Variety (December 1952)

Wednesday, December 10, 1952 66 LEGITIMATE P 2 BSIET? Plays on Broadway Fvc Got Sixpence Gertrude Macy & Walter Starcke pro* Ruction of dram* In .two acts by John van Druten. Stars Edmond O'Brien, Vi* veca Llndfors; features Patrldia Collinge, Vicki Cummlng3. Staged by the author; acenery and lighting, Boris Aronson; cos* tumes. Burton J. Miller. At Ethel Barry- more, N. Y., Dec. 2. '52; $4.80 top ($6 Friday, Saturday nights; $7.20 opening). Inez Cabral Viveca Llndfors Doreen , Vicki Cummings Dr. Ozmunlon Paul Llpson Peter Tyndall .... Edmond O'Brien Mrs. Entwhistle Patricia Colllnge Carolyn Lois Holmes Robert Gallagher Bert Thorn John van Druten, whose long and impressive record includes such hits as “Young Woodley/’ ‘There’s Always Juliet,” “Old Ac- quaintance,” ‘Voice of the Turtle,” "I Remember Mama,” “Bell, Book and Candle” and “I Am a Cam- era,” has tripped over a couple of fundamentals in his latest play, “I've Cot Sixpence.” TKeT'XSef- trude Macy-Walter Starcke produc- tion is-thus a dubious bet, with theatre party booking^ probably supplying the principal boxoffice impetus. However, there may be the kernal for a picture adaptation in the script. Plays about religion are apt to be uncertain commercial prospects. While “I’ve Got Sixpence” starts out as primarily a love story, it veers into mysticism in the second act with a plea for faith in a super- natural power as the salvation of disillusioned, self-destructive hu- manity. Such faith, the author ap- pears to say, must .stem from the humility of true abnegation. . Eloquently expressed, that might provide engrossing and even ex- alting drama, but in “Sixpence,” except for occasionally moving scenes, it seems murky, and,.stub-, bornly disappointing. Moreover, j the. pfcec&w.is-, audit- boorf^ egot/sl that, even, after nis final abasement and sup- posed redemption, it’s, difficult to sympathise withhim or feel urgent Concern over the author’s theme. The .play is.fortunate in its lead- ing lady, Swedish-born Hollywood actress Viveca Llndfors, making her Broadway debut as the ideal- istic, beauty-copscious heroine who rushes impetuously into an ill- fated romance. But Edmond O’Brien, costarring as the hero, compounds the Unattractive qual- ity of the character by giving a needlessly truculent though rug- gedly. honest performance, with little * suggestion of inner warmth. Patricia Collinge adds consider- ably to the show with a beautifully tempered portrayal of perhaps its most interesting character, a brave, wise and saintly invalid who lives only to serve others, .. But the two outstanding femme performances, with an assist from Vicki Cummings as the heroine’s shallow . but well-meaning* room- mate with a conventional moral sense, cannot overcome the con- fusingly two-jointed nature of the script. So this earnest message from one Of the theatre’s most ac- complished craftsmen falls into a . lesser category of his works. The “Sixpence” title refers to an Army marching song and, as is carefully explained in the dialog, expresses the bread - upon - the- waters philosophy. The story ‘is about a New York girl and youth who meet and have a love affair, but separate in bitterness when she learns she is going to have a baby, and are finally reunited after coming to realize that they need pot only each other but also faith in some power outside themselves. . Aside from the four leading players, there is an effective per- formance by Paul Lipson as a fat, placid would-be prophet who spouts mystic gobbleygook and an amusing bit by Bert Thorn as the literalist Catholic fiance of the heroine’s practical-minded room- mate. The author has staged the piece adroitly and Boris Aronson has supplied an elaborately im- pressionistic multiple setting for the various locales. Hobe. principle, never gets around to ex- plaining exactly what he’s making such an issue about all evening. Both he and author N. Richard Nash apparently expect the spec*! tator to accept their thesis on; faith. Lack of clarity is perhaps the outstanding quality of “See the Jaguar.” A Rocky Mountain saga crying out that violence will de- stroy us, it is topheavy with ap- parent symbolism and is practi- cally as unreyealing about the mo- tivation of its villain and its as- sorted lesser characters as about its hero’s philosophy. After a pro- vocative first act, it steadily de- teriorates into something approach- ing chaos at its lugubrious third-act finale. Four years ago Nash wrote a drama, “The Young and Fair,” -about-jt-girls-’-sehool. It was unsuc- cessful but received respectful at- tention, and its author was re- garded as a playwright of real promise. The fact that “Jaguar” is at least partly in blank verse tends to make it seem more pretentious than the dramatist’s previous piece. The title of “Jaguar” refers to the villain’s practice of caging wild animals as a tourist Come-on at liis roadside store and gas station, and presumably has connotations about contemporary civilization. The hero of the piece is a young schoolteacher so strong lie can afford to . be gentle, and wise enough to see the futility and cor- roding evil of violence. The villain is a cruel sheriff-storekeeper who dominates the mountain hamlet, controlling the local citizenry by keeping them in his debt. Virtually single-handed (the vil- lain’s right-think'ing..daugMei‘ him and believes in him, but until the.. Jragip,, finale- sha-^ lacks- the strength or wisdom to be able to support him all the way), the hero. tries to save ah innocent, harmless > youth from a drunken posse. Bc.r. sides this savage manhunt, there are several minor brawls, a grue- some scene in which the lad is tor- tured by his captors, plus various other lurid incidents, with a num- ber of flights of rhetoric about the heroine’s illegitimate, unborn child. As star, Arthur Kennedy gives an artful, plausible and at times moving performance, but he isn’t able to inject urgency into a cryp- tic, overwrought. meller. Featured players Constance Ford, as the con- fused girl; Cameron Prud’homme, as her sadistic father, and Roy Fant as the hero’s gabby, coura- geous grandpappy, are individually believable, but are also limited by the obscure script, as are -James Dean as the fugitive youth, Mar- garet Barker as his eccentric, overly protective mother and Philip Pine as a local bully. Michael Gordon has staged the play skillfully; there are several lavishly decorative’ settings (with the soli: of dim lighting designers traditionally love) by co-producer Lemuel Ayers, and Alec Wilder has. provided atmospheric back- ground and between-scenes music. But the show all seems too much to-do over an idea that might have been, better expressed more simply. . Hobe ; (Closed Saturday night (6) after five performances.) Pedi, Pat Rooney, Sr., and B. S. Pully give sure support. Kaye s workover of the spiritual “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat” remains a show-stopper. Michael Kidd’s choreography adds a lively touch, while Alvin Colt’s costuming and Jo Mielziner’s setting authenticizes the Broadway atmosphere*. Gros. I nelo Sam in Israel (PUBLIC THEATRE, N. Y.) In a move to pick up a waning Second Ave., N. Y. t theatre audi- ence, Herman Yablokoff is con- ducting an unusual experiment with “Uncle Sam in Israel,” his 25th production. The musical, which originally was an all-Yid- dish production and has been run- ning at the Public Theatre for the past couple of months, now is get- ting an occasional showcasing there in an English ^version. Yablokoff, however, will need more than an “anglais spoken here” lure to stimulate interest in his pro- duction. In its ^transition to English, “Un- cle Sam in Israel” loses a lot of the color and all of the flavor of the original. Script, which was translated by Prof. William W. Brickman, fails to project any of the warmth that should surround a tale of pioneers in Israel, and be- comes just a trite affair inter- spersed with weak, out-of-place lit- tle jokes. Most of the yocks come from the untranslatable phrases and give the impression that the audience would rather hive had the whole production done in Yid- dish. The songs, too, lose their zest in the transition. The Chaim Towber lyrics, for the Sholem Se- cunda score, apparently were worked over carefully by Bella MyselL but tfoejr miss- their-.mark*' ";; C*#f v .which; also- appears in• the Yiddish version, seems uncomfort- able with the English dialog. The accents are heavy and distracting,. Miehaei' Rosettbei-g, iti the'' juicy comic role of Uncle Sam. the rich visitor from Kentucky, U. S. A., comes across best with the English gab. He milks nis part, but he, too, gets best response when he slips back into a Yiddishism. Ben Zion Witler and Shifrah Lehrer fill the romantic leads nicely and Myra Leeds scores easily in a trilling solo. The rest of the cast performs with zest. “Uncle Sam,” in its anglicized form, has nothing for the uptown mob and very little for the Second Ave. trade. Gros. Show Finances “POINT OF NO RETURN” (As of Nov. 15, '52) Investment (including 25% overcall) $125,000 Returned to backers 125,000 Production cost (including $15,000 tryout profit) 124,000 Earned profit to Oct. 18, ’52 Loss for four weeks ended Nov. 15, ’52 Preliminary tour expense * Union bonds and sinking fund Balance available for distribution 53,965 333 3.015 25,300 25,317 “CALL ME MADAM” (As of Nov. 15, ’52, on tour) Investment (including $25,000 overcall) $225,000 Production cost * 275,000 Profit on New York run to May 3; '52 573,411 Touring profit to Nov. 15, '52. 143,033 Souvenir program royalties 1,123 Total earned profit to date 717,567 Distributed profit 667,875 Balance (including $25,820 in bonds) • • • 48,692 (Note: $717,567 profit includes $75,000 of the shows 40% share of the $250,000 film sale to 20th-Fox, with the remaining $25,000 due for payment early in January. However, the management’s one-third share of the hit London production has not yet been released by the British government, and is not included.) • tlio «Jaguar ■ Lemuel Ayers fin association with Helen Jacobson) production of drama in three acts (six scenes) by N. Richard Nash. Stars Arthur Kennedy; features Constance Ford, Cameron Prud'homme, Roy Fant. Directed by Michael Gordon; scenevv and costumes, Ayers; incidental music, Alec Wilder. At Cort. N. Y., Dec. 3, '52; $4.80 top ($7.20 opening). JnUltop Phillip Pine Yctter David Clarice Janna . Constance Ford Grainfa Ricks Roy Fant Mr*. Wilkins Margaret Barker Dave Ricks Arthur Kennedy Rrad Cameron Prud'homme Harvey ............... 1 ... Georg* Tyne Frank Arthur Batanides Meeker Ted Jacques Mrs. Meeker Florence Sundstrom Wally Wilkins James Dean Jee Jee Dane Knell Ssm Harrison Dowd Andy Harry Bergman Carson . Tony Krabcr * Taciturn heroes may be all very Well in real life, but stage martyrs xhduld be articulate. One of the mpre irritating faults of “See the Jaguar” is that its protagonist, while ultimately willing to die for a Guys and Dolls (46th ST. THEATRE, N. Y.) Moving into its third Broadway year, the Jo Swerling-Abe Burrows- Frank Loesser musical romp re- mains an energetic, fast-moving legituner which is little the worse for its long run. The troupe is on its toes throughout and featured players Vivian Blaine, Sam Levene and Isabel Bigley (who have been with the show from the start) and recent starter Norwood Smith (who replaced Robert- Alda) give fresh, vivid interpretations. In the role of Sky Masterson, the hotshot gambler, Smith fits the physical demands of the part as well as Alda did, and fills the vocal bill excellently. Unlike Alda, who never claimed to be a singer, Smith’s pipings ring true. “The part gains a new dimension as he belts out the Loesser ballads with force and emotion, and the tunes are given added stature via his de- livery. Although his interpretation of Masterson is a bit softer than Alda’s, Smith still manages to es- tablish the character as a vital and dynamic personality. .Duets with Isabel Bigley are especially in- gratiating. The regulars continue to shine. Miss Blaine’s frustrated Adelaide is a hilarious characterization, as is Levene’s “reliable Nathan.” Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver, Tom Free Market v Continued from page 62 English actor, it is because he has been unable to find the right actor over here. Wrong Opposition I suspect that the major opposi- tion to the free interchange of ac- tors comes from resident aliens who feel that they would be get- ting more work if there were an embargo on foreign actors. They might—possibly; but the chalices are that a lot of plays wouldn’t be done at all if the producers were denied access to foreign actors; and other plays would fail because inadequately performed (please understand—1 # am not suggesting for one moment that resident alien actors are not good actors, but simply that in many instances they are not right or sufficiently trained for a particular role). The inadequacy of the perform- ance brings me to the artistic as- pect of this problem. Again and again we have seen and are seeing demonstrated the necessity of hav- ing exactly the right actor for the role. A play comes to life only through its actors, and good plays cap fail if the actors are wrong or inadequate. They may be only a little bit wrong or a little bit in- adequate, but that is enough to throw the play out of kilter. Lack of Tradition There are English roles and George Freedley Curator of tho Thootro Division of tho N. Y. Public Library details, how in its 21st y*ar, The Library Theatre Collection Comes of Age AAA on* of tho many editorial f*atur*s in th« upcoming 47th Anniversary Number of PfittiEfr English plays that American actors and many American English actors are not equipped to deal with properly—just as there are Ameri- can roles and American plays that English actors and many English American actors are not equipped to deal with properly. It is a question of tradition, approach and training. Certain English plays require a sense of style that the American theatre has never engendered. In England there is a pool of talent trained, to recite Shakespearean blank verse. Over here, most ’ actors must .first .be taught how to recite the verse be- fore they can .be directed in the .rale—an almost impossible under- taking in four rehearsal weeks. . What is most important for the health and welfare of the theatre on both sides of the water is that each country should have the bene- fit of seeing the other’s plays done as perfectly as possible, and seeing roles for aliens in their own plays done as perfectly as possible. In- deed, only if perfectly done do the plays have the best chance to suc- ceed, and* successful plays any- where are good for the theatre everywhere. An entirely free mar- ket in actors is the only principle that makes artistic sense. * Temporarily, at least, it is also the only principle that makes eco- nomic sense, because if, in fact, there are economic advantages to a free market, the only way we shall be able to acquire sufficient data to form a code of rules is to allow the free* market to operate long enough to disclose all the benefits and drawbacks. L. Arnold Weissberger. (Writer is a N. Y. theatrical at- torney. — Ed .) N.Y. Playwright Wins U. of Illinois Contest Chicago, Dec. 9. “Captive at Large,” by David Marks, of New York, won the sec- ond annual U. of Illinois play- wright contest, and will be pre- sented this coming spring in the 1953 Festival of Contemporary Arts. Marks, a researcher for the Letter Magazine Institute, New York, is the author of several short stories, ‘radio scripts, and one-act plays, but this is his first three- acter. Contemporary drama will be di- rected by Prof. Bernard Hewitt of the university’s speech department. Yearly contest is open to all writers who have not had a full- length play produced commer- cially. Aussie’s Martin Books 2 Littler Legit Shows London, Dec. 2. David Martin, of the Tivoli Cir- cuit in Australia has closed a deal with Emile Littler for two of his current London productions. Arrangements have been made for “Zip Goes a Million,” current Palace Theatre hit, to play Down Under late next spring. The deal also includes an Australian tour of “Affairs of State.” OK Chi Biz Continued from page 63 “Country Girl.” “Gigi” at, the Harris is also £et for an indefinite run, piling up hefty grosses each week. “Top Banana” is doing excellent- ly at the Great Northern and would like to move over to the Shubert, but tho booking office has set 25 days of Gilbert & Sullivan there before “Call Me Madam” comes in Jan. 20. Management hopes that latter will, at least, span out the rest of the season. Whether or not touring musical which hasn't played here, will want to stick around waiting for the Shubert or Great Northern, is doubtful, so it might be that it will go into the Opera House. All this is pred- icated on the assumption that Chi- cago will like ‘“Madam” as well as the rest of the other cities. Erlanger has only one slight three-week space after “Stalag" leaves Jan. 3. Then Henry Fonda comes in Jan. 26 with “Point of No Return” for four weeks, followed by Van Heflin in “The Shrike” un- til Easter, when Helen Hayes in Mrs. McThing” comes in for sev- eral months. The Selwyn, which is dark at present, brings in Katharine Cornell in “Constant Wife” Dec. 26 for four weeks, and then Richard Greene in “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” Jan. 26 for an indefi- nite stay. That makes three open- ings for the Jan. 20 week. Beside “Wagon,” “Anonymous Lover,” with Larry Parks and Betty Garrett, would like to come in, as would also some other prop- erties. Covent Garden in Red, Move to.End Subsidy London, Dec. 2. A report by the Arts Council that every capacity house at Covent Garden Opera House winds up with a loss of about $1,500 is prompting a campaign to end the present sub- sidy and make the public pay more for tickets. The Opera House now gets an annual grant from the council of $420,000. An additional $280,000 would be required to keep it out of the red. Added weight to the criticism has been given by the comparison of salaries paid by commercial com- panies with those provided for the opera ond Sadlers Wells Ballet. A top ballerina at Sadlers Wells is reckoned to do well if she re- ceives over $300 a week whereas Markova was paid $1,400 to $1,500 a week when she appeared in the Festival Ballet. Principal opera singers who are under contract are paid between $70 and $300 a week, and guest artists get equivalent amounts for single performances. Scheduled B’way Opening: “Grey Eyed People,” Beck, Dec 17. “Children’s Hou r,” Coronet Dec. 18. “Fifth Season,” Cort, Jan. 13. “Be Your Age,” 48th Street Jan-. 14. “Love of Four Colonels,” Shu bert, Jan. 15. Arthur Miller play, Beck, Jan 17. “Bat,” no theatre set, week o Jan. 19. “Mid-Summer,” no* theatre set Jan. 22. “Hazel Flagg,” Hellinger, Feb. 5 “Josephine,” no theatre set week of Feb. 9. “Wonderful Town,” Century Feb. 25.