Variety (Jan 1939)

80 VARIETY LEGITIMATE Wednesday, January 11, 1939 Plays on Broadway THE GENTLE PEOPLE Comedy In three acta, presented at the Belaapo, N, T., Jan. 5, '30, by the Group Theatre; Written by Irwin Shaw; staged by Harold Clurman; $3.30 top. Jonah Goodman Sam Jaffe Philip Anagnos Boman Bohnen Karold Goff Franchot Tone MaKrudrr Karl Maiden Stella Goodman Sylvia b'ldney EU I^Ieber Klta Kazan Florence Goodman Lulla David Angelina Ksposlto Katherlne Allen Judge Grover Bursesa Clr>rk George Slcclton I.aiiinianawltz Lee J. Cobb Polnclc Martin Kitt FlaUerly Harry Brotaburg Adroit casting by the zestful Group Theatre and excellent pro- duction are as important as the script of 'The Gentle People,' a comedy that has a fair chance. Play itself is rather mixed. It tells the story of simple Brooklyn folk, principally two middleaged men, who are roused to retaliate against a grafting hoodlum. There are moments of mild melodramatics, but the most diverting scene is a Russian bath steam room. There the gentle a.k.'s plot to get rid of the collecting gangster; in- stead of it being sinister, the dialectic prattling of a Pitkin avenue mer- chant, whose store the sheriff will sell out in the morning, ijrovokes laughter. Had the author written the comic squawker, Lammanawitz, into one or two other scenes, his work would have been more assured of success. Jonah Goodman, possessed of a nagging wife and an attractive daughter, Stella, devotes his eve- nings fishing with a pal, Philip Anagnos, Greek chef. They have ? boat with an'outboard motor tied up to Steeplechase Pier, Coney Island, and plan buying a larger craft so that they can go south for real angling. Their plans are interrupted by Harold Goft, an easy-money grafter, who forces them to pay $5 weekly for "protecting' the little boat. Goft learns they have saved $190 and, after beating Jonah with a rub- ber hose, it is agreed that he get that coin, 'Which the gangster intends Tising for a trip to Cuba with Stella^ whom he seduces, The fisherman de- cide, that only by murdering the fel- low can they escape his clutches. CoH is lured aboara the boat, hit oni the head and tossed overboard. As he had pulled 4 gun, it is made to ■■ seem justiflaljle hoinicide. "Th^ flshormen recapture their say- ings and mote, too, the overage to be given to'chiarity. St^a. after being shocked Into the rei^lization that she was wrong in dallying with a phony, readily turns to Eli, who tuns the game of Tascination'nearby • and who plans a wedding trip in his new car. Irwin Shaw, whose 'Bury the Dead' attracted attention several seasons ago, call3 his play *a Brook lyn Pable' with reason. Franchot Tone returned from B4illyw6pd to play GoflE, giving the part a clear reading and believable Vt>e of touph guy, Sam Jafle, as the .more voluble fisherman, Jonah, turns in a fine performance, with ttoman Bohnen ably handling the Eart of his comnanion. Sylvia Sidney : the willful Stella, an assignment which she excellently delivers. Elia Kazan, who nlays her fiance, and Lee J. Cobb, who wins laughs in the steam room, are other standouts. Pier settini* by Boris Aronson is one t)f the best of the season. Ibcc. other girls in the family, and even a necktie for her dipsomaniac hus- band, only she spares his feelings by saying it was purchased at the local store. The 'Tobacco Road* analogy in this sordid theme is obvious. Only the plainest-looking daughter literally uproots herself from'her drab family to marry decently. Even the charm- ing Betty Field, as Clare Wallace, offered honorable marriage by the manly though slightly lawless smug- gler, can't resist her kleptomania. However, she does admit it will be 'kinda tough to steal a layette.' Dirt, per se, went out of style as stage fare circa 1923, so it's highly dubious if that phase alone will keep Primrose Path' in the money. This, despite a highly capable cast, note- worthy among whom are Helen Westley as the bawdy grandma; Marilyn Erskine, the comely 12- year-old who manifests precocious aptitude for the Wallace way of wantonness; Philip Wood, the- gin- sotted papa Wallace; Florida Frie- bus. as Maggie, and the others pre- viously mentioned. Abel. Mamba's Daughters Drama In three eiots presented at the Emplic, N. T.. Jan. :i, '30, -by Guthrie M(>- Cllntlc; dramatized from novel ol Dorothy nnd DuBose Heyward by latter; Ethel Waters starred: Fredl Washlnston, Gcon?- pttn Harvey, Anne Brown, Jose Ferrer, Willie Brvant and J. Rosamond Johnson fcatiited; "staged by presenter; $3.30 top. Mamba Georgette Harvey PoUoeman ; •.. ■ Bob Coogan Another Policeman John Ilustad fMerlc of Court John Cornell Prosecutlnp Attorney Oliver Barbour Pt. Jullen Dec. Went worth.... .Jose Ferrer The Judge Harry Meatayer Hagar Ethel Waters Pavey ,A1 Stokes Xed '. Hayes Pryor Mingo Louis Sharp Drayton Canada Leo Maum Vina Ethel Purnello Eva Georgia Burke Winie May Helen Dowdy Rev ■ Oulntus \Vhaley..J. Rosamond Johnson Gllly Bluton Willie Bryant Dollv , Alberta Hunter Tjls<;n Joyce Miller Martha Rena Mitchell Gardenia Anne Brown Tonv ..Jimmy Wright .Slim Reginald Beaiie I,l.<i?a redl Wn«»hlnKton Tessle Dorothy Paul from Georgette Harvey, as Mamba; Fredi Washington as the comely Lissa; Jose Ferrer, the only principal white player and manager of the commissary, idol of Hagar, whom she calls 'Mr. Saint'; Wcllie Bryant, the bandleader turned legit, who is okay as the gambler; and J. Rosa- inond Johnson as a tippling parson. There are a number of bits which stand out and the spiritual singing is on a high plane. Ihee, MICHAEL DROPS IN Comedy in three 'acta by William Du Bola; staged by Kdvvard Masxcy: setting by Eleanor Farrlngton; presented by Marie Louise Elklna and Iddvvard Massey, at the Golden. N. Y., Dec. ^7, '38. ViM top ( 3.f5 opening). Irene Lawrence Mlrlum Jordan Michael Dwyor Onslow Stevens Tlmmle Lawrence......;...G. Albert .Smith Judy Morton .Vrlene Francis Frank McNeil Kdmund Doraay Hattle Uce Gee James Philip Adams .Tames Todd Nan McNeil Lee Patrick THE PRIMROSE PATH George Abbott pi'oductloti of Bobert L. Burlcner-V^alter Hart comedy-drtma in three -acts, pine scenes, staged by Abbott, at Blltmore, N. T., opening Jan. 4, '39; $3,30 top (premiere scale ^1.40); settings, ClrUer & Bobbins; costumes. Helene Pons. Eva Wallace* , Marilyn Brakine Crandma Helen Westley Homer Wallace Philip Wood Dav}' Wallace k. Leslie Ban-ell Clare Wallace Betty Field Maggie Wallace lorlda Frlebus Emma Wallace Betty Garde Bnyard Lawrence Kussell Hardle •AUKUBtus Cummlngs Clyde Fillmore A Police Matron Teresa Dale Presumably taken from the Vic- toria Lincoln novel, 'February Hill'— although not so credited—the Rob- ■ert L. Buckner-Walfer Hart drama- tization is an episodic, rather aim- less job in Its sum total. While in-' tended as a sort of upstate New York 'Tobacco Road,' this cross-section of a certain strata of Buffalo community life is just plain dirt. The sordidness is not without its curious slants, but by and large 'The Primrose Path' will not be strewn with b'.o. lucre, "The Wallaces are an unmoral family indeed, yet not without their odd clannishness and affectionate family life. When Emma Wallace (well trouoed by Betty Garde) packs her overnight bag for an excursion Into town with some visiting fire- men (somehow they're usually Cor- nell. iDartmoUth or Texas A. & M. men: her own shiftless husband is Harvard '19) it's not for revenue only. There's an aura of maternal affection about It all, as she brin»»s baek gifts for her brood in the shanty, nearby Buffalo -A a wrist- watch for the adolescent son, lier- lume and scarab earings for grand- ma, personal effects for the three Guthrie McClintic saw something dramatically unusual in the Hey- wards'. low-down story of Charles- ton Negroes and he may be right. Indications are it- will serve mod- erately well. Mixed-cast play, mostly colored, is blessed with Ethel Waters, an ex- traordinary warbler in revues and night spots, who proves herself also a dramatic actress—the slow-witted Hagar of the novel. Story is melo- dramatic, depicting the sacrifice of a mother whose daughter is her only thought. There are emotional scenes, some punctuated by singing, mostly of a choral kind. While that is not new to the stage, it constitutes an important factor in the perform- ance: Play opens with a courtroom scene, Hagar being guilty of felon- ious assault, she having nearly throttled a seaman who plied her with liquor and refused to "pay for his wash. Because she has a nursing baby, Hagar is given a suspended sentence of five years and banished to a plantation across, the bay. It is in the commissary there that much of the action occurs, Hagar's mother Mamba bringing up the child in Charleston. Hagar had been promiscuous, but after the birth of Lissa, whose father she cannot identify, leads a clean life. Being unusually strojig, she ac- complishes the work of two men, all her earnings going to the raising of tliie girl. A camp meeting scene is climaxed by a fight in which Gilly Bluton, a gambler, is badly cut with a razor. The other Negroes refuse to help the man, but Hagar takes hiin to a hospital in Charleston, There she is recognized by the po- lice and is sent to the pen for vio- lating her probation. The years go by, Lissa growing into a pretty 18-year-old lass with a splendid voice. It is when she visits the commissary that she learns of Hagar's sacrifice, Lissa expressing deep devotion to Hagar. After a party several miles away, Lissa is drugged and violated by Gilly, the scene during which she is consolec by Hagar and Mamba being one of the dramatic highlights of the per- formance. A child results from the incident in the gambler's shack, but it is born dead and not reported. Gilly knows about it and blackmails Hagar, whose frequent requests of money from Lissa, now a success on radio in New York, have about reached the limit. Hagar goes to (Silly's shack intent on securing evidence concerning Lissa's still-born infant and when the gambler refuses she strangles him to death.- Returning to the commissary, where the other hands are listening to Lissa's top radio program, she dictates a con- fession and shoots herself. Miss Waters' portrayal of Hagar is stirring and the rendition oJ! 'Lonesome Walls' is excellent, the number having a melody by Jerome Kern, and lyrics by DuBose Hey ward. Colored star has .fine support William Du Bois, whose Negro drama 'Haiti' was one of last season's srightest Federal Theatre successes, las turned out a tepid little comedy in 'Michael- Drops In.' It's inex- pertly directed by co-presenter Ed- ward Massey, and the acting is dis- tinctly varied. .Altogether, a limited stay is indicated and there are meagre prospects of a picture sale. Piece deals with a drab school- marm who comes from Idaho to New York to find romance and a publisher for her first novel. As it happens, she aspires to combine the romance and the publisher, so she subleases the penthouse just beneath lis. Since he's been philandering with the feline penthouse mistress, he 'drops in' by way of the balcony and the expected playwriting ma- neuvers are attenuated through three acts. Arlene Francis (also active in newsreels and radio currently) is histrionically convincing and person- ally captivating as the country- mouse heroine. She catches just the proper blend of shy, tremulous ad- venturousness, lending a certain amount of distinction to theh com- monplace writing. Onslow Stevens is reasonably satisfying in the un- resolved part of the publisher, but t's not the type of character to which le's best suited. Lee Patrick brings ler accustomed dry wit to what was intended as a wise-cracking part, but there are few laughs available. One of the gags is so distasteful to her hat she intentionally muffles it up- stage. Miriam Jordan, former film ac- ress, is almost completely expres- sionless as the comely, conniving penthouse hostess, while G. Albert Smith, normally a capable actor, is unaccountably muddled as her like- able husband. Edmund Dorsay and James Todd fail to salvage minor supporting parts, and Gee Gee James overacts so outrageously that she fumbles the cinch part of the Negro maid. Although it has only a single set (tastefully done by Eleanor Far- rington) and a small cast, 'Michael Drops In' is merely an outside bet. Du Bois evidently didn't have much of anything to say and the players are unable to redeem that omission. Kobe. (Closed after nine performances; prinifid, for the record.) Play Out of Town Shakespeare's Merchant, 1939 Brooklyn, Jan, 10. An 'Interpretation' of 'The Merchant of Venice' by Hans von Twardowskl. Pre- sented at the .St. Felix Street Playhouse by the Brattleboro Theatre, Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 9, 'HO. Staped by Hans von Twardowskl. Settings by Martin Korleck, Duke of Venice Edward Barry Prince of Morocco..,. 'llllam Nlctiols, Jr. Prince of Arragon... Robert Balnea .Antonio........ John Maroney. Bassanio John Balmer Salanlo Kdward Barry Salarlno Harry Toune Gratlano ,Tabez Qray Lorenzo Houseley Stevens, Jr. Shylock J^duard Franz Tubal Paul Llndehberi; Launcelot Gobbo Martin Kosleck Portia Muriel Hutchison Nerlssa Katharine Johnson Joaalca Fi-ances Anderson First Attendant Elizabeth Neumann Second Attendant Marjorle Baton Officer Georee Sterllnir Officers, jailers, servants, people In bar and other attendants: Ronald Alexander, Dorothy Feriruson, Oscar Halmowlta, Sally Nye. Guy Tanno, Arthur Von Shillagh, Frederick Warrlner, William Whitman. This is Brattleboro .Theatre's third and most interesting production this season. It is tagged an 'interpreta- tion' of 'Merchant of Venice,' with simple settings by Martin Kosleck. Hans von Twardowski, who directed present production, also is responsi- ble for the modern version of the sion of how Harlem entertainers might swing semi-classics in Paris. Virginians use special arrange- ments for their numbers, a standout being 'The Song Is You.* Boys were in 'Sing Out the N^s' ensemble and should get somewhere as a double quartet. Miss Janis is being han- dled by Bernard Hart and Bill Doll, who brought out Cissie Loftus for Sunday's last season, but missed out because they had no written con- tract with that mimic. Joseph M. Hyman is associated with the duo. Ibee. D'OYLY CARTE Gilbert and Sullivan repertory for nine weelut at Martin Beck, N. T., opening Jan. 5, '84); $3.30 top. Double bill opening night as follows: TEIAL BY JURY The learned judge '.William Sumner Counsel for the. plalntl I.,eslle Rands The defendant I.>eonard Osborn Foreman of the Jury T. Penry Hughes Usher , Richard Walker Associate C. William Morgan The plaintiff Margery Alibott First bridesmaid Maysle Dean PIBATES OF PENZANCE Major-General .Stanley. Martyn Green The Pirate King Dan-ell Fanrourt Samuel (His Lieutenant).. .Richard Walker Fi-ederlc (the Pirate ApprentloeKJohn Dean Sergeant of Police Sydney Oraiivllle General Stanley's-'Daughters— Mabel Helen Roberta Edith Marjorle Eyre Kate Ivy -Sanders Jflabel Mayale Dean Ruth Evelyn Gardiner ELSIE JANIS (Sunday. Night Concerts) Elsie Janis has started a series of Sunday 'evenings at the Music Box, N. Y., the debut on New Year's be- ing climaxed with the once familiar high-kicking waltz and cartwheel. That was by way of indicating she has completely recovered from a motor car accident, and the audience responded with bravos. It's her first professional appearance in years, but the star still possesses her flair for njimicry, while her sense of humor is as keen as ever. Miss Janis admits she is 50, putting it: 'When I was 16, which was 34 years ago, come March.' She mentioned her mother, who passed on several years ago, and also kidded about 'my young husband,' who is a pianist but was not the accompanist, there being two others used during a performance that included two young warblers and the Virginians, male octet who sing very well. Program listed the songs with the notation: • .'Miss Janis will announce the numbers, but here are the titles, just in case she muffs them,' also the regret that her name appears so often, 'but she might as well take the blame for the lyrics—she takes the royalties, if any.' Annette Kirby and Virginia Burke are the tyro en tertainers. An unbilled player han dies the ivories for the Virginians and Noel Cravat plays for most of the star's ditties.. Miss Janis' 'next-to-closing' con tribution, of course, proved.the high- light of the evening, she imitating a flock of stage personalities including George M. Cohan, Sascha Guitry, John Barrymore, his sister Ethel, Will Rogers—which gave her the chance to toy with lariats—and Fan nie Brice. There was a kid, Bill Walker, who emulated Rogers with the rope& earlier in the routine. Star had several numbers in French, one of .which cued her into an impres Gilbert and Sullivan productions by this company give the Victorian classics in their original uncut, im- modified state' with every line, cross, reprise, gesture and convention locked fast in the mould of tradition. It's as the doting Savoyard audience fancies it. And the audience, almost more than the performance, is the appropriate subject for reportorial attention. Like the actresses and chorus members upon the stage, the spectators are light on lipstick and sans rouge. If the third encore is automatic with the players, so is the thunderous applause with the delighted congregation. The plots retain a large measure of basic drollery along with some tough going in spots. The music is delightful. The singers have de- voted their lives to polishing every syllable. William SUmner is new— and good—as the judge in "Trial* and John Dean is pretty flat as Frederic In 'Pirates.' Which is about all the news. Land. POLICY KINGS Musical comedy m two acta (six scene.i) by Michael Ashwood; music, Jamea P. Johnson; musical arrangements. Ken Ma- comber; directed by Winston Douglas; dances by .Tlmmy Payne; presented by Michael Ashwood at Nora Bayes, N. Y.. Dec. 30, '38. t2.20 top. Cast; Billy Cumby, Frankle Jaxson, Ray Snecd, Jr., Wlllor Guilford, Monte Norrls, Kenneth Mltphell, Ray Sneed, Herbert Evans, Arthur Moore. Robert Mason. Nor- man Atwood. George Jenkins, Enid Ra- phael, Edward Davis, Cora Green, Nettl Perry, Nlles Welles, Bessie DeSaussure, Irene Cort, Margie Ellison. Henry Drake, Roland Glllls, Mary Bruce Dancers. Even the Nora Bayes. which is celebrated for audience-dispersers, never housed quite such shambles as 'Policy Kings.' Since the shojv defies description, this report will not attempt the im- possible. Just put the whole thing down as a pitifully misguided at- tempt. For the record, then, author- producer Michael Ashwood is a Negro and this musical about the Harlem numbers racket, has a inixed cast. Printed credits above cover the rest, Hobc. (Closed after three performances; printed for the. record.) •Bard's drama. It plays havoc with the original, but manages to retain enough of Shakespeare to intrigue fastidious students of Elizabethan drama, and at same time afford ordi- nary theatregoers an opportunity to observe that anti-Semitism is not a new, but an old and painful, story. 'Shakespeare's Merchant, 1939,' has the performers walking around in business suits, evening clothes, eve- ning gowns, fedoras, etc. Opening scene finds Antonio and Bassanio conferring in a sidewalk cafe. Sign overhead in bright letters reads 'No Jews Allowed,' Throughout play that sign appears frequently; And Shylock, when he walks the streets, is spat upon by hoodlums and smacked around. His daughter, Jes- sica, played by Frances Anderson, leaves him and marries .the Chris- tian, Lorenzo. During scene-shifting a black car- tain is dropped. Curtain is plastered with tear sheets from current daily newspapers telling of Nazi horrors and tortures to the Jews in Ger- many and Austria. Eduard Franz, as Shylock, gives the best performance of the entire group. He plays the oppressed Jew with dignity and understanding. Portia is portrayed by Muriel Hutch- inson, who recently completed a fea- ture role in screen version of "...one-third of a nation." She struts around in sexy fashion and in last scene, the trial of Shylock who seeks his pound of flesh, Portia is mobbed by the cameramen and speaks the 'quality of mercy' speech into a microphone. Martin Kosleck does a good , job with the part of Launcelot Gobbo, Shylock's servant. .He is particu- larly outstanding in the cocktail bar scene when he comes through the revolving door. Viennese music is used as a background throughout' play. 'Shakespeare's Merchant, 1939,' is good experimental theatre and a strong plea for understanding of the plight of the Jew. Brattleboro Theatre's next produc- tion will be 'Roadside,' comedy by Lynn Riggs. It comes in Feb. 6. 'Roadside' had a brief Broadway run in 1930 under the auspices of Ar- thur Hopkins. Ronson. CLEVE. NIXES 'ANGELA'; TOWN' GOOD $7,400 Cleveland, Jan. 10. 'Our Town' kayoed the legit jinx that has been haunting the Hanna for the last month or two by rolling a fine $7,400 into the theatre's coffers in three days. Four performances not only had a. surprisingly large, sale of $2.50 seats, but also dusted off the sold- out sign on its last day. Unexpected click was a surprise, since Sinclair Lewis, in 'Angela Is 22,' failed to draw the previous three .days of last week. Cricks dissected novelist-ac- tor's so-called 'actin' unmercifully. Natives stayed home as a result, giving house only $4,200. Estimate for Last Week ♦Oar Town,' Hanna (1,435; $2.50 top). 'Angela' not helped by Sin- clair Lewis personal appearance, sticking it for weak $4,200 in three days. 'Our Town' took sour taste away on next three nights with ex- cellent $7,400 and could have stayed another stanz'a. Tins,' $9,000, No Panic in New Haven New Haven, Jan. 10. Two sellout benefits rescued 'Pins and Needles' from What would prob- ably have been a sad week here. Two matinees were washouts. Biz was largely confined to upper tiers. Show drew severe word-of-mouth panning, although newspaper notice was favorable enough. Locals just couldn't understand why the revue was isuch a smash on Broadway. Estlfuafe for Last Week 'Pins and Needles,' Shubert (1,700; $2.20). Biz all crowded into first half; not too good at around $9,000 on eight performances. Pitt Legit Gettin' Nowhere Fast; *RoadV 6th Repeat Pittsburgh, Jan. 10. 'Tobacco Road' is rapidly displac- ing 'Blossom Time* as the Nixon's hardiest perennial here. Play's just been booked for another engagement week of Jan. 30, making its sixth visit here in last three seasons. Has yet to fall short of bang-up biz, too. Legit season locally is barely stag- gering along now, with house cur- rently dark for second straight week. Relights Monday (16) with 'Susan and God,' returns of 'Victoria Regina and 'Road' following successively. So far Nixon has played only , 11 weeks, and very doubtful of reaching 20, which will give it one of worst seasons in several years.