Variety (Apr 1938)

so VAFtlEtY LEGlTiMATE Wednesday, April i , 1938 Plays Out of Town I MARRIED AN ANGEL Haven, April .16. . \tll-i.ll C.llll.'.IV III liy.O RClS. I.-J .•■l.MIl"'. f , ih.> pl iy lij' Jiillii X'lis/.iii'.v: Itrt'fl'i'liloil h^ l•v^l^;lil Iii'T- Winnn. Iii>ul: hyr Itli-li- .1; I u.i.iK-iJi '"111 111"'- sliieo.r i» J..,Inn l..n;:iii. Music iinil lyiios, lt<-l!TOiM Jill Hhii; ili(MV!iru|iliy, Cohi-ho lii>l;iii- ohiii-; s'uiiii,-.-. Jo M\'-\r.\T\irr: io.hiiiiii"m. J ihii' llaiiilil.'li'ii; orclioiilriilliins. ll iii-" ,-Jiii il"li; (••ihiliic iiir. One - Siilzcr. Sliii'.i n MUM KliiK. Vum Zorlna. VlvlPliim Si');:il, Wili.M- SI"A:ik; rcitiiius Midioy r.irl.iili'; < linl-.- Wiilln . AL lhi> Sliii!i*r.l. Nevv. H.>.-n. April U-I(i. MS; j:!.30 1 . r.M'.Jiml!<; 1 oiiiils Ulni;, V <•.« /fii ln:i. r^i.Min;- Si-Riil. Wnller Slo/.nl;.. Amlroy <iiii*il.-. (•||:l^ll^s Wnllprs, Unvid Juiu'^i, ]iiii'h:iiii lirtiK., llono Dnmur. Muitnii I.. SP-VI1.4 Arthur Ktiiti Mnile (Jin'vll. Umli Irlinn. Jlinla Drcnwnn. Msivelln ii-l AyinlM AiiKnr. KnHiorlii<> Slw.irl. lurliirl 'I'liiviii-. Sylvia Sloilff. niniJ •.■;iy- Wn. Aiilifu Killer. Charles Laskey. From all indications, Dwiglit Djere Wiman has his. second click of the season in. the n)al:insi;: His Iiiesetit musical should eventually equal the success of his current Broadway hit, 'On Borrowed Time. Play has everything—in ract. so much of it that slashing txcessivc 40 minutes is a prpblem. There's little room for lopping 6£ the book, but overlons ballets offer possibilities, however. Musical, said to be a solo flnanciat venture by Winian; is one of the heaviest productions to' play hare in some tima. Carries its own. super- Imoo.sed stage,' with doubU . tread- mill for Scene shifts; Stationary urtals and coves form, permanent jises throuighout. OutBl riins to around three cars of scenery; Tech- nical end of. show went oft excep- tionally welV at preem despite me- chnnical intricacies. Despite a lot of stuff In this mu- sical, it jells, entertainingly. The idea is gained rigbt off that il's;.goinB to be novel when opening curtain rises dn a Venetian-blind effect and a couple of acrobats in fullrdress do hand-to-hand' stands in the middle of a Hungarian waltz by'the ensem- ble. The novelty angle, is made more' ccrtaftTas ballet numbers include a team of slad-pulling wolfhounds, a ski dance and some surrealist terp- sichore, in which a sea god stands on a rock in the middle of the ocean, susocnding a bicycle over h's head. Production hasn't gone to town in any single department at the , ex- p3nse of other angles. There's plenty of good musiCi a number p£ hcifly lau.«hs in the dialog-and situa- ti'ins, a widei variety, of A-1 dancing, some excellent vocalizing, solo and group, and a flock of flash through- -m*ti ■ ; choir, number 'Angel ithout ings' al.so rcgistcr.s. .' .fo Miiilziner's .sets and the. light- ing are outstanding. Joshua Logan's staging keeps the book r paced at an; entertaining speedj with few draggy- moments. 'Story tells bf Willy Palpfti, who refuses to marry anyone short of ah angel. A heavenly -in- habitant obliges by coming'to earth and marrying fiim. Her .ideal of .ad- herence to- triilh and beauty gets her iitlo hot water \vith Willy's friends, v/ho arc also the heaviest depositors in liis bank. A run threatens; and Willy' is about to be saved .by a loan 'from the' playboy when Willy's w.ife, Angel, slaps the. former, mistaking a lesson in the rhumba for something more seductive. Harry, the playboy, calls off the loan and Willy's bank is on. the verge' of collapse when Angci changes tactics, wins Willy's friends over, gets the loaii from Harry -and- lives happily e.al with Willy. Tentative plans call for, stands In Boston .(openirig April 19); Phila- delphi \ Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, a hot-weather lay-off and an early fall Broadway opening. MAN FROM CAIRO Boston, April 18. Citin-ily. In liiree fleia 'by. ©an 'Oojilbe'rff. .Ailaiiti}<i frmu tlif? Kr3neh',0f.."yoii8-Ni>c: inv- .u«iue<l l>v .Mli'linel Tnili).. SlBged by Harry \V:i r.iit -Crlblili'. Si lllngs, Frederick B. Mi'. Ai'liie Wilbur, Boston, April is. '$.1. Uiiddliih...;. .Don Randblpl) haulfl.. .'......;(^'liarles Adler Komay.; ,...,.. A. J. Herbert l<n97.K'ka.. .. . .Unraldlne Kay sCvii n.' ; ;.Joiieph Buloff ,T:ihiiH. '..,.RIchnril_, Rauh«r Held .\...'.— ^ ; :Ki-ank Downlrij; l."nl ........ ... .Helen Cliimdler Heuri. .'. ,,..;VIola .'Boaclio 'I'rinl'i .'• '.. Ann ilTlonms Tailor Jack Uasler Shows in Rehearsal The Tw« Bouquets,' arc Connelly^ 'Geatlcnun.. Shave,' Pitrce., Power- aters. *I^ady M t^^se,' Shuberts. ^Hettr.tbreak .House,' Mercury. In 'Man from Cairo,' by.Dan Gold- berg, Joseph Buloff again firidis him- self in a play that serves somewhat as a neutral back^round'fpr his bril- liant talents; . as was the case in Quito 'and -Back,', presented by the Theatre-Guild on Broadway last sea- son. Fbi-tiiiiately here\he Is starred, and his superb artistry lifts a fairly familiar plot to heights. Fortunate is be, too, in having the supi>ort of Viola Roa.che ^nd. Helen Chandler. ' As. Istvan, the alter-ego of a drab jovernment- clerk in Budapest, Buloff is: avsophisticated man of the world, visiting fashionable cafes of society's . upper crust one night a month, spending his secret ' savings above the salary his monotonous wife thinks be earn.s.. But. the rest of-tha year he' is Le o n, the rlprk-ln- ily's future look rather rosy at the final curtaiii. This Garrison (liilsh is, accom- plished by the sale of a $2.4,000 rug she didn't know she owned until the' third act; and the marketing of a book by a protege (Leslie King) she brought back from her last trip to the Austrian Tyrol. The audience- knew Kihg, who plays Fejac Strode, had an important paper to show Mrs. Thoiiias in the second act, but he had to Anally, hide in her bath- room to get. an audience. Nancy Thomas, the daughter, goes to work as a sports clothes model; Philip; the younger son, tangles with communists, and Mrs. Thomas snares a judge as a prtJspective hew family head, while the rug and manuscript are being sifted aroithd in the un- exciting plot.- , First act is slow, second act .is good in spots,' and tlie third has Several anti-climaxes. It's too inuch of a load for Miss Dbucet,'although she has some commendable support from Katherine Deaiie; as the daughter; Barry Sullivan, as .the worthy young mail, who marries Nancy; Francesca Lenni, as a communist; King and Edgar Stehli,;who. convinces as the sympathetic family retainer, diggmg into his own fiihds often to keep the Thomas household f0 ther.. ■ The characters of the foreign writer and the femme rabble, rouser could be developed further.s A smart fllm producer coiild rework 'Spar- row' into a good B-picture. Its litni-, tatiohs for legit have evidently been sensed' by' several Broadway pror ducers,- who have • exarh'ihed it and passed it alqng.: Fox. Privkte Enterprise ilmington, Del., April 18. Dniina In thi-ee nem (li aceneH) by Amory Jlai-e (.Mm: Anioiy llaca llulcbinson); .pie- senied by W. Herbert Adanm. SUReil by Moiville Biiike. At Ihe Playhouse, Wll- iiilngton. April 17. Dr; .SrlmenbiMB Ichard Burrows S.-nacnold A I-eslle Auaten Trevelyan Anna ■ i • l.'iiniilla UiilbeiK Mary .Doroihy Mo.M.ihoii Mr. ViMinlilK Iluninionil lliilley; J.<nnln;;H ICduaid J'r:in-/. Orunilen ...Ueorse itucrc;id.y Mi-H. Cr .lo3.Hainliio Xi»wci)inl>c Mli'a ■ ... .M:irliina Flory. Dr. Bei'c.- ..CImrlOa AaliUy iicliickc ..COrtU Karpu on WHAT A LIFE Ciiiiiouy In Hire-) ntla by ' Cllffiiid f;oliI- Hiiillli. Pi-e»feiite<l .l>id ataRed: by Gl-nrKfl. Alilmt. S«(ilnCIrker & Koblilnii. At llio llllliniin', N. Aiirll 13, 'M; i^M top. MlBs .flvea I.. .Hulh Malleiion Mr. N'olaan. .Arthur I'leriiiin SUiillirl.. .........Mllzl .Miller KUident. : ...; nalpM Boll .Mr. .I'HKiiman '11118111 McndreK Miss IMke..... ..il'Mllli Van Clevo mil /.. .Kildle Broekcn .Mlas tCKBleati Maldel Turner .Vlls.1 .Ihniiaiin Kuy T^drlhc Sir. Vecehlllo...,. Hnnlel i)cko Uenry AMrlt-h.. ■ ^ Kira Stone >irirba'i-a Poai aon:, • ■ •. • .Betly Field (Jorlie^....' -. "Klenii.. Salviitoi'o Mr. Hiiidley.;; VauKhan (Ilaaer Mlaii' Wlieeler...-. ; .Joyre ArlinK. (irnreo .BIfrelow; '.. .Jaineu Corner MM.'^AIilrlrh..-. ,. ;I.ea penman Mi-s. F'erffiiaoD ...Jack Jlyrne f.;^..l!laliie Klllmora . 1.;. arknerlte I.od^p Students. ....«';.{:. .Tcreaa' Keano. l...: .iHid Valle Mary .Rutierfly McQuefin •P iartty o f heavy huke that fai ls^lo; be convincing .gives 'Private Enter.- pri.se' little chance. Main trouble is an'o.verloading.of theory and pseutjo- science that' doesn't- get across and leaves the characters doing things for no clear, reason. Good bid; device of a "professor's- experiment' is used to get a half dozen tem'porarily deranged persons together in;the home of an amateur philosopher, friend of the psychi- atrist, at Salzburg. Plan is to let them find themselves by just living together quietly with all idea of medical treatment out. Group includes ah actor who can no longer act because of his derange- ment; a painter who can no. longer paint, an obtogenariah living in. the past and afraid to die, a malcontent, and a woman pianist, whose amnesia will not permit her to play. Solving the problem -of any one of these would be stuff enough for a full play. One by one they find themselves, octogenarian by recap- luring the past ill his mind, malcon- tent by learning how to be unsclflsh painter by being-relieved of his wife, etc. AU except Mira, the pianist, who needs love, quiet and rest. It's all unconvincing. Mountings arie expensive. . Sirigle drawings room set is distinctive. Capable cast handles the abstruse stuff probably as -well as it can be handled. Mariana Fiory. as Mira, is iinpre.ssive. J> Hammond Dailey. as the octogenarian, is standout. Goes to Philadelphia this w'eek. Curt, Joe Brown May Summer On Cape; 'Ebner' Repeat? Hollywood, April 1? If .Toe E. Brown is able to complete his film' (ipmmitmcnts in tirrie he will spend the sumrher at Capfe Cod, ■where he will play the title role in the Playhouse's presetitatioh of 'El mer the Great.' Screen comic created the part on the Broadway stage, and later did it in pictures. 'What a Life* is the funniest play of the season. George Abbott, the. produtier, is a specialist in . staging mirthful shows, and. the end. of the .season influences him not at all. Liiist yeiar his 'Room Service' - opened' on the. eve of sum- iner, and is; still oh Broadway:, an- ager has hati his downs this season,- with three; flops, iii a row before 'Life,' which.is a pne-rsetter, Abbott- geared so that it could tiirn a profit at moderate grosses. Now comedy is abput high school kids, and it's spotted in the principal's office.- There isn't much plot, nPr is one necessaryj what goes,on having mostly to do- ith one of' the. most' amusing '16-year-oId.bf>ys in Central High,: Henry Aldrich' oh' the foster, but -Ezra Stone, in the flesh; lie- was one of the' lads in 'Brothei- Rat,* . Abbott's laujh show, abouf youngsters in a. military academy;- HCiiry is al ways . getting jammed ui), and at the opening is sent. to the .principal for discipline. He was supposed to>cad 'Hairil^t,' but. had gone fiirther than .act one. scene one. Instead .of scanihg his Shakespeare, Henry spent the timie .drawing cari- cature.';, specializing oii the principal himfislf and the history-teacher. "The lad is in a dither about the school dance, needing two dollars for tickets and intiidentals, so that he could tkke Barbara Pearson, a sweet .schoolrtiate, who thinks Henry the funniest boy she ever met. His mother promises the' required coin if he I}as.se's the Roman history exam at the head of the; class, buti because he pulled a fresh boner, Mr. Bradley, the priricioal, marks his paper zero; Somebody cobs half the band in- to wor about inateriaV matters. Wife of a former Mismber of Par- liament .had eloped with his best friend,' leaving behind a five-year-' old son, and. had lived in Florence for 30 years, still unwed, since the man's wife refu-sed to divorce. Same situation is aboiit to repeat itself. R'ather -priggish son, also in politics, is wed to a charming -woman ftJc thrice yearsi when she falls in love with -a chap' who can give her none bf tha luxuries to which she has become accustomed..' Maijghani has something .to say about; the;sanc- tity of marriage vows, btit really meaiis that love alone is important. In the revival the feminine stars stand out. Miss George is splendid, while Miss Bankhead makes a lovely yoiirig wife, originally played by, Es- telle Wihwood. Dennis Hoey has the Drew part, that of a crusty old -fel- low, with. Cecil Humphreys handling Ernest Lawford's. - John Emery,. as the lover, and Bramwcll Fletcher as the hiisbancl 'about to be atian- doned are; fair. ibee. THE WILD DUCK ■Compdy in two.arla'tfoiir-aceneal-liy en- rlk IlMien.-lil'W vei'.Hlon by Hiiliry Korlma;' HiaKeil nnil;-preaenleil by Korbea... Sollki Sniniicl I.evo: Al the -I'.Hh SI re-el theal N. Y.. April-IS, '39; la.L'O-.loli.. Olii.n- Ekdal.-... ,.. .Jane. T.yon lleilvlK.;. .....*..;.-. ..'. ..Arb»ne Haber (lid licdi-lir.....i...CJ.ifar Hennliiir II Julmhr Kkiliil . .l>*iiieriim .ItuSHell (SrCKe.ra -\iVerlB......:....;. ;\Vllll:iin Chillies Relllin;...; .Truver Kutelilnji Molvlk..., Allen Hamllinn W-ecle ...Kric Kniiiaoa' Mrs. Sorby. ... . yi-tle Miller Just one of the indiscretions of a Broadway spring. If iny productioa can be ehtircly without -merit, this Henry For s revival achieves that (Rubious; distinction. ' ' Play is a, .so-called 3treamlined;ver- sion.of Ibsen's'caustic satire. It's in two acts instead of the original ftve. However, it still seems the longest play that.ever drove an audience'to slow di;Straction. IVs been emascu- lated so that it's without incident antl devoid of interest. , ^ Direction is just as painfully inept. There's little, action, pace or sem- blance of reality. Players appear as if in a trance, meandetiing about the stage and . muttering in'audibly. Nat one seems to have more.than a vague notion .of what the play is about One of the' most surreptitious per- formances that ever escaped Broad- way notice. Maybe ttie whole thin ' never even happened. Hobc. .sti ' u ii ieii i s, w l i l c li ure fuuiid by a Je fective ill a .hock shop. The pawn^ slip is^.also picked up. bearing Henry's iiame,..and it lQoks..bad for the ;boy- until the, real culprit is discpvCried. The serio-comic rnii.nner th -which young Stone plavs Henry and his shy'affection Jfor Barbara endears the character to;the audience. But there are other amusing kids and people. Betty Field, as Barbara, has her innings: Jack Byrne, as' the click, wlio-dryly .comments oh thS 'ooetry' he saw on the. washroom walls. ;draws some solid laughs; Ruth Mattc."io'n, as' the Secrelar.v, and Ar- thur Pierson, as the assistant prihCir pal, who are' ron-ianticallv linked, are. valuable. In-the excellent cast; Eddie Brsicken's B.ill. an excit-dble student; Vaughan Glazer's strict Mr; Bradley; Lea Penman, as Henry's mother, .stand out, too. while Butter- fly McQueen, a colored youngster, with "a few lines, is also present Then there . are some other Abbott favorilesT-Edith 'Van Cleve and Joyce Arling. But it's Stone'.< show. Ibee. pcr/oniMmccs,- printed for the rec- ord.) , Wiman has assembled- a capable cast, with headliners turxiiiig-. in sv/eil .performancps. Dennis^ ^C.ing,^. in generally good voice, exhibits a piDasing pers'bnality. clowns, with the rest of 'em and even goes in for a bit of ballet, Vera Zorina \yiU be no disappointment fo the flock of fans she gained through heir work in 'Goldwyn Follies' (IIA'). Girl w.irks like a Trojan, throughout (15 cos'.ume changes) and shows histri- onic talent. Her serious ballets are works of art and her. travesty terp- Ing ill the surrealist ballet is good, too. 'Viviennc Segal continues past good work, singing one of the show's tops, *A Twinkle.in 'Your Eve.' Also duets riccly with King. Garners pljinly lau?hs as Peggy; the. ex'-chorihe of 'Elcssom Time' who alibis broken d-ilcs with her lovCrs by telling tlvem she'd been playing checkers with A. C. Blumenthal: Walter Slezak ats as the wealthy, but sai)py,;Europeaii playboy. Also comes in for a hand with a cooch dance takeoff. Charles Walters and Audrey Christie team for some nifty dancing. Walters also.clicks in a Charlie Mc- Carthy hoofing number, and Mis.s Christie is a winner .wii,h a couple of vocals. An added vocal hit is turned ill by .a> choir of .seven girls In a musical interlude with Mis:; Zorina. Same crew Srjres .with Dci^nis King in a novelty brew- master burlesque. George Balanchine's chorecraphy helps the ballets, which Charles Laske.v ifitcrprcts effectively in-con- junction with' Miss Zorina and - the corps de ballet. Score compares favorably with,previous Rodgevs.and Hart work. Theme song, 'I ar.ried an Angel:' has hit possibilities, Anion'' lighter-vein clicks are 'Twinkle ip Your Eye.' 'At the Roxy Mu:;ic Hall- and 'How to. Win Friends ai\d Influence People.' 'Spring Is Hire' is n oleasing ball.id, and' the theHut. On one of these dream-world ex? cursiohs' Leon, posing. as.. ..Istyan, meets his diearn woman, Leni CMiss Chandler). It takes only a short tote-a-tele. to reveal to Leni that Istvan, though .about 15 years her senior, is the one man who can lead her to escape from her own hum- drum, but swank existence; ,-When he flees the cafe she follows to learn his real identity, The climax is the .mending of this shattered illusion, ith .Leni tinder- stahcling.:. Leon more tliaii evCr de- termined tb Continue his periodic re- leases as Istvan, and his rhonotoiious wife (Miss Roache> beginning to ap- preciate the value bf his philosophy, Success, of -the- play, henceforth, depends entirely upoii the public's recognition of a fine actor iri Buloff. It's his fli-st starring role outside the Yiddish, theatre. . Hollywood rec- ognition seems likely. Miss Chandler is consistently con- vincingi as is iss Roache, who be- comes surprisingly shrewd when dealing with the romantic threat of a younger woman. Richard Rauber and Ann Thomas also click. Two sets by Frederick'B. IFox are good Fox. Eye on the Sparrow Boston, April 15, rniiiefly In three acta by Maxwell Selser l>r»»i-iiieii hy Uh-i-an IllgKlnaon. StnRed b) Harry •HlliTbe. Selilnga, Kinellne f. Roche, .scii-M CaiKni-ln^ Doui et. Al Ihe Plynioull lloaloii, .Aiirll ]U: J-J.TS ton. I'lilllp . Thiiinnii... / Montco'mery rnfl N;iiii-.v. 'J^hoiiuia..; .Kulherlne' Doane '.l^dgar Sk-IiII - 'Iin Ms*-: LOU CLAYTON 30.li fVlilury-L'ox SlodliMl, H'woivd l*'re''^iiinM lto>jei-' Sniirur . ., . . 'IV.il Slrohi:..... i;:irli]ii^ji 'rhiiiii: . ... l-"-jMi- .SI 1-11,1".; liiil Wright IMslli-an ;..... l-'liii-eni-ij .\ll';ilen . . . O'.M-ir ;..;... III'Iko >i«-\-i ....... It-ill CiilleiiiM fll-.it Jl.ivlll:; .\l;in. liua -M;li\ ..Vfi^lihor -.;... biiM ... lirry S'ulllv... .Vhlllji Ojie L'alhai'lnn IViU'-e .T.OHlle Klni ....Verf-ef l)eni"i Sllano Ura^-Rlo. .Din-olliy Frnin-i . I'-'i-anceaco Lcni . I'ldwiird' KJehlin li-iii'St WoodwHj _ . .Lester l>ninon ,.. ..'<iindy SLroime .'.'AdL-le Longnlli ; Title Is taken from a biblical quo , l.iti 11 about God watching over even ' llie insignificant sparrow. Some guar- • dian . angel will be needed, appar , vcntly. to carry this innocuous lit- :;tlo 'jioce very. far. ' I Catharine. Doucct. as a fluttery, bankrupt .society dowager is the hub ()£ the-plot's wliCol, which rolls along , n conventional rut. frbm an uptowii ,':Ncw York , mansion to^a Greenwich . Villaae two-rnom apartment "As sUs- ; Dcctcd tronv the start, the widowed j IWrs. Thorha.s. despite her gaddings abput. and persisti'nt cxlrava.r;ance. rocoOp.-i eiiQu.sh of the family fortune I in the lasl'stan^a to make the fam- THE CIRCLE Sutii^i-!«i>( JbliiiiKhHin. Pr(>])i'n(i>(l-l>y Willhtm A. nrnOy, Slurs Tullutnh Bnnlchcnd: Orficft I '.(•(•rp?, Sinpt»d \\y J)i-ptniK«<< Wliirtust.. SoMhiB. Donald O.MifilnByr. At the I'lny- housc. N. y.. April Iff, * ;. W.OU tnp- Ai-iibtil (''linini'tlDn-Cheiioy. rnniwoll VIctchcr S|iiim1'1hik. . i M]iy 'Mni-rilihll Mi-fl. Shnn»l«)nrt ... iAmliey Uldcwoll ]':ir'/,-4hctli Tallulah . nnnkhcnd K'lw.'ii'd I.utmi...; Jolm Winery CWvp <'hnin|>)on-<.*iiL> i» ...O'fll Mumi>hreyH Uon^ion . Jainen K. ('firljplt Krl|y Clmmjilrtn-C'liciioy.t^rnt-r.O.i^nrpo Lftrd rorlcduj);.. .'U'. :.... Deniila .Uocy Merry Wives of Windsor Rovlvol or c»iim^Hy l» twotolH hy W'lUi'jni ShiikC'ttpoar**; ]nvMjni.'.1 l»y }{.>tMTt llemlor-r j*OfV hikI j'lHlt'llf. ^^'lnu'<l.l1l. SliiKCd hsr HMlili'l'MOii. .ViCtiifi^. How'ni'l H»y. Al tU* Kinplri', N. Y., AiiiHH.-':W; ■ nr.'ii"* Sinclii'r AlUi^rt fiirroll Shallow ...... Sh-ndor ... ., Sir HtiRh lOvtuiH Muster l*;ice.'... Sir John DnrMoTiih : ,Nyin ., .\.. riHlol .■Xhne Pflpt?..,... M IMi OH!* J'*or(l,. < MISIlTHH .I'fiK*'- • ■ Sim)>lo ^Hn<\ lloMl Uobin JCURby Dftino Qiiiekly.. lii-. <'iilun ... Miim.cr J-'iMHoii.. >luHlPr Vn'ri} .... A Servant ..I. "W. Aiialta IfiulM I.yUdn I'lillip l>akif» . M iiii-y Tiii-kmriiTi ...... 1.1» Hoi 0|>orU Ann l»c»(llt'lon lo:in .Storin ,.. ■•jHlrllii AVinwood . .('Ii:irhr« llonry. . .Aliisworih Arnold .....BiiJJy Kufliler ..-..Ciirr HcrkiiiBor ,,... .Krifii* Kiiiintion I'cltir BitK-fd . 'illl.'un I'o.Hl, Jr, ... .Ilirnry 'Muwhr,>f .Ki'iink J*:*'ri»h Mt>n rin<l Wnni-n: .M.-n* NuMi\ Jlcnvy Kline. JrsMle Cralmni. .luililh - Allien. KdlJH OainplVtili. T.OK Barker. Kiith Bi'linore,. l.titlnOllii TorcUkii, ('Hn'i'V Ki lili'Wiiil, l\t\\f K)o< k.. Miirpuoi'ldt Tt'lnvtti, AOu iluiciphrles, riina Cuhllt. Jl^l-^n IMy. YuuntT Hun and W.uiiiihi .«.. .Solmt Unrpivr kurluUe Muy« BERGER IN ST; 100 St. Louis, April 19. Rlrhal^d .Berger heads the, staff (due here May 2) tb start wovlc for the 20th consecutive season of mu- nicipal opera, which opens in Its open theatre. Forest Park, n Jui.ie 3. - Bergcr is returning for his second year .as production mauagcr. By bringing back Somerset Maug hani's"rhe .Circle.'William A. Brady gracefully compliments his, wife, Grace George, corstarred with the alluring Tallulah Bankheacl. He Could not have chosen a frothier play for her reappearance. It Was originally presented heire by the Selwyns.iii 1921, follpwihg a successful liondoii. start, and served princioally to bring back John Drew and Mrs. Leslie Carter. 'The Circle' was no wow, but it sdvVe'd the pur- pose very well, and the Bvoadway- slay (at the Selwyn) was for about flye. rftbnths. Maushham piece is described as- a cynic.nl cbincdy. It may have seemed .somewhat daring 17 years ago, but, strangely enough, it doesn't seem dati>d. ' Impression' is that retaigne Windust, who handled the present stagi'. g, alsb toucheb up thei lines here and there, but in the'main It looks clo.se lu 'lhe original, text. , Story deals with the Eiiglish draw- ing room society that ■ doesn't have Che irreverent ob.server, alluding to 'Wives' as one of Shake.speare'3 early turkeys^ seems to have found an apt description of the revival. It's not long for the boards. Robert. Henderson who is better known in midwest show circle.i;, and Estelli; Winwpod, who are presenting the DieCe,. wCre partners in the tour of 'Tonight at 8:30.' which earned a fair profit.. Apparently, they wished to present something on .Broadway; but for some reason did not attempt a repeat date with the Noel Coward playlets. 'Wives' Is: a caper but the actors seem to have more. fiin than the audience. Sir John Falslaff is the big, bad man this time arid when he i.'J supposed to emerge from the Thame.? his cloak actually-drips water. Loui-f .Lytton plays the rotund lover and recalls that the author did not think -that frustration was so .serious a matter as it is now regarded. ' Miss inwood. as Mistress 'Page, and, Joaii Storm, as hsr sidekick. Miistf^csS Foi'd. have the priricipal:fuii with Falstall. especially, when they stulT h.irh-iiv the, dirty, linen hamper. Ainbng those, pre.sent are Albei't Carroll.: who plays Slender 'straight, and • Effle Shannon who. as- Dame Quickly, has a more animated part than in her: last several seasons. (Closed SalHTdau (16) afLer foiir perforiiidticcs;■ rtiilad. for ihe. rec- ord.) ' Ibei,