Variety (Mar 1943)

42 LEOITIMATB Wednesday, Marrli 31, 1913 Plays Oot of Towd Dancing in the Streets . Tonjbrrow the World Boston. Miirch 23. | ..|IM I .. Ill I. I! Kr.-l|.-> >.l::n li. t«. llf'l/.. J-.hli I'i'i il Hll<l .\t:it< 'l.iM'.: fl.iii iiii:;'Z l\ Mill T;ivl"i. .-"in- Min .Mnnir f-';i'Ui"*f. IM|.|1".v Ihui;-'. Ki ii'-'4I VV |<-Ici>>. .I:ti'l> ■'^lii.ul. K ■■I-.. «:;.-..II :ii..) Iji'iiv .\:i-i.. MII1..1 V.iii.m link". •.>:ii> I'l l>i»l/.. ll.i > !•> l:<>li.-i-| At x: iic—l li« K-'uiir .M:m-<:i>*l'. 1-. .|<';..i:i. .1 .ii.'l In ll'il- il IMi I .1 y .•.•^iiiiii ^ !•«■ K II'"*. imi>li"il ri'tiioii !•> .M:i« .M'"'li .XI Ih" Shillii-il Hii- New Haycn. March 2.5 I'll ■• .1 )lii«'H.|i:..| )ii<..lii>-ti ; llii'.-.i.l h ..Ml .l.illli'j* i;.i\v -III.I .\-iiii:.! >ll'<- •■III I-'.*iiuit'" Kiiliih lf**ll>iiiiv Hiiil .'iiiii'ii'y : -.'!■ fi< ..• -.1 ii* K:ii'iii .\"iii.*-ni i<>.iiiiiu. : .11 ii.l .-:.i\..> *'J.T."i iMii- 'il I al .'•■hii- . ,v. « II iv.-ii. M.in h J.V li'i:: I'm ii'". • l i III.. I'r.ilil'' •h h ■ .Mull li mr-. Il< .l>-fr.. l."Uifll' Mn.'-'ii Aiiillli.i U ii'-: .M .'.el Wiii'l. 'I' A'liiii'i il I*"*'' <i''^ lii'tt'li c.'i. vv.ivi;.! lii.xli 0''h. t..'iini'l'S i' I'l I.l-'ll. r.';ii I'l .MiiA* lliifi in'^.. Jii.ly .Mi!'lr'-.l I'liiiil'ill'* Mini" . M.ivlK Kii.^ Alii.i Drui'tllii I<'>.v lliinl.'il Ilil-I'l.% Mi'liriiv.'. II ni'iliT 1,111 1^!-' I in::. t:.-v> i-u I'M.Ill* Ti .M.iiv W'ii'ii".* Hi'ii'n Itiiviiiiiii'l (• .|;i \V I Il'Tf liii-'l' Wii"1iiili, I'.-'N in- llU'lli'V IIICii'T- i.i:..... r..-'.M<' cr- I:i''k ."liii.'iil rs.\ iii'j iv.li.. Knii*. I I'i-Mutic r.'S.v i.i 'k Kiii> , M.'i'y M.iiliii lli'lO .Ml.'ii MiMiViI I..IW , .. .('h»rliilli> y\:l\- riiiii' wi.i.ii M.ivln .Ml :i.. Km AMI il'•■ Ain:i rnnitliiiM lJl'lli-il:.i Slr.iin I»nul Miilin y. n't' I I'l \\. nit ill illf llr<'iil"i I'l.fj.' .M.il I ri • i:i''U.ii.i« l-'"i I III ". kii.'i . Ki'-.i .Mill--i . . Il ti.i . l:ii!: I'..III.. I .... ..Iiivi-.i. V III I'.iiii'ii ,. .' Iliiiiilhv .-' iii'U . . Ai:'.;i.M . .. KilMll Ih-lliMiv •'llili'V Hmitli . .S:;i|i|i% llii:il>.|i*l' 111. h irl T:.lMT \V;|1I.>1' K-ilv .. Kii h .1.1 Tvl- 1 I Mill l'..r"i. .II. 'i>lnii<>i|lir Tl.^i'lilH»rry.i'.iii. "K. Mh 'l>l*'i:r.i|i|i Itin ■ N>wi*r>'i»l nifii Itiitllii iiii*n — IHII'ITH. . I'lirl f;irfi:i I Hill riitliiiuii ... I Jiiiiir' llrirkln;. ... I Kii'il ri*ii»r.i 1 Clhv-l' i:ii •I'.il.ri < Jiii'k M»i'k-I r.iiir iJK'luln- Thi* 1l"y Ki'i'-nilii: Julinny C'li"'. Jrrrt' .M.- MHhin Diiii l.ilKMlii. Iliililii 'lliirrKll. Il'iil Hnnirr. Wllllnin An-hllinM. Vhll" Ciiliiii i:iil-.' lilINi' Wiinh. M»vi« Mlnw. Mllilrol l.iw. .l.'iinn» Itlnnrlio. Itmrliilli- Mh>'<-. Curatii: Ildli-n Ib-nnrlL Kli-nPor H<il>-vn. Mnrbnni' Cgilo. I>ii;iirr> Mllmi. M.'-^r* Vli- Khilii Miirrla. Kiijf IViiul Jfiiu S.'nii. Tiinl Siuiii't. Kv«l.vn W:inl. 0^1o«'ri«nii' ollviT Jkipi-Hinii. Fml IN'ii'i'n. I)»vlil l<:irlli<i'. JnrK Alli'll. RiiV Arm-ll'. <'li.rk Kq^rl^i'iin. (iMintr Hunlrr. I.iirry Evi'iy. Tiim I'luv.'ru. Ilnlifrl Tmul. Jiirk WllkciK. .liM'k llnwnmfrkel. JnmM Unr- klim. Willhiiii Cnilinuii. 'J<wriih {.iiCIhIit. IMi'l Ciin-lll. With plenty of redeeming feature!;, ot which Mary Martin is by no means least. 'Dancing In the Streets' Is now being doctored and It's pos- slble Vinton Freedley will have a click by the time the musical reaches Broadway. With the w^)l-publtclzed business girl's housing problem in Washing- ton as the diving board, book Intro- duces a trio of old militaries: an ad- miral,' a general and a colonel, all retired, who live in a Ane old Wash- ington mansion bewailing their situ- ation on the shelf. In order to make themselves useful, they offer their house to the navy as a dormitory for officers, hoping, thereby, to have a chance to spout their war-like theories. The offer gets tangled in red tape and in troop a horde of svelte sec- retaries led by Mary Martin. Hor- rified, the old codgers beat a hasty retreat to a not previously deter- mined position, camping out on the lawn in a tent. Plotting to oust the girls, they eventually succeed, only to invite them all beck in a hurry when they're decorated by the Gov- ernment for 'solvlrfg the housing problem. While this yarn is put forward, everything else stops. And as the book, as a rule, does not provide any openings for the musical number.<. I a good part of the doctoring is be- ing done on that end. In a milieu famous for its random romances, this one exceeds all the others, for Mary Martin's affair with a naval officer is the most casual on record. The lovers have but one song together and practically no dia- log, let alone any crisis. In the meantime, the three muddled mili- taries exchange mild pleasantries, take a bath in tubs on the lawn, and supply an occasional laugh. Since the musical numbers spring Pallas-like out of the blue, they take curious forms. There is, for example, a bar-room ballad (and a darned food one at that) called 'A Friendly lar.' sung in a lusty baritone by Mark Dawson. There's a sea chantey called 'Bay of. Botany'ta very beau- tiful tune. too), also caroled lustily by Dawson and the boys. There's a can-can. a patriotic parade, a low comedy turn by the old boys' sisters, and so on.' Bob Alton has done his best with them, and often succeeds in giving them both pace and glitter. For his first musical show assign- ment. Robert Edmond Jones has pro- vided solid sets, most of which could use more color. Meanwhile, the Vernon Duke-Howard Dietz tunes range from the excellent to the purely functional, the above-men- tioned and 'Indeflnable Charm' standing out. It's Mary Martin's show despite the competition' .she gets from such legit standbys as Dudley DiKges. Ernest Cossart, Jack Smart, Cora Witherspoon and others. Miss Mar- tin sings and dances.capably enough, and Is a knockout in her valentina co-itumes. There are no specialties to speak of, Jere McMahon catch- ing on in a brief dance routine. It's Mary Martin they come to tee and ■he.dde8it!t.ifllsai>pblnt them.. -gHc, If li-yoiit curtain call.-- are any cri- III ion. 'Tomorrow the World' should have l)ettcr than an oven chance of catching on. Play wa.-i well received on opening night here and palm- pouiidine for excellent performances '•ai-ri.'d over into several added !i iw.s. Script, per se. is timely and cs-'in".. but its principal virtue >:^m.< from the fact that it is a fine sprin-'ljoard for some grade-A act- in", particularly in the junior de- !>:■ '.mont. Indication.^: lire for a sat- i-fiiclory stay on Broadway plus a uoiH sub.'-'equcnt film version. Story, which is propaganda with an entertainment coating, concerns a sii;>ject that is definitely pegged as a post-war problem, namely: What arc the United Nations to do with the 12.000,000 youngsters of Ger- miiiy. Imbued with Nazi principles, when the final smoke of battle c'ears? Authors point out the prob- lem and offer as their conception of the answer a system aimed to break through the callous shells of these products of national socialism and And a responsive chord In the human qualities t>eneath those shells. Ac- cording to this particular script, it's going to be a tough job. but it can be done. Coming at this time, theme is strictly' in the tempo of to- day's train of thought and is pre- sented in a mann'er that is both en- liehtcnirig and exciting. Play Is laid In a midwestern col- lege town where Michael Frame is a ot ogressive-thtnking professor liv- ing with his motherless 10-year-old daughter Pat and his housekeeoer sister Jessie. Another sister had married Carl Bruckner, a noted Ger- man philosopher, some years previ- ously and had moved to Germany, where her son Emil was born. Boy's mother died and his father, confined in a concentration camp for his lib- eral views, was eventually killed be- cause of his free thinking pnd writ- ing. Frame gets the lad out of Ger- many and takes him on as a member of his own household. Kid. thoroughly inculcated with Nazi philosophy ot force, hate and all-around treachery, turns out to be a prize stliikcr and proceeds to unravel the comfortable pattern of lives in the menage. He almost breaks up Frame's impending mar- riage to Leona Richards, Jewess principal of a nearby experimental school: he temporarily turns Jessie against the others: he gets into scraps with all the kids in the neigh- borhood: and caps it all by trying to kill Pat when she catches him steal- ing the key to the profs laboratory, where wartime' experiments are go- Ini! on. Boy's regeneration occurs when it slowly penetrates that may- be his Nazi tutors were on the wrong track after all. Ralph Bellamy comes back to foot- lights after a 13-year stay in Holly- wood and marks his return with a sincere, intelligent portrayal of the easy-!;oine professor. Shirley Booth, a.s Frame's fiancee, swings from lighthearted romance to emotional- ism with a dexterity that fits the role excellently. Dorothy Sands is an important contribution to cast with a fine version of Frame's sister Jest'ic. Adult performances, however, are topped by those of a couple of youngsters whose stage presence and assurance, particularly when the two hold the stdge alone, display standout qualities. Although the authors are not tilling virgin soil in the presentation. of a stage brat— 'Children's Hour' and 'Guest' in the House' did pretty well by that sub- ject—in offering the character of Emil Bruckner, the 'Nordic Super- man.' they have given the stage, a new champion at this sffecialty; at least until something more ornery comes along. Youthful Skippy Ho-, meter does .a masterful job with the role and has practically every' finger in the audience itching to close on hli slender throat. Opposite him. Joyce Van Patten makes a livelv and attractive little miss who reads'lines and limes laughs with veteran skill. On the basis' of their work here, these two youngsters face a bright future. Nancy Nugent, daughter of play's director. Elliott Nugent, wa.s to have made her stage debut in the child lead but wos out of the cast due to illness. Good support is han- dled by Edit Angold. Richard Taber. Walter Kelly. Richard Tyler and Paul Porter. Jr. Nugent's staging Indicates Infinite patience in developing the junior roles. Unfolding of the plav as a whole Is nicely done, and thorough preparation was evidenced by the smooth premiere. An exceptionally attractive library Interior provides " i.elba.ekgi<)imd ,. - . , , Boi^e, HAREM SCAREM Cleveland, March 29. Al ItiMPii protlufliiin 4i( fill''' III Iwii ;i,'i^ liy Milinn llerli^rt <ir.i|,iH>i-. ihm-.I mi iil-'-i iij Ki*il liulliinl. ."i.iB'il In li Ii.'il. riflllnKH, Fli'dfrli'k K-'K i"^'i J*. lii.iif il'iiiHIiiii: „|H'ii,'<l M ll.iiiii:i. l'li'\ — l:in.l. .Miirrh i.>ll. IHi::. 7.', l"i< KillHi i::iii,*r Il-ii All .MilHliilihii Il'i'-iiii K ••'I • '., .Mirzii I(iiy,lliiinili KrnHKlH I(ii:ini:i VlllPiMIH :!^."-nii liiiriitlty. .\iliil F:iTiH.... I'r.-li- Mill Kl l Zi'V I'*IIHI Sill',' . .«f,...iil(.| SliivP. .\:iz:|.ll ..Mlll'ir-I Mili'h-ll S|i"l Ii.'iillf\ ...A. \Viiill-|.l M-H'iiv 1..-^., riiiili.>rK K.|ilur.l I''c:iii7. i..ir:itii.> i.liiy-l i:>*iiiiiii f'i'ir i'.'.:ji i:.iiil.l K:ir'-ll S|.»v,»n-. V%iitiii.' .M;inn Ilil.li.'il I'rii'i- It:irli;,,;i Ilr..W'n Klli'ii M-rrlll i-:.iiiii r,i.T.h:iiii . l>.in.iM llrliin II..I1 II' I .... ii.iiii r '.i.'iii''ii AlliiTI V.i'ii Ir.411 r*»:in'»» Sex. bawdy comedy and unadul- terated corn are the chief ingre- dients of Al Rosen's second le^it venture, but they're not mixed in t' o. proportions that makes hi« and Howard Lang's 'Good Night. Ladies' such a marathon hit in Chicago. Very doubtful if it will go over outside of the corn belf. where purnle hokum and slinky g"ls with b.i"o midriffs are still considered naushty. Instead of being a s^atirical. imoi-dont farce alMut fun in an Oriental harem that a Yankee merchant buys, it turns out to be a heavy-handed, some- times dull burlesque of Min.^ky calibre \vith only few redeeming laughs. Amateurish script by Milton Her- bert Gropper. with Aosen collabing. has almost as many fantastic mys- tery thriller props as "The Bat.' Six slave girls and two eunuchs sex up every other line with double en- tendre but dialog is so badl.v wrMten that It's more monotonously vulgar than spicy. Raggedly done opus will need plenty of doctoring, almost a complete rewrite job to sharpen several flat scenes, if produrer in- tends pushing it into the Harris. Chicago, April 25. for indefinite run. Show doesn't get going until Don- ald Brian comes on to rib Spencer Bentley about his rashness in pur- chasing a harem and all Its appur- tenances from a bankrupt sheik. Half-pint Bentley. as an e'hterpris- ing merchant from Ashtabula. O.. plays straight too often but man- ages to put across some fairly funny business and gags whenever he gets his teeth into a '-good one. Brian, as his philandering old doctor-uncle, sharpens the over-all with casually delivered, cynical quips. Harem-buyer walks into plenty of trouble right from the start. Sheik, who lost his rupees on camel races fixed by chiseling nephew, tries to scare the Yankee out of the palace by hauling in a weird crew nf phoney ghosts. They range from silly-look- ing gorilla to skeleton man and couple nf veiled spooks ,lha* hop out (Continued on page 45) Play w Broadway RICHARD III Theatre l*r«iOui'iliinfi iiii*(ii'..i.iiii,ii uf ir:m- «ly by Willaiii ShakvuiM'un'. :<iui:»i| liy Ucuria CouliiDiia: at'i'iiviy. Mml-y: imiilui'- tlon ami IlKhiini;. Jcnn Kiwniliiil: iiiuai,'. • ievma lllnic S-l.nn (mi: mifiii'd at Kurn-ai. .N'. v., Uaix'h Sil. lUiS. guean MandiiTi .MII,Jr»il Huniiivk Kln» Henry VI Hurry Irvlm- Hicham. l>ukv at lltiiurvKii'r (Ii^lincf (.'iiiiliiiirln Kln« Ifilnrd IV T'.in lluilii'ri'uril gui-iin KIlMlii'ih .\iinii.i Ch'iiiiiii'rK Kilwanl. t'riiir" i,f \\'iil"ji..l.'ir,) ll„liiiiii<in Uaurna, bukr uf «°liir«nre Hunilil Viiuiii: Slr lllilurJ HHtclirr Julin l':iiTi<li l.oril llaallniiH Anihiin.\ K"nililv Ouun-r Ijiily Anna Iiek-n W'Hrcii ISarl Rivara .N'uriiiiiii LKiril tlroy Jiinien ll.'inuii Uuke ii( llui-klnnhiini I'hillii iiiiiirnoiir l.nril Uiiinlay Siii.iri r;ii<.'v Miimula or Uiiriu-i Kii'.ti'iii' Hlui'kmiinn illr wnilain (.■aiiicHliy Ikilnh Clanfm KIral Murdarar Juhn Irolaiiil Sacond Munlaiar....: ILtIiiti IIiiiiit Klmt Clilivn lt:iiiitiilii:i K-IhiIh Sm-iind Citizen Miii',,1.1 Viiunu ThInI I'ltlipn Ih-rliiini 'I'lnHWrll l-uurih Cltlxcn Juhn .SylivHt-r Liinl Mayor uf J«oniliin Hurry Irvlii!' Itlchanl. Duka ut York .Mk'hii-I Aril»i MMHi^nKor .s'linii'iii itiiK« ! rrlvener i: <i iniiii T.inan'.-ll t'aite iiihn Sylvi-nii-r sir Jiiinra Tyrrei llrrliKrt lliiliiiT .Swunil MaaarnKrr Kuisi-nr .xiiii kmiin Sir Jiimea Mluni I.ihn Kuril Uuka »r Hlchiiionil Juim Irohiml Uuku III Niirfiilk Itnnilnlnh Ki linln OunnlH, Hulillarx. .-ii-.: Wlllliim KiirfT. Tyler Banhnni. Kvpr-ii nuluhi. .Mlihin-I Kvarall. ThniiiiiH llnrrj, Uruio nilulilun. liny Ilaml, Mllloii Cordnn. CurllH K:irii-, .\h J, Anilaraiin. (Innlnii Hnnimlll. I>iiriniin l.aiinrinl. Mni-tun .ipinicr, .<yl !.:iiii)iiil, D,in Valfntlna, Jluwaril 'lliii.llor. .IliiiiPa i: |i\ Dli'k l-llfhar. .Inlin CuurilRnili. Ihnia Al'-i- iinilpr, Hipphan lliiililun. ilurl.in 1'ri|i|i. Idili- ort latvt. Any actpr who plays..,'Richar!'' I.'!' accepts both a chailei^e and an enormous task. For the character is more than just one of the classic villains of Shakespearean drama and one of the great tragedian roles. It' must carry, virtually alone, a heavv mediocre play. It Is rarely attempt- ed by anyone but an established star. In fact, although immortals like For- rest, Booth, Irving and John Barry- more scored personal triumphs in the part, 'Richard III' has not been seen on Broadway since Walter Hampden played it in repertory 10 years ago. For the current pre^-enta- tlon the script has-been dra.stically cut. and is offered with a single in- termission. In undertaking such an assign- ment, George CoulourLs hds shown uttuaual dftTing; .even: audacity. Bu) hade Stnff-Leint t/loft Broadwayites who attended the opening of 'Dancing In the Streets' in Boston la.st week liked the show and were surprised at the so-so notices. Vinton Freedley, who produced the musical, which is slated for the Im- perial. N. Y., was among those who realized that the show needed more fixing than usual. He stated that unlc.ss it was whipped into shape. 'Streets' would not come to Broadway. A hurry call brought additional writers to Boston. Show's Broadway opening, dated for April S, has been set back, with Easter now the tentative debut date. Freedley succeeded Edgar MacGregor as slnijer. Harry Madden is in Boston rewriting the book and Wilkie Mahoney is inserting gags. 'Dancing' will move to the Boston Opera House next week to t>e replaced at thC' Shubert by The Three Sisters.' Horace Schmidlapp and Richard Krakuer arc associated with Freedley. Among those interested, too, arc Jules Brulatoiir and Pam Blumcnthal, latter a Wall Streeter identified as l>eing connected with Farrell Bros., Chicago brokerage. The success of the Cullman brothers, Howard and Joseph, in backing legit shows, has created a 'lucky charm' legend which is Jseiiig rivaled, in a measure, by Dr. Irving Somach, now a major in the U. S. Artny. with the 3d General Hospital, Camp Rucker, Ozark, Ala. Major Somach, whose family for years owned theatres on the En.st Side of N. Y., likewi.;e h.is been highly-successful in backing legits, having 'pieces' of the Seriiii and Lindsay-Crouse shows, including 'Life With Father.' and now the forthcoming Cheryl Crawford-Margaret Webster modernized version ot Shakespeare's 'The Tempest.' Maestro Meyer Davis is another who is spreading out as a legit bankrollcr. Two memt>ers of the Stone family will be playing in competition to each other when Producer Frank McCoy presents Fred Stone in 'You Can't Take It With You' at the Lafayette theatre. Detroit. April 4. His daughter. Dorothy Stone, and her husband. Charles Collins, are headlining Henry Duffy's revue 'Merry-Go-Rounders' at the Wilson. Both houses operate uhder a popular-priced policy. It marks no novelty of appearance for either of the players under the rival management aegis In Detroit. Stone previously played the Grandpa Vanderhof role for McCoy while Miss Stone was starred by Duffy in 'Life of the Party' earlier in the season. Equity's offices in N. Y.. frigid several times during the winter, have resulted in some of the staff being downed with colds. It's a matter ot the heating .system, oil rationing forcing conversion to a coal furnace, used originally. Last week, when coupons for oil had been used up, additional ones were refused until a form for converting the heating system had been filled out. Feared that next winUr the oil heating problem will be worse than now. Shows playing the National theatre, Washington, on Sunday find that the right level for Sablmth playgoers is $1.90 preferably, and not over $2. Plenty of government workers who will march ta the windows for the popular price scale but will not meet the $2.75 tariff. Proven with 'Priorities of 1942,' when low-priced matinees were sellouts but the $2.75 night show languished. 'Student Prince' and "Blossom Time,' coming April 4, will play Sunday matinees at the reduced scale. Theresa Helburn, taken ill in Boston last week, confined to l>ed with grippe, which is said to have aggravated a glandular condition.' Lawrence Langner. another Theatre Guilder in the Hub city tor 'Oklahoma' (for-- merly called 'Away We Go'), held conferences in her room. New mu- sical, which topped Boston legit biz last week, opens tonight (31) at the St. James, N. Y. Miss Helburn returned to New York late last week and is now reported In good condition. Kay Aldridge. who has a role in Vinton Freedley's 'Dancing in the Streets,' is a serial.queen, tor .Repubjie.,Pictures. She has starred in two of the studio's cliffhangers, 'Perils ot Nyoka' and 'Daredevils of the West.' She goes back to Rep for more of the 13-episode escapea from death as soon as her run-of-the-play pact with Freedley is con- cluded. Music Box, N. Y, has been recarpeted for the first time in its 21 years, the approximate cost being $5,000. That expenditure required the okay of ail the executors of the Sam H. Harris estate, also the Shut>erts, who have an ownership Interest but do not operate the theatre. 'Star and Garter,' which , is playing the house, has milch the better ot the sharing terms. It's slated into the summer. Larry Hugo, who replaced Montgomery Clift this week as juve lead in The Skin of Our Teeth,' at the Plymouth, N. Y., has been working recently as a welder In a Brooklyn shipyard. After getting married on the Coast a couple of years ago he took a similar job to earn money tor himself and his wife to return east so they could get bock in the theatre. Clift left 'Skin of Our Teeth' because ot illness. Stella Duff, understudy for Eugenie Leontbvitch In 'Dark Eyes' at the Belasco, N. Y., is making her first appearance on Broadway during Miss Leontovitch's illness. She returned to the U. S. recently from China, having appeared m English language plays in Shanghai until the Japanese occupation of the city. Miss Leontovitch, suffering a throat ailment, is expected back in the cast late this week. in addition, he is not only playing the terrific title part, but has also done the staging. Although he has been seen creditably in good parts in such plays as 'Blind Alley, the Katharine Cornell revival of 'Saint John.' the Orson Welles production of 'Julius Caesar' and U the heavy, in several forthcoming Hollywood Eiclures, Richard is by far the big- est and most exaeting role he has ever acted, at least in America. Under the circumstances, it's not surprising thot he doesn't succeed in bringing it off. While occasional scenes or passages of his Richard are plausible, or even momoitarily bright, he doesn't reveal either the acting range tb realize the full possi- bilities of the part, or the personal magnetism to carry the play. But what is less understandable, his per- formance seems to lack tempo or sufficient variation, and his reading is frequently Indistinct. Neverthe- less, merely appearing in the role should help him 'professionally. As a director, Coulourls shows exceptional modesty, possibly' too much so. For occasionally one of the le.s.ser characters is allowed to take away the center ot interest, which doesn't help a play so de- pendent on the lead. Otherwise. It's difficult to tell whether some ot the faults of the performance are due to improper direction or the short- comings ot Individual actors. How- ever, the playing as a whole lacks the vitality, drive and bravura qual- Ity . necessary , tot, Shakegpearei drama. This shortcoming is accen- tuated by the manner in which the actors climb around multi-leveled scenery. It must t>e added, though, that this setting, with Jean Rosen- thal's complicated but well syn- chronized lighting, admirably expe- dites the. play's many scenes. There .are some outstanding ex- ceptions to the generally lacklustre or downright inaudible playing ot the large cast Philip Bourneuf has excellent swagger and authority as the Duke of Bljeklngham. John Ire- land is properly vigorous as the Duke of Richmond. Mildred Dun- nock gives the right suggestion ot the voice of doom to the part of Queen Margaret, while Harry Irvine at least has color as the Lord Mayor, Norma Chambers is definite as Queen Elizabeth, and Anthony Kem- ble Cooper gives variety to the part of Lord Hastings. One of the difficulties of 'Richard III' for U. S. audiences is that it pre- supposes a familiarity with .15th cen- tury English history. It would prob- ably be just as tough for the ordi- nary Londoner to appreciate Sidney Kingsiey's current play. The Pa- triots.' without knowing the histori- cal . background ot the American Revolution. Of course, Shakespeare always tends to be tough boxoffice on Broadway. Only such stars as Maurice Evans and the Luhts have been able to make it' suctfessful in recent ye^rs. So the Coulourls at- tempt, without names, se^ms vlrtu- ally hop61esa<. - ■. ■: ■ - ',..: :.■. Jf dt