Variety (January 1954)

LEGITIMATE Wednesday, January 20, 1934 Plays Abroad I„«»N PHVPfl dll I’lel (PAVEMENTS OF HEAVEN) Paris, Jan. 10. Kruno Coquatrlx production oC comedy In four acts. by Albert Hudson. Stari Je m* Pierre Aumont, Mlchellne Pfe-le. D* reeled by Christian Gerard. Sets hr Franclne Oalllard-Rlssler; costumes PI**'' s Balmain alW Paulette Coquatrlx. At Com“ ' . Paris; $;i top.. edie-Caumartln Theatre Hehii lUlromont . Pierre Ceruzlor . Lucile , Inspector FrlSon Old Geutlcman Philippe Ploquln Nicole . ... i ... . JcamPlerre .Vunont . . Mlchellp.e P«'*vi < .... Maurice Chivlt ... Henri Ci'c-Mir -t . . . . Jacques FrwH , Arlctte Accrt “Pavements" is latest comet1’' by Albert Husson, author of “?Jv J Angels.” tils new one lacks the Ingenuity and surefire humor of the latter hit. A disappointing comic fantasy, it is saved from collapse here by the brilliant, resourceful performance of JeanPierrc Aumont. Curtain rises on a chic Parisian lady shpoting her husband because ■he is tired Of his philandering. She telephones police to renort murder and give herself up, but by time inspector arrives the IrrPaling man is uo and about again. His wife has mistaken her aim. This .vo infuriates her that she opens fire on him again and her second attempt at murder is successful, though her husband warns her before she shoots that she will live to regret it. Plot now takes a mystical turn. A heavenly messenger arrives on the scene and has conversation with the fnan. It has beetf decided . that the murdered husband is to be transformed into a writing desk in his Widow’s drawing-room and (from, this position of vantage lie may guard over her future. Before long she is in more trouble than ever. Acquitted of murder, she foolishly investigates, her husband’s past and comes upon his Illegitimate son, who is a worse rascal than his old man. She falls in love with him and when she discovers that he, too, is faithless, she gets out her revolver again. Final twist is that it was all a dream and in a flashback to the first scene we see that the husband has just explained to Wife what will happen if she shoots him, Aumont delivers a smooth. . charming portrayal as both husband and illegitimate son and brings a semblance of life and wit to earthbound whimsy. Micheline Presle is effective and eye-filling. If somewhat brittle, as the wife, and veteran light comedy actor Henri Cremieux makes more than there is of his assignment as messenger from the beyond. Christian Gerard’s direction is okay and set by Francine Galliard-Rissler is handsome. But script, despite actors’ good work, is weak in both comedy and imagination. Curt. ways a Vienna favorite in a sharp longuedj mother role, lends unfailing -t wit to her delivery of BusFckcte’s best Hungarian mannerisms. Hermann Erhardt shines briefly In a third act low-comedy role as a stupid, clumsy successor to the perfect butlering of. the dcpart'’d Jean, Vilma Dcgischcr, too quiet and mature for a romantic role, and Anton Edthofei’, dreamily vagqc as Prime. Minister, round out ' a cast considerably overshadowed by Jaray and. Miss Gessner. Isra . Shuberts Continued from pass 65 to More Mel Uproar Inside Stuff— Legk / •loan Vienna, Jan. 10. Josef.stadt Theatre production of comedy in three acts by Ladislaus BusFekete. German adaptation by Hans Jaray. Directed by Hans Jaray; set, Otto Niedermbser. At Theater in der Joscfatadt. Ferdinand Anton Edthofer Cecile . . Adrienne Gessner Krista Vilma Defilscher Georg Jean Yvonne Vincent. Dr. Strohle Engineer Guido Wieland Hans. Jaray ...... Helly Servi Hermann Erhardt .... Karl Fochler . Rudolf Lenz This, reprise success of the of a Bus-Fekete ’30’s is largely a triumph for its director, translator and star, Hans Jaray. The pointed Magyar wit and political allegory of the original script still shines brightly through an adaptation which considerably shortens and Speeds up (for the better) the more complicated original. Story concerns Jean, a model butler-valet to the Prime Minister of a small kingdom. It’s election day when the play opens and the snobbish family of the minister is shocked to learn their servant has been elected to Parliament by the opposition party. Jean, sharply outlined by Hans Jaray, stays on as servant but becomes so active as opposition leader that his presence in the premier’s house becomes intolerable, even to the daughter (Vilma Degischer) Who has secretly loved the .servant since child hood. Jaray gives his role polish and conviction, Adrienne Gessner, al clinlitg to of.er any explanation beyond the statement that he had his “own reasons.” It was finally voted to defer action on the question until the next meeting. Whole situation was still in the air yesterday (Tues), with hints that Shubert might be prevailed on to let the issue ride for a while, hut no such indications came from Shubert himself. Although Weir could not be reached for comment it. was stated e’sewhcrc that the Klein tc Weir firm had not and would not be replaced as Shubert attorneys. William Klein; it was explained, is an old friend of the Shubert family ahd will always be retained, Shubert ’s antipathy to Weir reportedly stems from an argument of some months ago, since which he and the attorney have not spoken, ft’s suggested that perhaps Shubert may still be, willing to have Weir, continue as the League’s legal rep, provided they do not have to meet face to face at board sessions. However, it re mains to be seen whether such solution would be acceptable the board, even if Shubert were to agree to it! Overall Control Another question in the overall situation is apparently how ' the Shubert legal afafirs could be handled in the event Shubert’s tiff with Weir isn’t settled. Theoretically, Klein would be the actual contact with Shubert, but the senior member of the legal firm is said to be no longer active in the profession, so such an arrangement might not be practical. Meanwhile, despite denials, rumors of dissension in the Shubert organization con t i n u e . Specifically, there is said to be bitter animosity between J, J. Shu-r bert and his nephew’, Milton Shubert, the designated heir to Lee’s share of . the authority. Supporting these reports, Jack Small, in charge of theatre bookings in New York, has confided to business associates that he has been placed in the middle between the two factions. Both J. J. and Melton have instructed him to disregard each others’ orders, he has said. One thing appears definite. That is. that J. J. Shubert actually holds full authority as sole surviving partner of the firm. That Will presumably he true as long as J. J. lives. After that, the setup is expected to depend on terms of the wills and agreement between the Various heirs. As J. J.’s only son, John Shubert is figured certain to be a key factor in that situation. Aylmer to Discuss Alien Rules at Equity Meet Felix Aylmer, president of British Actors Equity, will attend the council meeting of (U. S.) Actors Equity next Tuesday (26) to discuss alien actor rules. The subject is a perennial problem for the two thesp unions. Actor is currently playing the featured “ole of the British diplomat In “Prescott Proposals,” Leland Hayward’s productioh of the Howard Lindsay-Russel Crouse comedy starring Katharine Cornell, at the Broadhurst. N. Y. Continued from page l the Szell-Bing bustup was about. Actually, it was a culmination or series of disputes oyer artistic matters, with Szell wanting and claiming he’d been promised complete say over productions, including staging, and not getting itr especially as far a3 stage direction was concerned. . _ n It isn't cnerally known that Szell almost walked out before his“rst performance of the . season. Final flareup came over negotiations foi next year’s contract renewal when Szell, displeased With restrictions this season, asked for certain increased responsibilities which Bing couldn’t grant. . What it all boils down to is a clash: of Prussian-like temperaments, a melodramatic scene of old-world tantrums of floundering strangely and alien In the stream of American customs. A lot of Prussian .acid was being thrown wildly to the operatic winds, Bing, who is Austrian, has a rep as a Prussian-style autocrat, imperious in his business and administrative dealings; Szell, who is Czech, has an international rep as a Prussian-type drillniaster, dogmatic and arrogant with all the orchs he has conducted. He’s had to apologize publicly on occasion to symphonists for some of his verbal excesses., The Met musicians don't like him, the Met singers dislike him, and now* the Met management no like. The Bing Szell parting was anything but friendly; He Walks Again Nor is this the first time Szell has walked out on a management. He’s done it before/ in Europe, with Other operatic enterprises. On the other hand, he’s a firstclass musician, produces distinguished performances when permitted, and gave the Met’s recent “Tannhauser” productions the only musical merit they possessed. At close of his last Met performance,: there were cries of “Bravo Szell!” and “Don’t leave us!” Actually, the Met needs some sort of artistic authoritarian to pull up its productions from their present routine level (there have been some exceptions).' Szell apparently isn’t it. Fact that the maestro, on leave from Cleveland, has been doubling as N. Y. Philharmonic guest conductor while working at the Met, may have explained his outbursts. But generally, snooty with the press, brutal with singers and rough on musicians, Szell apparently needs as much a public relations job as the Met. Thursday night he put on quite an exhibition, giving a couple of first-string Gotham music critics the brush, bolting his dressing room door in their faces after the performance, then sitting down (at midnight) to play the piano (instead of dressing to go home), asking the reviewers to guess what piece of Mozart he was playing (“you ought to know'; you’re critics,” he shouted through the closed door), and otherwise playing the diva. Earlier, Szell had mysteriously said that if the Met’s board of directors wanted to know what his flareup was all about, he would be glad to enlighten them in private. Bing wasn’t much above throwing a few rocks himself, when at the outset of Thursday’s fracas he remarked oddly (before any verbal brickbats had started flying) that “if Szell wishes to engage in mudslinging, he can do it on his own Bing, who has been having other troubles w'ith singers, concert managers and music critics this season (“the critics are always right,” he said only last week), had the final word (thus far) in the Szell set-to. “This is not a healthy profession,” said the general manager pensively. He can say that again. W. A. Darlington, vet dramatic critic of the Eondon Daily Telegraph and London theatre scribe for the N.Y. Times, * who contributed a feature-page spread to his home sheet in. which he expressed sortie' sympathy with first-night booers, has since been challenged in the correspondence columns of thex sheet. J* Jefferson Firjeon charges him with having performed a disservice to the theatre for the first time “in his distinguished career,” while another correspondent asserts that he pays no' regard to other members of tne audience who want to witness a performance without disturbance. In his original piece, Darlington averred that he belonged to the school of thought which holds that the boos are “a sign of health in our audiences, which proves they really care for the theatre; If an audience does not boo what it dislikes, neither will it cheer heartily what it likes. There is no more ecstatic moment for an actor than the one in which he brings the house down; rather than lose that high experience, this school thinks the player would gladly face a dozen booing galleries.” Assn of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers, currently surveying the stock situation, has split the field into two segments, winter stock and summer stock. Division was made for thepurposes of legislation and negotiation, which stemmed from ATP AM’s feeling that winter stock is in a process of expansion and that the strawhat and muffler circuits require separate attention. As a result, separate committees were appointed to study each of the stock situations. Union is also desirous of getting an early statt on its study of summer theatre problems so as to be able to cope with them before the season . begins to take shape. Both the winter stock and summer stock committees have met and have drawn up separate programs which have been presented to the ATPAM board. Various groups of educators throughout the country are gptting behind the National Assn, of the Legitimate Theatre’s campaign for the repeal of the 20% tax on theatre admissions. Resolutions backing up NALT’s stand have been received by that org from the Speech Assn, of America, the National Assn, of Community Theatres arid the Scot American Educational Theatre Assn, During recent conventions, memberships of the three groups had been addressed on the tax situation by Ralph E. Becker, Washington counsel for NALT, and Warren Caro, co-ordinator of the NALT repeal campaign. Touring edition of “Harvey,” staffing Frank Fay, currently at the Geary, Frisco, has a physical setup that permits show to be put up and taken down in a minimum of time. Show employs a two-part unit set, erected at a cost of around $3,500, which can be: put up in two hours and taken down in one hour. About 14 men are needed to set up the production and about eight are needed to take care of the scene changes. Higher Hit Percentage Continued from page 65 jn Deborah Kerr, / represents a modest investment, so j« Sportin' Lift ' and Bess” Just Concluded FourWeekt NATIONAL THEATRE. Wash., D. C. MOSQUE AUDITORIUM, Richmond, Vo. Mgt.; BILL MI1TLER, 1619 Broadway, New York Stock for Frisco Geary Edward C. Fisher, former Broad\yay actor who’s been on the Coast in recent seasons, including being treasurer and house manager at the Geary Theatre, San Francisco, is in New York this week trying to line up a summer season of stock at the Geary. This would mark first such stock fest. at the house for Fisher, who has lease on the Geary for next summer. Competition at the nextdoor Curran will be the Broadway musical, “King and I.” a potent asset both in performance and business pull. “Kind Sir,” „ the Mary MartinCharles Boyer starrer, is in a special category. Because of its tremendous advance sale (about $600,000, exclusive of tax), it had a roaring start. However, adverse notices and generally unfavorable word-of-mouth reaction has taken the steam out of it in recent weeks. Not only is it getting little window trade, but refund demands are actually cutting its advance. Certain Payoff Despite the steep, production cost, the show earned an operating profit on its tryout tour and recouped most of the balance of its investment during its initial sellout: weeks. It is, therefore, virtually certain to pay off and should make a small profit.. It is figured likely to run through February and well into March, but can hardly play through the end of May, despite advance reports of being sold out for the entire run. Two other shows, besides “Almanac,” are still uncertairt payoff prospects. They are “Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker,” Burgess Mere^ dith-Martha Scott costarrer, and “His and Hers,” with Celeste Holm and Robert Preston as name draws. “Pennypacker” drew generally excellent reviews, including a rave from Atkinson, but hasn’t yet caught on at the boxoffice. “His and Hers” rode to a juicy first full week’s gross, largely on the strength , of party bookings. Trade opinion is that the “Pennypacker” management may have slipped by failing to cash in on the enthusiastic notices via a quote ad in the . dailies either the first Sunday or first Monday after its opening. Display ad was subsequently taken, but may have lost some of its impact. Attendance for the comedy was fair the first full week, but picked up last week, so the Producers Theatre offering may be able to make the grade for a moderate profit. No Standout Quotes “His and Hers” will have to get along without standout quotes. Press was. generally tepid, but Miss Holm is prbving a genuine b.o. draw and the management’s advance selling of theatre parties is providing a strong initial impetus. Show’s real chances will be indicated when the party bookings are used up. However, the Albert Selden-Morton Gottlieb production it may be able to pay off. Major disappointment of the season so far is “Prescott Proposals.” Advance reports on this topical comedy were enthusiastic. Lineup of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse as authors, Katharine Cornell as star and Leland Hayward as producer made it seem a natural, and . the mail order advance was big. Mixed reviews and moderate audience reaction have hurt, however, and the show has not caught on at the b.o. Also in the doubtful category are “In the Summer Hpuse” and “Mademoiselle Colombe.” Former drew personal raves for the star, Judith Anderson, and the latter more or less similar praise for costars Julie Harris and Edna Best, but the serious, confusing nature of the dramas has proved an audience-chaser. Shows aj*e thus repeating the pattern of last fall’s “Ladies bf the Corridor.1’ Advance indications are that “Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” costarring Henry Fonda, John Hodiak and Lloyd Nolan, which opens tonight (Wed.) will join the list of smashes. It has a large advance sale; including 83 parties, has drawn rave reviews during its long preliminary tour, and has a potent b.o. come-on in its three leads. But as “Kind Sir” demonstrated, nothing is certain in advance. Appleton and Field, duo-plan* ists, have signed with Kenneth Allen Associates. BROADWAY ANGELS, INC. Common Stock Pric* 50c a Shart Write or phone for an offering circular to BROADWAY ANGELS, INC. 29 W. 65Hi St.. Now York 23 TRafolqar 4-1 81 5 CO-OP Actors' co-operatiyo work group forming in New York area. Write stating professional oxporieiice, name, and address, to Box VV 103, c/o Variety, 154 W. 46th Street. Now York.