them; young, clever, ambitious, marries -a white girl. She has told him she doesn't want children, so he figures he' can take the chance. But, after . marriage, she changes her mind and has a baby. He tells her the trutii as- soon as he finds out. She "is shocked, of course; but decides she doesn't care and (even more improb- able) decides to have the baby never- : theless. It leads to inevitable trag- edy, of course. Thesis is a bit hard to swallow and, beyond that, is none too. expertly handled. Actor-manager Byrd avoids one possible, headache by' Using 'ah all-white cast ( ith the exception of some extras in a finale Harlem scene) even in the Negiro assign- ments. But he tries to make them white as. possible, using no dark makeup for Patsy Ruth Miller, Sylvia Field, George Baxter or, himself, arid, at the sanie time, sought to.give' them so ( me background Negro characteris- tics.. Thus, in one scerie, he. has them worried a.bout maybe being found _ ■Outand,.wiule-they!r-ertalkirig- : itiover^- they suddenly begin shouting and jumping around in what has come, to be accepted as Harlerii jungle rhythm. That scene is as phoney as anything can. be, of course, but that doesn't .matter.; what matters is that it de- tracts from three or four genuine and honest scenes fore and aft. Same all thr.ough the play. . c Casting, is excellent, all the leads mentioned, being: fine, plus strong performances by Louise . Campbell arid Harold Gould. ' Another really strong and: important asset is. the excellent series of stage settings by Nat Karson. If the shbw had any more, strength. these sets; would put it over, adding to. it the same amount of strength' anij, vitality as Bel Ged- des* sets do to 'Dead End.' They're imaginative and impelling. But'there's not enough play for them to hold up. Kauf. This simple satire from the pen of the late Shblom Alechem is offered by the Artef Players in exaggerated caricature. In that respect the show is executed excellently and is cplbr- ful, artistically. Otherwise, it. is a cold, analytical cartoon,. almost ef- facing racial dignity. 'V <- . Play is a philosophical fable "which concerns a poor Jewish- tailor, some- where in Russia, who is spiraled into sudden wealth. His two apprentices love his daughter. Wealth upsets the family's outlook o Y n life 1 and things go topsy-turvy. Only when the money is gone does the group re- trench into proper perspective. . Story is most popular of Alechem's many yarns* and he is the generally recognized Mark Twain of Yiddish literature. As usual, yam is familiar, but nonetheless quaintly native arid homely. Artef: Players, (co-op semi- pro group) have added native Yid- dish gestures arid symbols to the play. It is: true folk drama., .. Caricaturized settings are- colorful arid-interesting: A speaker is permit- ted to address ;the -audience .pn Com" munism between acts. That is 'un- fortunate; hut in keeping wjjth^Jhe Artef group. Actors are uniformly good. Shan. No Madrid Concerts Madrid, Oct d. Davi Moreno, who' used to be with the Sociedad Daniel concert agency^ launched his own outfit, but the civil war- has bodyblowed the biz. All concerts have been can- celled. Among the artists scheduled to have appeared in Madrid this fall were Barilowsky, Claudi : Ajrrau, Alexarider Unirisky, Nathan Milstein and the Paris Symphonic arid the Berlin, Philharmonic orchestras. New York Concert Season Kreisler Fiddles to $8, UneUp for Detroit Oct, 20. 1936-37 Thursday seven -concerts, five People's Literati , concert impresario of Japan in New York for a brief stay after a five-week trip, to Eurooe. Has booked, Jboss Ballet, Mischa Elmari, Tito Schipa and Alf red Cortot this season for Nipponese audierices. He is also piloting the dance giroiip through Java and other, remote spots. Average admission for a concert attractiori:." Japan is $1.70 or six yen. Season is iriuch the' same as in America opening in Septeritber and continuing into spring. , . . Impresario depends on regulation publicity for ballyhoolng tieing-up with- Osahi, daily, in plugging his artists. Natives are acquainted with his names beforehand and he seldom has to resort to. any thing sensational to put them over. ■ (Continued from page 66) K.G. Symph Tour Kansas City^ 20. Kansas ity "Philhaimonic linder Karl Kruger plays Orchestra Hall. Chicago, on Feb, r.le set . by NBC. Other out of town dates in- clude Omaha and Ottumwa, la. A date is tentative at La Porie, Ind. . Early in December a swing wi.U be made through western Kansas towns. Pleasantyille to Chappaqua, N.- Y.,. where firm has purchased six acres of land, which it will build a. model housing project. Louis Herzog, 77, publisher of the first German language paper in Los Angeles, died there Oct. 18. . Virgi ia Hirsch, who authored 'El Greco,' has;j oined the writers' colony at Uplifters Ranch, Santa Monica. Walter J. Black will publish a new mag titled Book Digest. • It will be a pocket size mag, Donald Gordon wifl be editor. Chic . Sales's 'Speciali , which, sold 1,800,000 copies, with. the. author in for 50% of the take, is still doing 1,000 copies a month. Laird Doyle, Warners studio writer, has cornpleted his novel, 'Another Dawn.' Studio already has plans to produce it on the screen. Bob Eden (Eve and Robert Burk- hardt) are having their 25th novel published this month by Hopkins Co. Eden is on Warners Coast publicity staff. •; Rex Beach, the .old Florida addi stayed only a few days, in Holly- wood en route-from Seattle because, he says, overnight he picked up sinus trouble. ., Virgi -Wood—jpined-ScreefrlaTTd and Silver, 1 screen, mags, as ■ aide, to. Elizabeth Wilson on the Coast. She formerly . was -fan ; mag contact at Paramount studi . ;'.: Noel Sickles 'who draws 'Scorchy Srnilh* adventure strip for Associ- ated Press, will- take editorial cartoons at . the^ end month. H.- E. Munhall to do gen'i. art work, and - Bert Christman will carry on with 'Scprchy.' V Cuban cerisors agai seized Es- quire, which makes it two months in a row. Offending editorial is titled 'The Latin Lack of a . Sense of Humpur.' Lit Digest for Oct. 17. was also seized for an article on split 'between Pres. Gomez and Col. Batista. Random House will publish a .lim- ited'-; . itiori of l Red, Hot and Blue,' contai ing the complete score of the s ; There will : be;'. 250 copies signed by Cole Porter to sell at $10. . Beth. Brown, whose new rioyel, 'Riverside Drive,' makes its bow shortly, -i 1 i be guest speaker at tl5e;; Amateur iriema League 10th arinir vcriiaty dinner at the otel Roose- velt, N. Y.. Oct. 23. , Maxirie Smith, picture ed of Chi- cago American, evening Hearst rag, is due back at her desk some time this week after a long spell out on MURIEL DICKSON IN ENG. 'BRIDE' IliPHILLY Philadelphi , i 20; Metropolitan Opera Cprhpany's first local; performance, skedded for Dec. 2£ will be Smetana's The Bar^ tered. ride,' given iri English-,', with Muriel . Dickson in 'titled part., Metr Will stress English translations both here and in New 1 York this season, according to Edward Johnson.: Mur iel Dickson, playirig first season with Met, • is Scotch-born Sdprano who came to: America two years-ago with D'Oyly Carte; Gilbert ■& Sullivan Opera Co,, troii Subsequent Met offerings here, not yet set, will be given Jam 5, Jan 26, Feb. 16, March 9 and. March 23, all . on Tuesday nights. Academy of Music willChouse: theni., .' Subscri - tion. sale being handled by George Haley, with Jimmy Craven iri. charge of publicity as usual. ' Detroit Symphony 'se'a's'on''\.'.Svlli'-.V.-inciude night subscri Saturday night pop concerts the. Series; eight in the Adult Educatiori Series, for school children. Subscription, guests are: Opener. Oct 29, Victor Kolar, conductor, and Guiomar Ndvaes, : . pianist; : Nov. ; Kolar and Lotte Lehmann; Novv 19, Jose Iturbi, conductPr; Nov. 27, Iturbi as conductor and pianist; Dec. 10 and 27, Fritz Reiner;. Jan. 7, 14, and 28 and Feb.. 14> Bernardino Molinari, conductor, and. Georges Miquelle, cellist; Feb. 4, Ilya.Schkol- riik,. violinist; Feb. , Georges Ehesco, conductor and violi ' ; Feb. 25, Kolar, and Sergei Rachmanirioff, pianist; March 11, De fiasil Bal- let Russe; March 19, Kolar and John Wummer; flutist. Guest conductors at the p6R concerts will include Itiirbi, Reiner, Molinari, and KPlar. Edith Rhetts Tiltori, will be in charge of children arid adult series. 2- Norfolk, Va., Oct. ,. iel menu for Norfolk Forum ^ith 2,66d' membership paying $1 for season. Cosmo Hamilton, Irvirig Fisher^ Glenn Frank and Louis Berg are set to appea^Octoberi Npvem- ber, January and March, respect lively..? New stunt is for spicier to take twd riights, the second being repeat for part two of the Forum. .. Using Blair Junior High school in absence 'of suitable place down- town. A BALLET FOR PITTSBURGH Move .to lie Dancing Under Way roupe ittsburgfi; : Group of local daricers have just banded together to form a Pittsburgh Ballet. First time the city has ever , had a brigade .of .this sort , and pre- miere, performance has already been set for. Carnegie Music Hall, Thanks- giyi jight, Nov. 26. ;.'' rganization now. busy . ising funds, with ppen ball at Roosevelt -Hotel -next -week-first-gun in dough- getting, campaign. Group hopes to collect enough to bring on a guest star from the' east ' for the initial concert. .Sari Franciscbj Oct.. ^Three- series of attractions set by Peter Cpnley for O&era House start- ing with. Fritz .kreisler oh Noy. 25. In the. Regular Artist Series, iri addi- tion to Kreisler, will be the Jooss European Ballet, Dec." ; Rachmani- noff, Feb. 5; Marian Anderson. Feb. 24> and the Trudi Schoop Comic Ballet, March 17; Kreisler will also'be heard bri the Sunday Matinee Series, <"hich. starts with his engagement oh Nov. 29. and continues with "Ruth SlenczynskL on Dec. 1$ and Rachriianinoff on Feb. 7. Vocal seri ill offer Nelson Eddy Jan, ,i3, : Lawrence Tibbett April 19 arid Nino Martini April 29. Pretiiier Blum's Brotheir Manages Ballet Troupe Capetown, Sept. 29; The. Ballet de Mprite Carlo, ar- rived Sept: 28 for the Johannesburg; Empire Exhfbitiori. pRerilng Oct. 5.. M.' Rene Blum, brother of the French Premier, is manager. Lead- ings dancers in -the troupe are Vera Nemtchinova,: v Leon Woi/.ikov.sky, ,Ana£ole-..yilzak''. >M'arje ;R.uahpva; atole Oboukhoff.. Underwrite Cincy Symph For Louisville Dates Oct. Lppks li will have some concerts, < after , with nouncement that a group Pf loijal guarantors^ jwili underw rite three concerts b y CiRciririati Symplionjy';. Orchestra. Dates are Oct. 27, Dec. 1. and ;Mar. 30, 1937.' Eugene (Joosens will coriduct evening programs, and Dr: .yiadimir. Bakaleinikoff ill ba- ton the afternoon, J children's' certs. New York concert jseason got into, stride past week with two top violinists, Jascha Heifete and Fritz Kreisler, appearing at Carnegie Halt within three days of each other, and the Jooss Ballet doing four appear- ances at the Alvin. Kreisler program, hummed (17) to a near $8,000 b.o. Heifetz played pii Wednesday (14), doing close to $5,000, slightly better than last year. Arthur Judsun bu- reau of Columbia Concerts handles him. Carnegie (2,800-seater) was riot quite capacity for his program. Emanuel. Bay accompanist. Jooss \ which Cblumbi certs presented for. four programs starting Saturday afternoon, report-?, ed around $6,000.'.' Outside, of new ballet, 'The Prodigal Son/: the repertoire remains the same as when last viewed in New York. Salmaggi's week-end opera at th« Hippbdrpme did estimated $11,000. Four operas were- presented. Sun- . day matinee perfprmance scheduled again this week (25) with another Wagner piece. Dalies Fr'aritz, pianiist, played Sun- day night at Town Hall under Co- lumbia Concerts banner. irst. of S. Hurok's artists to ap-; pear this season was Harry Hamil- ton, dancer, with Wana Williams' at the Guild pn Sunday night. It was a typical debut turnout. Dancer em- bellishes his performance with out- right theatre mpre than traditional techriique.' Kathleen. Ellis was; ac- companist ST0K1 THE COMPOSER Philadelphi , Oct, 20. Original composition by. Leopold Stokowski will be, heard first time in public here,' month when Youth Drama Group of flays arid Players, blueblood amateur theatre group, give Martinez Sierra's 'Cradle Song:' Although Stoki has interna- tional tot his transcriptions ol famous compositions < (princi Bach), . original work of his has even played Tiere publicly^ Some were known to exist, bow- ever. Composition to be offered by simpn pure actors is 'Benedictle,' canticle traditionally used at .morning, ser- vices of Anglican Church. . Is for mixed chorus and organ and was written by Stokf in 1908 when he was organist at ,St Barthplorijew's. Church, New Yoirk. Stoki has al- ways beeri cagey about compositions (as well as history) of eariy ; career,... but consented to piece being playe^' by Plays arid Players group after it was unearthed in New ; York v library. Few Of''his origiiial^worJi*, haVe heen playedl privately here. Philadelphia Ballet the' Coast, where with a siepe of illness. held up Paris, Oct. 11. Philadelphia Ballet Company is: planni Paris season next; year* I Catherine _ ,. irectbr and j prima balleri claimed while here. Louisville ivic :Arts Assbciatjpn j " tating she believed ,the devaliia- ; opened its 22nd; season Monday nigWj tior1 0 f the franc would bring plenty (19), at Memorial 'Aude. Louisville , of tourists, it was her intention - to-. Symphony Orchostra, played under j Eurppe what Americans can direction..,; of Bakalemikoff. arid l?r/ \ do jn the - way of ballet, next spring: Jerome-Gross of.Cleveland, appeared j ■' : . ; v. ■'•■■ :'' ' as piano «olpist. ■! . ': ■ : '. ■■ ' ■ ; ! Fetleral Music Project Memorial Scholarship t j In Need of New Home Foi* Ossip GrabriloWltSch ' Federal Music Project moves from DbtrPit, . Oct. 20. , ! its^ present location at 110 'V/est 48th. Honoring Ossip .Gabrjlq ils'ch. late '■ by Nov, 15 as its lease expires on , conductor of.'the Detroit SymphPriy : -that date. WPA.group is after A thea- Vikirig .•'is'vp^bli'shing--thc..\ftrs.t-.ip'om- , ork v and' farrious pianittt, the Nati.oriijl.i"ire move into, whichv .an handle' plete' e.diti ' . 'Journal j OrcheStfa^ Afisn. of, N; Y. has cslab-: : ' chamber, opera and other of a TpUivvThroUgh:; th,e- Hebrides,'|ij. s h e .d:. Gabrilo. itsch Mempri perf6rmances. : All admi written^ Wi years ago. /Manuscript j Scholarship. ;trative offices would be under :was discovered si \ years ago' in-.! Idea for. the scholarship followed:.>ame''"roo'f-also.. - V, England by Lt. Col. Ralph H. Isham:.j (>ift to As'sn. of a New Yorker who ' On Oct. 30 WPA rhusic group be- Mrs. Hazel Rice, wife of Elmer > had heard the five concerts given by Kins a symphoriic series at the Labor Rice, and Charles E. Clift. Jr., will Gabriiowilschih N, Y. ' "• spring Stage, 106 West, 39th, presenting be joint executive secretaries, of the of 1934, his last public, appearance'; soloists, -along . with the orchestra. National Council on Freedom From before his death last month;' Actio , Ernest Hutcheson, Guy "Maier, Le* Censorship. Mrs. Rice is just back on . a contribution to the scholarshi | Pattisbn a'ndAndre Polah are among in N. Y. frbhj a trip around the bythe Detroit Syrriph. Society will be j the; first ones to. appear. .. AV 6rld taken this week* * It ill be a series Of 12 programs.