Variety (April 1953)

LEGITIMATE - - - . ^ pmmFf Wednesday, April 22, 1953 Plays Out of Town Me and Juliet ♦ Cleveland, April 20. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammer* stein 2d production of musical play m two acts, with music by Rodgers, book and lyrics by Hammerstein. Features Isabel Bigley. B1U Hayes, Joan McCracken, Ray Walston, Mark Dawson, Jackie Kclk. Directed by George Abbott. Dances and musical numbers staged by Robert Alton. Scenery and lighting, Jo Mlelzlncr; cos- tumes, Irene Sharaff; vocal and orchestral arrangements, Don Walker; musical di- rector, Salvatore Dell'Isola; production supervisor, Jerome Whyte. At Hanna, Cleveland, April 20, *53; $5.53 top. Jeanie Jsabel Bigley Jim (Don Juan) . Bob Fortier Susie (Carmen) Ann-Needham Lorraine ........... Lorraine Havercroft Sidney Edwin Philips Larry Bill Hayes Chris Barbara Carroll Milton Herb Wasserman Stu Joe Shulman Bob Mark Dawson Herbie Jackie Kelk Monica Patty Ann Jackson George Randy Hall Mae . Walston Kuby Joe Lautner Charlie Arthur Maxwell Dario George Irving Lily (Juliet) Helena Scott Buzz .. Buzz Miller Harrison’s voice Henry Hamilton Miss Davenport's voice...Deborah Remsen Hilda Norma Thornton Marcia Thelma Tadlock Betty Joan McCracken Sadie Francine Bond Mildred Lorraine Havercroft Seymour John Ford His wife Thelma Scott Dancing Ensemble: Francine Bond, Betty Buday, Penny Ann Green, Lorraine Havercroft, Patty Arm Jackson. Helene Keller, Lucia Lambert, Harriet Leigh, Sonya Lindgren, Elizabeth Loguc, Shirley MacLalne, Cheryl Parker, Dorothy Sllver- berz, Thelma Tadlock, Norma Thornton, Janyce Ann Wagner, Rosemary Williams. Also Lance Avant, Grant Delaney, John George, Jack Konzal, Ralph Linn, Eddie Pfeiffer. Augustine Rodriguez, Bob St. Clair, Bill Weber. Singing Ensemble: Adcle Castle, Gwen Harmon, Susan Lovell, Theresa Mari, Georgia Reed, Deborah Remsen, Thelma Scott, Barbara Lee Smith. Also John Ford, Jack Drummond, Richard Hermany, Henry Hamilton, Michael King, Larry Laurence, Jack Rains, Warren Kemmer- ling. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Ham- merstein 2d have created another refreshing champion in “Me and Juliet," strengthening their repu- tations as contemporary kings of Broadway tune shows. Their new- est one, which preemed at the Hanna here tonight (Mon.), is a complete breakaway from the for- mat of their last three hits, so bril- liant in stagecraft that it may set a new production high-water mark for them. This show-within-a-show musical has nearly everything. Although its backstage story isn’t^by any'means new, the composer-lyricist team glamorized their book to the hilt with 85 tons of impressive sets, a dozen rippling tunes that sound socky, a number of colorful dances and a thread of a story that holds appeal. All the tricks known to show biz are ingeniously revitalized in the behind-the-scenes panorama of life in a Manhattan show troupe. Ac- tion fluidly ranges from a huge lighting bridge, designed by Jo Mielzinger, to dressing rooms, re- hearsal stage, lobby and manager’s office where a melodramatic fight caps a turbulent romance in the cast. Sometimes “Juliet" takes on the flavor of an ultra-sophisticated revue in Robert Alton’s fdst-paced ballets. Chief novelty is the master- ful way they are segued into the sentimentalized yarn about how a young assistant manager, secretly married to a chorus girl, proves he isn’t a coward. . ° Sometimes a song-and-dance number deftly dissolves into three different scenes, in which director George Abbott uses everything up to revolving stages. With all its heavy complex scenic effects, which are stunning, it’s doubtful if this production will ever do much tour- ing. On opening night tonight, show seemed to* start rather slowly. After setting atmosphere of company re- hearsing some replacements, its pace was quickened immensely by the enthusiasm and youthful vital- ity of the players. Most of them are so excellent, particularly Isabel Bigley, Bill Hayes, Joan Mc- Cracken, Ray Walston and Mark Dawson in the leads, that “Juliet" doesn’t need any big names. Miss Bigley is genuinely winsome and has an assured, warm voice that projects Rodgers’ melodies engagingly. As a showgirl in love with Hayes, assistant stage man- ager training her to understudy the star, she teams with him in singing “Nb Other Love." Slightly reminiscent of “Bali H’ai" in lilt, it should be a smasheroo hit, get- ting terrific audience salvos here. Among other ear-ticklers are n Keep It Gay," a skylarking piece delivered by Miss McCracken and Buzz Miller; “Meat and Potatoes,’’ a neat novelty item by her and Bob Fortier; “Marriage Type Love," made to click by Arthur Maxwell and Helena Scott; “It Feels Good," and “It’s Me." Hayes, a TV singer, displays good *erious acting in role of a jealous lighting technician sore because he lost his girl. Troublemaker who goes berserk is played forcibly by husky Mark Dawson, who also has a robust pair of baritone pipes. As a tidy ballerina who has a crush on Ray Walston, stage man- ager who doesn’t believe in mixing romance and show biz in his troupe, Miss McCracken is a de- lightful comedienne. She has an artful, funny way of lighting up her scenes with her impish byplay and saucy singing. It’s as much of a natural for her as her “faw-down girl" roll in “Oklahoma." Walston’s sharply ironic humor and nicely suggested hard-to-get pose add weight to his part. Jackie Kelk, from the .“Aldrich 1 ' radio series, pads the small role of a candy butcher amusingly. As the Juliet, Helena Scott is a beautiful show-wise redhead who is very sat- isfactory in warming up lush ballads. Also particularly competent are Arthur Maxwell, versatile as a temperamental actor feuding with the band conductor, George Irving, who turns a running gardenia gag into something laughable. Bob Fortier scores as a hand- some, agile dancer cast as a Don Juan type, and Edwin Philips as art elfectriciart. Ann Needham and Buzz Miller do slick dance work in Alton’s highly stylized ballets, which have benefit of elegant cos- tum In g*by Irene Sharaff.' What Rodge*rs, Hammerstein, Abbott and Mielziner strive to do is give a vivid third-dimensional effect to their tale of backstage theatre life. * They < come marvel- ously close to it in this steadily melodious, elaborately resourceful and handsome production. First two scenes need more revamping to launch them more briskly. With these fixed up, as they no doubt will be before it opens at the N.Y. Majestic May 28, “Juliet" .should become a powerhouse musical. Pullen. Pal Joey (SHUBERT, D, C.) Washington, April 20. Despite more than the usual number of opening night snarls, this prize-winning musical comes off with all the freshness, pace and zip of a brand new sock entry. It should brighten the road for many months to come. Capitalites took the story of heel Joey to their hearts when it played the nearby strawhat circuit two summers ago, a stint that did much to give it its second chance on Broadway. Carol Bruce delighted in that • version, and she *gives every promise of improving bn her bell-ringing job in this enlarged, I slicker version of the Rodgers- O’Hara hit. Because she is new to the show, tackling the almost overwhelming chore of replacing Vivienne Segal, star of the Broad- way run, it seems fair to. begin the run-down of standout perform-1 ances with hers. Miss Bruce shows some visible initial nervousness, but hits her stride well before the end of the show and shapes as a woman with all the cynical pathos and brittle emotion that the role of the wealthy, pleasure-seeking matron demands. She has the courage to. be herself, rather than falling into the tempting pitfall of imitating her predecessor. Her husky, smoky voice ,is well suited to the show’s hit tUne, the haunting, sophisti- cated “Bewitched," particularly in the second act repeat, where she shows more confidence and eas.e. She reads lines skilfully, with subtle innuendo and underscored humor. Comparison with Miss Se- gal is unnecessary. Her successor gives every indication of investing her own personality and special skill into a lush role. Harold Lang, though essentially a terper, makes the part of the congenital heel convincing and real. He swaggers, lies, struts— he is Joey. He’s somewhat weak in the voice department, but man- ages to make effective what is re- quired of him musically. For all his selfishness and amorality in the role of an unprincipled gigolo, he imparts a quality of pathps and wins some sympathy from the audi- ence. Lang has been elevated to star billing for the road show and rates it. Both show stoppers of the eve- ning were chalked up by Beverly Bozeman in the juicy role of Gladys Bumps. “That Terrific Rain- bow," a side-splitting satire on the bumps and grind routine of the old hurley wheels, can bear end- less repeats.' On its heels comes the second act opener, “Flower Garden,” another terp satire in which Miss Bozeman gets an able assist from the entire chords in a raucous version of the semi-clas- sical. Dance-music director Rob- ert Alton is the unseen, but not unsung hero, of the production numbers. Lionel Stander does a rib-split- ting job of a razor-voiced male Malaprop with blackmail motives. Other ..standouts are the “Zip" number of Betty O’Neil, as good for laughs and payee reaction as the day it was born, and some lively terping by Elaine Dunn. Music and lyrics seem to have grown better with repetition. “Be- witched" leads the show’s hit pa- rade, but “What IsT A Man," “I Could Write A Book," “In Our Little Den” and “Take Him" are all winners. Chorus work is spritely and properly lusty. There’s nothing stale or tired about this. It stacks up as top quality pro- duction'for any stand. Lowe. Masquerade Philadelphia, April 16. Ben Tomkins and Alvi|i Cooperman pro- duction of comedy in three acts. Features Veronica Lake, Charles Corwin, Lisa Fer- raday. Directed by John Larson; settings' and costumes, John Edward Blankenchip. At.' Walnut St. Theatre, Philadelphia, AprU 16, *53; $3.00 top. Doctor Arthur 09hlag Giullp Hill Bermont Signora Brigitte Augusta Merighi Mala Veronica Lake Angela Lisa Ferraday Carabinieri Carbone Leonard Yorr Frederlco Tirone Gregory Morton Laura Bateman Anne Meacham Tony Jove Paone Mario Volpe Charles Korvin Jobo Leonard Barry This late spring entry, which preemed at the Walnut tonight (16) after a three-day delay (reportedly due to a transportation mixup in- volving the scenery) seems due for a very short life. It was unani- mously rapped here, and seems to be one of those unfortunates that is pretty much beyond aid in the play-doctoring department. Setting is present-day Rome, and action takes place around New Year’s, which supposedly gives the play a little color, but trouble is, this so-called “color" doesn’t take. The heroine, a poor but virtuous street waif, wanders into the little bar-restaurant where the authors* plot unfolds. She meets there a romantic, swaggering bandit, who is stupid enough, after first plan- ning to steal some negotiable securities, to purloin some fabu- lous -crown jewels from a museum instead, and they are, of course, “hot" enough to put him in im- mediate jeopardy. The waif, not knowing he is the notorious thief Mario Volpe, tells him she is secretly enamoured of Volpe, and adds that she would be on her way to .happiness and success if only she had enough money to. buy one really beautiful gown. Volpe, who makes quite a practice all evening of giving money away, immediately hands her 20,000 lire. He tries to make it clear that there are no strings attached, since he has a sweetheart of his own—a charm- ing and jealous one, to whom he gives the dubious and dangerous task of getting rid of the crown jewels, so that she and Mario may go to South America on’ the pro- ceeds. Characters are, on fne whole, just as goofy as the plot, and they are given to saying the most inane things at any given moment. Veronica Lake is unable to ex- tract much sense from the role of the virtuous waif, but Charles Korvin has moments of appeal as the bandit, and Leonard Barry does a really* nice job as the young roughneck, who reminded crix and first-nighters a bit of Liliom in the Molnar play of the same name. Lisa Ferraday is most successful of the lot as the other gal. Au- gusta Merighi does a fine char- acter bit as the cafe proprietress and Jove Paone is quite outstand- ing as a precocious youngster. Single setting is effective, but Mr. Larson’s uncertain direction hasn’t helped much. Waters. Tumultime Washington, April 19. Tumultime, Inc., production of English- Yiddish musical revue in two acts. Special music and lyrics by members of the cast. Vocal and choral' direction by Marty Dfake. Supervised by Paul Barton; Mur- ray Davis, musical director. With Lou Saxon, Barton Bros., Martle Drake, Rickie Layne. Hy Sands, Kathryn Chang, Jenifer Marshall, Florence Shore, the Rlvieras. At National* Washington, AprU 19, *53; $3.60 top. “Tumultime" is the offspring of “Bagels and Yox" The top six in its cast, the three Barton Bros., Lou Saxon, Martie Drake and Rickie Layne, were all featured in the earlier Anglo-Yiddish revue and have fashioned their new show after its successful prede- cessor. ' “Tumultime" is loud and lively, and provides plenty of laughs for tile specialized audience for which it is aimed. It needs considerable tightening, however, especially in the second act, where there is a noticeable let-down in material, except for Hy Sands. It’s called a revue by courtesy, for there is barely the flimsiest thread-to hold it together on the same stage. Ac- (Continued on page 60) Plays on Broadway A Bate With April ■Kenneth Banghart & Diana Green pro- duction of comedy In three acts four duction of comedy in three acts (four Bcnhett; features Edmon Ryan. Evelyn Varden. Herbert Evers, Marjorie Peterson, Louise Larabee. Staged by Reginald Den- ham; scenery. Robert O'Hearn; special music. Jay Chernis. At Royale, *N.Y., April 13. '53; $4,80 top ($7.20 opening). . Val Corbett Edmon Ryan 3 e ila Louise. Larabee Tony Poole Herbert Evers Mrs. Ashley V ar den Elsa Ashley Constance Benhett PhylUs Lundgren ...... Marjorie Peterson Having finally gotten around to appearing on the Broadway stage, Constance Bennett can now con- centrate on finding an adequate play for next time. It needn’t be a masterpiece, for the film star is an # actress whose skill, looks and mag- netism are probably sufficient to put over a moderately good show. However, “A Date with April," the George Batson comedy in which she made her Main Stem debut last week, is merely a potboiler trifle about approximately nothing and adding up to about that in theatri- cal effect. It gives her a chance to be animated, moderately interest- ing and appropriately arresting in a succession of Saks Fifth Ave. and Tina Le§er gowns. And it enables her’ to flip off a few modestly amusing quips expertly. But other- wise the script leaves the eminent lady just where she was. “April" is about a celebrated femme pianist-composer who uses an ardent Hollywood glamor boy to make her errant novelist-lover jealous enough to marry her. The script takes three lengthy acts to reveal this momentous conclusion, which even & novice playgoer would anticipate a few minutes after the curtain is up. Miss Bennett is satisfactorily glittering as the dressy concert artist, with impressive poise and authority, and character woman Evelyn Varden scores a minor cleanup as the heroine’s sardonic mother. But Edmon Ryan can’t do much with the stereotype role of the Rover Boy hero, a transparent caricature of Ernest Hemingway, while Herbert Evers, Marjorie Peterson and Louise Larabee do acceptably well in the other stock parts. Reginald Denham has staged “April” with as much life as seems possible; Robert O’Heam has de- signed a luxurious living room overlooking Central Park and Jay Chernis has composed special music. Scripter-playwright Howard Teichmann provided an unbilled rewrite. The play, for a time titled “I Found April," was originally tested by Miss Bennett about a year ago in a St. Louis-Kansas City stock production, then toured the citro- nella circuit last summer. After a few days on Broadway it will prob- ably again be available for stock. An actress of Miss Bennett’s ex- perience and reputation has obvi- ously endkred more or less com- parable tribulations before and will undoubtedly •survive this. Presum- ably radio-TV commentator-an- nouncef* Kenneth Banghart, a for- mer legit'actor determined to be a producer, will also not be too dis- couraged to try again. For this ini- tial venture he merely made the familiar, understandable error of having no play. Ho be. Bleak House Sol Hurok presentation of Emlyn Wil- liams as Charles Dickens in dramatization of the Dickens novel, adapted for the stage by Williams. At Bijou, N.Y., April 20, '53; $4.20 top ($6 opening). Though not quite capping his last season’s Charles Diickens’ selec- tions, Emlyn Williams scores a sock' virtuoso performance in his adapta- tion of “Bleak House." Alternating last year’s mixed bill with this ' pared-down * Version of Dickens’ novel about the law’s delay, the seamy side of London, and an aris- tocratic lady of mysterious pasti and murderous inclination, the three-week engagement should get good b.o. at the 600-seat Bijou. Made up as the bearded, for- mally-attired Victorian novelist and “reading" from behind a quaint stand, Williams runs the gamut in his gallery of portraits, as he deftly interprets one character after an- other, from a wide-eyed, spinster to a gravel-voiced conservative. His performance is as subtle as, it is varied. From the pages he turns but never reads, each character springs full-blown with its own particular movement* expressions and inflection. Pruned to l/25th of its original length, “Bleak House" in the Wil- liams marathon is still pretty melo- dramatic as to plot, using the well- known ingredients of the shadowy titled lady, a former husband who has died in poverty, a child, and a packet of blackmail letters. For the first three-quarters of the perform- ance, Williams skillfully uses this story as a frame to introduce a col- lection of odd characters, humor- ous, pathetic and sinister, building to. an exciting climax. Those who are trying to follow all the convolu- tions of the story line may find it rough going, however. Outstanding among Williams' vivid character portrayals are the insinuating upstart Guppy; the de- termined matron with the faraway look, Mrs. Jellyby; the talkative parasite, Mr. Skimpole; the upright reformer, Mrs. Pardiggle, and the model Of correct deportment, Mr. Turveydrop. In his descriptive passages, the actor skillfully evokes the various settings, the murky London streets at the opening of the performance, the luxurious country estates, and poverty-stricken tenements. Even inanimate things, like an engraved brass plate or a society newspaper notice, achieves a special life and character of their own as read by Williams. Throughout, Williams is faithful to the spirit of the novelist whose work he is reading, bringing out not the drama, but also the com- passion, the irony and even the indignation that is in “Bleak House." Vene. Legit Followup The* King and I (ST. JAMES, N. Y.) Alfred Drake, playing the Siam- ese monarch in “The King and I" while Yul Brynner takes an 11- week leave for a film. assignment, brings a notably different quality as star. His characterization of the impetuous, headstrong, emotionally immature but essentially likable king seems comparatively intellec- tual, without the savage harshness and innate imperiousness Brynner gave to the role. If Drake lacks the animal-like quality that has made Brynner a matinee fave, he has equal au- thority and is perhaps more in- gratiating. Vocally, Drake is dis- tinctly superior. His singing is tonally more pleasing and, what is vastly more important considering the value of Hammerstein’s lyrics, his diction is clear. The audience response to his big number, “A Puzzlement," for example, is justi- fied. Otherwise, the performance as a whole has to some extent suffered the inevitable deterioration of two- year rim. Constance Carpenter, in the schoolteacher* role originated by Gertrude Lawrence, has man- aged to shed some of the late star’s style of playing and develop her own characterization. She’s at her best with “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" but has permitted the tempo of “I Whistle a Happy Tune" and “Hello, Young Lovers" to dawdle painfully, and she naturally lacks the Lawrence animation that made “Getting to Know You" so delightful and th.e captivating radiance that made the scenes with the Siamese children so touching. Stephanie Augustine is still ap- pealing as Tuptim, the Burmese “present" to the King, and Terry Saunders is acceptable as Lady Thiang, although her singing, .has become somewhat exaggerated, but Larry Douglas holds his edge nice- ly as Lun Tha, the slave girl’s doomed lover, while Sal Mineo and Michael Allen are satisfactory as the Crown Prince and the school- marm's son, respectively. In gen- eral, the performance could do with some checkup and re-rehear- sal by stager John van Druten. The physical production, however, ap- pears to be in excellent condtition. While such a thing is necessarily a matter of conjecture, it seems a fair guess that if “King and I" had opened in its present state it would still have been a hit. At least in its music and lyrics it's a smash right now. Kobe. Current Stock Bills . (April 20-May: 3) Arms and the Mail— Arena Stage, Washington (21-3). Around We Go — Playhouse, Houston (20-26). Be Your Age—Arena, Rochester (21-3). Blossom Timer—Paper Mill, Mil- burn, N. J. (27-3). . Goodbye My Fancy (Esther Ral- ston)—Quarterdeck, Atlantic City (27-2). - Hasty Heart (John'Dali)—Quar- terdeck, Atlantic City (21-25). I Am A Camera (Zachary Scott- Ruth Ford)T—Bermudian, Hamil- ton (20-24). On Your Toes (Patricia Bowman, Georgle Tapps)—Paper Mill, Mil- burn, N. J. (20-26). Play for Mary (Franchot Tone- Bettsy Von Furstenberg)—Bermu- dian, Hamilton (26-1).