Variety (Mar 1937)

•▼ARIETt'S* T^ONnOM OFFICB M St. Murtlia'B rit»ce, XmfulKiir Mt(uhre INTERNATIONAL SHOn" NEWS Telephone Tanuh Itar . m41.(0:4t > Cable A«Idreii«i: VABlV'tX, JiONUOtlT ST WISE TOMORROW London^ Comedy by Stephen Powya;. piesenlea by Firth Shephard; prqduciea by AVhole Stew- mi at Lyric theatve, London, rei>, 17, 'a,". Tony Campion. Norman Weldon. Peter Marsh. Helen Kelts'-i r Joan Ciimplon. DIftnai Kbuiyi . Colley...... • .4nco.:;..i.. ... .Fresnrnttn- • v • • ;Nora' Swinburne ..NHunton. Wayho '.Gantond Knlsht ^.Archlbnlil Butty ,. Jinma 'J'rcp5inia,iv ,. lima Churchill ..... .Mnrtiiu Hunt .Ol^a Llndi) ' ;Fe|ldpn-KH.ve .. ..wSeymour Green Program announces this play, as comedyi which it is in treatitient, al-;; ;thQUgh it. has- an underlying story constantly touching on homosexu- ality, but never .quite saying so.. Hints and situations continually, re- cur, but a meticulously exacting censor could hot leigitimately raise any objection. Piece was received with: considerable warmth at the premiere, and. ticket agencies have made a buy. New York audiences would be likely tp receive the piece with as much fervor as. the firstr ight West-Enders. Plot progresses via the niedium of sophisticated wisecracks. It is re.- vealed that a yotjng girl engaged , to be married, and who had little suc- cess as an actress, has ah opportunity to play ah irh^ortant leading role for >a Sunday ni?ht performance, in • which she' achieves:" a sock success.- Play . Js. the propisrty of a middle- aged retired actress. She has a secre- . tary who.dresses, walks and conducts herself in. masculine fashion.;- Old acttess develops a yearning for the younger girl, , claiming she seeis in her. a youthful reproduction who will sweep the, world with her dtarhatic abilities, in which she .will be cbached by the older woman. Girl is torn:between sacrificing her marriage for a stage career, swaying constantly in her decision, but al- ways dominated when in the ?rcsence of the retired. the.spian. 'oungei' one makes a tremendous effort to rid herself of the influence exercised by the ingratiating elder .woinan, but can't. She is at last freed by the pursuer dying and willing her house and fortune to her. Equipped with wealth, the young worrian seems ■to have inherited the characteristics of.the deceased, and proceeds to conduct herself in a similar manner, ieven to engaging of the. mannish secretary* ■ Large proportion of the fif.st-night reception was due to thie splendid cast. From an airtistic standpoint, the two outstanding successes are Martita Hunt, as the ield6rly actress, and Olga Lindo as the .mannish secr retary. Either of these, without delicate, handling, could have been mure. caricatures. ^>xVery . showy hit is scored by Nauntoh Wayne as .a philosophic young poster artist addicted to drink. He brings to the role his experi- enced personality as a monologist, which enables him to wallop over a liiimber of humorous remarks. . Jolo. Mary Morris to the English stage, and, whatever the resujlt of the ven- tui-e itself, she, undoubtedly, has made good. With her in it," piece should be good box-office iEor I^Iew York, Dour, taciturn woman runs: a boarding house on the Cornish coast. H^r son i$ to marry the daughter of the local doctor, until a wandering newspaperman recognizes her as the acquitted prisoner in a famous murder trial in Edinburgh 30, years back. She had been accused of killing her mother ahd stepfather with an axe, but the Scottish verdict of 'Not Proven' was given. After brooding oyer: her secret for all these yearsj she has to again convince the press- man and the father of her boy's sweetheart. She succeeds, but in a tense, wordless scene at the close of the play, reveals her- actual guilt. Splendid sCipportihg ,ca.st rhore' than shares the honors with Miss Morris. All told, a generally well- balanced production- which should siati^fy the large number of play- goers who revel in this type of en- tertainment. STRANGE BARRIER London, lay In'thret actn by C. 15. i?()Uar(l, pi e- sentcd by Charlton Morton at LlUle theatre, ■ London, ' ' • IJonnlh .■VVJHlams;...,.,.:;.. .i Ich/iel Shooley Dorothy WUUams. • . V..... . (. .Renee Kelly Dr. Arthur Granville..... . . .. Hylton vMlpn Guy. WUllrini.s.;;...,,.. Anilrew .OHlinr»i .M'U-gejry...Baundeifl,.... .../.Molly,;Uanlxln .loan Saundora..Gillian Muude ittle theatre here presents a: little play with a. little plot, by a little company and of little importance. It has not much chance either here or in America. Story , in a nutshell; married man takes a girL to,a houseboat and" mates a play, foir her. , In the struggle she pushes. him overboard, and he. is drowned.' In due course, without. Jcnpwing it (this is never explained) she^ becomes. betrothed to her, vic- tim's, son; When she discovers the relationship, she breaks off the en- gagement, and refuses to say why until very nearly the end of the third act. Ho hum. FIRST LOVE ('Erste iiebe') Vienna, Feb. Comedy tn flVe acts by Hans ,T. Rehflsch, produo.ed by Vrof. itudoK .!eer iit .Sculu theatre, Vienna.. Scenery• by Toin Kraa. Downley .■ . .-..K-'irl H.nchintmn Utiniild MacAllcn,..; .... a.rnid.Tauber Mr. X. ;. .Miohnll Xantho Colonel Mar-shajl. ttobert VaJberK 3»ni«. H. Givndel.. . ........ .Emma Foerstei' Ivonne Gnndel. ■. .Lla l^nae Oi'niond .ilarshall :, .Arthur Rleck Rehfisch seemingly has one thing in mind: he intends to tell, h's" fol- lowers that love appears simultane- ously with jealousy or vice viersa. Girl kisses bOy,and no reason for doing so, which adds to the psycho- logical, problem. presented. Bdy> friendship- goes to pieces, so does love, because the girl (pretty Lia Lange) did it merely because she .loves another man, teachier-in a col- lege, whom she wants to. make .ieal- ous.-- Then Rehfisch adds an operetta touch- The kissed boy turns but tp be the. son of a potentate of a Bal- kan country. Neither a hapoy. end. nor a sad endi follows, Girl'con- tinues her work in the shop of the; college, boys- make good and eabh ,goes back to his home^ Tom Kraa set; the. scenery of Eton. Rudolf Beer brought, with him varir oils ideas of c6llei.ce life, .which he experienced himself. Excellent ,cast of the ScaliEi theatre worked hard and Was able to make the world nremiere a reasonable success, Maass, SUSPECT .ii.'lH by IWx. Ju(i(l ...pn)dUL'e.l onOon, by . .-\ l^u liea. .;....... : .-.;.. jrriry" ATonM?' . i,..... .; .:. ;-J(;aii. I 'adrll' .... .;. .('anipl'PlI- .Uullan .Andvpa TrinibrMK''^ • I'otor MuiTii HIM ..'.Slan'vn-.l llllllovd .,,..;. ..l>orl.4 .Lyttori .... ..... ... ,. ...; Ua.vl'l . llonitv tudies of the macabre have, been OP the. increase in recent years,, and thi.s sinister effort by Reginald Deri- iiam and Edward Percy under the pseudonym Rex Judd .should rank as equal to its predecessors. It brings Die Eule Aus Athen ('The Owl . Hi.slorlr romeily In Loiler. JVenentod at lln. Directed by He! Darju.s. Prince .MiirdonluH., Hlpblus....... Tcrpjinder'., i,, Pliaiief.; Head Kiinnc ...... Atcspa . of Athenis') Berlin, Feb. ■three ads by Dluirlch Saarland theatre. IJer- nz Fiiedrlch Keiiter; •...Gu.stav WaJdiiu. ristian KayMnler .■i.. .'-Rene.'D.?ltKen . >rahz .Sr-hafheltllh ... .\ .. .l^rltz' nn.sp ....Frpdrlrh Ktlol •......I'uula- Denk Labored effort at satire on reek and Persian heroes and times but directed at conditions . of today. Teetiering undecidedly back and forth between his pros and cons, the au- thor finally comes to a classical con-^ elusion to the effect that a Greek is no longer a Greek if he, takes refuge in another country. He is then, it seems, nothing but an emigrant, one of those low-down creatures without roots in any soil. Get it? Heinz. Dietrich Renter occasion- ally makes one forget the author's one-sided logic by his lively di- rection of the actors. Scenes with Gustav Waldau as the Persian King Darius, who outwits the wily and ambitious yOung Greek Hippias, played by the vivid Rene Deltgen, turn put to be especially amusing. This theatre belongs to the group of. three, under the okay of Dr. Goebbels and since-Friedrich Loder; author of the play, is a P, G. (Parteir GenOsse) the hous6- is automatically filled with, other P. G.'s ^t 30c. a throw. What does' it matter how much or how little is taken in when- the: deficit is unconditionally footed by the Propaganda Mi istry? Trask. young man,, inherits the;^tavern which was conducted by" his father for many years in the fashionable Mayfair district.. of London. Ori taking over, he discovers the main source of his father's prosperity was due to permitting the place to be used . as headquairters of drug traffickers. When he decides to end this illicit relation, he is warned that trouble is in store for him and that his father's good name will be besmirched. With this basic plot to maintain interest, the^ entertainment consists: of abpui iO excellent character draw- ings and as many minor roles, all of them competently portrayed and di- rected. Margaret Rutherford plays a middle-aged spinster aiint, and sweeps all before her, easily carry- ing the acting honors. . Jolp. . ; BIG BUSINESS London, Feb. 27. Mimli'al comoiiy by .K. It. G, jJi'uw'ne. B»^rt Lee, Uies^uiond • Carter; (uu'iii, • Jack. .Waller, ' .fo«M>h Tunbtldge; produi-cd Uy italph Reailev ut .London Hlppodrouio. Kmniellno-llriy.. *. ...t ... ...Bertha Uelmorc Mary' Martin..,,.., ;..,, Enid .Dlxon-Urr Aiinabelle i;ay.......yera T'e-ivcc .llniniy .KackHtraw. .Bobby llowi-n .'^pike ■ M'U'sah\.'.. i.... . .: . .Davvd ' HurnM Lih(<olii J. Hoppei'.;...Rlchai'd ('Uu-h-e Se.>cton Hulines.'.... ^AVylle WatHon Tavern In The Town London, ronK^dy .In'Jhree acts by Arthur. .Macriir,- pVoduced.,:at 13mba.'«sy, LbiUloh, Fui);. 10, '.'UT,' liy Muri'a.y .^lucdqnald.. ••^.vdhey M'nidie •.....;;>,.'. nirhard Whitakor, Torcnce Whltakcr.. Myra:Hnmllion .,-. Mftt.. Hamilton, i-,; Aunt Bella......... Liia- Honnlfi I'loydMI... Mi-.'i. Whllnker. ... Allstair .-Plmnii.. .. , •riink . Pollo\v,s; . ^.,. Alax Ailrlaii . ,. |2srta Cann'ori. . i.. .IJprnarcl Let! .\ . John }loli|nst)iT ; .\ . ■.. vZoe .AVyhn .Nor a :\Vlnxl<ivV aret'.Ruthcrrord :.... Violet Lti.-vley John Huc.kiiiiislPi- ,-l'''r!Vn<:os Wnrin--; . .Ulchiu'd llayiln rogram' describes this - as ■; a comedy, . which it " but the plot constantly hints..: imjpending tragedy, which .rlever materializes. Like' most playwrigh.ting •efforts pf actors, piece contains: a series of characters with barely sufflciehl plot tp Iceep' thiem interesting. With isome tightening, especially at the finish, it could bfe an jacceptabJe t'eriant for one:of the medium-sixed West End theatres'; and worthy of considieration for American. hPnors. tin America, ah old-time ballad, 'There's a Tayiern in the Town,' harks back- to the 1890's. which would necessitate a change in play title, to get away from the old-fashioned rheller idfea.1 Ah upright, but not righteous ' Hippodrome combination of com- ics,, augmenti^d by David Burns (American), appear : again in the usual musical comedy mixture with which this house has been identified pf recent years^ It is ia conglomeration of what , is desisrted to be the British equivalent pf wisecracks and slapstick. <Quartet of comcdiahs . are. great favorites in Lohdon, ahd ;When> surrounded by a neat, well-kriit production, as this is, accompanied by more Pr less origi- nal music, as this has, rapid darjc- ing and attractive costuming, it is safe to predict a profitable run. Week-eiridl at Stprines London,'Feb. . Cp'ni'oil.y -In .ibj-ee -acts' by Henry jSirtiillt-y.' Pre-><enied by.. Croydon' 'Thi'atro Ilci"''r.tor.v Co. l'>b. 'av. I'roduoed by Ichael Biirr.y. •Mrs. h'onriln .. ..Susa?) RU'h.-.rdH -Vllcc.. ... ... i......, .Joan Craft George... L................... .Luwis Slrinmr Col W'Interlon '.Geoffrey KIdk- Jat'k Sonnlni; ...'., Brian Oultnii Sotila' MurKuerlle YouiiK J-larry Soiiul Hanilllon- Prk-f .-\nh .Sonnliiii;. . ...-... ..lesHR'a Shaw ilr. ..Mogg.s...-.1 Ichael alt'our Pleasant little , comedy in one set, reminiscent of domestic .film stories, and quite adaptable for that purpose, Nothing original, but it might point a good moral in an amusing way. Good many laughs^ owing to clever characterizing,, and splendidly acted. If equally, .well .iriterprieted it miight. have a chance for the West End, but is doubtful for the S. Widowed mother, on the verge of remarriage with an elderly neighbor, entertains her children after- their absence abroad for five years, owing to an eccentric will of the father, who decreed the two boys must earn their livelihood honestly for this pe- riod abroad, ahd. the one girl for three years.- Family is anxious to prevent the mothier's romance maturing, fearing the man may influence her against them, as she is the executrix of the will. . They all have things to hide. Kind- ly prospective stepfather ferriets all this out, but, realizing the harsh terms . of . the inheritance, squares everything. Sydney Revivals :.Sydneyj:eWfiL_ After the conclusion of the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet season here, WiiliamsonrTait will reveirt back tp the storehouse fpr legit attractiPns. Present plans are' for -revivals of VMai of the iWountai ," " ink Laidy," "Merry Widow," "A Southern Ma'i and Fred . Blackman will produce. No new ihows .listedi BOYER CUCKS BUT NOT B. 0. AT VIC PAL London, March 0. . Lucienne .Boyer is the headlinei: of the ne.w Victoria. Paliace. ill, . ver splendidly, although act is noit box- office the .masses. Big click.s of the show are Ben Dova. and GastPh Palmer. DeLong Sisters make an^ effective opening turn .and the Four Ortons -are wasted in the.'dosing. niche. Claude Dam- pier, an . Australian and .. local /radio name/ supiKirted by Billie iCarlyle; Pffer an insipid vehicle. Russell Swahn, American, making his vaudeville debut, after .ispme, cab- aret dates, is the m. c. pf the show. He has possibilities that , way, but lacks experi being best known, as a rhagici Marianne Oswald Tries To Suicide in Paris Retreat From Folly London, Feb. 25. Cohicdy In th'roe "acts hy' Amy. ■ Kenneily Gould and Kllcen Rusnell, presented bv-H. M. 'J'ennent. Ltd., at Queen's theatre, Lon-' don. Feb, at. AlHf;p;le.: ,.- ...MarRarst Moffat .Maid... ;. ................Angeya Kirk Maiir-k-C: Burke......;.. , (.jrahain.-BroWnt; Klora Lowell.;.,.;... ..Merle Ternjir.st Grant. Dunuiresqtie, ...^....... Paul LeysuHc Derek. BuiUe I'oter Coke Con way.;;. .7..'Jack'. T,nmbprt •Janips }lallt;y'. .v....LaUrence Harrtnian U'iillrr....,,............ ..,.Bcn -W.-'rht TCI.sa I^urKe.,.......... ,.. Antblnelle. CelHer Marie Tempest, 73 years old, is cei:.- tain to be cordially welcomed so long as she is able to, set fPpt on the rostrum. Years ago she, made a suc- cess in a play ■iftrhereih, as a middle- aged, woman, .she divorces, her hus^ band. When. she found he Was be- coming hopelessly involved with a designing female, she , came' to his rescue. Ever since, with consistent regularity, she has been cast for more or less similar roles, artd al,- ways with the utmost acceptability on the part of. the'audiiences. Present vehicle iis just another. • It is imashame.dly a Tempest play, and her: fir.st^njfi;ht clientele. wa.s. un- ashamedly loyal. It. won't do hei" any hfjirm. Or good, for that matter. Pari.s, March 1. Marianne Oswald, young, fiery- headed ..singer who is usually very well liked' or very mi itch disliked by .Paris iaudierices because of the -kind of songs she sings, decided it. wa); not worth the struggle last .wisek and attempted to commit suicide by. tak- ing an overdose of veronal. Had she not written and posted goodbye letters to friends she would probably be dead today. When one friend received a letter, a doctor was immediately sent to her hotel and she was ri^v^ed to a hospital. ■ Well known on the. Paris music hall stage. Miss Oswald has had such .composers as Milhaud and Aonegger write songs specially for her, but because of her limited appeal she has lately found it difficult to get en- gagements. 2 NEW LONDON PLAYS 'Niffht Alone' Liked—'Great sessions' N.S.G. London, March 9. ight Alone,* comedy by Jeffrey Dell, opened at Daly's, Thursday (4); Had been tried out previously at the Embassy and was reviewed by Variety oh Feb. 17. Firstrnighlers at the West End. opening Thursday, niiht liked it. 'Great Po.s.<?essions,' previously tried put in Kew, got its West End showing. Monday (8). It is a poor play, as had been in icated at the tryput... Has; to d.ol .ith.ja wealthy man who, on attai ing his. majority, gives away his worldly possessions and goes to the slums to help thie pppir; They give hini the Works and he returns to luxury and ease. ANNA EDES Budapest, Feb; 28: 'Tiiani;!:. In lln'ee ads'by Liiwlo •liak>tl.o'". i.idai>((;d from novel by Deii.'i.o KoKZtoUinyI, at--' Mcl.viirofil.-.lhenI ri>. IJuduPfsl. . " (ra.«f: Mma Hulln',.'Piro.skii . Tc-i'iy,-' Horny; .AMiljiit Ai'pad, Uijoa 13a>itHy. Brilliant pisychologlcal novici, somewhat :on Dostoevsky lines, by. an eminent loccl poet, who died^ recent- ly, has. been ably and effectively staged, although its. literary values weve lost in transit. Tragic central figure is Anna, pea.s- ant maid-ol'-all work, stunned when she .comes to town .and finds, .service in a family of callous .. and Uppi.sh bourgeois. Everything is ..strange and hpstile to : the siniple country girl. She ' can. marry honest tradesman, biit'her mistress,. mahi acal driver, nags and argues her out of it, just for the sake of hot losing a . good servant, Anna, driven by subconscious impulses, kills the nfiis- tre.ss. She doesn't know why she did it; In court,-the old: family doc tor explain.s the psycholpgical mo tives.--. ' '-^ In the...^tage version, .story has'put on the features of a thriller, aiid the murder 'scene is pretty blood-ciu'r' dling, but action, is'dr.amaj;ic; .djalojr fine arid the, two women—Anna and her. mistrcssr^aie so briUlantly pldyed by Elrha Bulla , arid Piro.ska Peery that *Anna Edes' is a fii'st- rdte. theatrical event. Miss, Peei y. seldom seen on the stage, mainly in comedy roles, establishes hcr.seIf a.s a. prime character player by her rendering of the Servant-driven har- ridan, Elma Bulla is at her best in the.se parts of good but ill-fated girls who turn criminal against their will;. C'lst as.sures success here.. Foreign run is likely; ix for .sciccn, however. Jncohl. London, March 9. West- . lacking last Weiek, with managements uniting In blamjng Brillsh Br6iad=: — casting Corp. announcinig over the - ether that snow •was prevalent in Londph and environs and' advisr ihg lieople to stay indpprs. 'On Your Toes' closes at the Pal- lace March 20, after a mere six-week, run, with Pailace; Theatrie, Ltd., and Dwijght Wiman, crying sufficient. Opened to gopd reception but mild b. ©. reaction. - iLee Ephraini, also in- terested in the show:.herc, is trying to raise $10,000 with which to transr fer it to another house, but unlikely;" Meantime M^trp has rented the house (Paliace) fdr six weeks ith option for 'Good Earth,' which -will open on irpad-show .basis. March 24. Albambra, Paris, Back to Revue en May 15; Mistinguett .Paris, .March 9i. :. Kurt Robiischek ihg vaudeville policy: at the Alhambra hi^re on April 2. HoUse will, reopen May 15 with ai hew revue istairring Mistinguett. Empire, pnee the ace vaude. house here and recently operiited with- constantly shifting poliPy of filmi vaudfilm and circus, reverts to straight two-a-day vaude on. March 27, playing local and foreign talent with Julius Marx, forniei^ly of the- t Scala, Berlin, In charge, Marx is be- ing backed by a British bankroll. Henry Carson Will do the booki 'CAN'T HAPPEN' PLAY SET FOR PARIS PROD. Paris, March 2. Sinjflair Lewis* best seller, *It Can't Happen. Here,' produced throughout the . United States by WPA unitSi, is going to be' produced on the Paris stage. Has been adapted fgr the, French stage by Jacques Chabannes and Sabine Berritz and will' be directed by Henri Lesieur. Cast wiU include Henri Monteuxr who will play the rble of the dictator; Julien Lacrpixi Henri Roger, Madeleine Lansay and Andree Ducret. • Stage settings will be executed by Nadine Landovski, Scheduled to open March 15 at the Theatre de la Renaissance, where it will be produced by the Theatre du Peuple. It will follow 'Lpups* CWplves'), which is slated to run through its 100th perfprniance before I it closes. rench title is *Pas de Ca Chez Nous' ('None oit That With Us'). Holnar's New Version Of Samson-Delilah Yarn Budapest, Feb. 28. Ferenc Molnar is in San Remo, work on a new comedy, 'Delilah,' " tended as a vehicle for his wife, Lily Darvas.. Modern replica of the biblical Delilah keeps a fashionable roadhouse i it. She does not shear Samson's hair, but bereaves him of his money, the contemporary Sam- son's .strength being in his b<t., for ,lhe sake of which other worhen love him. At the end Pelilah is: tops. .New comedy's world premiere Ks to be at the VigszinHaz during thei' com in 'Horse' Under Tent Melbourne; MammPth Product! , arrangement with Willia will tour 'White Horse Inn'- the sticks of "Victoria, ihis niohth. 'Horse' will cai'ry a cast of 100. ahd a revolving stage will, be used;" f= .in the city production. Canvas tpnt will hold' 2,000 and can be erected in two hours. Mostly one- ighters will be played, ckcept- . ing in spots wh^re the population is larger. Following Victorian iour, show will move across" the borddr into N. S. Wales.