Variety (February 1954)

Wednesday, February 3, 1954, '* Ondine Boston, Jan. 29. Playwrights Co. production of drama in three acts by Jean Giraudoux. adapted "by Maurice Valency. Stars Audrey Hep* burn, Mel Ferrer. Directed by. Alfred Lunt, Sets and lights, Peter Larfclnr cos- tumes, Richard Whorf;_ music, Virgil Thompson. At Colonial, Boston, Jan. 29, • »j4 Auguste .; John Alexander Eugenie • ■ Edith King Hans ............. Mel Ferrer Ondine .. ....... ■ Audrey Hepburn Three Ondlnes .. Tani Seitz, Dran Seitz, Sonia Torgeson Old One Robert Middleton Lord Chamberlain ... Alan Hewitt Superintendent Lloyd Gough Trainer of Seals James Lanphier Bertha ; Marian SeldCs Bertram Peter Brandon Vlolante ................ Anne Meacham Angellque Gaye Jordan Venus Jan Shehvood King . ........... William Podmore Matho Barry OrHar*- Salamthbo ......... . .... LllyPaget Lord .. -William Le Missena Lady Stacey Graham Executioner .. . ....... Robert Crawley After a fortnight’s workout here “Ondlne” should have little trou- ble contending as one of the finest fantasies to appear in the. theatre In many seasons. But the workout had better be good. As it stood here on opening night, practically without a first act arid, anything but perfectly realized, it provided a mere sketch of its fullest possi- bilities. Drawn from a romantic legend written by Baron Fouque in 1811, this fairy tale is the story* of an ephemeral water sprite who, in the guise of the 16-year-old daughter of a peasant family liviifg on the edge of an enchanted forest, falls In love with a knight errant. Sweeping him off his feet (for he, is betrothed to the king's daugh- ter), she marries him, but a sor- cerer reserves the condition that she can receive her soul only if the knight errant remains faithful to her. The knight doesn’t, and Ondine Is forced back to the watery realms from which she came; On the day of her husband’s wedding she al- lows herself to be captured by a fisherman and stands trial as a supernatural being. She is con- demned to death, but instead con- trives the love-death of her hus- band, and slips back into her be- loved waters. It is-a theme that has caught the fancy of many, having appeared in three different operatic versions as well as a ballet, but Jean Girau- doux’s treatment (as adapted by Maurice Valency), is a not Wholly successful realization due to a mix- ture . of styles. The symbolism, is elaborate and often obscure, the dialog only occasionally witty and sometimes pretentious, the atmos- phere now rich in fantasy and again heavy with the fantastic. . The first act. as indicated, is very much below the quality of the en- suing two and, as played at the opener, verging on the bizarre. The second act. however, introduces a quite different. atmosphere, in which, the dialog is more sharply etched, the movement more plastic and inventive. The third act, with one of the high points of the whole play in the trial scene, drags out to the fintfl beautiful curtain, and suggests the need of. sharp cutting and pointing. The material is there, in terms of the poetic fan- tasy, but what seems to guarantee the play now is the enormous at- tention Audrey Hepburn achieves from beginning to end. At. opener she still had a long way to go to capture just the right quality, for she was sometimes shrill, sometimes stylized. But so too was Mel Ferrer, whose looks and deportment, as well as his vo- cal qualities, are not a little out of key with this particular role, which would seem to require a romantic flaifcin the highest degree. Indeed, It might weir have been his play- ing of the knight as a comic in the first act that threw that unhappy half-ho^r out of the running. With the appearance in the sec- ond act of some superbly stylish acting as well as some enchanting magical effects (Venus rising out of the floor, a dog hastening—on strings—across the stage, etc.) and a series of touching and amusing scenes, one involving a delightful ini person at ion of the king by Wil- liam Podmore, everything comes , alive. The true mood appears for the first time. If it sags again in the last, it still remains in the Vein, and the trial scene involving Alan Hewitt and William Le Messena remains mem- orable. The flaws, in short, are nearly all correctable, and if they are, this will emerge as a great adornment to the Broadway sea- son; It goes without saying that Miss Hepburn is the focal point of all eyes here, but she is given first- class support by such standout per- formers as Hewitt.as the chamber- lain, Marian Seldes as Bertha, and Robert Middleton as the sorcerer. support by the costumes, and the deepr, which create an impact the text ifself ofteii does not.' Not least of the superior fancies, either, Is the musical atmosphere created by Virgil Thomson’s brief but telling passages, many of them of an almost unidentifiable char- acter. And a word must be said, incidentally, of the three ondines of Tani and Drani Seitz and«Sonia Torgeson. It is clear Alfred Lunt has his hands full with this one, but his initial blocking out of the play, as well as the general deployment of his forces, is handsome and imag- inative; But there’s little doubt of success in this if all goes well here. Elie. The Winner Buffalo, Jan. 28. Playwright* Co. production of comedy- drama by Elmer Bice in two acts (four S ienes). Stars Joan Tetzel, Tom Helmore. irected by Rice. Settings and costumes, Lester PolakoV;. At Erlanger. Buffalo, Jan.. 28, '34; $3.60 top. Eve Harold Joan Tetzel Martin Carcw ........... Tom Helmore David Browning ...... Whitfield Connor Newscaster ............ P. Jay Sidney Arnold Mahler Lothar Rewalt Irma . Mahler Jane Buchanan' Haggerty .. Philip Pruneau Dr, Clinton Ward ....... Charles Cooper Miss Dpdd Lily Brentano Stenotypist ..... David Balfour Judge Samuel Addison..Frederick O'Neal Hllde Kranzeck ..... ,...... Vilma Kurer. Elmer Rice’s new play begins with some good comedy lines, but the first scene suffers from talki- ness and lack of vitality. In the second, act, the play begins to pep up remarkably and things go along in great shape, Theme, which is a little old hat, concerns the problems of Eva Harold, attractive, broadminded working girl who gets a surprise legacy and who manages in the end to prove by the developments which follow that she is a much better character than anyone thought possible. Play opens with Miss Harold coming home with Martin Carew from a gay evening*] on the town. Eva’s drab furnished room is then visited by David Browning, her lawyer-fiance; whom she will marry when he can break a few matrimonial bonds and clean up some debts. Near the end of the first scene, wealthy, elderly Arnold Mahler shows up. Before he has a fatal heart attack on her bed under seemingly compromising circum- stances, he manages to give her a copy of his brand new will; leav- ing, everything to her. The com- plications resulting involve a court scene, as a battle over the will ensues, and a switch in romantic interest before the play’s windup. Joan Tetzel is personable and adequate as Miss Harold and Tom Helmore (Carew) easily held the audience' with his debonair deliv- ery of some very, clever lines. Whitfield Connor, ^s -the original fiance, holds to a properly dull and drab characterization. He does show .dramatic flair in proper places in the trial scene. Lothar Rewalt is effective, in his short bit as the elderly man and Jane Buchanan is reasonably be- lievable as his unfaithful wife. LFrederick O’Neal does an excellent "oh as Judge Addison and draws deserved applause on a fine speech with laudable moral overtones. Vilma Kurer turns in an outstand- ing bit in the trial scene as the former righthand femme of Mah- ler. The direction, also by Rice, is careful and wdrkmanlike. The two sets are reasonably authentic and both the scene and costume changes are handled with excep- tional adroitness and speed. More. Tlie Heel Dallas, Jan. 23. ■ Theatre *54 production of comcdv in L fou . r Scenes) by Samson Raphaelson. Features James Field. Di- rected by Margo Jones. Technical direc- tion. James Pringle. At Theatre '54. Dal- las. Jan. 22. <54; $3 top. Nellie MacDuffy .... Maxim G. Rosenblatt Ma MacDuffy stage fare; with slight pruning, “Heel” can be fine film fodder. Miss Jones uses to advantage her entire company, plus supplemen- tary assists, in a boff directorial job. Plot details the machinations of an egomaniac, Boolie MacDuffy, who. deserts wife,. child and a widowed mother for show biz. With his faithful pal, Henchy, he scores on Bro'adway. After falling from grace, he shunts from, swank hotel suites to a shabby hotel room, sur- viving by leftover breakfasts pro- vided by a play writing bellboy. J Likable rascal’s pretended tu* berculosis brings his Well-Used relatives, friends, ex-girl friends' and others to his bedside. Though he’s stolen a song and a k play, and misused all comers, his victims have. fared . well despite the wounds, and rally to his cause. New pronouncements of jfaith, and financial backing, get 'the heel again oh his feet for further plot- tings as the play ends" James Field gives a sock per- formance throughout as the scoun- drel. His curtain soliloquies in two are top histrionic bits as he imagines headline acts, .including the murder of his deserted wife. Sharing acting honors are Charles Braswell; who betters his previous efforts as Henchy, the conniving pal. Michael Dolan does his best role to date as a lovable haberdasher and Joan Croydon scores as the stern, upright mother of the heel. Stage queen is easily done by. Louise Noblq, arid Lillian Prather, as a bed-sharing chorine friend, has vivid scenes with Field and Braswell. As a swishy ex- chorus boy, Guy Spaull does a slick impersonation, while'Richard Shep- ard^ registers as the playwrighting bellboy; \ Bark. - - “ ~ ! — . to Dana; Co. for Columbia Ruthanna Boris, former Ballet ffusse de Monte Carlo star, will take a small dance group on tour next, season for the Coppicus, Scharig & Brown division of Colum- bia Artists Mgt. Miss Boris has been busy in recent seasons as an independent choreoprapher-dancer, her “Cakewalk” being one of the N. Y. City Ballet’s current hits. Troupe will include Miss Boris; Frank Hobi, currently a principal with the N. Y. City Ballet, .another male dancer and a pianist. Dancer will create new choreographies. Troupe will primarily play Colum- bia’s Community Concerts circuit. Current Road Shows (Feb, 1,13) Boolie MacDuffy Evangeline Dray Henchy ........ Mirabel Sweet . Waiter- JEiellhob . Julia Hayward . Francis Larve . Osgood Stillwater Lila ............. Nancy Marshall >. Michael Dolan . ... Joan Crovdon ..-. .James Field, ... Sadie French Charles Braswell . Lillian Prather .. Gilbert Milton , Darrell. Stewart . . Louise Noble Guy . Spaull Richard'Shepard . Virginia Young With four new tryouts on the plus side in her new season. Margo Jones seems destined for the best in her eighth year of local arena productions. Fifth new script of eight skedded. Samson Raphael- son’s “The Heel,” looms as the finest manuscript Miss Jones has handled since embarking here June 3, 1947. Seasoned playwright Raphaelson’s slick offering keeps chuckles building into bellies OI . .... . —, throughout, sans excess verbiage. She is also given extraordinary Not a line can be spared for topi Burning , Glass (Cedric Hard- wicke) (tryout)—Parsons, Hartford (11-13). Confidential Clerk (Ina Claire, Claude Rains, Joan Greenwood) (tryout)—National, Wash. (1-6) (Re- vieded in Variety. Jan. 13, ’54). Evening With Beatrice Lillie (Beatrice Lillie)—Blackstone, Chi. (1-13). ■ ■ Girl in Pink Tights (Renee Jeain- maire, Charles Goldner) (tryout)— Shubert, Phila. (1-13) (Reviewed in Variety, Jan. 27, *54). Good Nite, Ladie»—Great North- ern, Chi: (1-13). Guys and Dolls—Shubert, Bos- ton (1-13).' - Misalliance — Royal Alexandra, Toronto (1-6); Erlanger, Buffalo (otIO). Moon Is Blue—Nixon. Pitt. (1-6); Colonial, Akron (8-10); Paramount, Toledo (11-13), ,My 3 Angels (Walter Slezak)— Playhouse, Wilmington (4-6); Ford's Balto. (8-13). New Faces—Curran, S. F. (1-13). Oklahoma—Forrest, Phila. (1-6). Ondine (Audrey Hepburn, Mel lerrer) (tryout)—Colonial, Boston (1-13) (Reviewed in Variety this week). Porgy & Bess—Taft Aud., Cin- cinnati (1-6); American, St. L. (S-13). Seven Year Itch (Eddie Bracken) —Erlanger, Chi. (1-13), South Pacific (Jeanne Bal, Webb Tilton)—Music Hall, Houston (1-6); Civic Aud., New Orleans (8-13)., ' ■ Stalag 17—Court Square, Spring- Shubert, New. Haven o'S ’ st * Worcester, Mass. (8-9); Metropolitan, Providence, R. I. (10-13). Time Out for Ginger (Melvyn Douglas)—Harris, Chi. (1-13). Twin Beds—Davidson, Milwau- ke «»[ 1 ‘ 6) ' Cass ' Detroit (8-13). i <tryout)--Hanna, Cleve- land (1^); Nixon, Pitt (8-13). Re- vi ewed m Variety this week). ^ Wish You Were Here—Shubert, Chi. (1-13). ’ InsideStuff—Legit Harold Clurman, who staged “Mile. Cplombe” (Longacre, N v) also doubles as reviewer for The Nation mag. Disclaiming any criti’ cism (Robert Hatch caught it for the Weekly the issue before) ciur mail had sfome general remarks to make last week in connection u-itb the play. * .. U1 “If there is a general tendency to be noted in our theatre at thu moment,” he wrote, “it is an unconscious drift on the part of the public and the reviewers who reflect its taste toward the sweet the pleasant, the * untroubled, the undisturbing, above all, the safe ’ • This season our most ‘advanced’play is ‘Tea and Sympathy,’ the norm’ ’Sabrina Fair,’ and the unusual, ‘The Teahouse of the August Moon* . . , ‘Mademoiselle ColombeV-needless to say I do not intend my re. marks as-a critical estimate of it—is a. play of. contemporary meaning* its essential theme is the conflict or interplay^of reality and illusion the world and love seen as Ideal or mirage and 'complex fact presented in nearly commedia dell^arte terms. The^leading' French playwrights of the past quarter of a century write in the ‘extravagant’ vein of Giraudoux, Achard. Romains,-Cocteau, Ayme, Anouilh. All of them try, with .a certain irony, to make life look like theatre rather than as with most Americans, theatre look like life;” ’ William Jonson became associate conductor, with Alexander Smal- lens, of “Porgy and Bess” with engagement last week at Nixon Theatre in Pittsburgh. Johnson made his debut ip the pit for the show there Irving Barnes, a Pittsburgher who alternates as Porgy with LaVern Hutcherson and Leslie Scott, got to sing one performances in his home- town, on the Saturday (30) matinee. Irene Williams'sang Bess at an opening night for the first time in Pitt; daughter of songwriter Clarence Williams, she’s a new Bess in the company, alternating with Leontyne Price and Elizabeth Foster, Miss Williams had sung the role only five times before the Nixon opener, and got a big hand from the critics. Mary Morris, Broadway actress and for the last several years a mem- ber of the Carnegie Tech Drama School ..faculty in Pittsburgh, is staging a special production of Europides’ “The Trojan Women” in that city Sunday (6) at the Unitarian Church as a benefit for its building fund. A year ago, while on a leave of absence from Tech, Miss Mor- ris directed the same show at New York’s ■Community Chhrqh as a benefit for the church and the Actor’s Fuifd. At that time, she used mostly Tech graduates working in New. York. This time, she’s also us- ing a number of Tech people although the production has no connection with the school. '• - Sam Lurie, former promotion manager with Ballet Theatre, open- ing publicity office in N. Y., do- ing personal representation in all show biz fields. d . i * ■Legit pressagent Jack ’ Tbohey has a short story, “Mother^in-Law,” in the current (February) Cosmo- politan mag . . . Feuer & Martin expect to budget their Broadway production of “Boy Friend,” the current London musical hit, for about $140,000 and .use . the Actors Equity limit of British players ... Instead of closing last Saturday night (30) in Los Angeles, “Har- vey” is continuing there with Frank Fay as star, and may ulti- mately work east for a returoL en- gagement on Broadway, “Affairs of State” closes Saturday night (6) at the Cambridge, Lon- don. and the original production of “Escapade” folds Feb. 20 at the Strand, Loudon . . Michael Drey- fuss takes over this week as as- sistant stage manager of the Broadway edition of “Seven Year Itch,” succeeding James Lee, who goes to the Coast for an acting- writing assignment with the “One Man’s Family” tele series ... H. Clay Blaney and Simon and Robert Metrick have formed The- atrical Productions, Inc., to ar- range and post bonds and guaran- tees for legit shows, and produce plays On its own. Eddie Hyans and Wynn Dinion announce plans for a Broadway production next season of Romeo Muller’s comedy-fantasy, . . With Drum and Colors,” which Was tried out last year at the Rochester 'Arena. Theatre and the Corning (N. Y.) Summer Theatre . . . Ella • ' D ?£S;! S ? Possibility for the lead in Dilly,’ the Vernon Duke-Jerry Lawrence-Robert E. Lee musical based °n Theodore Pratt’s novel Miss Dilly Says No” . . . Leon Lischner and Gerald Price set for the cast of the off-Broadway re- vival. of /‘Threepenny Opera.” »J 4< i» ud Nine,” comedy !?g Allen Boretz, who co-authored . R oom Service” with John Murray, is slated for production next sea- son by pressagent George Ross . . . Lester Lockwood announces plans for a production season of “Angel- icav a comedy by Ronald Alexan- r aut !X or of the touring “Time Out for eager" ... . chef* Craw- PnhS’S w the Production ot Oh Men, Oh Women” is Ander- rpn Wr* Cant °r is general press E? rL^f rmen ^ Capalbo and Stan- ley Lnase, producers of “Three- P®nny Opera,’ opening- the week of March 8 at the. Theatre de Lys, a L we J as p a - for the Albert Selden-Morton Gottlieb produc- streef i\r Hl v and at the 48th -V ^ jL * * Virginia Vincent W, lU be standby for Kay Medford W^d rS la rt, y * _ opeuing tonight (Wed.) at the Lyceum. N Y Helii^p n i and 11611 haughtier* wlU Ptay Peter Pan and % e 2£ y l respectively, i n a revival Pan _ on the Coast next summer . . ... Jay Julien, copro- ^weer with Robert L. Joseph of Mademoiselle Colpmbe,” has op- tioned ’’Faster, Faster,” by William Marchant, for production next sea- son. Jules Pfeiffer, in Chi with his “Good Nite: Ladies,” says he has signed comic Jackie Kannon to a six-week pact for a production to. play the Cass Theatre in Detroit next July.. Pfeiffer is negotiating for one of three plays as the ve- hicle . . . Peter Douglas visiting his dad, Melvyn Douglas, currently starring in “Time Out for Ginger” at Chi’s Harris . . . .Danny Newman press-agenting “The World of Sho- lom Aleichem” due in Feb. 13 at the Eleventh St, Theatre in Chi- cago. Current Stages,' off-Broadway operation, is boasting several alumni who’ve made the jump to Main Stem employment. List in- cludes Paulette'* Girard (“Seven Year Itch”), John Reese (“Remark- able Mr. Pennypacker”). Bill Gunn (“The Immoralist”), John Con* noughton (recent City Center re- vival of. “Richard III”) and Eva Stern (understudying Audrey Hep- burn in Ondiiie;” currently trying out at the Colonial, Boston). Theatre Guild has acquired for production next season “Child of Fortune,” adapted by ..Guy Bolton from Henry James’ novel, “Wings of the Dove.” Firm has postponed until next season Walter Macken’s “Home^Js the Hero” and Charles Morgan’s “River Line.” Set as Guild subscription offerings this season are the forthcoming Play- wrights Co. productions of “On- dine,” costarring Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, and “The Winner,” with Joan Tetzel*. . . Arthur Schwartz has withdrawn as com- poser* of the musical adaptation of “L’il Abner” to concentrate on the tunes for the forthcoming “By the Beautiful Sea,” with Burton Lane taking over as lyricist Alan Jay LeTner’s collaborator on the A1 CaPp comic strip tranformation, which Herman-Levin is now set to produce. Meanwhile, Levin is serv- ing as deputy-producer of “Kis- met,” while the show’s producer- librettist Charles Liederer is on the Coast . . . Horton Foote arid Fred Coe, respective author and produc- er of the recent “Trip to Bounti- ful,” Will be similarly associated next season with “Travelin’ Lady,” for \vhich ’ Kim Stanley is set as femme lead. Hollywood, Feb. 2. “Once Upon a Tailor,” Baruch Lumet’s folk comedy now in its premiere engagement at the Circle Theatre here, will be brought to Broadway either the end of this season or begfnnlng of next under a deal signed by producer George Boroff, Nat Goldstone and I van Tors Films, Inc. Trio shares pro- duction billings. Opening will be determined by theatre availabilities.