Variety (Feb 1947)

Wednesday, February 5, I947 B*ileateS€is$2.iiI Season; Sees Mo Ned §f Conpanes Merging Ballet Theatre, which gave a six-* week season last fall at the Broad- way theatre, N. V., at $4.80 top, and originally had no further N. Y. plans, will return for a three-week sea- son end of April with house as yet unannounced. Company will play at $2.40 top, in .an unprecedented gesture towards popularizing ballet at pop prices. Special terms are re- ported being set at a large house to guarantee a satisfactory run at the new figure. The ballet company will also visit Cuba for the first time, for a two- week run in Havana end of May, under sponsorship and guarantee of the Pro Arte Musical. Latter organi- zation (headed by the mother of Fernando and Alicia Alonso, Ballet Theatre stars) puts on a modest na- tive ballet season annually, but this spring has invited BT instead. Ballet Theatre, according to its director Lucia Chase, plans to go abroad this summer for a London season, as it did last year, and is planning to visit Mexico and South America next year. Company had hoped to go to Latin-America this summer, but couldn't make neces- sary arrangements in time. Miss Chase also squashed rumors Of any amalgamation of ballet com- panies, or of Ballet Theatre's return- ing to the Sol Hurok fold. BT would continue to be booked next season, as this, by MCA, she said, although overtures had been made from vari- ous sources. Refutes Hurok As to amalgamation, Miss Chase took exception to statement made recently in Variety by Hurok that the future of ballet is doomed un- less there >is combine of companies into one. (At present, three major ballet groups are on tour in the V. S., plus assorted minor troupes). Miss Chase, admitting three major com- panies might be too many, insists that two are better than one, making for healthy competition, divergent repertoires, and more opportunities for dancers, designers and choreo- graphers. As to the public for ballet , being limited, Miss Chase denies this, saying instead that the U. S. ballet public is widening steadily. Her company (now on tour) lost an estimated $50,000 in N. Y. last fall, and miy lose another $150,000 before the season is over. Miss Chase admitted that losses on the road were greater than expected, due to bookings. But she explains that this has been an emergency year for Ballet Theatre. It broke away from Hurok, who had. booked it for five years, late last season, in June, too late to set lip satisfactory bookings for the cur- rent season. Late bookings, said Miss Chase, caused a difficult experi- mental year, in open weeks, wrong houses, too long stays in a town, competitive bookings with other * companies, etc. All this will be • remedied next season, said Miss Chase. Miss Chase admitted that it is difficult, financially, to tour three Companies in the U. S. in a season. But amalgamation, she repeated, isn't the solution. With world mar- kets opening up, she said, a better solution would be to send one com- pany abroad for a time, while the other, two toured the U. S. - Miss Chase also admits that she and other backers of BT couldn't stand another year of such losses, as the present one. She says she wouldn't have gone on this season except for the advice and financial assistance, for instance, of D wight Deere Wiman, legit producer and BT board-member; (Wiman re- portedly put in $25,000 this year, as well as a substantial sum last year). HOB'GETS NEW LEGTTER, WMI-fMD CENTER Boston, Feb. 4. The Globe Theatre, long a bur- lesque house associated with the Old Howard, and now redecorated and renamed the Center theatre under ownership and management of E. M. Loew, Maxwell A. Finn and Lawrence G. Lasky, joins the ranks of the legit houses here. It will be the second indie legit house in the city, the other being the Colonial. All the others, the Wilbur, Plymouth, Opera House, Shubert and Copley, are Shubert houses. Policy of the house, the first legit operated by the E. M. Loew film circuit, calls for popular prices. No specs or agencies will handle tickets for the house, and concession in the theatre will offer Cokes and nickel candy bars instead of the lemonade and boxes of choco- House is located on Washington street, a block away from most of the other legit houses. Hasn't housed legit for years, though once had both opera and legit on its boards. ' . BX. Natiopal Is Sued On Discrimination Stand ' Washington, Feb. 4. National Theatre, town's legiter, has been hit with the predicted bundle of suits to test its "white only" audience policy. Five D. C. residents who were refused admit- tance and refused refunds on their tickets, have filed to get refunds ranging from $4.80 to $14.40. They are charging the theatre with racial discrimination. In addition Dr. E. B. Henderson, of the Committee for Raciah Democ- racy, and head of the department of physical education for Negro schools here, has filed suit for $500. He charges violation of the Civil Rights Act Of 1875. This old law would punish those who deny public places, theatres or public conveyances to anyone on grounds of race, creed, color or previous condition of servi- tude. Dr.. Henderson is a Negro. b'way somro- CRK LAY IT ON LIME The critics have bought tickets for the five Experimental Theatre open- ing nights, it being the first time that the press has been asked to lay it on the line. They have been re- quested not to review the plays in the next morning's editions but whether the aisle-sitters will hold back their notices appears to be op- tional with them, since any special reasons for not giving a prompt ac- tion is 'not evident. The first ET show, "The Wanhope Building," will be presented next Sunday (9) at the Princess, N.Y., 299-seater on 39th street which was called Labor Stage for a time and was then used by USO-Camp Shows for rehearfyls and tryouts. Prop- erty is owned by Emil Friedlander and was rented to the American Na- tional Theatre and Academy through which ET's five plays will be pr<a* sented, but sponsorship of the first play will be by Theatre, Inc. Each of the experimental plays ate sched- uled for five performances. There were 800 invitations to po-. tential subscribers for the ET plays and approximately 50% favorable responses were received up to early this week. Eight of the nine critics on the dailies made remittances for tickets, one reviewer or his sheet being tardy. Couple of critics ordered one ticket for each play and that may set a precedent because the custom is to send two tickets to re- viewers and generally a brace is given drama editors, also columnists, Subscriptions for the 'five plays cost $15, price per ticket being v " There is no admission tax, for ac- cording to ET, money for tickets is announced to be donations. ft Y. Scribes' Scratch Hit ... a .'. N. Y. Baseball Writers annual dinner and show Sunday (2) at th* Waldorf-Astoria was accorded more press attention than at any time previously and the show "Down Mexico Way" or "After All It's Only Money" was covered by Howard Barnes in the Herald Tribune as though it were a Broadway production, with complete credits. Saying that the sportwriters tangled with the theatre with an entertainment that was "hilarious, colorful and caustic... .topical as today's news- paper and tottering in execution, the musical melange proved that those who cover the great national pastime have a wicked wit, re- markable nerve and a considerable lack of histrionic accomplish- ments," so that Broadway managers have little to fear from the base- hall writers. Written by Tom Meany of PM and staged by Jim Kahn of the Sun the chief objective of the skits, songs and ad-libbing was Jorge Pas- quel, the Mexican who raided big league clubs this side of the border for a flock of star players last season. Among those ribbed were Joe. McCarthy, Larry' MacPhail, F. H. LaGuard'ia, Branch Rickey and , Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler. Arthur Mann, a writer now connected with Rickey and the Brook- lyn Dodgers, was singled out by the critic who said: "When he is on stage the production became' something more than a ribbing field day." Kahn was also mentioned fbij his performance, appearing as Chandler the baseball czar. He was in the finale "What Can We Lose," the num- ber being "There's a Great Day Coming Manana," and "supported by the entire cast—or vice versa." Fred Weatherly as Pasquel, Heywood H. Broun, Milt Gross, Bob Cooke, Carlos Ferro, Bill Bloome and Ben Epstein mostly doing "solos slightly off'key," also caught the review- er's eye. Barnes thought that "Down Mexico Way" won't make the Broadway musicals move over but that there's a fund of latent humor on the American scene for the theatre to draw on. Arthur Daley, the Times sports columnist, said that the "exalted art, drama, received a body blow from which it may never recover,.. .this was sock and, buskin trade at its worst—and the emphasis was on the sock infinitely more than on the buskin." Eggs Pit In Several Easkefs Los Angeles, Feb. 4. Bankrollers of stage plays on the Coast will get a new deal under an investment trust arrangement set up by Sol Cornberg and Everett W ile « operators of El Patio theatre. 1 ' In- stead of risking their coin on ,ohe show, the angels spread their invest- ments over, a number of legit' pro- ductions With dough being used as first money, meanwhtfe collecting «interest on their money as well as sharing in the profits. Cornberg and Wile will function as administrators of the fund for free. Their profits will come from co-producing when their productions jilick. Shore Stock Company Situation Brightens ■ Atlantic City, Feb. 4. After a slow start the venture of the Leeds Lippincott Co. in bringing here the George t Spelvin players for eight weekends of stock in the Had-' don Hall's 13th story "Theatre in the Sky" is meeting with success. The shows are offered oh Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and the past weekend found almost sell out houses. The theatre seats around 400. "Arms*and the Man," a George Bernard. Shaw offering, was the ve- hicle last week. The players are di- rected by Helen Morley with Allen Potter the production manager and a cast consisting of Ann Arden, Pat Worfhington, Walter Meserole, James J. McCormack, Wade Dent, Arthur Cahn, Betty Egan, Ruth Phillips and Mark Wood. Ella Logan's Rest? Ella Logan, featured in "Finian's Rainbow," last night (4) took a week's leave of absence from the show to clear up a throat 1 condition. Previous to her exit, she had been tiffing with show's producers over billing. Miss Logan, it's claimed, was given featured billing as per contract, but as soon as the show assumed hit proportions, size of type was cut down. She is asking that former prominence be restored. Connie Baxter, Miss Logan's un- derstudy, is subbing. Noel Coward Muffing U.S. Production of 'Pacific' Plans for American production of "Pacific 1860" are currently Under discussion by Noel Coward, author of the operetta which is running in London, and John C. Wilson, his U. S. representative. Coward ar- rived Monday (3) on the Queen Elizabeth for a six-week stay in New York. In spite of~mediocre notices which the show received in London, Brit- ish playwright-producer plans to bring it to the United States. "Pacific" will have its original cast, with Mary Martin starring, for Broadway unless play lasts for a long West End run, said Coward, in which case a new cast will be re- cruited here. Coward also revealed plans for a London revival of "Present Laugh- ter," now on Broadway. He plans to take his original part, ' being played here by Clifton Webb. He said that he'd experienced some difficulty with costuming for "Pa- cific," because of its being a period piece produced in the face of Eng- land's shortage in clothing materials. Heflin Preps Strawhat Los Angeles, Feb. 4. * Van Heflin, film star, is sponsoring a new summer stock company to put on legit plays at Big Bear- Lake, a mountain resort in San Bernardino County. Associated with Heflin in the new project, which will draw its players from the film studios, are Jimmy Maloney, nitery entertainer, and Colleen Case, daughter of Kennedy, Inside Stuff—Legh Richard Maney, a pressagent, and Richard Watts, Jr., a critic (Post, N. Y.), more than held their own against dramatists Lillian Hellman and Irwin Shaw in a radio debate on "Are the Critics Killing the Theatre," which was broadcast from Garden City, L. I, early last week over WQXR, on a forum program sponsored by the N. Y. Times. Maney, who publicizes "Another Part of the Forest,"' Miss Hellman's latest drama, was of the opinion that critics cannot ruin a good play, although he didn't put it that way exactly.- He felt that interest in the grosses and 1 Hollywood possibilities seemed principally to concern most authors. Watts said that grabbing talent from the stage by film studios, high production costs and poor,, plays affected the theatre much more than critics. Perhaps the presence of 1,000' women, members of the Garden City- Hempstead Community Club, tempered the remarks of the participants. Miss Hellman was much more pertinent when she socked the critics after her "Forest" opened and Shaw raged when his "Assassin" drew a had press a couple of seasons ago, Miss Hellman Said there is a boom in the theatre but it's strictly financial, not artistic. Shaw thought that critics glqry in the fact that they don't know anything about the theatre and that they discouraged playwrights. He also felt that some reviewers dislike the theatre. Watts countered by arguing that while critics might not be fully competent they couldn't attend plays night after night unless they liked the theatre. 'Lost Colony' Slated For 49 Performances Raleigh, Feb. 4. "The Lost Colony," Paul Green's symphonic drama which opened on Roanoke Island in 1937, will have a 49-performance schedule this year, beginning July 1, and ending on Labor Day, the directors of the Roanoke Isiand Historical Assn. de- cided at meeting here last week. General manager John A. Walker proposed a $128,745 budget, which would provide for operating ex- penses, the acquisition of new equip- ment and improvements of the Waterside" theatre, where the play is presented. A committee was ap- pointed to launch a financial cam- paign and request legislative appro- priation to help support the drama. Slows in Rehearsal "Heartsong" — Irene Selznick. "Barefoot Boy With CHeek" — George Abbott. "Ten O'clock Scholar" (Holly- wood) — Lewis Deak. "Taming of The Shrew" (Holly- wood) — Edgar Luckenbach and Eugene S, ^ryden. "Yellow Jack" (revival)—Ameri- can Repertory Theatre. "A Moon For The Misbegotten"— Theatre Guild. "Parlo*. story" — Paul Streger. "The Greatest of These"—Saten- stein, LuckeTOaW'a'nd" Kfakeur. "The Wanhope Building" (Experi- mental Theatre)—Theatre Inc. "The Front Page" (road, revival) —Allen S. Adler and Joseph Ross. "O'Daniel" (Experimental Thea- tre)—Theatre Guild. No living comedian was ever accorded accolades such as given Bobby Clark in Sunday's (2) newspapers for his performance in "Sweethearts," in which he opened at the Shubert, N. Y., last week. Incidentally it was a break for young Paula Stone and her husband Michael Sloane who re^ vived the Victor Herbert operetta. Brooks Atkinson (N, Y. Times) went into rhapsodies over Clark's antics: "His performance is out of this world, like a joyous figure skimming across the arch of a lunar rainbow... .he is laughter in motion.'.' The critic's bouquet - was headed "Our First Comedian." John Chapman (News) calls funster the "theatre's greatest clown," his Sunday piece being headed "Bobby Clark Rides Again," saying any per- formance by him "is a masterpiece of comedy Bobby has put on more one-man shows than the combined galleries of Knoedler, Duveen and the Museum of Modern Art." In a heading saying that Clark "turns dross into gold," Howard Barnes (Herald Tribune) starts his contribution with: "The great, rowdy day&of burlesque and vaudeville are still finding radiant reflection on Broadway," adding that Clark is the current standard bearer of those neglected forms. "The great comedian is conjuring up a rare fund of laughter. As in the case of the late W. C. Fields, the star of 'Sweethearts' is a performer who has his own personal idiom of buffoonery." In the Chicago Daily News last Saturday (1) Sydney J. Harris said 1 that playgoers are becoming increasingly indignant over the difficulty in getting good theatre seats. He said that every week he receives letters of com- plaint from patrons who declare that no matter how early they write in for tickets Or stand in line, the better'seats are sold out to the ticket brok- ers. Stated that the Barnes agency has a contract with the Shuberts for allotments to the Loop hotel ticket stands. Joe E. Brown, appearing in "Harvey" at the Harris, Chi., received a letter from John R. Robinson, an industrial publicist, complimenting him on the amount of publicity accorded the star and the play and saying that although he doesn't know the show's agent, his is the best job "in my memory," going back 38 years. Show's press man is Joe Shea. Robinson mentioned that he hasn't seen the comedy 'because "I object to paying $5 premium for two seats in the fourth or fifth row." • Jean Cocteau's "L'Aigle a Deux Tetes" (now trying out in U. S. with* Tallulah Bankhead starred as "The Eagle Has Two Heads") is currently a hit in Paris. Interesting to note are the changes in the script between original French and 1 American versions, latter obviously tailored for Miss Bankhead. Although Parisian play is largely a vehicle for actress Edwige Feuilliere, playing a Bavarian queen, French. version gives final curtain scene to the male, the anarchist who came to kill the queen, with the man dropping dead after stabbing the queen and spectacularly falling down a velvet staircase. In U. S. version, it's Miss Bankhead, shot by the male, who does the grandiose staircase tumble to bring the curtain down. "Bloomer Girl" needs more than $25,000 weekly to break even, in- dicating that the present return date at the City Center his hardly been profitable. Musical prospered on the road as it did on Broadway and.wiU enter New England stands upon conclusion of the repeat date next we* Production has some bulky settings which will be cut down, requiring only three cars when traveling instead of four used to date. There will also be some minor cast letouts in line with the idea of reducing the operating /iut but.the lead .principals will remain for the balance of the tour. Max Wylie's "The Greatest of These," anti-imperialist play about present- day India, will preem in Detroit Feb, 18, then go to Chicago March 4 for a run. Frank Satenstein is producing, in assn. with Edgar F. Luckenbach, Jr„ and Richard! Krakeur. Eddie Ddwling is directing cast, Which in- cludes Gerfe Raymond, Mary Boland, Sam Jaffe and Bramwell Fletcher. Herb Hirschman is stage manager. Charlotte Bay lie will p.a. on tour, Sol Jacobson taking over when play hits N. Y.