Variety (December 1954)

64 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, December 15, 1954 Equity Sets Rates for ‘Readings/ So New School Folds Name Series A program of dramatic readings f at the New School of Social Re-1 search. N.Y., has been cancelled ! following intervention by Actors J Equity. Union recently decided to , exercise jurisdiction over the se- i ries, which used professional actors. Equity is demanding that ! participants in such programs be i, paid a minimum of $30 per per- j formance and $5 for a rehearsal ( week. Readings were offered at the New School as part of the curricu- j lum. Actor-director John Helda- brand was coordinator of the | series, which began last year and j initially comprised about a half- dozen readings. Current program began Nov. 7 and was scheduled to run through Feb. 13, taking in seven readings. Project was cut short last Sun- day (12) after the fourth presenta- tion. Offered on a bi-weekly basis, productions were given one-shot show casings Sundays. School claims it can’t meet Equity’s salary demand as it’s al- ready functioning at a deficit of one-third of its budget. Prior to the union’s move-in, the cast shared in two-thirds of the coin taken in for the production in which it appeared. Tab was $14 for admittance to the entire series, or $2 for each performance. Coin will be returned to those who pur- chased tickets for the entire program. Actors who’ve appeared at the Greenwich Village school so far this semester include Maggie Mc- Namara, Arnold Moss, Alexander Scourby, Darren McGavin and William Redfield in “Measure for Measure”; Blanche Yurka, Helen Gahagan Douglas, Olive Deering, Russel Hicks, Dennis Hoey and Basil L a n g t o n in “Family Re- union”; Uta Hagen, Philip Bour- neuf, Whitford Kane, Barry Ma- collum, E. G. Marshall, Sanford Mcisner and Scourby in “Doctor’s Dilemma” and Geraldine Page in * Hedda Gabler.” An attempt to get Equity to modify its demand is being made by the school. Atlanta Muny Extends To 8-Week Summer Sked Atlanta, Dec. 14. Municipal Theatre Under-the- Slars is expanding its season to eight weeks for 1955, but will again present six shows as it did last summer. Padding out the run will be a two-week stand of the open- ing production, “Showboat,” and a similar run of the closer, “Annie Get Your Gun.” Other musicals skedded are “Call Me Madam,” “Vagabond King,” “Guys and Dolls” and “Stu- dent Prince.” Theatre Under-the- Stars presents its shows in the 7.500-seat, city-owned amphithea- tre at Chastain Memorial Park. In a bid for Christmas trade, the proj- ect is selling gift certificate sub- scriptions at 10% reduction. M. B. (Brocno) Seltzer, is presi- dent of the nonprofit organization, and Nancy McLarty is public rela- tion director. Eric Mattson is producer-director. Baseball-Mad Milw’kee Playwrights Yank Out 1st Row at ‘Seed’ Preem In Last-Minute Rush After some frantic last-minute scrambling last Wednesday (8). the Playwrights Co. arranged to have the entire first row of orchestra seats in the 46th Street Theatre, N.Y.. removed in time for the opening performance of “The Bad Seed.” Members of the cast had complained that the audience, sitting so close to the stage, made them self-conscious during pre- views. Situation arose when Roger L. Stevens, a Playwrights member, telephoned Nancy Kelly, star of the Maxwell Anderson play, on the morning of the premiere. They agreed that the final preview per- formance, the previous night, had not gone well, and the actress ex- plained how the too-close audience had unnerved the cast. Now Agog With Plans For Own Pro Legitery Milwaukee, Dec. 14. Milwaukee, already daffy over baseball for the past two seasons, is now doing a flip at the pros- pect of getting its own profes- sional theatre. A. $115,000 fund- raising drive for the project is expected to result in over *3,000 donations, with practically the full amount already contributed. Theatre, tagged the City Circle, is being converted from a film house at a cost of over $25,000. Arena-style spot will seat 300 and will be operated as a non-profit venture by Drama, Inc. Trustees include Ray McCallum,! co-producer of the Broadway pro- duction of “At War With the Army” in 1949, and Dori Hcrsh. | former Chicago tv producer now acting head of the-drama depart- ment of Milwaukee-Downer col- lege. Another trustee is Mrs. Mary John, sparkplug of the Circle proj- ect. She’s had previous legit ex- perience, having worked in New j York on the staff of producers ! Paula Stone and Michael Sloane : and also as assistant Bretaigne Windust on the direction of “Car- nival in Flanders.” Circle is scheduled to begin a 20-week season Jan. 25, presenting 10 plays each for two weeks. Sub- sequent seasons are planned to run for 40 weeks. Resident Equity company will be employed, with guest stars. Contributions for the founding of the theatre range from 50c to $5,000 and include such donors as the Milwaukee Journal, which gave $2,500. Besides the large number of financial contributors, more than 800 townspeople have been active in soliciting funds. In addition, office space, blue- printing of alterations, construc- tion, plumbing and secretarial aid were all provided cuffo or at a minimum fee. In one instance, a window cleaner offered to provide free service for the first year of operation. Stevens promised to try to rem- edy the situation. Although he an- ticipated that, with the house com- pletely sold out and only a few hours remaining before curtain time, there’d be little chance of having the front row of seats un- occupied. he asked Victor Sam- rock, Playwrights general man- ager, to see what could be done. On reaching the theatre before the premiere. Stevens was surpris- ed to discover that not only was the front row empty, but the seats themselves had been removed. Ordinarily, such a move would have been impossible, but it turn- ed out that virtually the entire first row r had been assigned to Play- wrights Co. personnel, relatives and friends. Samrock had man- aged to get some ticket holders other locations, had arranged standing room for others, and per- suaded the rest to see the plasi another night. Louis A. Lotito, president of City Playhouses. Inc., which operates the theatre, had rushed the work of taking out the heavy divan-type seats. Those associated with the pro- duction agreed that the premiere performance of “Seed" w‘as the smoothest and most effective to date. Soothing Influence Like practically all experi- enced actors, Nancy Kelly is always subject to nerves just before a performance, a con- dition that becomes acute on opening nights. She was par- ticularly jittery just before curtain time at the premiere last Wednesday <8> of “The Bad Seed,” in which she’s starred. She was standing in the wings, talking to director Reginald Denham and trying to control her feelings of panic, when moppet actress Patty McCormick, making her initial stage appearance in a featured role in the drama, strolled over and inquired casually, “Mr. Denham, is this the open- ing night or another preview?” Inside Stuff-Legit In a recent Sunday column deploring the state of Chicago legit, Claudia Cassidy, drama critic of the Chicago Tribune, finally got around to suggesting a remedy of sorts. “In the overall picture,” she concluded the piece, “what can we do? We can have a firstrate rep- ertory theatre, which would help. But w'hen it comes to the best of Broadway, Paris, London and the rest of it, how about this for a sug- gestion? You know that sometimes when a Broadway show has run its course, another management takes over the physical production, re- cruits a cheaper cast, and sends it touring? Or, as in the case of ‘The Teahouse of the August Moon,’ reputable folk like Lindsay and Crouse finally acquire touring rights and put in a Burgess Meredith as Sakini? Then how about this? “Suppose we had a front-rank producer or two who could duplicate a worthwhile show for us, not at the end but at the beginning of its New York run? Suppose W'e had a guarantee fund to encourage just such firstclass theatre—not just the slick hits but the brilliant fail- ures, too. Suppose we catered to ourselves lor a change, in theatres as in music. It might even pay off. I do hate to answer that tele- phone and tell friends as stagestruck as myself that they had better go to the movies.” Richard Watts Jr., W'hose review of “Wedding Breakfast” was rated “inconclusive” by Variety, subsequently commented on such tabula- tions. He wrote, “This baffled description, of course, means that the reviewers have tried to explain in their notices the complicated pat- tern of good and bad in the new plays, instead of seeing things in terms of sheer praise or complete blame.” He then offered a sort of no-yes-no summary of his “Breakfast” reaction, concluding, “My im- pression is that the bad outweighs the good, but the good sections are so engaging that I hope the popular verdict reverses me, even though I think I am critically accurate about the play.” That apparently adds up to a pan. Les Thomas, company manager of the touring “Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” is painting a series of water colors, which he calls “America from a Hotel Window,” in the various towns the show plays. In each case, he depicts the view from his hotel room, with few' exceptions a grubby outlook of old factories, rooftops and untidy sidestreets of the older, downtown sections of industrial cities. Paintings are miniatures, about 6x8 inches, and constitute a return to a boyhood hobby for Thomas. He says the project gives him a continuing interest during the split-week and one-night jumps of the tour. He’s had an offer of an exhibit of the series when he returns to his home on the Coast when the “Caine” tour is completed. Helen Hayes grossed a total of just under $40,000 for' her engage- ment, ending Dec. 4, in “What Every Woman Knows,” at the Metro- politan, Seattle. Revival drew $11,600 for the first three performances, Nov. 26-27, and added over $28,300 for the final eight performances, Nov. 29-Dec. 4. The 1,500-seat house was scaled to a $5 top, but The- atre Guild-American Theatre Society subscription commission reduced the show’s share (and the gross) to the quoted figures. The engage- ment ended the show’s Coast tour. Miss Hayes will star in the revival again, however, at the N. Y. City Center for two weeks beginning next Wednesday night (22). She’ll also close the Center’s winter drama season with a revival of “Wisteria Trees,” Feb. 2-13. Strawhat producer Paul Marlin, arrested on a morals charge last summer at the Chagrin Falls (O.) Theatre, was acquitted last week when prospective prosecution witnesses, police officers, failed to ap- pear against him and co-defendant Richard Spears, a local resident. Presiding judge at the hearing recommended action against the miss- ing policemen. Marlin and co-producer William Van Sleet had a lease on the Chagrin Falls barn for two more seasons, but the deal was cancelled after the charges were filed against Marlin. Legit Bits Ditafr* Historian Bernard Sokel back from a year abroad ravaals [ soma dosoaps on Outdoor Paris Shows * * * a bright bylina piece In the upcoming 49th Anniversary Number * USkieTt DUE SOON Paris Readies For Xmas Trade Paris, Dec. 14. Paris legit producers are making j frantic, last-minute preparations to greet Christmas holiday patrons in a big fashion. Xmas usually sees an influx of tourists both from provinces and abroad and all is be- ing done to lure them to theatres. Semi-clicks and near-flops are be- ing quickly yanked, with promising replacements put in so that all 70 of the city’s houses will be lighted by Yuletide. Among recent departures were Ballets of Marquis de Cuevas, winding up a profitable tw'o-month stay at the Sarah Bernhardt and “Porgy and Bess,” after 10 weeks at the Empire. Cuevas troupe is now off to tour the continent and North Africa and “Porgy” next goes to Bucharest. Doing return stint here, the latter showed strong j drawing power but heavy overhead made it imperative for show' to , sell out all performances. This proved impossible. Empire reopens with double-bill of Gluck’s opera, “Orphee,” and new opera-ballet, “Armida,” by Maurice Jarre, Dec. 21. The Sarah Bernhardt gets Marcel Ayme’s adaptation of Arthur Miller’s “Cru- cible” on Dec. 16. “White Horse Inn” finishes a year-long revival run at Chatelet Dec. 15. The new Francis Lopez operetta, “The Golden Fleece,” based on a Pierre Benoit novel, will take over Dec. 18. The Chate- let director, Maurice Lehmann, w’ho doubles as director of two state- angeled opera houses, Opera and Opera-Comique, will be presenting his own new' staging of Mozart’s "Magic Flute” at the Opera Christ- mas week. Several New Legit Shows Week’s preems include the long- awaited Henri de Montherlant drama, “Port Royal,” at Comedie Francaise’s Salle Luxembourg; Thierry Maulnier’s dramatization of Andre Malraux’s novel, "La Condition Humaine” (Man’s Fate), at Hebertot, and “Seigneur de San-Gor,” by Gloria Alcorta, at Theatre des Arts. Italian mario- I nette company, Piccoli de Po- ! drecea, went into Theatre des : Champs-Elysees. Casino de Paris has a solid hit with its new revue, "Sensations de Paris,” which bowed Dec. 1. The intimate Potinere has relighted j with “Lovers of Stresa,” light com- edy by Albert Sablons while The- atre de Paris has a detective I comedy, “The Affair Concerns You,” by Jean-Pierre Conty, with Jacques Dumesnil and Jacqueline Porel. Offbeat houses are also busy with plans to attract Xmas visitors. Noctambules reopened with a twin-bill of Paul Green’s “No- Account Boy” and Yves Jamiaques’ dramatic poem about race prob- lems in Dixie, “Negro Spiritual.” Herb Rogers Reopening Jan. 11 at Palm Springs Palm Springs, Dec. 14. Producer Herb Rogers will operate the Palm Springs Play- house for its sixth season, opening Jan. 11. Initial bill for the resi- dent company and stars will be “My 3 Angels.” Bulk of the com- pany is recruited from New York. Staff includes Michael Ferrall, director; Paul Kelvyn, stage man- ager, and Joan Babcock, produc- tion manager. Production sked in- cludes two original scripts. Rogers, incidentally, also runs the Tent- house Theatre, summer stock in Highland Park, 111. Hermit Bloomgardcn, interview- ed last week bv George Hamilton Coombs over WABC, New York, told listeners that his primary motive in producing the serious sort of plays he does is his own artistic satisfaction. He prefers boxoffice success to failure, he ex- plained, but the financial angle is secondary . . . Ross Stewart, house manager of the Royale, N. Y., is taking a leave of -absence to be company manage^* of “Tonight in Samarkand.” \ Floyd Worthington and William Kaye plan production of a musical, “Blue Grass.” with score by Irving Schlein and book and lyrics by Kaye, and with Worthington as leading singer. It’s currently being auditioned for backers . . . Pro- ducer-manager Morton Gottlieb, discharged from the hospital last week after an attack of pneumonia, leaves Monday (20) for a week’s Florida convalescence. Judy Roberts, daughter of Don Roberts. Chicago manager of the American Broadcasting Co., played the femme lead last week in a production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” at the Vassal’ College Experimental Theatre . . . Howard Hoyt, talent agent and co-producer of the proposed musical, “Ankles Aweigh,” was recently hospitalized with a face infection, but held production confabs in the sick room. Les Thomas, company manager of the touring edition of "Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” planes to the Coast immediately after next Saturday night's (18) performance in Norfolk and after spending the holidays with his family, while the show take a week’s layoff. He’ll plane back in time for the reopen- ing Dec. 27 in Wilmington . . . Add quotes: Columnist Frank Farrell in the N. Y. World-Telegram, Dec. 9. “Nancy Kelly proved last night in ‘The Bad Seed’ that she is the greatest actress to tread the Arner- 1 ican stage since Helen Hayes first walked on.” Although a program note stated that Raoul Pene duBois did not design the costumes for Enid Markey, Avon Long and Emory Richardson in “Mrs. Patterson,” it was included in the minor produc- tion credits instead of on the initial billboarding page of the Playbill, and several reviews panned him for the costumes, including those he hadn’t designed . . . Out-of-town critics catching the Broadway shows last week included John Rosenfield, of the Dallas News; Virgil Miers, of the Dallas Times Herald, and Boyd Martin, the lat- tef shepherding a show train con- tingent for the Louisville Courier- Journal. Florida Friebus won the $250 first prize. Arthur Kingsley the $150 second prize and John Buck- waiter the $100 third prize In the essay contest, open to professional actors, on the subject. “Why the U. S. Needs the UN.” John Golden was chairman of the committee and Mrs. Robert F. Wagner, wife of the Mayor of New York City, was co-chairman and awarded the prizes . . . Thomas Chalmers, who was mentioned by a couple of the New York critics as being “in- audible” opening night of “The Bad Seed,” had lost his dental plate, but recovered it and was back in properly resonant form the following night. Staff for “Southwest Corner” includes Chandos Sweet, general manager; Robert Pryor, stage man- ager; Bette Simone, assistant stage manager and Lewis Harmon, press- agent . . . James Geld and Richard Baldridge are production stage manager and stage manager, re- spectively, for “Festival” . . . Charles Bowden and Richard Barr have relinquished their option on “Shoemaker’s Children.” “Time Out for Ginger” made an approximate $3,000 profit at the Biltmore Theatre, L.A., during its two-week run, which ended Dec. 4 . . . Actress Dodie McLean back in New York after six years as Army Entertainment Director of all shows touring the Orient.