Variety (November 1955)

LEGITIMATE 67 Wednesday, November 16, 1955 Variety Bara Tryouts No B way Springboard, But a Few From 1955 Still Pend By JESSE GROSS a strawhat tryout appears to be more of a kissoff than a kickoff for a new play this year. Of more than 70 barn preems list summer, not one has reached nrnadway thus far this season. doesn’t include Arthur Mil¬ ler's “View from the Bridge, which had a late summer stock bo\fc The Kermit Bloomgarden- Robert Whitehead-Roger L. Stevens oroduction was a special case, since its silo booking was not actuallv a tryout, but rather the beginning of a regular out-of-town breakin, followed by a Broadway opening last Sept. 25. As usual, only a dozen or so of the so-called tryouts were genuine prospects for Broadway. In sev¬ eral instances, the properties were under option to established Broad¬ way producers at the time of their stock showings. Managements in¬ cluded Alfred de Liagre Jr., Lyn Austin & Alfred Noyes, Albert Selden & Morton Gottlieb, Walter Fried, the late Margo Jones and John Huntington, who bowed as a Broadway producer last season with “Southwest Corner.” Stevens was also involved in other tryouts besides “View.” The plays under option to these producers included Theodore St. John’s “Fairly Fortune” (de Liagre), Greer Johnson’s “Whisper to Me” (Miss Jones . and attorney Jonas (Silverstone), Sam Locke and Paul Robert’s “Woman With Red Hair” (Stevens and George Boruff. who was associated last sea¬ son with the Playwrights Co. in the (Continued on page 71) Year-Round Policy Looms For Stratford, Conn., House; Basic Bard for Summer The American Shakespeare Fes¬ tival Theatre, at Stratford, Conn., will ultimately operate on a year- round policy. It will play touring shows as well as local prdouctions, symphony orchestras and assorted other theatrical offerings during the winter months and continue its basic Shakespeare repertory setup in the summer. With its adaptable form of con¬ struction, it can be used for a va¬ riety of shows, ballets, concerts, etc., and the seating capacity can be substantially reduced or some¬ what increased. It will have up-to- date heating and air-conditioning. Besides ample facilities for building and storing scenery, the theatre will have its own terrace restaurant ready for operation next summer. However, a bar may have to wait until later, in deference to Stratford’s preponderantly dry sentiment. Lawrence Langner, the mal . sparkplug and bulldozer in th planning and fundraising for th American Shakespeare Festivi project, and who was in activ charge of last summer’s initial sei son operation, is stepping upstair trom the presidency to boafo: chairmanship for next summei swapping positions (and functions with him is theatrical investor patron and former Broadway prc ducer Joseph Verner Reed. Although serving in an advisor capacity at Stratford, Langne hopes to be free to concentrate o; ♦i an< * television activities c the Theatre Guild, of which he’ ^' d “’ ector with Theresa Helburr and the summer operation of th Westport (Conn.) Country Play in which he’s partnere Annina Marshall (Mrs. Lang Treadway producer-direc tor John C. Wilson. Present Rewritten ‘Abie’ For British Road Tot . t London, Nov; 15. T..A Jf vis ed version of “Abb ■sn Rose ’ is being sent on to xvai 011 *, 0 ,! 1 man ager Hubert Woe ‘ vaude-radio comic \ , 9 . s f a ? star* it opens next Mond left a t the ^Empire, Swansea, ai hi 1U ol fa , r bo <> k ed for 12 weeks < housel drCUit and ln in<3 fivif 116 Ann * Nichols comedy w em-L Pt’odnced in London in t , g °t 1927, scoring a big hit. /J/ie revised edition of “Abi <tr.i>F r j SW77ia bIl/ the same as pi t>f * °n Broadway last seas J 20‘pcrfoirmance run .—Ft 4 --— McKay Exits Teahouse’; Chi Co. Dark Pre-Xmas Scott McKay will withdraw Dec. 17 as costar of the Chicago edition of “Teahouse of the August Moon.” No replacement has been set. Burgess Meredith will con¬ tinue in the other star role of Sakini, the Okinawan interpreter. The production will layoff pre- Christmas week. Another road edition of the comedy has been playing to smash business with Larry Parks starring as Sakini. Designers Into Production Act Legit designers are on a pro- duce-it-yourself kick. Although set and lighting blueprinters have doubled as producers in the past, the branchout to managerial status is picking up momentum. In recent weeks two designers have acquired separate scripts for Broadway production, while two others already had properties scheduled for presentation. The former arp Peggy Clark and Stew¬ art Chaney, while the latter are Leo Kerz and Jo Mielziner. Miss Clark and Chaney, respec¬ tively, plan productions of Neal Dubrock’s “Bon Voyage” and Jay J. Gluck’s “Cap ftf Victory.” Mrs. Doris Ramsey will co-produce with Chaney. Kerz has “Clerem- bard” slated for presentation. He’s adapted the play with William von Loon, from Marcel Ayme’s French original. A translation of the Ayme script by Norman Denny recently finished an approximate two-month London run. Mielziner is partnered with David Merrick in the scheduled produc¬ tion next season of “Goldilocks,” a musical with book by Walter F. Kerr, legit critic of the N. Y. Her¬ ald Tribune, and hTs playwright- wife, Jean Kerr. The designer has been associated in projected Broad¬ way presentations which have failed to materialize, notably with Stanley Gilkey in a proposed musi¬ cal version of “Messer Marco Polo.” Scenic designers who have also been associated in the production of Broadway shows in former years include Norman Bel Geddes (now principally an industrial designer), Donald Oenslager, the late Aline Bernstein (as one of the directors of the Theatre Guild) and Vin¬ cente Minelli (now a Hollywood director). BUFFALO-FALLS AREA TO GET MUSICAL TENT Buffalo, Nov. 15. Buffalo and the Niagara frontier will have a new summer theatre next year when Melody Fair, an I arena-type show tent, will be opened at Wurlitzer Park, N. Tona- wanda. Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. has ieased space in the park facilities adjoin¬ ing its factory to the Melody Fair Co. A 1,600-seat tent will be erected, with evening and weekend privileges to use the Wurlitzer 800- car parking lot. Lewis T. Fisher, who for the past nine years has operated Lake Shore Playhouse, w r ill act as man¬ aging director for the project, esti¬ mated to cost more than $75,000. Plans call for the production of Broadway musicals with profes¬ sional casts. A resident company to consist of 25, with leads re¬ cruited from other musical tents will be engaged. A bowl will be bulldozed out of the ground so that seat tiers will be supported by the ground itself. The tent is to be braced from the center with no quarter poles and the 35-foot stage will be circular. 1 In announcing the plans, the Wurlitzer Co. noted that the thea¬ tre opening will mark the com¬ pany’s centennial year. ,, Sked ‘Centennial’ Preem Fcr Stock, Rockton, Ill. A 412-seat theatre is being added to the Wagon Wheel Lodge and Restaurant, Rockton,' Ill. A per¬ manent Equity company will pre¬ sent a 20-week season of bi-monthly productions at the new operation, opening after the Christmas holi¬ days. Included in the production sked for the initial season is a new play, “Centennial,” by James Mills. Edgar Kloten will be managing director of the showcase, to be tagged the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Galen C. Hays will be designer. Shelley Prefers 11,1. Legii trix Shelley Winters had her pick of personal notices in the N. Y. Times last Thursday (10). Actress had two openings the previous day, costarring in Michael V. Gazzo’s legit drama, “A Hatful of Rain,” and in the Warner Bros, film mel- ler, “I Died a Thousand Times.” She’s costarred in another picture, “The Big Knife,” Which opened in New York several days earlier. Bosley Crowther, Times film critic, reviewing “Thousand Times,” wrote in part, “Shelley Winters as an underworld girl is piteously without skill.” Brooks Atkinson, the sheet’s drama critic, reviewing “Hatful,” commented in part, “As the be¬ wildered wife, Miss Winters could hardly do better. She is simple, aware of all that is going on around her, good-humored and full of compassion and decision when the last scene comes around. She has the taste as well as the craft for a lucid and disarming charac-^ ter portrait.” Actress received generally ex¬ cellent personal nptices from the other first-string legit critics for her performances In “Hatful,” in¬ cluding the opinion by Walter F. Kerr, of the Herald Tribune, that she is “wonderful.” ’SUMMERTIME’ A CLICK; ‘SUSPECT’ NSG, LONDON London, Nov. 15. With “Summertime” launched at the Apollo Theatre, the late Ugo Betti now has two plays running in the West End, and both look like hits. His newest entry, with Dirk Bogarde and Geraldine Mc- Ewan in the leads, preemed lftt Wednesday (9) under Toby Row¬ land’s management. A featherweight piece with a slen¬ der plot, “Summertime” scores on its charm, firstclass characteriza¬ tions and Peter Hall’s skillful staging. “Suspect,” first presented in London in 1937 with Mary Morris in . the lead, was revived at the Royal Court Theatre last Thurs¬ day (10) with Flora Robson as star. The thriller, by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham, was presented by E. P. Clift and Anna Deere Wiman. It stacks up as moderate¬ ly entertaining, but a doubtful boxoffice prospect, despite the star’s draw. The current version was staged by Miss Robson and the cast in¬ cludes Peter Williams, John Welsh, Brian Nissen, Rosemary Scott, Betty Henderson, Arthur Howard and Elaine Usher. (The meller was a 31 -perform¬ ance failure on Broadway in 1939- 40, with the late Pauline Lord as star. — Ed .) Set ‘Port-Royal’ Preem Henry de Montherlant’s “Port- Royal” will be given its American preem Dec. 2 at Texas Christian U., Fort Worth, Tex. The play was produced In Paris last year by the Comedie Fran- caise. GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAS PfaUETY If05 - If55 See Tw-Night Friday-Saturday On Tour to Avoid Shrinking Mats. Tallu in ‘Streetcar’ With Florida Stock Tallulah Bankhead will star as Blanche DuBois in a stock pro¬ duction of Tennessee Williams’ “Streetcar Named Desire” at the Coconut Grove (Fla.) Playhouse. Williams will stage the production, which begins a three-week run Jan. 16. It’ll be the second offering at George S. Engle’s .newly-con¬ structed Playhouse, which opens Jan. 3 with a pre-Broadway tryout of the London Success, “Waiting for Godot,” starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell. ToO.K.TyroP.A.’s For Road Jobs Near-capacity employment in the Assn, of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers will probably force the union to okay road assignments lor apprentice members of the N. Y. pressagent chapter. v Present ATPAM policy freezes the tyro drumbeaters to N. Y. employment during their three-year breakin term. There’s little doubt that the union will permit the apprentices to take road jobs for which no full-fledged members are available. Employment as advance agents would represent a financial break for apprentices, since the regular $257.75 minimum weekly salary would prevail. As apprentices in N. Y.,' they’re entitled to a weekly minimum of $50. ATPAM employment has hit its highest level this season, with ap¬ proximately 83% of the total mem¬ bership employed. In the N. Y. pressagent’s chapter alone about 90% of the 86 members are cur¬ rently working. The employment figures, however, aren’t restricted solely to jobs that fall under the union’s jurisdiction. Tucson Arena Showtent Offers 12-Week Stock Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 15. Tucson gets Its first professional stock company with the scheduled opening Jan. 10 of a new 600-seat arena tent theatre. The operation is being set up by Alexander White, who founded canvastops in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. The new teepee, tagged the Tucson Winter Playhouse, will run a 12- week season, with a resident com¬ pany and guest stars. , Located , in the Rillito Park' tace track, the theatre will price all seats at $2.20 weekdays and- $3.30 weekends. There will also be two twilight matinees each week. The operation is another addition to the Stage & Arena Guild circuit. Pitt Playhouse Will Do Non-B’way-Tested Plays Pittsburgh, Nov. 13. Pittsburgh Playhouse, which has been running out of Broadway- tested plays under Its two-theatre operation, will become a part-time testing grounds for new plays. Director Frederick Burleigh has just set three untried works for production, all to be presented in the community theatre's 300-seat Hamlet Street Theatre. The group’s other house, the Craft Avenue Theatre, seats 650. First of the new scripts, to open Dec. 8. for three weeks, is “Ac¬ counting for Love,” a farce adapted from the French by Henry Hewes, legit critic of the Saturday Review and former student at Carnegie Tech Drama School. It was a flop in London last year. Second, open¬ ing Jan. 12,- will be “Among Our¬ selves,” a drama by actress-play¬ wright Joanna Roos, dealing with the Supreme Court’s school segre¬ gation decision. Last of the trio is “Climate of Fear,” a suspense thriller by Charles Aycock Poe, special agent for the FBI. It opens Feb. 16. Playhouse has done new works before, but never more than one in any single season. 4- By HOBE MORRISON On the basis of a test in St. Louis the last three weeks, twi-night per¬ formances Fridays and Saturdays may be adopted as regular policy for touring shows. The setup ap¬ peared to work out well for the road production of “Pajama Game.” According to Carl Fisher, gen¬ eral manager for producers Fred¬ erick Brisson, Robert Griffith & Harold S. Prince, the twi-nighr ar¬ rangement may tend to reduce at¬ tendance slightly for the late per¬ formance, but is likely to Offset that by getting larger receipts for the early show at full evening scale and would be likely for the Wednesday and Saturday matinees at lower prices. Fact that receipts for the early evening shows B’ridays and Satur¬ days were larger for each of the three weeks of the St. Louis en¬ gagement indicates that the twi- night setup might be considerably more profitable if it were standard policy for all productions and would thereby be better known to the legitgoing .public, Fisher be¬ lieves. He figures that because matinee attendance has been de¬ clining steadily in virtually all cit¬ ies for many years, some alterna¬ tive should be tried. The twi-night schedule involves eliminating all matinees, and sub¬ stituting early evening and late evening performances both Friday and Saturday, all at full scale. For the most part, the arrangement has been tried by moderate-draw shows, including most of those touring on two-for-one basis. “Pajama Game” is believed to be the first smash hit to test twi-nights. Actors Equity gave the “Pajama” management a waiver to try twi- nights in St. Louis and would presumably permit the setup as (Continued on page 71) Saving Pitt Getting CL T Subscription Hypo; Selling Worker Groups Pittsburgh, Nov. 15. Local legit, on the skids for the last several years, is getting a hypo. A drive is underway to boost subscription sales, with the idea of thereby sparking attendance and reversing the steady boxoffice de¬ cline of recent seasons. Council of Living Theatre has sent John Stark here for a few weeks to try to perk subscription sales for the remaining five show’s in the series. He and CLT pub¬ licist Willard Keefe have been con¬ tacting labor union circles and em¬ ployee organizations instead of so¬ ciety and' club women groups, where the Theatre Guild-American Theatre Society has principally op¬ erated in the past. Subscriptions here are almost 50% under the peak of three years ago, when the CLT sparked its initial local drive. Such stop-gaps as ticket charge accounts, since dropped, haven’t helped. Prior to Stark’s arrival, the subscription take for a show at the Nixon has averaged between $6,000 and $7,000, depending on the scale. Subscribers have already had two shows, “King and I” and “Anastasia.” Current is “Teahouse of the August Moon,” playing a three-week engagement and due are Tyrone Power in “A Quiet Place,” Nancy Kelly ln “Bad Seed,” the touring edition of “Bus Stop” and one more to be announced. STARLIGHT MUSICALS NETTED $3,327, INDPLS. Indianapolis, Nov. 15. StarllghPMusIcals closed its first season of six weeks in the new Hilton U. Brown Theatron last summer with a profit of $3,328. That is reported in a final account¬ ing to the board of directors. The figure does not include in¬ ventory of material that can be used next season, according to Mel Ross, Starlight general manager. The city, which built the outdoor theatre, has renewed the lease for 1956. Income for the season from all sources was $204,766. Front of the house, stage and production costs came to $164,733, plus $36,- 740 administrative expenses. RosS and producer Robert Perry rer I ceived $5,000 apiece for the season.