Variety (Aug 1937)

58 ♦vABnaci'S' IiOndon office, B St. Martin's PJac0, Tratalgur Htiuara INTERNATIONAL SHOW NEWS CAl»le AddreMt VARIETX, XONOOM Telephone Xemple Bar 5(Hl-6042 Moscow Art Theatre, 130 in All In Paris; Germans, Chinese Next Paris, Aug. 15. Three different foreign theatrical troupes will appear in Paris in as many months, starting with the Mos- cow Art Theatre, which has just opened for a two-:and a: half-week stand at the Theatre des Champs- Elysees.' Entire troupe of the Bay- r«uth Opera will come in September, to be followed in' October by 24 Chinese actors. Entire Moscow troupe-is in Paris, •with the exception of Constantin Stanislavski, who was originally scheduled to accompany the group which he and V. I. Nemirovitch^ ps^ntchenko founded in 1898. Illness prevented his coming, but.the other of the two founders arrived, in Paris several days before his playei's, to make final arrangements. Company is composed of 130 per- sons and is complete to the last call boy. Twenty carloads of scenery, costumes and other equipment were brought from Moscow to assure orig- inal presentations. Repertoire of the troupe consists of Maxime Gorki's •Enemies,' Trenev's 'Liubov laroyaia' and Leon 'Tolstoi's 'Anna Kareniha.' German Layoff German week of festivities, run- ning from Sept. 3 to 12,- will be com- posed, of several performances of the Bayreuth Opera Co., the 100- piecb Berlin' Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gunthe'r. Dancers of Munich. This, is the first time that the entire German State Opera company has, ever come to Frd'nce. Wilhehn Furtwangler will direct •Die Walkure' . and Tristan iind Isolde,! which will be sung by Martha Fuche, Maria Muller and Frantz Wolker. On the wind-up night he ■will ■ conduct Beethoven's • 'Ninth Symphony.'' • Richard Strauss will come to di- rect two of; his own operas, 'Der Rosenfcavalier' ' and 'Ariaine auf Naxos.' Walker Funk, vice-presi- dent ot the German Chamber of Art. has arr-anged -the presentations and will direct the gala, with the as- sistance of' Heinz Titi'en, director of the State Opera. Opening at the Comedie de la Ghamps-Elysees for tvfo weeks on- pet-, .2 the double dozen Chinese actors heaoied by Tcheng Yen Ghin .will present native drama. There will be no worhen In the troupe. Some ot the original Chinese plays •which will be presented are 'The God of Fire.' 'Death on the Rock,' *L6ve of a Shepherd and- a Peasant Girl' and The Mountain to a Thousand Feet,', TWO NEW LONDON PLAYS Van Druten's fMaude* NSG, But Miller's 'Music' Looks Okay London, Aug. 24. 'Gertie Maude,' John Van Druten's first play here since he went to Hol- lywood two years ago, opened at the, St. Martin's theatre Aug. 17. Play is an intej^esting character study pre- .sented by Auriol Lee and Sydney Carroll, but seems is commercially unsound. 'Old Music,' Keith Winter's new play pf the Crinoline era, opened at the St. James theatre, Aug. 18, under auspices of Gilbert Miller. It is tnost effectively mounted and 'should ap- peal to those who liked 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Victoria Regina' and other plays of that type. New Mpxit. for Vaude Theatre in London London, Aug_. 15. Vaudeville theatre reopens in Sep- tember under the management of Robert and Cecil Schofield and Anthony Ellis. Company has se- cured a lease of the house, which will be redecorated and new seats installed. Theatre will be devoted to comedy and farce, and anrtong the plays al- ready acquired is 'Punch and Judy,' a farce by Val Gielgud. MAGYAR CYCLE IN SHOW WORLD PARIS PASSION PLAY SOCK CUCK MEX. MUSICAL DUE IN 1. A.; CAST OF 250 Hollywood. Aug. 24. Series of musical shows from Mexico City will be produced in Los Angeles next season by Frank Fouce, who plans to import Robert Soto, Mexican revue producer, a troupe of 175 playeys, and a 75- piece band. Fouc" has gone to Mexico City to rorrplete the arrangements and sigh Fernando Soler and. Virginia Fab- reras, Mexican players, for the Los Angeles appearances. Paris, Aug. 15. Highlight of the summer's the- atrical season, France's own Passion play, gained one pf the greatest suc- cesses it has ever experienced at this year's presentations. Original plans called for a run of six days but 'so great was the de- mand for seats that the presenta- tions were continued five extra days. Excellent weather had much to do with this. Produced this year,'as for the last three, imder the direction of Pierre Adelbert, it is estimated that nearly 100,000 persons- saw it during its xiin this sea&on. Sponsored by the Com- missariat des Fetes de Paris, presen- tations took on a' special sighficance because of the exposition. Cast included more than 2,500 ac- tors, singers and extras, as well as a Guarde Republicaine [ band and , the boys' choir of the Petite Chanteurs a la Croix de Bois, which added spe- cial musical effects. ^ ■ Mpre than 10,000 made up the au- dience seated in the great square in front ■ of Notre Dame cathedral on the opening night to witness one of the most magnificent spectacles of dramatics, color and sound'France has seen. Majestic floodlit towers of the old church provided the only background, with 'Heaven' on the left of the mammoth stage and 'Hell' on the right. Budapest, Aug. 13. Erik Charrell is due at Szeged to inspect open-air performances of 'Janos Vitez' ('Gallant John'), Hun- garian folk play, which he proposes to turn into a spectacular revue for London and New York. Originally ah epic'by Petofi, Hun- gary's greatest poet, 'Janos Vitez' was dramatized and .set to music 30 years ago and proved the greatest hit the Hungarian stage has ever known, Charrell plans to retain the original score, but will magnify the whole affair. Spectacular possibilities of Mag- yar settings have been discovered by other British showmen, of late. Eric Maschwitz is here, writing the successor to 'Balalaika,' a romantic Anglo-Hungarian musical. He has dubbed it 'Paprika' and is giving it a late 19th century setting. George Pbsford; who is composing the score, is also here in quest of ma- terial. 'Paprika' is to be produced early in the coming season at His Majesty's theatre, London. Val Gielgud, drama director of B.B.C., is also in Budapest, absorb- ing local color for his new detective novel, 'Death in Budapest,' Furthermore the London stage is soon to see Gilbert Miller's produc- tion of Eugene Heltai's historical rhymed comedy, 'The Silent Knight,' in adaptation by Humbert Wolfe. CUT-RATE MUSICALS DO WELL IN HUNGARY Summer Theatres New Lengyel Play Budapest, Aug. 13. Melchior Lengyel, still in Holly- wood, where shooting of his- picture. 'Angel,' with Marlene Dietrich, has jiifit been completed, has a n»w play. 'The Necklace.' to be produced at Muvesz Szinhaz here as the first novelty of the fall season. 'Necklace' is a pre-French-revolu- tioii historical play, dealing with the gi.i(anlic scandal that centred around the gems presented by Prince Rohan to Qfesn Marie Antoinette. Hebrew Actors (Continued from page 53) Dekobra Musical Budapest, Aug. 13. France's best-Selling novelist, Mau- rice Dekobra, got Andre Maiiprey to collaborate on a book for a musical comedy version of his novel, 'Venus a fiulettes,' As 'Venus on Wheels' it has a score by Michael Krasnay-Kraus, Hungarian composer, and is sched- uled for early production in Paris and Vienna. even been decided on, .more than $4,000 worth of tickets have been subscribed. , . Only 8 N. Y. Houses Left . (3oing on to an enumeration of the coming season, Guskin announced that there would be eight houses opening in New York. Five, the Mc- Kinlay Square, Lronx; Hopkinson, Brooklyn; Pcrkway, Brooklyn; Lyric, Brooklyn, and Bionx Art, Bronx, will open Sept. 5. Other three, National, Public nd Second Ave., will open Sept. 13. Also the Yiddish Art Tlieatre will open a season at the Jolson, off Broadv7-y about the end of Sept. Foll vTheatre, on Sec- ond Avenue, formerly an ace house, has gone pictures. Much is expected of the season on Second Avenue which will again be 100% musical comedy. Molly Picon is returning to the avenue after a three-year absence, to head the troupe at the Public. Opposite her will be Aaron Lebedoff. the avenue's eternal juvenile, who, too, has been absent for one year. Menashe Skul- nik will head the troupe at the 2d Avenue, with music by Jos. Rum- shinslcy, also in the pit. Leo Fuchs will head the cast at the National. Maurice Schwartz' Yiddish Art Theatre, uptown at the Jolson. will open the season with a di'amatization of 'Brothers AshUiuazi,' from I. J. Singer's best seller novel, of which much is expected. Schwartz, inci- dentally, came in for a bit of a haz- ing at the meeting on the ground of bringin.i* in actors from abroad for- his ti'Oupe. There are fouv such. Actors' Union execs pointed out that Budapest, Aug. 13. While producers everywhere loudly bewail the death of stage musical corhedy, murdered by the competi- tion of screen revues, Budapest's successful showman, Michael Erde- lyi, maintains that there is an in- creasing demand for operetta. Erde- lyi has a chain of three suburban theatres playing musicals twice a day at rock-bottom prices to ca- pacity audiences. Starting originally with revivals of old favorites, Erdelyi can't find enough operettas to go round and has taken to writing his own for lack of better material. He is now negotiating for rental of Royal Thea- tre, where he proposes to try out new original musicals, to go on his suburban chain subsequently. THE TRUNK ((jontinued from page 54) convinced: that he has dropped the grudge. Nor Is the audience.. By this time, Richard Heath has lost his presidency through a proxy upset in the corporation, and he and his s;s- ter -have lost ownership of their house through adversities. Fletcher now owns the Heath house (a con- venient situation for the scenic de- signer), he lives there. Barbara re- ,sents this state of affairs, and Roger boils over the loss of his job and at- tempts to shoot Fletcher. GrimshaW drops in- unexpectedly and saves Fletcher's life' for further menaces. They come . soon enough. ■While Fletcher is modeling a gro- tesque statue in the drawing room two midnights later, his butler, Everett Boggs, tells him that the art dealer has delivered a rare piece he had been expecting. Rather an un- usual hour, thinks Fletcher (and the audience), but tells Boggs to set it on the table. Packing case is in the form of a diminutive trunk, about large enough to hold a dwarf. While Fletcher putters, with his back turned, the lid of the trunk opens, an arm sticks out, holding a blow gun, and shoots Fletcher in the throat. With practically everybody under suspicion, Inspector Burns, in- telligently played by Fritz Eisen- mann, conducts his inquiry and questions Grimshaw most. (jlimax comes when Grimshaw visits "the Heaths. While he is talk- ing to Barbara in leering tones, Richard gets a phone call from the inspector, giving him some mys- terious instructions. While Grlm- shaw's attention is diverted, Richard heats a poker in the fireplace, sneaks up behind Grimshaw and presses it against his upper leg. Grimshaw doesn't react, and the secret's out: he has lost his legs as a result of th6 auto accident, and would therefore fit into the fatal trunk, minus the false shafts he had concealed up to this point. Fritz Eisenmann stands head and shoulders above his fellow players and gives a convincing interpreta- tion of the level-headed inspector. Russell Curry is okay as Boggs; Ed- ward Hale handles the bit role of coroner-capably, and the other play- ers are swept in to a safe landing on the' flood tide of a foolproof plot. Wood took the important role of Grimshaw to fill a vacancy. He dis- tin,guished himself as a playwright only. Fox. JASON'S JOURNEY New London, N. H., Aug. 20. . Fantasy in three acts by Seymour Gross, presented by New London Players at New London, N. H.,. Aug. lU, MT; directed by Josephine IZ. Holmes; set, Norman Grant. Betty Fi'omun... Ruth Hogar Poul Lewis.... Denis Plimmer Ourrle Henderson Carolyn Lichtehfels Rankin.. Howard Boardman Dr. Henrv Henderson Paul Davee Johnny'Flint. ..Tohn Thomas Sally O'Connell.. ...Anne Claverle Jason Jonathan JournamaniCharles Bowden it was supposedly a closed shop and didn't have to permit this influx from abroad. But it preferred not to get tough at this time and thus, per- haps, lose jobs for about 20 of its members who will be employed there. If the road experiment in Chicago and Philadelphia works out, it Was decided, efforts will be made to spread out further, with Detroit; Cleveland and Toronto in mind. Irving Grossman, Dina Goldberg, Max Wilner and Anna Hollander will head the Philly troupe, work- ing at regulation salaries, but sans guaranty. Lucy'and Misha Gorman will head the Chicago co. in the same way. It is not a co-op venture, in other words, but with the union sticking out its chin for possible losses. However, it is this very fac- tor which disturbs some of the ac- tors, who feel they would rather not take a chance. 'Some of you may be figuring on WPA,' Guskin told the meeting, but speaking to those who have been shy about joining up. 'Let me warn you that this is dangerous. They are cutting down more and more. Be- sides which, we should be strong enough to do our own cruisading- '\vork, rather than depending on Washington.' This is Seymour Gross* first play and his second to be produced in strawhats this season. 'Accidental Family' was premiered two weeks ago at Dennis, and is currently being considered as a commercial, possi- bility for Broadway. 'Jason's Jour- ney' was not aimed at the commer- cial stage by Gross, and there is little hope that it will ever graduate from the little theatre class. Written by. Gross when he was fresh from college, 'Journey' might easily have been the by-product of a philosophical bull session, when the subject was Plato. In brief, it's a wobbly literary colt by Plato, out of Bulfinch. Like the Jason of mythology, this one is trying to find his Golden Fleece, in the form of a woman. When he does locate her, another man snatches the prize. Longest path between these two points chosen in this dramatic itinerary is a hazy highway, very foggy at times. An inarticulate cast, with one exception, does not clarify matters. During a thunder storm a young couple stumble out of their mired automobile and into a strange house. They find that a rather psychic but- ler, Rankin, has anticipated their visit by placing their own bedroom slippers by the 'fireplace. Soon an- other couple enter under identical circumstances, and they, too, dis- cover their slippers awaiting them. Third couple stumbles in,-and ditto. Their mysterious host, Jason Jona- than Journaman, enters, bids them all welcome, and passes around cocktails. He does not drink from his own glass.. That arouses sufficient interest for a first act, but from that point it is about as well organized as a picnic on an aquaplane. Cocktail is a secret potion which makes people act as they imagine themselves to be. This bit of fantasy has some fair possibilities, but a bewildered cast, groping for the light, fails to deliver clearly delineated characters, with the result that all is not quite clear fromout,.fjropt. One triangle remains unbroken (Dr. Henderson, his wife, and Sally, his nurse), while the other triangle cracks. Betty, the attractive girl sought by Paul, a fussy young man and Johnny, another suitor, is not affected by - the drink. While her two young men are under its ia- Quence, she sees them in a new light and selects Johnny, although Jasorx would have liked her for his mate since she was the only one of the group who knew herself. Jason offers cocktails to Betty and Johnny in a parting toast, but passes none to the audience, where a round of stiff drinks is needed most. Howard Boardman as Rankin, the perfect butler, is by far the most convincing player. Fox. Man in Dress Clothes Pawling, N. Y., Aug. 23. Comedy In three nets, with music, adapted by Seymour Hicks from French ot Tves Mirande; lyrics, Rowland 'Leigh: dances Starr West; presented by Maryverne Jones in association with the Messrs. Shulwrt at the StttrllRht theatre, Pawling, N. v Aug. 23. '."IT. •' Count Luclen d'Ar^ols John Barclay Germalne. Hene Damur Henri de la Tour Starr West Foxtrot. Arden Young Pierre LaTiurre. Donald Bliifk Andre de Landal Teddv Jones Helone '. Isobel Rose Louis Raymond Southwlck Ouatnve Ralph . Sunipter Kmlle Georpte- Spelvln Jeanette ; Carmen Lpwis This infant at present is not very husky and it is doubtful whether it even possesses the 'vitality to with- stand the pruning, grafting and other operations which would be necessary to enable it to face the rigors of Broadway or follow the pace that Hollywood sets. In other words, it's constitutionally weak. Its theme is commonplace and, although it contains some ex- pressed humor, it is devoid of any- thing approaching a dramatic situa- tion. Tunes are pleasant enoiigh, but none of them are likely to become popular hits. Scene of the; story is Paris. Lu- cien and his wife, Germaine, agree to split and she is given, or taken, all his -worldly goods and chattels .with the exception of an evening dress outfit. This causes him no end of emba,rrassment. He can't go out until after six at night, since he is a stickler for social customs. And since he is broke he is hard put to find a haven then. He and his friend Henri, also on his uppers,' supiply the best comedy of tl^s piece in their efforts to annex a couple of dinners on the cuff. However, following an experiment or two, Germaine conclude^ that Lu- cien is really the goods and goes back to. him. Original sumptuous furnishings are put back in his bed- room, in place of the boards and , boxes substituted when the wife moved out. She also places h:r wed- ding dot, 20,000,000 francs, to his credit in a bank and he and Henri eat. Everybody is so happy when the curtain falls that all hands burst into song. Despite the fact that the cast was scrambled together and rehearsals completed within .five days, a re- markably smooth performance was given. A dance by Foxtrot, a none too virtuous character of the nlay. is an outstanding bit. Titles of some of the songs are 'Who Cares,' 'I'm So Glad.' 'Take Love While You May.' and 'Girls. I'm True to All of You.' First and third, acts are in Lucien's bedroom, second in a restaurant. Craw. Greatness Comes to the Maronies Keene, N. H., Aug. 20. Drama In three acts (eight scenes) by Muiin PMge and Izola Forrester, presented ut Keene Summer Theatre, Keene, N. H., Aug. ao, ':J7. Directed by Freeman Ham- mond; ;.sel3 designed by M. S. Sampaon, executed by George Pearson. • Katherine f.lewelUn Muriel Brassier Walter Maronies.... .Gilmoie BuMi Samuel Maronies Kenneth Bisbee Kllen Mivronles Beatrice Colony John Don Farrar Anne 'Welv Rosamond Paire Gordon Weir Freeman Haaimona Audrev Temple. . Rosalind Kliarfen Dr. Phil Tennanl ■. ..Wnlhrop R. Pn^e Charlie Polls...- Jaf^'' Thomas Marunie.^ Larry Johns Sufficiently sustaining to hold in- terest of a strawhat audience. 'Maro- hies' has some possibilities for Broadway, but offers more promi.se as a film scenario, with production embellishments. , It's a yarn abotit an author who finds inspiration for a new novel m the environment of the Maronies home, where he and his "wue are forced to take shelter when their automobile crashes. Within the Ma- ronies family, Gordon Weir, tne author, finds that the two Maronies brothers live in adjacent New Eng- land houses but have not been cor- dial with each other for 25 years. This situation intrigues Weir and, during his convalescence, he piies into the family's secret. Katherine Llewellyn, sister of Sam Maronies wife, ultimately confides in Weir ano tells him what's behind the f ami y enmity. She is living in the bam Maronies home because she sinned with Thomas, the other Ma- ronies brother, and the result of tms affair has been an illegitimate s. ■ (Continued on page 63)