Variety (Nov 1938)

50 VARIETY LEGITIMATE Wednesdaj, November JO, 1938 Plays Out of Town IDIOT'S DELIGHT (PHIL BAKER) Montreal, Nov. 29. Phil Baker, revifalizlng thie role of the hoofer in 'Idio's Delight,' scores a distinct personal triumph at the local His Majestry's ii> the part orig- inally created by Alfred Lunt. For Baker the role is a natural, and he brings to his first legit try a restraint and suavity that is commendable and astonishing considering his back- ground of radio, musical comedy and vaudeville. He did the part this summer in several strawhats. Baker's small time hoofer charac- terization is a standout and remark-^ ably lifelike. It's an entertaining pic- ture of a guy who used to park on the 'Palace beach' in the days of big time vaudeville. The shrewdness of the typical No. 2 act is delivered with nonchalance and enormous self- assurance, which may be- attributed almost as much to Baker's personal experience. Swell trouping is to Baker's credit. „ ^ .x*. Cast is uniformly excellent with Olga Baclanova and Charles La Torre contributing noteworthy char- acterizations. . Baker is barnstorming to the Coast, expecting to open in Los An- geles New Year's. Naturally, the play is a particularly striking ac- count of the international situation, but likely to do better on the Amer- ican side than in Canada. Mori. for the dame's sculpting itch. Jealous Filipino housegirl, paramour of the Apollo, and several other incidental players are compounded in a futile effort to create dramatic force. Superstitions of the natives are in- effectively dramatized. Play was advertised as a world premiere. It's a small world, lor it'll never get out of Pasadena. Helm. FRONT PORCH Cleveland, Nov. 26. Coraedjr-drama In tbree acta, six scenes, by Langaton. HUKhea. Presented by Gilpin Players; directed by nussell Jeinite. At Karamu theatre, Cleveland, Nov. 20, '88. Cast: Brownie "Woodlord, Eugenia Strode, Roberta Williams, Henry Jackson, Curtis Tann, Elmet Brown, Olya levin. Plays on B'way (Continued from page 48) YIDDISH PUY MAZEL TOY RABBI Operetta In two acts (7 scones) by An- «ch\il Schorc: presented by Menachom RulJln; BtaRCd by Irving lIonli;man|. music. Joseph RuniEhlnslcy: lyrics, Isidore LilUlan; dances, Lillian .Shapiro; Hettlnps, Michael Snltzmnn. Opened at the Public, N. Y^, Nov. 24, '83: 52.20 top. Motele Mennchem Rubin Drurtia....; Pauline Hoffman Ponrl ..Gertie Bulman 'JL'zircle ,..01a Shllfko Genendle TllUe Rablnowitz ,Sam Jacob Wexler Walter Jack Rechtzelt Anna , Anna - Toback Flshel Flshelewlta William Sccunda Chaskel Leon Gold Tefka .Menasha Skulnlk Sixth new play by Langston Hughes. Cleveland Negro poet and dramatist, who turned out 'Mulatto' and 'Little Ham,' is the first one in which he takes, up problems of the upper-class Negro. This contrast is significant. But from Caucasian standards, 'Porch' doesn't have enough dramatic meat or freshness to click, although author's rep drew a White carriage trade her^ on open- ing night. Chief character Is an ambitious widowed .Negro school teacher who is sending her three children to. a university. She dominates them like a despot, owns her o'^n home in a white section and won't let 'poor trash' get past her front porch. Although fanatically, proud, always trying to raise the ideals of her race and youngsters, the mother can't stop what is a misalliance from her view- point. She wants her oldest daugh- ter to marry a rising but stuffy med- ical student, whose grammar is pe- dantically correct. Girl u^isets all plans by falling for a. handsome young bucko from the slums, a jstrike picket who is tossed into the jug after a street brawl. Pair ignores all abuse from the. mother, who finally gives in. Situation Is ptetty^&ive and action rather elemematjri,- Dialog is repeti- tious, too, but-it gets over some wise- cracks about, the N.L.R,B. (Nothing Like . Boast Beef), workers'. rights and unfair attitude of whites toward educated Negros. Takes the slant that the latter must blame themselves .if they don't forcibly imnrove their living and working conditions. Hughes intends producing 'Porch' In his new Harlem Shoestring th'eatre in New York next monthi It may have a better chance there if he chops out the cliches and doctors up the lines with more inflammatory speeches. Gilniners do a thoroucfhly satisfactory job in all parts, but they aren't robust enough for them. Pullerit Paradise Plantation Pasadena, Nov. 25. Drnma In Hve scenes by Shlrland Quin; presenicJ by l>i-pa>na Community Plny- ho'ise; dlricted b;' Thomas Browne Henry. Carf .Tune Eva-is, Martha ,«!haw, Martha lilndon. Fi-ank V/il'-o::, Alan Robb. Iteenan Klliott, Constance Cnmpalgne,- Pa"l Ma:;ov, Victor Mature. Margaret Woodncld. Julia Case. 13or:s renn, Do-nlnTO Rnmlrcz de Arellano. Robert.Ken AH, Abel Pinto. At Fasadeua Playhouse. Pasadena. Cal. Pasadena Playhouse became of age with this" one; it's 21 years since the first play was produced there. That's more than can be said of Shlrland Quio's piece about life, love and superstitions among the canebrakes of Hawaii- It limps badly due to a Soor script and equally deficient act- ig. Authoress tried to make something of a native boy going on the make for the plantation boss' frau when he's pressed into service to" model but is much too thin for Broadway. However, it's possible B-picture ma- terial. Ringside Seat' is curiously like a B-picture in its present form. It has all the deisi)erately-eager appear- ances of a quickie. There is enough plot here for a lurid pulp mag thriller, with an innocent murder suspect, his beeootiful, loyal wife, a Rover Boy reporter and his typi- cally-ingehue heart-throb, a .couple of villains, several comedy charac- ters, a flock of atmosphere, and, above all, .a pathetic air of complete implausibility about the whole thing. It's obviously a result of one of those instances when someone' said (probably over the second highball) that- there's good comedy-melo- drama material in the antics of the morbid thrill-seekers who swamp a small-toWn hotel during a local mur- der trial. Well, there is undoubtedly good material in it, just as there's good material in almost anything for the skillful craftsman. But Leon- ard Ide (with unbilled collaboration by Phil Dunning) has muffed it in •Ringside.' There are several • plays on the same theme going the rounds. One, 'They Took the Town,' was held for a time by Sam H. Grisman, but nothing has been heard of it lately. 'Ringside' is a single-setter, with an extensive cast, though only one name. Grant Mitchell. Actor, who returned from the Coast to play the gart, is a pompous, know-it-all busy- ody who spends his life scurrying around the country with his wife and daughter to attend all the more sensational murder trials. Hp's a demon for ferreti^ig and remember- ing all the angles and at the drop- of a hello wiU offer free advice to the best criminal lawyer in the busi- ness. That's good stuff lor a farce, and so is the ludicrous'sight of the 12 good men and true- who traipsie back and forth across the hotel lobby on their way to and from the jury box. But that's about all Ide has been able tq bring to life. Even those exceptional bits are fumbled by the staging ^ of producer Rufus Phillips (reportedly with an assist by Leon- ard Silbnan), and the rest is pure claptrap of Second-rate crime hovel vintage. There are more incidents and clues than J. Edgar Hoover could keep track of, but no motive tion, no logic arid no explanation. As a payoff, when there's a shoot' ing the hotel lobby, the reporters swarm into their telephone room to call their offices. Since they're all phoning the same story, it sounds like ei slight exaggeration when one remarks that 'this is the biggest scoop in years,' but that's immedi- ately topped by one of his rivals who, in true Hollywood tradition, screams into the telephone the order to 'rip open the front page.' Although he had trouble with his Imes opening night, Mitchell is fairly believable and surprisingly winning. He overplays rather pain- fully at times, but since nearly everyone else in the cast does like- wise the fault must lie in the staging. Being _ an vmimignative director, Phillips obviously doesn't give his audience credit for any imagination, so wallops every point with a sledge hammer, G. Pat Collins is outstanding as the arch villain merely because he un- derplays while everyone else is be- laboring every line and every piece of business. 0£ the. others, Louise Larabee is an acceptably noble hero- ine. Lucia Seger is plausible as Mrs Murder Trial Fan, while Roy Rob- erts is sufficiently poisonous as the reporter who malces chumps out of the police. Lawrence L. Goldwas ser's setting is realistic. Hobc. (Closed last Saturday (26); printed for the record.) For Menasha Skulnlk's latest starrer, Anschul Schore has fash- ioned a somewhat nondescript, labored piece of writing that con- tains most of the elements usually found in the .Yiddish theatre. For here, too, are all the hokey attempts at swaying audience emotionalisms. 'Mazel Tov Rabbi' doesn't give Skulnik much leeway. The come- dian still mugs d«lightfully and sparks his audience with. what, at times, is tantamount to a romp. But those times are few, since the script holds only scattered chances for Skulnik to cut loose. The cast that presented Mena- chem Rubin's first Production of the season, 'The Wise Fool,' is intact for 'Rabbi,' and it plays well, though the staging of Irving. Honigman is somewhat faulty in the group scenes. The dances are very poor, wTiile music by Joseph Rumshmsky is not up to his usual standard. 'Rabbi' is a tale of Old World strife, of lovers and Yiddish petse- cutlon. All that can be said for the plot is its timeliness, but for that matter, in this day when the theme of race persecution has many more prolific writers, Schore must bow out. There is pne scene, in the second act, that has some jneasure of com- pensation. It is a synagogue in the Reich, where worshippers are seen uttering their last prayers before fleeing their persecutors. Staging here is excellent. Gertie Bulman is an excellent Pearl,, properly filial in her compli- ance to marry a man of her father's choice. Leon Gold, as her avowed love, has the only voice of note among the men. Miss Bulman sings pleasantly, too. Rubin is the father, and he does well enough, although at times he's given to indiscriminate giesticulations. , Others who play well are Ola Shlifko, who, incidentally, is much improved over her Mirile of 'Fool'; Tillie Rablnowitz, Jacob Wexler, Jack Rechtzeit and Anna Toback. Inside Stuff^Legit Proposal to establish a new theatrical club to be known as the Tl^eatre Arts Center has been placed before several professional organizaticfns that have been asked to aid the movement. Fact that membership would be open to both sexes is a feature that differentiates it from the other show biz clubs, such as the Lambs, Players and Friars. Sponsors say the estab- lishment will include swimming pool, gymnasium and quarters for meet- ings. Question has been raised, as to whether such a club could operate suc- cessfully with dues of $10. per year, the rate planned for the center. It's hoped, however, to secure 100 or more life memberships and to raise funds elsewhere rather than look for initiation fees to provide' working capital. Pointed out that, several theatrical clubs were financially embar- rassed because they had heavy carrying charges and bond liabilities. Claimed that the ne\v club has optioned a building ort West. 43d street, New York, wTiich could be. remodeled .ftt Comparatively moderate cost Intended to open the membership to professionals of all amusement flelda and to establish the spot as a place to gather for business and recreational purposes, rather than the social end... It's hoped that the club will eventu- ate despite the unemployment of many artists. Recdtds ehqw that less than half the memberships of some theatrical organizations are working regularly. Recent postponementi of 'Lorelei,' which opened at the Longacre, New York, last night (Tuesday), is said to have entailed a $15,000 expenditure over the sum spent up to the originally ischeduled premiere. Cast was on full salary two weeks prior to the debut, free rehearsal period of four weeks having been .exhausted. Final scene "was reinserted arid considerable script .''revisions ate reported with the. idea of bringing the play up to contemporary dates. Sir Cedric Hardwicke commuted from Philadelphia, where he showed in 'Shadow and Substance,' to assist in the direption of 'Lorelei,' in which he's inter- ested financially, along with ^Richard Myers, Richard Aldrich and Dennis King. Drama by Jacques Deval is anti-Nazi. Script Dearth (Continued from page 47) Two plays which were withdrawn after trying out are due to reach, the boards again—'Window Shopping,' which brought George Sidney from the Coast, and 'The Flying Ginzburgs.' Script of the first has been consider- ably revised. Title of latter will probably be changed. Hugh O'Connell* who returned from Hollywood for 'Run Sheep, Run' (closed), is men- tioned, as the new lead. 'Ginzburgs,' a comedy about vaiideviUe, fared mildly ,in Boston. 'Here Come the Clowns,* due next week" at the Booth, New York, has a similar background. Several vaudevillians are in the cast, including Eddie Dowling, its presenter. 'Finger in the Pie,' new musical £ddie Dowling has acquired for spring production, has libretto by John Monks, Jr., and Fred Finklehoffe, co-. authors of 'Brother Rat,' and music and lyrics by Charles Gaynor. It's a first show for la;tter, who for the last five years has been writing revues for community theatres in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. In latter city, his 'Hold Your Hats' last spring, for which he did both sketches and tunes, drew raves. In newspapers when it was done there for several weeks at the Playhouse. 'Finger* was turned out this summer by the trio in Ber- muda and both Max Gordon and Marc Connelly were said to be giving it the'once-over when Dowling closed the deal. AuHlrallati and Kevr Zealand Thea- tres. T.>td.. .Managing Directors' Frank a Tnit. S. a CrIeU, G. B. Dean. Present:— VIOLET CARLSON n<» tho Star of . «ROSE.MARIE" ROY.Mj thratrr HYnVEil, AUSTBAOA 'Night' 2iG, B'Wyn Brooklyn, Nov. 29. •Night Must Fall' at Shubert gar- nerin^ profitable coin. WPA produc tions of Gilbert and Sullivan operet- tas at Academy of Music also doing well. Brattleboro opens tomorrow (30) with new play, 'If You Get It, Do You Want It?' Estimate for Last Week 'Night Must FnU,' Shubert (1.750; 25-85). Pleasing business at $2,500. WPA Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas, Academy of Music (40-75). Good re- i sponse. official sessions said to have been called occasionally although the committee as a whole has not met for about 18 months. Stated that certain showmen were asked to at- tend the offstage meetings but they were not actually diesignated io rep- reserit the League. The dearth of plays is recognized and at least five scripts which would lave reached the hands of managers laVe been, retained by the authors ' hemselves, latter being the five lead- :ng writers successfully operating at ;he Playwhights • Co» Contended by the latter that only one or two pro- ducers have been affected by its ac- tivities. The Playwright group has two productions currently on Brqad- way and. a third is due this week. Authors' own productions are 'Abe Lincoln in Illinois', 'Knickerbocker Holiday' and 'American Landscape'. At least two more are to come from them. Several of the playwrights group are Dramatists Guild leaders. During the first three months of the current ssason there were 33 new productions and a return en- gagement on Broadway, which is slightly ahead of last fall when 28 shows came in up to Dec. 1. So far, 19 among the autumn's arrivals have been closed, the folds bslng quicker than usual, possibly indicat- ing that bankrolls are shorter. Shows came in earlier and faster this fall than last but production pace has slowed dowri. During the coming month not more than eight arrivals are expecter, while Janu- ary holds a premiere total of around a dozen. WUiiam Faversham, former stage star, who's,a guest at the Percy Wil- liams Home, Islip, L. I., is making appearances' before civic and women's organizations in Long Island communities. liis addresses have attracted the atterition of Federal Theatre. Project^people. Reported the WPAers have not accepted with relish Faversham's criti- cism of the relief outfit and question his knowledge of the Project. He'a quoted favoring the Goyetriment Supporting the theatre, but has said that the Project's director; Hallie Flanagan, was of amateur background and that the post should be handled by one of professional standing. 'MEETING' $8,500,. MONTEEAL . . Montreal, Nov. 29. , Spring Meeting' at $2 top, play^ xng North American premiere last week, slipped from previous levels for legit shov/s here recently to $6,- 500, mild for six nights and two mats. Attendance faded end of week de- spite raves by local crix. 'Idiot's Delight' following with $2.50 top. Estimate for Last Week 'Spririff Meetlngr,' His Majesty's (1,- 600; $2 plus tax). Attracted some biz, but not enou.qh to reach five fig- ures. Fair at $8,500. Currently in Toronto. Gag pulled by Connie Nickerson, ingenue-lead In the road company of 'What a Life,* during the show's Boston run early In the fall, brought her an unexpected response. In a radio interview the actress was asked if there was a romance in her life. She answered there was none, but that with Harvard University so close, she had hopes. Next night nine Harvard studes showed Up at the stage door after the show. Having put herself on the spot, Miss Nickerson was as good as her gag. She . accompanied all nine for a midnight snack. Legit (managers have been asked to recognize a so-called service union consisting of cleaners and porters employed in theatres. Union will pre- sent its contentions to the League of New York Theatres tomorrow (Thurs- day). Sometime ago,, when seeking recognition, the union claimed 60% of such employees were members but a check is said to have indicated only 5% membership. Same union, however, is said to hav" '""Mred a 10-year contract with a group of midtown film theatres. On behalf of the American Theatre Council, Ned Armstrong is writing a weel?ly theatrical bulletin, reporting the activities in Broadway theatres., New shows due to open and those touring, or about to take to the road, are also included. Indicated that about 20 out-of-town papers used parts of the first two bulletins. Armstrong, who's press agent for 'Kiss the Boys Goodbye,' at the Miller, N. Y., has also written an article 'anent the play and author, it appears in the theatre program. Theatre parties aggregating $39,000 were contracted for by" the Group Theatre before 'Rocket to the Moon' opened last Thursday (24) at the Belasco, New York. Not all will apply to that house, however, since it's planned to niove 'Rocket* to the Windsor next month to make way for the Group's 'Gentle People.* Latter, by Irwin Shaw, is due around the holi-. days. Sneak thieves scaled the fire escape of the St. James theatre, New York, where 'Hamlet' is now current, on two occasions last week, entering dressing rooms to take $19 from the wallet of one victim arid a small sum a few nights later from another. ThefLs arc said to have occurred ever since the theatre's construction as its fire escapes afford easy access to the dressing rooms. Oscar Hammerstein, who has dropped the 2d from his name, presented •Glorious Morning' at the Mansfield, New York, Saturday (26) in associa- tion with -Michael Hillman, who heretofore had not been identified wltn show business. Reported that the show has the backing of a wealthy.- South African. Unusual distinction of originating three roles in three current hit play* falls upon Arthur Gould-Porter, at present in 'Oscar Wilde.' Actor wa» the queen's secretary for two seasons in 'Victoria Regina,' leaving to take part of 'Flossie Nightingale* in 'Bachelor Born' for one season, and finally switching to 'Wilde.' Edward Curtis Jordan asks that a correction be made In the obituary notice of his wife, the late Carrie Braunek Jordan. Her home was In Ridgefleld Park, N. J., and not Ridgewood, as stated.