Variety (May 1946)

Wetlucmlaf, May 1, 1946 Plays Out of Town Around the World (In SO Days) Boston, April 27. Vdivury |>ro |ll " !t,<, n of K'uiilral In Iwn «.7m H« ■c'eiioiO *»' Oiwir Wi-H»k from ch^ f.:Jil |,y JnlM . Vcllib Willi llllMln mid. ll'ruk l.y «■■'■»• forlH'. I'VHtnroil Arthur Mwnwlwiii AUn JUnl. -Miry llwily. Wmrn »<>« J.xitv la.wrriuc Sl.ik-ril l.y VHIpk' VIlolXWi-HPhy,. Nrlmu Hnvi-llfl; arm, lioljeft IMvIimih; laimwiim. .Vlvlu i'.iK; ..livuii Iiarhelle. Mu.ii.nl illic-iinn, I lurry I ,-vo.iil'' ordindrnllini, n«hwl: lliliinll. At <j|*i«. Hons*. Uvula". APHI »i. '*»; lull. . jii-irrlivi.Jimliei.-lui 1 )>ndiin Bvlil>ie»v I>liilfM« Fi«»f •• >vrry Jrvli'y . ir.iliy Xlu*Ki"»...- J'rtwii.pi'rloill I(:tl|>h MililclbU-.... .. ^Ii- rlmi-l'-* Alalidll>u)- JHI-. (Trui'M-Spi-iv....... .j.':iirn'sw:iilic'r ; >m>ihri' Suvmii...... Kialinil AH'liilulit:... . tiliiii'K Sloiv.-iril Iha-i-Hlilnli.' Alan H<-Oil fNathan l*nk«rr .... I Myrdll 6ljii-lll | (Inrdnh WfKt I Jni-k- Pil' ii.iii . .Arrliur MRi-KHMiin .... ..Stefan Si'hiiHU«.| .........lulle Warrrll ..,. I .an-'y r.iiii I i - rin - « ...(lay Suuiill Ilfriinrd Kamita . . . Ilralm-rd Dnftttdd ....".. Vii-lor . Savidfcu . .llordoil Afcli'liiKHll Hilly 'JI»wr.ll . Ki-lllir-lh j:nujuki:iil Dnrolhv J-flot \ Kddh? in ijinliiva ,,. f VU-tor -Suviduo I.hi'a* Ani ........-■< iuy : Spmill .......',.. Mary llfuly . . . . . .SlH'lU'l:!" .1 IIIHfM Arthur l/oh'-H .Cordon Wrj-1 : lai-klu . Ocr.Illllie L'hu Thrro KiiiiiiMawa .Aili'lalilr Oiri«i !.. Minn I.mi lalnkaivu. fniak* Channel*..... >-»klr...'. . ttiilllii'.nl I'onilnilur. 111'!*. Auuda 1'arfPH ,.. .IIliiii t'llifl.. Pikli.'-...'. ' Siiur-SiuiK llM'l'..... <'Iiviih ArtNli.: 'I'hil t'ikit' Jiisk1'»'«. • 'Jim JtiillliiK >Ilal»: l.udy The . * *ir?sli»li|r-i...... 'I'll*) Hand Jlnlali'-l-f.'.. Tlie A>-i'lall(illi....M.aiy BivUKSaicl. I.m VIii . .-I'ltl.-I'nli'lrln ladili. Virginia Alnu-m ' >fHiHl:<ill* 4 i.Hilly llmvHI, l.nraji. Am. (ii.iilnn jMcOnuKiilli Mynni SpMh Kn Stiii Disini W.ll-K T',,|'-i ■ ..', Vlrlnrla l*tM''.l(»VH t l)om:hy Ulr.l J.,,,, "•lllllv I ■••wi-ll )( llii'iitl l\iiidllrlnr. ............ .'I.IUMX Ai-o j.,);',. , . .Sl'i'it.-fr Jamf* tf'ii|.;illic' .\l»-li'Kt'llll«'lll .Jti.lijlll.kull. -lai'k C:ifsiily. Al-I Imr ciihrn. K.My <1l Rfiiiivh ( '..AlIrh l.tiwHI, 'I'tniy Miiiiioll. .lark .I'il- ilnni. Viclor SayidKr. Slaiiley liiinir. Inii't tit" Tanla. Tiani'i'iit-'NmliMn BakPr, Hi-lh'i 1 Carlwrinhl. Hilly lliiwi'll. I'lil Jiliilf. 1.1H"» Aii>, »?"!- .il.iii Jllyrml S|M*lli, (I.Tilim -.Ma«'- li..li K all. ... ■ iCciiiifliiK lilrl* — J-'Inr'-upe tlaiilr.. .\Mlalic Cri'i-nc. Arllii** lliinna. Marinii K.ilil^r. Kn. I- Wlai ii) VHtaiii , I <itiii-vif-ve .^itin'iii, lMio-illii Sli'fllti. Vliijilllit Sii'lia. t>:iM.-c.i's -Mary J'.inUMuinl. .lai'klr «V*:u.ii*'... ViiL-lniH . (Iniiiiit, KliiKir «!i.-)tm>. In' .Viiiidil. Vnli'li lH T.rltli. VliKiiili.i .Uni i l». J.i..v Mari-iMin, Niiliiy Nrwtiin, AV'.i'iiiin . rHnil'ir. Although it opened here a d.iy iRle without benefit ot dress re- hearsal and was in consequence an . uproarious' shambles of faulty seen* changes, hung-up backdrops, muffed light cues and - other whimsicalities . of production—all of which must be taken into consideration—there is no disguising the fact that "Around the World" enjoys something less than, security as a contending musical show. There's much more than a suspi- cion that the grandiose proportions of the show defeat the purpose: its elaborateness is precious,, its com- plexity tiresome, its cleverness pre- cocious. Nor are the proceedings, which encompass everything from movies to colored slides, from a cir- cus to ■'■a slide for life, from a minia- ture, bridge collapse to a cock fight, enlivened with real wit or gayety. The exception to this,, which serves only to heighten the lack, is the use of films to help further the. plot. These are unfailingly funny, and . leave the. general impression that the whole thing belongs no- where ' but on the screen. Putting such a show on the stage is merely doing it the hard way. for no thea- tre audience today could be aston- ished by purely scenic effects. The one peril with which confronts pessimistic reflections, in view of the obviously unfinished state of the pro- duction, is that Welles' intentions are obviously deliberately quaint. He appears to be attempting to repro- duce or re-create, for purpose of satire, the stage-craft of the period of the piece (which is 1872). If. in working out the bugs, this is emphasized in such a way as to make-.if clear to Broadway, and if '•this, - in turn, hits the aisle-sitters right, they can make a smash' hit out ' ot it as an authentic piece of Ameri- cana. This is the chance, the show takes, and it is a terrific risk. Drawn from Jules Verne's famous ■chase story. "Around the World" deals with the winning ot a wealthy. Englishman's bet that he chii cir- cumnavigate the globe in 80 days. Ilo takes off from England, a large bundle of money in his carpetbag, just as a big bank robbery lakes place. A detective, thinking him the robber, follows, and pursues him jir::uiid the world. The defect'in this b.t o£ plotting, is that the pursued nc\ir knows he is being pursued. i!6ing with the Englishman ijnag- "i i-.-cntly played by Arthur Marprl- si'i) is his valet I.Larry '-Laurence), who leaves his fiancee Untie Wai- lvni behind. The'fiancee later fol- • ''•■•. : (lie two. and the'Englishman • ■' cue-; a Hindu girl (Mary llealyi, • i K-iicoforlh travels with liiem. •li Is foursome of lovers by the I: tiiey get back to England. I this leads to about 40 scenes. '. . - : V 12 arc musical,-involving number of assorted divci lis- «■ o ts on various local themes. Ji % c llrst. a Hyde Park number, nf- lers t.ie song, "Look What I Found." jncreafter plugged as the hit imni- »cr of the show, which it possibly is, though "Should I Tell You I Love You" and "If You Smile at Me'' have more the flavor of typically Porler slow-burn hits.; The music however, is seldom distinguished and lyrics, barring the Gilbertian quality of one or two, arc poor. Other production numbers offer a Sue/. locjUe containing one of . the few sock dance routines with a wow solo by Dorothy Bird, a personality to watch; a Hindu rite sequence, a Chinese' or! urn Hen.number, a circus specially . involving . Jap acrobats: the slide for life and Welles' only appearance as a magician doing a few corny tricks with ducks, rab- bits, etc.; an Old California special- ty and a satire on "Rule Britannia" bringing in . the U. S. Marines. This latter number is the. only one that- really clicks. Aside froin Margetson, whose por- trait of the Englishman is the thing that gives the show a semblance of Unity, the best part is turned in by Mary Healv, . whose singing of "Should I Tell You" has a different- quality that ; indicates, plenty ot fu- ture. Alan Reed does well with the detective, though he - needs more amusing- material to put it over. The others do not emerge at the pres- ent . lime from the productional hazards. What there is of choreography is original' and interesting, but it isn't (orWasn't) emphasized enough. The set, a complicated affair with - lis own proscenium arch and two panels on cither side, is too baffling-to.de- scribe and almost loo baffling Mo work, while the backdrops, tread- mills, eagle's nests, elephants. Pull- mans, trapezes, and other backstage gizmos are. so involved the stage- hands got almost as many personal appearances as Margetson, and al- ways more lauglis. There are some charming musical arrangements, es- pecially one supporting ■ "If You Smile."' which conveys much of the flavor of a Mexican song, but the score is. nonetheless, 'disappointing:' As indicated, a prediction in such a fantastic bouillabaisse is foolhardy, but without a. great deal more hu- mor, more ■ music, more dancing, more lift and more general gayety— even if the mechanics are. perfected —this $200.000-pkis item is doomed, i'lie. Other .roles are played satisfactorily. Staging is adequate in view of lim- ited . script possibilities. Production Kets a good technical break, entrance hall and a gambling room: Gowns by Jenkins are in good tasle. Bone. LEGITIMATE 69 Bad Angel Hollywood, April i9. '.,» ,^..,mi.| \.<Mklf, nil >-|i'( Hnmn't.| Himfn: ivrtMnjr hy Itllrtl l-Vlil, Al ('Iio(.nix, \Ve*ltt'oo<J,.. Cat., AlU'ii 1H, 'ii',; S1I.-10 n.|>. . . l.arabM Will Gamble New Haven. April 25. VniiHln and Soiim** |,io,lili*linn i>r i.,.ii:'-<ly :n tlii-^r a<-IH L>y Ja-iv I.1|i|i>ii mhI. Kalnh Alill-pliy frmii Mli oriKilKil wliiry \<y >:tlr.l'*v lM'iil»ni. Ilirr.-i*:,!. Iiy Kh|'|i1i Mhi'I'Iiv: f»**t 'di'.stkiiinv, likl'lll'^.- cuyiiiui^ »iin^r\'i>i(in !■> |.'rrd<*ri<-k Knx. -Opfnpil fit ShillH-il. .N#-»' Haven, April a.'., UK; M lop; ■Top. narlirv.: Tiim-lifi. Kfl! y Kd i'nniniinKN. IMH' '.IliiiniV l.t-vuV. l.ily KIhm- Rirlliird J11iiiikIii>- ..- < a miiiw-M« d« 1'nlit.uft c'ninlt rt<» I'l-HknlT... ■Illclli-O Siimi'inM MC». SniiM'i -«fl ....... I). B. Harlniiin Clnii'k WliitliiK-. Cnliril lla.v'hni-lir. .. Ml-fi. Ilawlllin-ii« »»ini-f Xlm-k 'I'l'ilflnatl tVilllHIU Jloll-lil.Kk laaifn llimilv Vlnti N'ali-lili' .....t'-HXV WMllnrr W-Hll*r (illlu-ll Jaillrt: ll'Ncill .. .. . . I i?.x I .iiid>ay i . l-'ra iii.m 'I'HT-'iPliill KMK"lil' Sliiri.liiaun . . .11-1-11 <;. jli.nllls '-.<;*,irirp Ainlrp . .Wnlirr N. i:n-:iza .-.,.ri—1-»nidi. riaiiMM la. k llmilry . .... .Sil'liril- tlTlr.i R..h-i: Oli'l- . Klnr-ln-- BTl'.'./iir.t IVall-r Ainin ..Ail Inn'-- JIiiiiii-.-iii l Victor Clement and Francis Swann have whipped up a bit of hicringuc patterned, along "The Bad Man" lines, putting Southern California politics into the spot occupied by the Mexi- can oil field in the Holbrpok Blinn starrer of two decades ago. Instead of one "Bad Man," or "Angel," there are two:' Hugo Haas, and Cully. Rich- ards. Despite hackneyed and obvi- ously silly qualities of . the plot, writers have window-dressed, the show/with son\e funny dialog Also brilliant performances by Reginald Owen, Haas and Richards drive along what might be a limp evening. Story concerns the advent of two international con artists into a South- ern California home on the eve .of elections. Master of the house • Owen) is running for U. S. Senator and trying to swindle his ward Uean Ruth) out of some property which has deposits Of pitchblend. Also run- ning for district attorney Is Donald Curtis, another "uptight scoundrel, who makes love to Owen's wife 'Dorothy Mathews) on the- side. Haas.: and Richards manage to straighten out all the' crooked busi- ness, unite two young lovers, get a refugee doctor into the country and niake off with small profit, many lauchs. and some honor in the in- lerim.'■■- • When the three top players are hot on stage, the business all seems rather, absurd, but it's their great playacting that carries .off the per- formance' i it. -good . style.- " Miss- Mathews. Curtis and Christine Gor- don do well enough by their stilted parts. Juveniles Paul Lees, Jean Ruth. Donald Davis' and Richard Webb need more experience. . Rudi Feld's setting of a California, playroom is extremely well and tastefully done in the modern mode. Samuel Rosen's direction permits lags during the plot exposition but otherwise keeps tip a sprightly pace. "Bad Angel," given a tight rewrite on ils opening stanza and the latter part of- the third frame, is not only •iood lightweight fare for the summer season anywhere but has picture qualities. Huts. Bitter Sweet Millburn, N. J., April 24. Prank Ciil-riiiKlnn proline!Inn cf innrtKa Willi' iroi-ds mid niilKlu.by Noel-Towuvd, In tlli-fr* ucls timl' weven W'^ncu. 8tHKed. by- ' riiri'lnlclnu uiid AKnen Muryan. . MtMi-s Dlil*- ;i,lliy Sanillin Htnl nriUih MRKf>ll8fn. PflliliKH' I anil llicliiinir l,y Konnelh J.lnyil ..Ma|,ric; ;niii-^ii':il illrri-IJi'ii. rtlcdiHl'd Alnn 'jin-ilnn:' i .-ln.rfiterBphv hv. Hptii-v firliwiii-xe. Ai- T:ap*r Mill l'l»yhniue, ilillaurn, N. J., Alu-'ll ^1, ■!«; »:i lop. . "Lainbs" will have to improve mightily to avoid the critical slaughterhouse. It emerges from, its premiere as just ordinary slagc -fare and in this day of boxotfice smashes, just ordinary stage fare doesn't gel much beyond the t h r e s h o 1 d of Broadway. As a matter of record, indications are strong that this one may perish in the vestibule. There's B picture material here but that's about all. Producers have taken a leaf from play's title, but in this case, the odds are too far-on the wrong side. De- spite a very handsome scenic layout and a competent, t r o u p e of per- fromers. script gamboling looks headed for; a deadend -street. : Story is pretty much'forriiula stuff, with an assortment of ■ rharaclers marooned in a Palm Springs desert gambling house when a bad 'storm breaks. An offensive film producer is bumped off inyslcriously and act three consists of a pseiido I rial pre- sided over by a sightseeing Supreme Court justice. who happens to be present. Tliis stanza is /airly inter- esting but not enough—to pull the play out of a preceding ta.ilspin.. Performances as . a whole ; exceed the quality of the writing. Waller Gilbert is convincing as Ed Cum- mings, up-and-up operator of the jumping dominm's palace. Waller N. Greaza makes: the judge believ- able and Helen G. BonfiIs does okay as a wealthy husband-rollcctiii'j ir.a- tl'on sporting her 'newest addilinu In the list. Arthur Hunniciilt gels a lot out.'of' a hick sheriff role and ' Lex Lindsay renroduces the' faniiliitr !">''. Irait of a newspaper columnist Sunr hie O'Dea's interpretation of ("lane Whilinjt. successful movie .'.star, is good and Eugene Sluckmann fills the bill as a film ju\e with a yen for Claire. Robert Ober's Bostoniah clial'ae : terizalion. draws inlerniillenl. laiighs: .fames Q'Nrill- jiiyes a.iitlie'iilic'ty to I he part of t':e r.amolcr's heiic'ihian: Vran c'es Tannehill is allrfi-tiv; ly duiib lis a beauty contest winvtr o'ue lor a screen test, and Jack Hart- ley ills as the movie mogul heel. Rarely revived, since ils perform- ances about a decade ago, Noel Cow- ard's gently sentimental operetta makes nearly ideal fare for a neigh- borhood opera stock company such as the Paper Mill. The present pro- duction puts forth some fairly mas- sive sets for scenes that shift from 1935 London to 1880 ditto and then to Vienna. Best aspects ot the work are . contained in its songs, most of them in waltz time and engagingly sung by this large and experienced com- pany. . Already a sellout for the first three weeks of ils six-week booking, "Bit- ter Sweet" should do well in- this spot, where audiences' are so en- chanted by the surroundings that anything gOes. The story is a tear jerker, somewhat in the mode ot An- thony Trollope, about a girl who marries below her station and there- by . wins love but also unhappiness. But unlike Trollope, London's erst- while wonder boy departs from.real- ism at almost every stage of the -story and writes something that should recall the perfume of lav- ender. to the experienced theatre- goer. . Dorothy. Saiullin In the Evelyn Laye role, and Ralph Magelssen carry off the stars' assignments with solid vocal resources and .icting pcr- rurman'ces that aid cr.cdibilily. They score tniisl effectively in such fa- miliar concert pieces as ' I'll See You Again'''and "Zigcuncr," and handle (he dream songs. "Dear Lil'.le Cafe" and "If You Could Only Come With Me" in a nostalgic, effective style. The staff has provided excellenl costumes for the large cast and chorus, with first rate lighfi-ig effects' lo focus the action. Few of the sec- ondary performances'stand out. will) only Albert Carroll and Manfred Mci-ht making a deep impression. Henry Schwarzc's dance -designs an- slraiiiht off the cob. The production is woefully weak In comedy, mainly iierause Coward's dialog veers toward li<e romantically purple rather than the brittle wisecracks available In some of his other works. • The theatre is lucky fn having completed a reconversion job, adding 200 sents before the recent housin-; rreeze set in. The extra scatage 'will virtually insure a profitable season, wflh an audience of 8,000 the weekly average. .Now in preparation is the old Ziegfeld show, "Rosalie." Bran, College Show Stop Hight Up . (COLUMBIA V.) > iliy.yn-ou.l annual nnlaii-M 'pn H lup||iiii »(. i oliimhin Lnlvm-Kily I'ldyrnj In nv„ m .ih. ■ i-Tii-n" < '"'.'?' . P "" l <" *' 1 I')' Jl'W-'l.ll II. : ulll» A. OariMn; .lyrlw, (-f.ll-ialo, ' l.ovi.||-, l-ii-.l.iiiand X, Jl„nj u ; Hildllinual iiialfrial, .Mal.olni I.. |.a. l-indr, Uiimild S. norssm-r. niHKnl !■>• Al.injii. ChnrPOKi-apllv. T.-H.-y .Mi.iliK.n; sftiJiiKH. O'ltlolly. At McMlllin i nlninl.ui U. .N. V., April 2S, Mil;' JL'.JU ';.'.il k- JU-riiard .SJinw... . .Umial.l' Itoesilll»r ■ Iliiii.«). (.riiil-n,,,, ...i liai-l.-a XlatKei- Unwiliin l.ul Snl I H.r.....,.. A ,l 0 |p| UI!i SiicPt I llll.Kjnirnu. J'alniant,,. !„«,.„], Meiedllh Kllicl.. Aland..... ,'.!'. Akiyiir Wimple >la b'nlliT.. \'*-rn. liail' l--ra/.»-r.'. Amly - l.'nll, i> llyim .ItmcK I'l-c.^idi-nl 'rriiniaii l>iii lii«.* nf wiinlMir. Milki- ,.r Win.lK.,1-. .. . ■IVniy Hullrl: Salval .Salvnloi-e Calialiliilin ... rrank Rurkainann ....:... ..Alan Wnlti- . ..Jiiaf>pli Ak-t).*i-miilt .... Wllll.iiii M^iiKlli-r .Minl^H Sll!--5:)ilan ...... .'Kilwai-Il l.'iiro .'.Auatryn Wulnliunap .......Ata'rlln. Kuidi'n I'YiMli'rk-k. Palli-n '.... William Mpak.hi-i* -.'illalilann, hrork .- " : ■ .in in., ijr^ci.. "linilKP ' iiuii.hrll. Vlii.-i-nl DpPVnnuo. Spjii-k hilwar.lM. Ausllll Hfrw:lll»H)tPr. Sannirl H'l*. J'lioinaii IVo kpr. Kra'nk ' RnrkPiuiinii,. I..l.. rt J:n«-i.. JiMriih JtuinaKC John Viilmii. William Wlnlan. <:l '-" «"liili: ThadildiiK Chan, rjeoiKO Coo- per, lull. Knsi Salianni; Hiardyiio. I.'onlfr i.iiiiiiikoii. SailiiiKl n,«.|i. Aghlmii l-.unde, li.il.fll Mpllim, John ralipan, Vinifliit I'an- oin-.-l. HoiihM KlvkHlK. Slanlfv Sclnif-lilrr Kii'.li-i li k Slinlz, -.iHi-kunn -slhcMis, w llllum Slorcy, Jlaiolil V.iiikIihiii. 'Step Right Up" is in the. usual fine tradition of the all-male Colum- bia University . Players, who have been staging their annual varsity shows since 1894. With an amusing book, a good score with several catchy tuii'es, some hilarious dances by the pony ballet and a uniformly good cast, the show takes the current squabbles among the United Nations members for a tongue-in-cheek ride. Theme's timeliness adds much to the show's appeal. Story has the UN site-finding com- mittee, composed of such characters as G. B. Shaw. Gertrude Slein, a Russian girl sniper ,etc., landing in America to set up shop. Society dowager in a small New England town persuades the committee, through a ruse, to look over its site. Girl reporter and her photog, from Drool magazine, are in town at the same time to cover the annual straw- berry festival, giving them a scoop on the UN deal. Romance enters the scene when the gal falls for the edi- tor of the local paper. Usual com- plications ensue, but that all,turns out well at the curtain. ■ With the UN to start on, t,he show does a takeoff on almost every name in the news. : lampooning a- hen- pecked President Truman. Duke of Windsor and his Wally. Shaw; Miss Stein, et al.. for amusing results. Cast does good work throughout: Jo- seph Meredith, as the sex-hungry dowager,' carries most of the show and does it in fine fashion. Moses Sussman, as the girl reporter, is as winsome a "Jass" as.any on the Co- lumbia campus and sings in an ex- cellent baritone. Edward Curry, other half of the love interest, is a pleasing juvenile. William Meagher, as the town's streetwalker, displays plenty of fem- inine puchritude and hip-sashaying. Arthur Bowen's Miss Stein is a little nerve-wracking after the first few minutes, but Donald Roessner. as Shaw, does a nice job in keeping the poetic exclamations to a mini- mum. Alan Wolfe, as the town's dis- honest mayor who finally succumbs to the dowager's questionable charms, takes the small-town politician over Ihe coals in fine fashion. .' Choreography of the pony ballet is the real hit of the show. Troupe of husky males of all shapes and sizes trip the light fantastic in amus- ing fashion to draw real belly-laughs from the audience. Louis Garisio de- serves a low; bow for his excellent scofe. Ballads are sung a little too fast, but Several, including "So'This Is Love." and "No More" might go places with Ihe proper plugging. -Novelty-numbers, including the title song, are very good. Joseph H. O'Rielly's three sellings lack the Broadway splash but are adequate, ably abetted by good light- ing. Fyrdinand N. Monjo rates a nod for the staging, his sutfllo direction keeping the pace consistently fast. Sfnl. came Ward Wilson as interlocutor with Joe Laurie, Jr., and Ed Ford as.the.end men! The next set of end men were Lou Lehr and Danny llea.- ley, who were followed by Frank Fay mid Bobby Clark as end men, with Happy Felton in the middle chair. Laurie did an old song and dance that he first performed 30 years ago. He remarked, "I'll bet you Uvo-to-onc that it's just as lousy now as it was HO years ago." It wasn't . . , the audience burst in applause in Hie middle of the song-and-dahec to show its appreciation and surprise that Joe, Jr., wasn't an a.k. . . . and still could hoof. Eddie Miller did a splendid yodel song, Joe Browning sang a topical song with chorus participation., and Wiring's Glee Club sang some real minstrel melodies. Harland Dixon, Jules Schccr, Charlie Mosconi and Harry Miller did some hoofing. Rob- ert Pitkin, Irving Fisher, Sudworth Frasier (as a Southern belle) sang a medley of songs; and the minstrel first part was closed by a singing and dancing finish led by Eddie Mil- ler singing "I Wanna Be a Minstrel Man." Besides bringing back mem- ories, the minstrel first part held plenty ot laughs and entertainment. Intermission was opened by U- dance specialty by Jules Schcer, fol- lowed by a musical satire on Mother Goose called. "Mother Goose Swings It" by Harry MiUer.'With the Lambs doing "dames" Victor Moore and Billy Gaxton; the latter as a dame and the former as an old actor, did an old. Lambs skit, "The Prostitute and the Actor," followed by Charles. Pin-cell's "Glory Road." A comedy sketch, "Maude," by the Shepherd Raymond Peck, was next, and in turn, followed by The Sioux City Four doing an oldtime quartet. It consisted, of Don Rogers, Eddie Mil- ler. Ed Ford and Geoff O'Hara, with Eddie Weber at the piano. Seven Noted Cartoonists - were led by Rube Goldberg. Russell Paterson drew his Patterson Girl, Glis Edsoh "The Gumps," C. D. Russell did hit "Pete The Tramp," Ernie Bushmiller sketched Nancy, and Otto Soglow his "Little King." A blackout by Charles AlthofI followed. Then came "Gamboling At The Lambs/' the club song, written by Eddie Weber and Jack Whiting, with Nor- man MacKay leading it. and 80-year- old William B. Mack doing a splen- did job of narrating the history of The Lambs. The surprise act was Hugh .Herbert dropping in from Hollywood, with . Healey doing straight for him. The show was closed by a Gilbert & Sullivan skit which brought- on the entire com- pany, as characters of the old G&S shows: The show was produced by the Collie. R. H. Burnside, and the . musical direction was under the Lambs Gambol to SRO , Reriru's' of Plntjs Abroad np- | pe«r.-irilh,-'- fnternaftoiiat news, l pnfje 16 in this issue. Although missing the star-studded names of the. old Gambols, The Lambs presented a very successful i both financial and entertainingly) Victory Gambol, the first public frolic since the war. The Majestic, N, Y., was sold out Sunday <28), The first part consisted o{ a, min- strel show, Louis Calhcrn as first inlerlocutor. with George Shellnn and Fred Hillebrand end men. Then leadership of Edwin J. Weber. B<i«. GI's Missed at Preem Of Shakespearean Festival; Tempest' Opens Mildly London, April 33. Americana were seriously missed al the annual Shakespeare Festi- val at Stratford-on-Avon "over Easier. During the war, U.S. Serv- ice customers spent up to $300,000 in a single season to visit the Memorial Theatre and observe the Bard im- mortalized on his native heath. Now they are gone and Stratford laments. . The situation is made no better by the fact -that nearly < all the hotels are closed. Even Festival players have either had to put up at outlying villages or live at private homes. This year's Festival is under the direction of Sir Barry Jackson, founder ot the Birmingham Reper- tory Co. He has put together a young company. . "The Tempest," opening, play, was not the best choice. It is rather a dull piece. Use of canned music to' accompany the text was severely criticized. Acting was average but Robert Harris gave dignity and eloquence to Prpspero. John Harrison's Ferdi- nand.hit a nice romantic note and Ihe Miranda, of Joy Parker was youthful. David O'Brien made un admirable debut as Ariel. The part was heavily stylized by'the director, Eric Crozicr. Scenic arid costume design of Paul Shelving v showed, imagination. Eb*i. CIHCY OPEBA'S ANNI Cincinnati Summer Opera Assn. will celebrate its 25lh anni this sea- son, with a six-weeks season of i opera opening June 30 and closing I Aug. 10, Included will be first per- ! formance in five years of "Madame I Butterfly." with the Met's Licia Al« 1 bariesc in the' title role.