Variety (June 1950)

Wednesday, June 28, 1950 Seagulls Over Sorrento London, June 15. George it Alfred Black and H. M. Ten-, newt, Ltd., production of new cpmedy in three acts by Hugh Hastings. Directed by Wallace Douglas. At Apollo theatre, Lon- don. June 14, '50, ' . ri)orfI ,. n Able Seaman McIntosh.... .John Gregson Able Seaman Sims ....... , Nigel StocK Able Seaman Turney ...... Bernard Lee Able Seaman Badger ... .-Ronald Shiner Pettv Officer Herbert . William Hartnell Lieut. Commander Redmond Peter Gray Sub, Lieut. 'Granger ... Robert Desmond Able Seaman Hudson, . .Gerald Andersen Telegraphist David Langton • i Surefire naval comedy with al- most continuous laughter toning down the underlying serious theme of dangerous experimental opera- tions. Acted and directed with an easy naturalness that won general acclaim from first-nighters and press, this has atmosphere and realism, and, above all, humor. Handful of lower deck person- nel arrive at an isolated Scottish islet, having Volunteered for haz- ardous duty but unaware of its top secret importance. Ronald Shiner (after over four years in. “Worm’s Eye View’’) gives another inimita- ble Cockney characterization, Slid- ing smoothly from R.A.F. slang to navalese. He is the pivot of most 0 C the action. Nursing a cheerful grievance against the fellow who stole his wife, his one aim is to meet him and get .even. When he turns up, to join the isolated com- munity and the wronged, husband finds the; girl has walked out on him too, the pair become buddies. There is a kindly wolf who acts as elder brother to a newly joined youngster from an orphanage and’ a dour Scotsman whose happy marriage ends With a dead child and its mentally deranged mother. Most reserved of the group is a • scholarly Radar expert who gets blown up during the. first practical test, and the tension provided by volunteers for the next attempt decided by drawing lots. The young foundling is distraught on discov- ering that his friend cheated to un- dertake the perilous mission. The trials are a success, the men re- turn unharmed and pack up for furlough and their next job. Apart from the jocularity and drama of the hush-hush investiga- tions, the iron discipline of the senior service is strongly empha- sized. A brutal petty officer makes unbearable the lives of those in his charge. To single out William Hartnell for his brilliance in this unpleasant role would in no way detract from the excellent rating of the other members of the all- Play was first tried out by the Repertory Players and came to the West End after a short provincial tour. Clem. enhanced if a quick rewriting job is done. ....... ‘’Golden City” is a musical mel- ler, set in South Africa in the col- orful gold rush era. The plot has all the makings of a conven- tional western, even to the point of the Villain stealing the deeds and getting the natives to set . fire to the. old homestead. The story moves slowly, and apart from establishing the boy- meets-girl theme, almost nothing happens in the first act. There is, happily, a big speeding up in the Second half of the show, which is crowded with . action . and has some of the meatiest, scenes seen in a long time, A roughhouse in a saloon and a battle with Zulu natives .are the action highspots. The dances conceived, by Help- mann, who cQ-directed with Michael Benthall, are as exciting as they are fresh. One particular Zulu war dance with its fiery rhythm is a certain show-stopper. The musical numbers, composed by the author, don’t match the splendor of the production. Very few have the quality to make them contend- ers for a Hit Parade. One of the best, out of more than a couple of dozen numbers, is “It’s a Great Occasion,’’ while. “Gold-digger” also ranks high. The performances of the big cast are mainly variable. Norman Law- rence, the only American in the show, has a fine voice and a pleas- ing, virile manner which comes over effectively. / Julia Shelley, as the romantic femme lead, isn’t strong enough for the part and her voice barely carries through the theatre. Eleanor Summerfield may have deficiencies as a chirper, but has a fine sense of comedy and- a vivacious manner. The best of the femme vocalists is Muriel Brun- skill, with a clear contralto voice. Moyra Fraser rates a special men- tion for her excellent “Girj in the Window” number. Myro. Golden City London, June 16. Stephen Mitchell (for London Theatri- cal Productions) presentation of. musical. in two acts’.by John Tore. Directed by Michael Benthall. Dances by Robert Help- mann. At Adelphi, London, June .15, '50. Sarie van'Seim- ........ Julia Shelley Tante de Villleva .. ..... .Muriel Brunskill Studtpark (City Park) Vienna, June 15. Volkstheatre production of new comedy by Hans Schubert. Staged by Joe Glenn* Glucksmann. Sets by Gustav Manker. Anna Wawruschka....;: Annie Rosar Franziska ........HUdegard Sochor Herbert Berger.. ......Carl Bosse Alice. .Paula Pfluger Peter Peter Czelke Rudolf Hofstetter, Sr . . . Oskar Wegrostek Rudolf Hofstetter, Ji;... Erich Auer Dr, Wiener........... Karl Skraup Anna van Seim Bokkie Van Seim. Ningi Malay Singer Piet van Nieketk. Dirk Marais Mabel Page. ... , Danny Martin.... Tabooka . Barney Belaney.. Katrina du Toit>. Girl in Window.. Rosie Cordova., . ,... .Judith Whitaker Leila Roth Louisa Reyes ... Kenneth Hunter ,... Edmund Purdoml Ray Buckingham Eleanor Summer field .. Norman Lawrence .’.... Don Leroy .... John Warren ....Mary Laura Wood ....... Moyra Fraser Anita Phillips Britain’s latest musical has every- thing except a witty story and a sufficiency of hummable tunes. It’s a sumptuous production on a grand scale.- There are magnificent sets, beautifully-handled crowd scenes, exciting dances arranged with the slick Robert Helpmann touch, and some first-class stage and lighting effects. Prospects can be rated as even, with chances considerably This light, sentimental comedy is only the fourth original German- language play to be produced in Vienna’s larger theatres this sea- son (most new plays are imports from Broadway, Paris or London). With this in mind, and viewed from the literary standpoint, it reveals the depths to which playwriting in Germany and Austria has fallen after the war. But viewed as the- atre, it is a very cleverly written escapist play and promises to be one of the biggest hits of the sea son. Plot relates the story of one of the old ladies who rent seats for 17 groschen to visitors in Vienna’s Stadtpark, She finds a little boy in the park one evening who has run away from his divorced, quar- reling parents, between whom he | has had to divide his time. Con- tending that it is not the children who are delinquent, but the par- ents, she takes the little boy home with her and secures his temporary guardianship through the court. There are several amusing sub- plots in “Grand Hotel” manner. The play was a vehicle for Annie Rosar, celebrating her 50th anni- versary on the stage. As a vehicle for an actress like Josephine Hull, the play has good possibilities for Broadway, if an adaptor could set it in Central Park. able, because Lehmann has also en- dowed it with size, scope and pag- eantry that almost borders on M-G-M proportions. The big thea- tre, designed to play circus under roof, has a mammoth stage, and the French management has made a wise pitch for the kid trade by extending the Barnum & Bailey aspects. Librettist Andre Mouezy-Eon and lyricist Albert Willemetz—lat- ter is president of SACEM, the French counterpart of ASCAP, and an excellent wordsmithing job he has done, too, in the French trans-1 lations, without distorting Berlin’s originals—have also written in a new comedy character; Berlin, personally, liked all the embellish- ments although from this*’ review- er’s viewpoint it made for a ful- some albeit highly commercial eve- ning. The break doesn’t come un- til midnight but seemingly, on a hot Friday night—there’s nothing airconditioned in Paris but. Maxim’s restaurant and such American-con- trolled deluxers as the Paramount cinema on the Blvd. des Italiens—• it bothered few. There were an extraordinary number of kids in the audience, and the circus pag- eantry that ensues is the answer. “Annie du Far-West” is the near- est possible translation since the <4 Get Your Gun” part is too idio- matically American, but the French know “far-west” from the cinema. The Chatelet has been the scene of such Yank transmutations as “Missisipi” (spelled that way; nee “Show Boat”), “Robert le Pirate,” nee “New Moon”; “Nina Rosa” and “Rose of France,” both by Rom- berg, while “Rose-Marie” with its “Totem Tom-Tom” getting equal billing, is being currently revived at the Empire. And now “Annie.” Lily Fayol does the Ethel Mer- man role creditably, mugging and ga-ga swooning as much as Betty Hutton does in the Metro film ver- sion. She’s a big girl, making it tough casting for the boy, but Mar- cel Merkes does all right; French juves are not given to over-6 ft, stature like the Yanks. Florencie, Jacqueline Lejeune, Pierjac, Jack Claret, Jane Montange, Bernard Dumaine, Gsovsky, terpers Chris- tiane Hubert, Beatrice Mosena and Witaly Osins, Colette Salomon, Jean Bonvilliers, Sam-MiaX and Marcel Ballin are other cast pirom- inents. Felix Nuvolone does an okay batoning job in the pit. The Jacques Fath boots-and-sad- dles idea makes for a sartorial splash, just as the recently opened London production of “Carousel” is a more pretentious costuming job than was the Broadway original which debuted in 1943 when war- time restrictions created general shortages, Incidentally, this French version is still a bit this side of Some of those Lancashire-and Yorkshire-accented “Indians” in the Prince Littler production of “Annie” in London three years ago. Seeing “Annie” under Gallic aus- pices impresses anew how univer- sal is the appeal of this Cinderella- with-chaps book. Boy-girl in any language needs rto Berlitz system. Abel. Cragsmoor’s Bow Cragsmoor, N, Y., June 27.. Cragsmoor Playhouse here opens a 10-week season tonight (27) with Moss Hqrt’s “Light Up the Sky,” featuring Katharine Barrett, Leora Thatcher, Salem Ludwig and Frank Paly. Opening night house has been taken over by tl*e Noonday I Club, local businessmen’s organiza- tion. Strawhat is, under new manage- ment this ’season of Marjorie Hil- dreth and Willis Knighton. Strawhat Reviews Continued from page 58 Continued from page 57 Angel In the Pawnshop tears into the shop im search of the girl who had fled his lair. But he is quickly consigned to the out- side world, which seemed as if it! might be = a pretty fine place at that. '• Dowling; part hero, part inter- locutor, shuffles around A. B. Shiffrin’s play so amiably that one rejoiced in his recovery from a combined heart attack and. gun skirmish and thoughtfully contem- plates the drama’s purposes, how- ever obscure they may be: Joan McCracken is the little match girl, Wide-eyed and impish by turn, and she can dance quite nimbly when called upon. For such a long role, Miss McCracken adopts a monotonous delivery that does not quite illuminate , the text. Hugh Reilly appears all too briefly as the gunman, Murray Hamilton is the likable young play- wright, and Robert Webber is the doctor who attends the ailing pawnbroker. Elizabeth Kerr has a fine scene as an author’s agent. But then, she too is from that out- side-world. Doul. The Taming of the Shrew Stockbridge, Mass., June 23. Margaret Webster productio of William Shakespeare comedy in Prolog and two acts (nine scends). Features Louis Horton, Kendall Clark, David Lewis. Staged by Miss Webster. Settings by Ben Edwards; music arranged by Lehman Engle. At Berkshire Playhouse, Stockbridge, Mass., June 19, '50. Prolog Christopher Sly....... Larry Gates Tavern Hostess....... Joe Rabb. Tapster . Johnt Glennon Lord . George Roy Hill Huntsman .. John Krchniak Bartolomew. John Glennon . Play Lucentio .Preston Hanson Tranio David Lewis Baptists John Straub Gremio Frederick Rolf Hortensio Anthony Lewis Katherina Louisa Horton Blanca • Darthy Hinkley Bibndello.............. Austin Briggs-HaU Petruchio Kendall Clark Grumio .............. Dion Allen Curtis Cavada Humphrey Pedant ^ Theodore Tenley Haberdasher. .Edmund Cambridge Tailor J oseph Dooley Vicentioi John. Krchniak 1 An Officer ...........Edmund Cambridge Triolus Dooley Horton Widow.........»/..............Jo Rabb OFFICE SPACE WANTED Reputable producing firm seeks to share producers office with all services including telephone, secre- tarial, etc., for important forthcom- ing fall production. Would like to have aecupancy by July 1st. Pleas- ant surroundings. Bo* V-6305, Variety, 154 W. 46th St., New York 19; Annie Get Your Gun (Annie Du Far-West) (CHATELET, PARIS) Paris, June 13. Seeing the French version of , “Annie Get . Your Gun,” in com- pany of songsmith, Irving Berlin , who made a special flying trip to ' Paris to do so, is a strange experi- ence for a reviewer who, besides ' the Broadway original, saw Dolores Gray-Bill Johnson’s version in Lon ; don, and of course the film, i the venerable Chatelet, Maurice The Late Christopher Bean (CIRQUE, SEATTLE) Seattle, June 27. First presentation of an im- ported star for a local theatre here also marks first time ZaSu Pitts, has appeared in a play “in the round.” . Innovation was a success all around, with Miss Pitts doing a fine job as Abby in.the w.k. Sidney Howard comedy. Local cast, which supported, turned in excellent jobs, especially by Stuart Currie as Dr. Haggett, Dorothy Lynne Saunders as Mrs. Haggett and Lori Lanegger as Ada Haggett. Direction by Dean Goodman was expert, and single set by Fred Reeve was good. Operator Gene Keene is dicker- ing with other names to keep up Aeries of guest stars at the Cirque •this summer, and future looks good for the idea, with only hitch on the financial side. “Christopher Bean” did well in its two-week run, but nothing sensational, and with small- seater (350 capacity) near sellouts are necessary to get in the black. Reed., I SAMUEL FRENCH SINCE 1830 Play, Brokers and Authors' Representatives 75 West 45th Street, New York 7*23 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 4*, Cel. Doris Humphrey, Pearl Primus, La Meri, Ted Shawn, Walter Terry and Anatole Chujoy will be lectur- ers this summer at Shawn’s Jacob’s In Pillow Dance Festival,' Lee, Mass. ,„..ce Ninth season of the fest opens Lehmann’s 80-year-old auditorium [ Friday (30) * . . Josef Krips, Vienna which'is more like the old Hippo- Philharmonic Orch conductor, is drome and today's Metropolitan ! making his U.S. debut this summer Opera House, N. Y>, than a musi-j at Ravinia Park, Chi. He’s under cal comedy house, the impresario National Concert & Artists Corp. has certainly given the l3orothy & I management. Herbert Fields-Berlin musical a ’ Jesus Marla Sanroma giving a lavish production. ! piano recitni July 6 at the U. of [thony^ Lewis Vhd"^ Frederick'' Rolf. If some of the sartorial trap- Puerto Rico, where he’ll receive; A kudo too to Dudley Horton in pings are .more Schiaperelli than the honorary degree of Doctor of the minor role of Troilus. Hopalong Cassidy, it is understand- < Fine Arts. . | R USi William Miles teed off his twelfth season as director of this Berkshire summer spot, now in its 19th year, with the Margaret Web- ster production of “Taming of the Shrew” as a package show. He’s made a smart move in affording his followers a view of this fast- paced, laugh - provoking, infre- quently produced-comedy. Miss. Webster is using the Chris- topher Sly scenes, usually on the boring side, integrating them with a top-drawer technique that adds to the bounce and elan with which she has directed the production. The tempo is brisk throughout, the action vivid. The simplest of sets are used in such a manner that the fluidity and continuity of the many scenes aren’t retarded at any time. The costumes of mixed periods are colorful. The company gives a nice en- semble performance. With the ex- ception of a few changes in minor roles, and the playing of Bianca by Hinkley of Miles’ resident com- pany all parts are filled by those who toured “Shrew” for Miss Web- ster the past season. Two favor-, ites of the local playhouse for the past three seasons-^Kendall Clark and John Straub—-give excellent portrayals. Clarfc’s Petruchio is a gusty one, with fire and vigor suf- ficient to tame a score of Kates, John Straub as Baptista, father of Kate, lends authority to the aged parent that belies his youth. The Kate of Louisa Horton is ef- fectively spitfirish and shows a nice, creqtiveness in her metamor- phosis from shrew to obedient Wife. Larry Gates in W. C. Field- lan makeup lehds humor to the difficult Christopher Sly role. An out$tanding delineation is that of David Lewis as Tranio, servant to Lucentios. All his scenes are com- pelling. Capable playing is also done by John Glennon, Austin ; Briggs-Hall, John KrchniakT An- the road from $80 to $100 is also asked. And the union seeks to prevent managers from: reducing the casts after the New York open- ing, except with approval of the Equity cuts board. The producer representatives have reportedly agreed to the Equity proposals that unless indi- vidual (actor contracts are signed concurrently they must be signed by* the manager first, but with the proviso that the actor must not de- lay signing after the management has done so. Also, all notices to. actors or companies must be filed in duplicate with Equity, In instances where the manage- ment cannot possibly obtain accom- modations for the entire cast in the same hotels, the union seeks to make the management responsi- ble for obtaining accommodations • for Negro players which are equal- ly as acceptable as those obtainable for whites. In any case, it’s added, accommodations should be within reasonable distance of the theatre, and be clean and sanitary. League reps argue that such a setup would be impractical, but have reportedly agreed to try to Work out a Satis- factory method of dealing with the situation. * Another Equity demand is that cast additions to out-of-town try- outs get rehearsal pay and $7.50 daily expense money from the time they join the show. At present, such players receive no rehearsal pay . for the first week’s rehearsal and no expense money for the first day. Whenever a company is re- hearsing out of town Equity asks payment of $7.50 daily expense money besides rehearsal pay, ex- cept that total of such payments should not exceed the regular weekly salary. The union also demands that the management be responsible (up to $1,200) for loss and/or damage to an actor’s personal property and clothing while it is under'the man- agement’s control—that is, while it’s in the theatre or being shipped With the company baggage. In cases of New York shows laying off pre-Christmas or pre-Easter weeks. Equity wants to apply the same rules as on the road—that is, all players must receive minimum sal- aries. It's also proposed to amend the rule covering two-season run-of- play contract, so ps to put all actors on such pacts on the same basis. That is, the management of a late-, season show still has five weeks after the tryout opening or two weeks after the New York opening to decide whether to apply the two- season pacts, but his decision must apply to all such deals, not to cer- tain ones at his discretion.. It’s proposed that understudies henceforth be paid an additional amount, at < least one-eighth of a week’s salary, for performances, and that the names of parts to be understudied be included in con- tracts. At present, understudies get the upped rate only after play- ing eight consecutive performances. There will be an Equity mem- bership meeting July 6 at the As- tor hotel, N. Y., to hear a report on the progress of negotiations. Sharon Springs Tent Sharon Spgs , N. Y., June 27. The Sharon Springs Tent The- atre will open its season July 1 in “Light Up the Sky.” Performances will run through Tuesday night. . This is the second arena opera- tion in the Albany capital district. I— ARE YOU APPEARING^ IN A BROADWAY PLAY? Now under the strongest lights, latest scientific technique, front Paris, en- ables you to face your audience with smooth, youthful, cleier-sktnnod radf ; ance, free of wrinkles, blemishes. «ga-siqns and . superfluous hair. FREE Consultation end Amlysis ELISABETH UNGAR J. J. SPERANS Certified Public Accountant EMPIRE STATE BLDG. New York LA. 4-1944 Est. 1932 448 West 55th Strut 2 and 3 Rooms to $145 Newly Rentodeled Building Immediate Occupancy . See Agont premises