Variety (Nov 1937)

64 VARIETY Plays on Broadway JULIUS CAESAR Revival of PlinUcs, e-u-e'a tmsL-Jy, pre BiMiteil wlllioiit Intermission by the Mert'iu-y TlioMlre (It the Mercury theKtrt*. N. V., Nnv. ]t .':>7. at fi2.'M to|t ($2.75 <n>enlnR). St:iBeil by Orsoi) Welles, music l>y Marc BUtzsteln, H ,;injr hy i^atnuel Libve. Ji Ilua C:ics:ir JoKeith Ilolliind M ii-ua AnKtnlus Gcorfre Cnulouris >>nlilius .Joseph tVtcn Mivcus Hrutus Orson Wellea (.':i.<''siu8 C tuc.i Tvfhontus l^i-^iirluH Divlua UrutUK ... Mi'tollus Clinbor < 'Innn- ........... Ji'l'lVlUH IklaruUu.s ArtciliUlorgii CInna, the I'oet.. Jiuviuti '• ■ ("alpiirnln, wile to Caesar .\liirtln (v.iIkjI .Hh'iun Stu'rumn John A. WlUiinl . .Grovcr LSuriie.ss ...,1«>hn Huysnult .Slcfiin .Schnahel Tea Kei.l ..William Mowry ..AVillkini All.-mil ...Geoiue Uulhle , ..Norman Lloyd Artlnir AnOe;',=iDn Kvelyn Allen I'urtlR, wife to Brutua Muriel JJniaaler Mercury Theatre's first venture is certain to cause talk. Bard's script has been boiled into a 90-ininute production, sans intermission, in modern dress and with" contemporary, political suggestions. Wall of the the- atre is used as background with spotlights advantageously combined with what has come to be known as the Federal Theatre technique. That shouldn't surprise anyone, as the Mercury's leading lights, John. Houseman and Orson Welles, are alumni of the WPA. Boys have turned out an effective production and have done a fine piece of editing, staging and direct- ing. IThere are many brilliant mo- ments and some fine acting in the show. Probably nobody's going to mind such inconsistencies as people getting up in the middle of the night fully dressed or in everting clothes. Those are only minor points to consider in anything as incon- sistent as any Shakespeare in mod- ern . dress. Play opens dramatically to Marc Blitzstein's score and with Fascist salutes for Caesar by the actors. Offstage prop cheers from the crowd when Caesar refuses the crown aren't too convincing. Also the scene in which Caesar is assassinated isn't played up enough. Conspirators are portrayed as moderft racketeers and give the turned>up collar and hand- in -the-pocket-on-the-trigger effect. This is stretching even the modern version a bit as they don't use guns, but stick, to the older fashioned cutlery in gijung- Caesar the busi- ness. Show moves along at a pace which holds intense interest throughout. George Coloqris gives an interpreta- tion of Marc Antony which is tops. Norman Lloyd's scene, in which as Citiha, the poet, he is attacked by a Roman mob, is a piece of fine the- atre and excellent acting. Substan tially built Martin Gabel makes a well-fed looking Cassius, who gives a good performance in the role. Able portrayal as Caesar is given by Jo- seph Holland, who ■ is f tequently given a statuesque appearance, via the lighting, to make him suggest! Mussolini. Evelyn Allen as Calpur- nia and Muriel Brassier as' Portia do well with their small roles. Orson Welles gives a performance as Brutus which is marked by ex- cellent reading of his lines and fine diction. Rendition, nevertheless, seems Weightier than necessary, even for the tragic role. Makeup' gives him too youthful an appearance, which isn't helped by the Wall street broker's collar worn in the opening scenes. Credit, however, for staging this unusual and vital version of 'Caesar' goes to him. One of its most notable achievements is the diction, which is so clear that the familiar lines become highly effec- tive. 'Caesar' has always been a sedi- tious play which, curiously enough, Is given' to schoolboys who discuss whether political assassination is justified. Lots of them will prob- ably be sent to this one, which won't hurt the b.o. Novelty o£ this pro- duction ought to arouse considerable interest and provide a substantial draw. Mercury boys are off to a good start and the low nut of the Itroduction, plus the same permanent nterest in well-produced Shakes- peare, which attracted audiences for Maurice Evans, ought to keep the modern.'Caesar' around for quite a while. consfield will probably be of limited appeal here. Play is well mounted, the cast is good and so is the direction, except for certain instructions which are de- batable. Leads are English and their appearance is more interesting than the play itself. Derrick de Marney enacts Disraeli and Sophie Stewart plays the widow of Wyndham Lewis, their romance climaxing the per- formance. ■ Perhaps the fault of the play is the fact that it is monologistic. Dizzy,' as Benjamin Disraeli is called, talks too much and often too loud during the first two acts. Less so in the final act, when the play is more effective. It is there that Mrs. Lewis defends her plan to wed the younger Disraeli. Biographic bit treats of Disraeli from the time he decides to enter politics until he enters Parliamsnt, there to be recognized as a comer. As early as that he declares he will be England's prime minister. Most of what transpires in the play may be enlightening to the average play- goer', because the Americjui stage knows Disraeli principally at the height of his career, as portrayed by George Arliss in 'Disraeli.' That was more than a generation ago, but the picture version in 1929 gave a simi- lar first portraiture. Fact that 'Dizzy' was a Jew is ac- countable for his several defeats when attempting to be elected to Parliament and his offstage co-.o- nents are identified as being led by the O'Connell. Play indicates that young Disraeli was bent on amours and one scene with his married mis- tress is illuminating. Yet he seems more consumed with political ambi- tions than romantic affairs. At the end he expresses a yearning to end his bachelorhood, successfully plead- ing with Mrs. Lewis to marry him and establish a home. De "Marney gives a sterling per- formance of 'Dizzy' from the age of his majority • until he reaches 33. Miss Stewart makes Mrs. Lewis a sweet and wholesome woman, but despite the standout performances the play does not impress as having pnough dramatic strength. Selena Royle .makes Henrietta, the mis- trass, alluring in one scene. Lora Baxter makes a good Sarah, Dis- raeli's sister, and there are several other well played parts, including Ben Webster-'s Isaac Disraeli. Ihee. (Taken off Saturday 'after' five per- formances; printed for the record.) LEGITIMATE Shows in Rehearsal Wednesday, November 17, 1937 'Between the Devil' (revised). Shuberts. •Of Mice and Men,' Sam H. . Harris. 'Siege/ Norman Bel Geddes. 'To Be Continued,' Green and Fero. 'Work Is For Horses/ Brown and Grisnian. 'Yr. Obedient Husband/ March and Cromwell. 'Something For Nothing/ Stuart Drake. 'Brown Sugar/ George Ab- bott. 'The Shoemaker's Holiday/ Mercury theatre. over the deed leads him to confess to the sheriff, but to no end. That of- ficial had received instructions from a representative of ■ the governor, who had issued a statement to the press condoning. the lynching. One state official did just that a year or so ago, and that may be the basis for the play. Job Williams is determined to atone in somife way, and tries to malce it easy for the widow of the man he bludgeoned. He is criticized. ' Men in the shop complain, and, after ah argument with the> foreman, he is fired. His wife sides with the others, who accuse him of having an affair with the widow. Job finally tells the widow why he is aiding her, but she says he has been kinder than the husband had been all their married life. Again the mob comes, this time to Job's home, and he is shot in a scuffle try- ing to protect the widow and send her out of town. It is the first production by Mrs. Carly Wharton, and is a promising start. James Bell as the unfortunate Job, Elspeth Eric as his wife and Shirley Booth as the widow are featured, and stand out. There are other good performances by Richard Keene,. Clyde Franklin, Joseph Sweeney, Rex WUliams, Lew Eckels and Francis Pierlot. Ibce. Plays Ont of Town THREE WALTZES Boston, Nov. 13. Operellu In three acts (13 scenes), pro- sontea bv Messrs. Shubert at Boston Qpera House, Nov. 13, '37. American adaptation by Clare Kummer. Mualo by Jobann .Strauss, Joliann Strauss. .Tr., Oscar Straus, Production, direction and llgtitlnff by Has- aard Sliort. Settings by WaUon Barratt .Starring Margaret Bonncrman and Michael Bartlett. .Costumes designed by Connie d© Pinna. Supporting cast: denn Anders, Ann An« drewB, Louis Sorln, John Barker, Matfcue- rite Sylvn, • Ralph Magelssen, Harry Mest- ayer. Victor Jlorley, Charlie Arnt, George, Baxter. Marcella Swanson, Marlon Pierce, Rosle Moron, Gertrude. Mudge, Len Mence, Alfred Kapplor, Earl McDonald, Wheeler Dryden, Ruth Hammond, Wililam . New- Rord, Ralph Bunker, Evelyn Case, Fred Sliennan, Adele Rl':h, Men ot Mnnliattan Octette, ballet and 'Can-Can' girlii. Jong. Some day he is going to ^nd the right part and do okay, for him- self. 0£ the rest of the cast, Muriel Hiitchison is highly decorative; Jes- samine Newcombe, effective; Stiano Braggidtti, Edward Fielding and George Macready, competent, 'Merely Murder/ as now construct- ed, will need a manrsized job of re- write to make the Broadway gr^de. Some other thriller will have to fill that niche, Burm. Antony and Cleopatra TOO MANY HEROES Molodrania in two acts. Presented at the Hurt.Hon Nov. iu. '37, by Carly Wharton; written hy Dore Schary; :ttaecd by Gar.son Kiinlii; James Hell, Shirley Booth nnd i spelh Eric IVatuved; ^.30 top. Mrs. Halsey Leslie Bingham Nora Wllllttni.s .Elspeth Krlc -Mr. HHl«ey li'rancls Pierlot .leb Wlllliinis , James Bell Hurry HalHey Richard Keene. Danny Parker , Jeon Barrere Tomn>y Poller.. Thomas Fisher Wll.son Paul Ashley C'osjn-ove James Backus M:trtmnr Xiawrence Forsythe 1.11 B.sl tiM-.., Jack Lee Uiinder Randolph Wade lIurlDii Charles McClelland Mr. McMillan ....Clyde li^ranklln Andrews Rex Willl.ims First Deputy Marlon Willie SherliT Bailey..- Joseph Sweeney second Deputy John Huntington Stevenson Anthony Rosf John Nolan Lew Fckels Third Deputy Herschel Cropper Fourth Doputy ; Royal C. .Stout Carrie Nohiii Shirley ])ooth Peler'n Ernest 'Woodwarrt ("apt. Miller Robert Reed Nlelvon ■ BJorn Koelood Laurence Rivers, Inc., presentation of William . 9hakesi>eure's play {adapted by Wllllnm Strunk, Jr.). slurrlntr Tallulah Bankhead, featuring Conway Tearle. Di' reeled by Reginal Bach. Settings and cos- tumes by 'Jo Mlelziner. Mualc by Virgil Thomson.' At Mansfield theatre-. New Yurk, o<)eDlng Nov. 10, 1037. $3.30 top ($1.40 opening.) Mark Antony, Triumvir Conway Tearle Octavius Caesar, Trluirfv'ir John Emery M. Aemilius Lepldus, Triumvir K. Malcolm Dunn Sextus Pompelus Aver^U Harris Domitlus Enobarbus Thomas Chalmers Eros.... WlUrld Seagram Scariis ...Frederic Volght Dercetat) Richard Ross Demetrius Ciinrles Bowden Phllo ^ Henry Adrian Thyreus ..Stephen Fox Agrlppa Ralph Chamber.s Dolabella...., Henry Saundei's Proculelus. Wilton Graf Menas John Parriah Canldlua...., George V. Dill Alexas ..William Barwald Mardian Robert Williamson Diomedes Fred Hanschl Messenger Linvrohee Fletcher Cleopatra. Tallulah Bankhead Octavla icegina Wallace (tUovmian I'^anto. MarlnolC Irae C4eorgia Harvey Dancer Knmlla Slaneska Musician Sidney Halpern Musician... Arnold Sattler Musician Alfred Ross T-ady of the Court Virginia Rpottawood Lady of the Court Derby Dale Cup Eenrer.., Biirbnra Ellis Cup Bearer Valp.slcn Von Momerty Slave .Mai y Shannon Slave •. .■ Mlrinm Cousons Brought over from Paris for its American debut here tonight. Waltzes' dariced on and on through the night and died on its fe6t long before the music ended at 12:15 Sun- day morning. Margaret Bannerman and Michael Bartlett sang a number of ^pleasing song^ and emerged suc- cessful abov^ their dull, doddering, boggy book. In the hands of Hassard Short the piece is mounted la.vishly With the expert help of Watson Barratt on scenery and Connie de Pinna on cos- tumes. Middle-aged carriage trade will probably enjoy this romance of three geQerations of lovers, starting in Vi- enna in 1865, easing through Paris of 1900 and crashing to a finish in a London motion picture studio of 1937. First two generations of lovers are split tragically^ and the grand- children of the . original lovers finally click. There' was no spontaneous ap- plause from the cash customers Until well into the second act when Bart- lett sang 'The Only One' (to a man). Other outstanding tunes are 'Spring- time' and 'Our Last Waltz Together.' Can-can chorus number following soon after this livened. things up a bit, and a dramatic scene between Ann Andrews and Bartlett closed the second act with an exciting note. • As for humor, there isn't a laugh in the whole show until a picture producer, with a hebe dialect (Louis Sorin), starts tearing his hair over the slow pace of his production crew. Little late to save the show, then 11:45, and a group of colorful mixed ballets in the finale are simply beau- tiful anti-climaxes. Miss Bannerman and Barrtlett are convincing in love scenes, sing superbly together and register well in their solos. Glen Anders. Mar- guerite Sylva, Charles Arnt, Marion Pierce, (3eorge Baxter, and Ruth Hammond are others who stand out in a 'cast of 100.' 'Waltz' ^ill do no marathon it it ever hits Broadway. , Fox, Young Mr. Disraeli Di'itnia in three acts (Ave scenes) pre- B-riled at the Fulton, Nov. 10, '87. by Ai x Yokel; written by Elswyth Thane (Mrs. AVIlllam Beebe); staged by MarKarei Wel\sler; sets, David Ffolkes. Derrick de Miuney and Sophie Stewart featured, ja.ao tup. <$5.!i0 opening.) Isaac Disraeli. .........Ben AVebsler Mn ria Disraeli Molly Peiiraon S.irah Dliirnell Lora Baxter B'tijaniln Disraeli Derrick de Mnrney Q'.in Donald Avbury Henriella ; Selena Royle Mi-f>. Wyrdham Lewis Sophie Stewart JtiiciU Alice John ■\\'.\ iiiiliiitn Lewis i Edgar Kent EJ-vMi'il Bulwer... Harry Redding Cantlinn Norton .....Lenora Sol-sby Ito.sina Bjiwer Franees Amherst London first saw 'Young Mr. Dis- raeli' and doubtless the play was more appealing there, since the hero wa.s one of England's greatest states- nea. But this historical slice of the young man who was to be Lord Bea- Plays with the atmosphere of lynch law have been presented on the stage .before without much success. 'Too Many Heroes' seems a better presentation than its predecassors, but is also doubtful of landing. Yet this melodrama, one of the grimmest in yearg, is a real job in casting, direction and presentation, drab as it is. Regardless of that it is probably the average auditor will leave the theatre with a feeling "Of enervation. There are no less than three mob scenes, which Garson Kanin staged with effectiveness. Audiences may not be terrified, but in essence 'He- roes' is a horror play. Perhaps the whole story is too drab, and certainly most of its characters are, for incit- ing to riot is anything but pleasant, no matter how convincingly it is enacted. • - - In a small town two men on a spree kidnap the daughter of the wealthy mill owner, and her body is found in a swamp after she had been maltreated and raped. Foreman of the mill rallies the hands, and they march to the jail to do the culprits to death. Inciting speech is brutally clinching, and the killers are hauled from the flimsy cell and strung up. There is one worker. Job Williams, who did not want to participate. He is happily married to Nora, and on the night of the lynching was to cele- brate their wedding anniversary. He advocates orderly procedure, that the law should take its course. But once fired by the speech of the foreman, he beconif^s one of the most vicious of the mob. From then on it is woe and trouble for WiU'i.ns. He believes he mur- dered one of the girl's killers with an iron bar and that the man was dead before he was hung. Remorse Tallulah Bankhead is glamorous and magnetic in her scenes, but otherwise this Shakespearean revival is long, windy and dull. It contains the usual number of line-swallowing, scenery-chewing and toga-wearing strikers of heroic poses. By reason of a handsome production," its cur tain-risings win spontaneous ap plause. But the sets tend to outshine the actors. And that's never a happy omen for the box office. As Cleopatra, the star has a chance to gesticulate like a museum mura and wear Egyptian costumes worthy of a Walter Wanger musical revue in the cinema.- She electric, with brilliant costuming, clever make-up and a bushel basketful of footlight isms. In particular, her scene at the close of the first act is theatrically slick as she romps from one quick change of mood into another. But Shakespeare didn't write his little play for Miss Bankhead. And that's what's wrong. She's offstage more than on. And the interludes get awful gabby. It is not a play of very great suspense or tension. Some of the fragments are better than others, as some of the actors (notably Averell Harris as Porhpeius) are bet ter able to make their lines sound like the English language instead of an opera libretto. Conway Tearle is an unsatisfactory Antony, He's routii-"^ .^t best, anc from start to finirh Mie oerform ance tosses eve -:-- ' •" '\ word com pletely away. Among the many men. Romans or Egyptians, a few stand out. not be cause of any fine acting, but because the first perquisite of good acting- diction—is theirs. Lawrence Fletch er as the bearer of the news from Rome sounds all h'>5 svllablfi.s. So. too. does the blu-"^ ' ^iHi-jp of (Continued on page 66) THE HOUSEMASTER New Haven, Nov. 11. Comedy in three acts (rtve scenes), by Ian Hay, presented by MHton Shubert. in Oiisoclation with Ruth Selwyn. at the Shu- bert theatre. New Have.n; Nov. 11, '37, ¥2.20 top. Features Fredetlcl: Leister, Peggy Simpson, Plioebe Foster. Aubrey Mather, Staged- by Frederick Leister, Bet- tings by Watson Barratt. Charles Donkln Frederick Leister 'Bimbo' Faringdon....Lester Lonergan, Jr. Victor Beamish .Gavin Mulr Frank Hastings Aubrev Mother Ellen. .Sally Fitzpatrlck Barbara Fane.... ...Phoebe Foster 'Button' Faringdon, Peggy SimiMon Matroit> ; . Josephine' Brown Rosenmry Faringdon Susan For Chris Faringdon Jano Sterling Philip de Pourvilte...Stephen Ker-Appleby Flossie Nightingale... .Arttiur Gould Porter Rev. Edmund Ovlngton.......Philip Tongo -Sir Berkeley Nightingale..Frances Comptou Travers William Packer 'Pop' Gary McCully 'Old Crump' Bertram Tans well MERELY MURDER Baltimore, Nov. 13. Comedy mystery in three acts, adapted by A. E. Thomas from novel by Georgette Heyer: presented by Laurence Rivers, Inc.; staged by Miriam Doyle; setting by Watson Barratt; at Ford's, Baltimore, Nov. 15, '.$7. $2.20 top. Rudolph Mesurler. Stiano BragglottI Kenneth Vereker.... Douglass Montgomery Violet Williams; ..Muriel Hutchison Leslie Rivers BeUy Jenckes Murgatroyd Jessamine Newcomba Tony (Anlonia) Vereker.., .Claudia Morgan In-spector Hannaslde Edward Fielding Giles Carrlngton George Macready Harry Chippendale Rex O'Malley .Sergeant Armstrong. Charles Campbell 'Merely Murder* is another at- tempt to give Broadway the murder mystery it is supposed to be waiting for. As presented here, it falls far short of fulfillment. Overly conver- sational, with insufficient movement and a generally painful and strained attempt at sophistication of dialogue and characterization, this play emerges as just another whodunit, using the same old tricks in' th6 same old way, with only a thin coat- ing of phoney dog as an ineffective disguise. Kenneth Vereker is a struggling young artist of eccentric and ultra- modern makeup, living with his sis- ter Tony, an equally unconventional modern. Both are in the throes of impossible affairs of the heart. There's a fortune in store for Ken- neth, when his nasty step-brother is found mysteriously murdered. Un- fortunately, another step-brother, supposedly dead, suddenly shows up to complicate matters. The finger of suspicion is pointed all around, Scot- land Yard enters into the picture, and, in spite of a lot of attempted smart talk, the murderer turns out to be the person least suspected. There are some original moments, but they are rare and far between. Boiled down, it's still an old-time mystifier with only clutching hands, terrifying screams and suspicious jewels missing. One slightly differ- ent twist is that everybody agrees the dead man should have been rubbed out and that nobody present would have minded doing the trick. Cast and direction Is uniformly good. Douglass Montgomery as Kenneth, and Claudia Morgan as his sister, labor rather well in their re- spective assignments. Rex O'Malley, m a potentially funny and original t role, has his moments, but is on too American premiere of 'Housemas- ter* again brings up the subject: 'Is the British appetite for drama more easily appeased than the American?' Play is still running in London, with more than 400 performances to its credit. Against the current Broad- way field, indicatioiis are for only a moderate success. New York play- goers, accustomed to sinking their teeth into stage fare of heavier sub- stance, will find in 'Housemaster' a tasty bit of dessert—nothing more. There's nothing radically wrong with the play, in fact it's given a Commendable production, but despite this, it still adds up to take-it-or- leave it diversion. Play might be built into a fair film, although theme has a distinct 'Three Smart Girls' flavor which might crimp Its picture possibilities. Piece is . nicely writ- ten, dialog contains an occasional epigrammatic gem and is generally easy on the ear. Fact that it was labeled a 'sissy' play by some first- nighters (probably due to the typi- cal English gentlemen's school at- mosphere) may be a tipoff to gen- eral American reception. Plot is mainly a character study ot a British boys school housemaster, Charles Donkin, who dispenses flog- gings or fatherly advice on romantic affairs, according to the case at hand. Donkin i>ossesses a keen insight into the workings of a boy's mind, a char- acteristic not duplicated in the makeup of Rev. Ovington, unpopu- lar headmaster of the school. Two men disagree on school policies, leaving strained relations between them. In earlier years Donkin has passed up a romance with Angela, his youthful sweetheart, and the girl later married a Bohemian type named Faringdon, who became the father of her three daughters. An- gela subsequently died and left the girls in care of her sister, Barbara Fane. Upringing of the trio has pre- vented realization of Barbara's own marriage to Frank Hastings, Don- kin's colleague at the school. That's how matters stood for 14 years till the kids' grew up and Barbara lands them all with Donkin and Hastings for an indefinite stay. Girls disrupt the routine of the school and cause a near mutiny which brings about Donkin's resigna- tion. But a friendly member of the board of governors pulls strings, has the antagonistic headmaster shifted to other quarters and presents the job to Donkin. Father of the girls re- marries and takes them home again, leaving Barbara free to marry Hast- ings. In a minor romance Rosemary, one of the daughters, becomes en- gaged to Philip, music teacher at the school, which just about makes the fairy tale ending a perfect score. Action is well sustained through- out the three acts. Direction by Frederick Leister keeps things roll- ing. Leister doubles in the lea,d, a role he created in the London pro- duction, and his work is consistently good. Aubrey Mather does well by a subdued comedy part, and Phoebe Foster fits as the matronly Barbara. Gavin Muir hops in from pix for an unsympathetic fellow-housemaster role which he handles efficiently. There's "Some very capable work by a group of youngsters in this play. As the three daughters, Peggy Simpson, Susan Fox and Jane Ster- ling are an attractive trio. Viva- cious, without being too precocious, they present a nice physical picture as well as acting ability. Arthur Gould Porter and Lester Lonergan, Jr., also contribute good adolescent roles. Casting of balance of troupe is better than adequate. Play is done in two sets, the housemaster's study being in excel- lent taste. Authenticity is given the production as a whole, probably due to the fact that author Ian Hay at one time served as a housemaster, himself. Bone.