Variety (August 1956)

56 LEGITIMATE t^ROTEft Wednesday, August X, 1956 Stock Reviews Tlie Gimmick Westport, Conn., July 25. Philip Languor & Philip Turgeon pies, entatlon of comedv by Joseph Julian. Features Larry Blyden. Staged by l)av d I’rtvssman; setting and lighting, iMarvm Heiss. At the Westport Country nay- house, July 23, '3d. . I.arry Blyden . Patricia Smith . Tammy Grimes Hcywood Hale Broun . Amy Douglass . Ralph Bell .... William Zuckert . Gene Saks . Hal Gcrson _ Robert Carneiut Alva t . Katie '. Cabby . Mailman Mrs. Martini 1st Policeman 2(1 Policeman Del Rio Mr. Zellor .. "The Gimmick” begins brightly, but the joke is soon overextended, the dialogue runs down and the show ends in a swamp of unlikely behavior. The play’s wacky premise in¬ volves a quondam advertising man who really wants to write plays but has no means of subsidizing himself and his bride. He takes a personal ad in the New' York Ilona Rosha, The Spinster Westport, Conn., July 22. Lucille Lortcl presentation of drama by Frcderico Garcia Lorca, translated by Richard O'Connell and James L. Graham. Staged bv J. O. Scrymgeour; decor, John Bageris; lighting, Andrew Marc Levonthal: music, Dominick Argento. At While Barn Theatre, Westport, Conn., July 22, '56. Cast: Roger Plowden, Marion Raymond, Anna Berger, Zohra Alton, T. Loflus O'Hara. Eric Tavares, Sylvia Burnell. Nia Kristie. Gillette Martin, William Alton, Dolores Kapon, Kit Merrlman, Nan Krule- wltch. Elizabeth Stearns, Mike Antonakes, Francis Von Zerneck, Haig Chobanian, Stephen Press. papers asking people to mail him j weight story. As laboratory theatre, this ar¬ tistic effort by Frederico Garcia Lorca has merit enough to justify its presentation. Done against an attractive setting and costumed ef- icclively in turn-of-the-century ap¬ parel, it is visually quite accept¬ able. If the pace falls somewhat short of matching the eye-appeal, it is probably because of a lighl- 12 Buff. Area Strawhats I ! Vie for Musical Trade Buffalo, July 31. [ Direct competition between Eric ! Greenwood’s Princess Theatre, in 1 Niagara Falls, Ont., and Melody Fair, in Wurlitzer Park, N. Tona- wanda, is a notable development of the local strawhat season. The Princess has recently gone musical, offering touring packages of “Out of This World,” “Where's Charley” and “Annie-Get Your' Gun.” The canvastop Melody Fair opened June 15 with ‘Plain and Fancy” and is currently presenting “King and I.” The two operations, although on opposite sides of the border, are within 10 miles, of each other and generally vie for patron¬ age. Inside Stuff—Legit dollar bills and, just like that, he gels 27,000 letters, each containing a buck. When the wife rejects her hus¬ band's bonanza the amusing story line is forsaken for a series of bad farcical situations, with the couple separating and an interloper tak¬ ing the wife’s place. Joseph Julian, the author, is not to be disqualified because the play fails to come off. After all, he did think up a funny idea, and he also devised an amusing situation per¬ mitting Ileywood Hale Broun, an expert at this sort of thing, to turn up as a burdened letter carrier. As the ad man-playwright, I.arry Blyden is a breezy, better-than- eompetent comedian, with Patricia Smith okay as his wife. However, the best performance comes from Tammy Grimes as a derelict room Puddle-Jumping Gladys Cooper Gladys Cooper, who costarred last season in Irene M. Selznick's original Broadway production of ‘‘Chalk Garden.” planed Monday night (30) to London to take over the same part in the Tennent Pro¬ ductions edition of the comedy in the West End. She’ll go into the' __, Enid-Bagnold play tonight (Wed.), broken up to* the"accompaniment i subbing for Edith Evans, who must' of a- final packing scene. j undergo emergency surgery. Zohra Alton impresses favorably ; Cooper had just bought a in early moments as the romant’C j new car and was planning to start Coincidental with the sale of Carnegie Hall to the Glickman Really Corp., for possible conversion into an office building, the old Maxine Elliott Theatre on West 39th St. has been purchased by a realty in¬ vestment group for conversion into a textile building. CBS had the Elliott under lease since 1943 as a radio-tv playhouse. This leaves the Helen Hayes (nee Fulton) and the-Ethel Barrymore as the lone Broad¬ way legit houses named for thespians. The others—Golden, Cohan, Woods, Selwyn, Harris, Ziegl'eld, Belasco, Shubert, Beck, Morosco, Cort —were named for managers, although in Cohan’s case he was an ac¬ tor-manager. The Selwyn and Harris on West 42d St. are now grind picture houses. The Alvin’s billing was coined from Alex A. Aarons & Vinton Freedley, who built it originally; it’s now a Norman Pineus operation. The Mark Hellinger was named for a newspaperman. The Ziegfeld was recently Liken under NBC-TV lease. The (Edwin) Booth and (Richard) Mansfield were named for the eminent actor- managers. Of the above, the Woods, on West 42d St., is no more. The O’Connell-Graham transla¬ tion of Lorca’s rhythmic prose | tells, sometimes poignantly some- limes lethargically, the tragedy of the young Spanish miss whose youthful romance with a cousin turns to ashes in later life when a plighled troth fails to materialize into ^marriage. There’s a ‘‘Cherry Orchard” atmosphere to the play’s closing as an old homestead senorita but has difficulty main¬ taining authenticity in more de¬ manding segments as the frustrat¬ ed aging spinster. Some shortcom¬ ings here, however, can be laid to an interminable speech she is re¬ quired to rtarrate. Roger Plowden, whose scruples scrutiny J 1 Marion Raymond, Eric Tavares, aon c su na ; Anna Berger add varying degrees The Gimmick” is not **^*$^8** The llegtfar’s Opera Boston, July 25. scene is especially i wdl done and stilted sequences of ' 1900 parlor talk are faithfully re- , corded. Bone. Canilnidne Drama Festival presentation | &11 Nilfl Jlflfl file ^Willlitnt Morris Hunt, Miles Morgan, j Barton -IT. Emmet, in association wilh of _ _ _ _ Bryant llallrtay & Michael Waffcv of imisiral in two parts, by John Gay, •with hook adopted by Richard Buldridae and music adapted by Daniel Pinkhain. Production supervision, Burt Shevelove: staged bv Baldridge;, music direction,' RIorUMi; musical staging, John Heawood; settings. Robert O'Hearn: lighting, Waiter Russell and Francis Sidlauskas; costumes. Robert Flc eher; choral direction, Edward Low. At Sunders Theatre, Cambridge, .Mass., July 25. '56; $3.50 top. Cast: Shirley Jones. Jack Cassidy, George S. Irving, Jeanne Beauvais, Rob¬ ert liurr, Betty Garde. Constance Brig¬ ham, Charles Bolc'ender, Zamah Cunning¬ ham, Harrison Dowd, Sorrell Bookc. Maria Karnilova, David'Nillo.. Roger E\an Boxill, Maurice Edwards. Anita Cooper, PalVicia Ripley. Lucy Landau,. Shirley Chester. Francis Barnard, Arthur Malet, Morris Paucoast. others. association H. Leonard, production of comedy in Hire** nets, by Robert Nathan. Stars Joseph Wiseman. Nan McFarland. D':v. : ;l White. Staged by Emmet; setting, Wil- li-m Rohnert: lighting, Robert Goreih. Westchestev Playhouse, Mt. ICisco, \. Y„ uly 23-28. '56. Emily Hester . Henry Hester. Susan l!ester Stranger . Libby . Valentine .... ..Freda Holloway .... David White . Nan McFarland .Joseph Wiseman ..Loraino Grover, ..James Hickman j Succeed her. driving in a few c>a\s to the Coast, to begin rehearsing in a touring company of the comedy, under the management of Edward Choate. With Judith Anderson as costar, (he show is to open Scot. 6 at the Lcbero Theatre, Santa Barbara, then go to Los Angeles for four weeks and San Francisco for a similar stand. Having taken along the cos¬ tumes she used in the- Broadway run of “Garden.” Miss Cooper is due to continue in the London troupe for four weeks, when Miss Evans is- expected to be able to rejoin the cast. She will return immediately to the U.S. and plane to the Coast, arriving late for re¬ hearsals of Choate’s touring com¬ pany. Incidentally, Peggy Ash¬ croft, costarring in the West End edition of the show, is withdraw¬ ing, from the cast at lhe end of this week, with Pamela Brown set to The perennial Faust legend has been given another workover. Broadway currently has two varia¬ tions on that theme in “Damn Yan¬ kees” and “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter.” Now playwright Robert Nathan has come through Susan and the A rollicking, colorful and rowdy production of this oldie spills out j with one more in over the three level stage at San¬ ders wilh bouncy verve which docs credit to the Cambridge Drama Festival. This version of the two centuries’ old “Beggar’s Opera” re¬ tains the airs oi nearly all of the original arrangements and chops clown a lot of the incidental music. The playing is bold, bawdy and boisterous, spotlighting several ex-1 cellent vignettes, -notably “Ladies I weight vehicle for summer thea- of the Town.” Shirley Jones is a j tros. delightful Polly Peachum and Jack The play Ifas some humorous Cassidy is a virile swashbuckling I moments in its be-content-wlth- Legit Followup Recent move by the Shuberts to shift the current “New Faces” from the Barrymore Theatre, N.Y., to the Music Box, and book the incoming “Separate Tables” into the former house instead of the latter, was at the suggestion of Leonard Sillman, producer of “Faces.” That is re¬ vealed by Sillman himself, with the explanation that his booking contract gave him the option of moving his revue from the Barrymore to the Plymouth (at Shubert expense) if the latter house became available; With the closing of “Janus,” however, Sillman discovered that the- Plymouth was not equipped backstage to handle the “Faces” physical production, so he proposed to get the Music Box instead. That was okay with the- Shuberts, but producer Robert Whitehead has a contract for “Tables” to play the Music Box, and he declined to take the Barrymore or Plymouth instead. Sylvia Siegler, commenting on a report in last week’s issue about the N. Y. C. License Commissioner’s recent suspension of the broker’# license for her Personal Ticket Service, contradicts the statement that her defunct Show of the Month Club ever filed a petition of bankruptcy. “There- is no- doubt that when SOMC suspended its busi¬ ness voluntarily May 1, 1953, it was ‘flat broke,’ ” she-writes. “But you might also be interested in learning, that, many thousands of dollars of debts were paid off. As for the trade speculation as to who loaned me the $10,000 (to buy the- entire house for a performance of ‘My Fair Lady.’ Ed.), there is sworn testimony that it was not any-broker.” Understood Feuer & Martin were interested in the Sam Behrman- Irving Berlin musical, based on the Wilson Mizner saga by the- late Alvin Johnson, but that the book requires further rewrite: At one time Max Gordon supposedly had the property. Legit Bits Broadway pressagent Sol Jacob¬ son, motoring through the north¬ west with his wife and two daugh¬ ters, writes that they’ve been sleeping in a tent and cooking all their meals outdoors since leaving Chicago. The p.a. is due back Mon¬ day (6) to resume nlugging “No Time for Sergeants.” After six months’ illness, Helen Hoerle will return to work week, to he followed by “Glass Menagerie.” “Happy Birthday” and “Apple of His Eye.” Ralph Richardson and his wife, Meriel Forbes, toill appear in Rob¬ ert Whitehead’s Broadway version of tiie London production, “Waliz of the Toreadors,” slated to hit N.Y. in mid-January. Robert Morley will appear in the London production of "Fanny” pressagent for Edward Choate’s I in the role created on Broadway by touring production of “Chalk j Walter Slezak. The Pajama Game (ST. JAMES’THEATRE, N. Y.) Stranger,”'which was tried out last; Neile Adams, latest to play the week at the Westchester Play-1 pixie comedy-dancing role of house. Mt. Kisco. N. Y. . Gladys in this longrun smash, is Bai ion II. Emmet, operator of | possibly a trifle young for the as- the Playhouse, and theatrical at-1 signment. She’s the cutest dish torney Martin H. Leonard, produ- ■ who’s had the assignment, how- cers of Nathan’s play, have been ! ever, at least in the original Broad- consklering it as a Broadway pros-j way troupe, so even her youth and pect. It's not strong enough for! limited experience tend to be in- tliat. but seems an okay light-■ cidental.. Lacking the engaging booby- hatch quality that Carol Haney Maehealh, and they sing the an¬ tique melodies admivably. George S. Irving, as Mr. Peach¬ um. is standout, scoring v/itli a deep baritone and handling the characterization of the sharpie con¬ vincingly. Betty Garde gets ku- does for her low comedy as Mrs. Coaxer; Jeanne Beauvais is a cap¬ tivating vixenish Lucy; Charles Bolender, as Filch, turns in a slick portrayal, and Constance Brigham makes a striking Jenny. The ani¬ mating playing of diplaffers Patri- what-you-are theme, but the situ¬ ation and characters aren’t par¬ ticularly impressive^ There are brought to the secretary character originally, or the amusingly hoy- denish flavor Helen Gallagher gave it later. Miss Adams compen¬ sates with a truly fetching face also occasional stretches of poetry | and stunning figger, plus infectious that add up to merely ineffectual i animation and eagerness. With chatter. I added performance in the part, Nathan has localed his three-1 plus the pacing, projection and re¬ actor in a picnic area and has fo-1 sourcefulness that only experience cused on a family comprised o" a i can bring, the comedicnne-hoofer wealthy, aging business man, his i could become a real find, wife, who’s “not very smart,” and; Otherwise, “Pajama Game’ their young daughter, who dreams of a more exciting life. There’s also an emissary of the Devil, who Ripley' Anita Cooper, Lucy; gives the husband a feeling o. Lanclau. Shirley Chester, Maria ! .youth, but in exchange for his .Karnilova and Miss Brigham, the “Indies of the town,” is forceful and sharply etched. The Robert Fletcher costumes, effectively authentic and flamboy¬ ant, splash color across the stage. Macheath’s gang, played by Rob¬ ert Burr. Roger Evan Boxiil, Fran- heart instead of his soul, as is usually the case. The stranger, however, gets a yen for the wife, and transfers her into a mentally alert woman. She has an affair with him in exchange for the return of her husband’s heart. In the windup, the husband cis Barnard.“Arthur Malet, Morris j and wife contentedly revert to Pancoast and David- Nillo. is prop-1 their former selves, and the daugh- erly formidable and diverting. j ter, unaffected by any of the su- Maria Karnilova is a click in a : pernatural goings on, meets a dramatic pas tie deux. Pinkham’s: young boy and appears destined score, based on original harmoniz- • for a dull future. - ing wherever suitable, brings some; Joseph Wiseman gives a smooth of the music into modern style. A | performance in the role of the in- siring quinlel, wind quintet, per-; irDder, while the others are ac- cussion and harpsichord, is used. '• ceplable. William Bohnert has Ingenious musical effects on | provided a serviceable outdoor high string harmonies features the; setting, and Emmet has staged score, all r.cw, somewhat re- adequately. Jess . strained in view of the onstage -— boisterous histrionics, but always | Vera Allen has succeeded Doror clear. The adaptation chops the i thy Sands as director of the Amer- original politico satire of the by- j ican Theatre Wing's summer work- gone period, but accentuates the ! shop at the Cape Playhouse, Den- ribald flavor. Guy. I nis, Mass. beginning to show- the inevitable signs of its 116-week run. The in¬ dications are relatively minor, but unmistakable. Although John Raitt, in particular, retains his original performance quality to a really remarkable degree as the foreman and Julie Wilson holds up admirably as the grievance com¬ mittee chairman, the ensemble playing has become almost sloven¬ ly. For instance, in the “Hurry Up” opening number,, the song ly¬ rics are how slurred unintelligibly, and the bits of business have lost the precision that practically guar¬ antees audience response. Even allowing for a possibly lethargic house at the show caught last week, the laughs are nowhere near as frequent or big as original¬ ly, and the overall performance clearly reveals, the need of check¬ up directing and rehearsal. Some of the company even resort to that longrun diversion of breaking each other up,, which remains cornily unprofessional,, if traditional. It's difficult to spoil knockout mate¬ rial, however, and “Pajama Game” remains an enjoyable show. Hdbe. Garden. Philip Lang- will orchestrate and arrange the music for “Li’l Abner,” and Genevieve Pitot will arrange the dance music. Stubby i Kaye has been signed for the role i of Marryin’ Sam. Carl Fisher, general manager for “P a j a m a Game” and “Damn Yankees,” is vacationing in Cuba this week. Neile Adams,, comedienne-dancer in “Pajama Game,” is being sought for a dramatic role in "Double in Hearts.” Benny Stein got bis full billing, Benjamin Franklin Stein, in a re¬ lease last week announcing that he would be- general manager for the Robert Fryer & Lawrence Carr production of “Auntie Marne.” Marijane Maricle has returned to New York after completing- an 18-week stint at the Houston Play¬ house. Lehman Engel will be musical director and will also do the vocal arrangements and direction for “Li’l Abner,” for which Joseph Harris is general manager and Harvey Sabinson pressagent. Harold Call'en, whose play about Bernard Shaw, titled “The Bashful Genius,’’ is scheduled for Broad¬ way production by Rita Allen, read a portion of the- script last week in Chicago, as part of the city’s cele¬ bration of the 100th anniversary of GBS’ birth. Costume designer Helene Pons returns to N.Y. today (Wed.) after three months in Europe. The Directors Theatre, a N.Y. organization, has' postponed its scheduled production of “Affairs of Anatole” to Aug. 15. Irving Strouse, managing direc¬ tor of the Stage Arena Guild of America leaves Sept. 1 on the lie de France for a five-week European .trek. Oliver Smith will design the sets for “Auntie Marne.” Henrietta Jacobson will costar with Diana Goldberg and Mae Schoenfeld in the American-Yid- dish musical, “It’s a Funny World,’ 1 set for an October bow at the Downtown National Theatre, N.Y, The initial Broadway production under the Courtney Burr-Burgess Meredith banner will be Audrey and William- Roos’ “Speaking of Murder,” scheduled to begin re¬ hearsing in mid-October. , CeFe McLoughlSn will play a se -1 Robert Gordon has acquired Are You Sure?” a comedy by Jeanette Xamins. Paul Shyre’s reading adaptation of “Pictures in the Haihvay,” Sean O’Casey’s second autobiographical volume in his series of six, will be presented Sept. 16-Oct. 7 at the Playhouse, N.Y., on Sunday after¬ noons and evenings only. Harry Fromkes, owner of the Playhouse, is doubling as producer of the pres¬ entation, which was originally given a two-performance off-Broad- way showing last May. A new producing team, com¬ prised of Stephen W. Sharmat, Laurence H. Buck and Bill D. Ross, has purchased the rights to “This Planet Earth,” a musical comedy with book by Sidney Michaels,, mu¬ sic by Howard Morris and lyrics by Stone Widney. David Ross, producer-director of the 4th Street Theatre, is back in N.Y. after attending, the London opening of “Quare Fellow,” which he’s scheduled to present on-Broad¬ way in the fall. Carmen Capalbo and Stanley Chase, co-producers of “Threepenny Opera” at the Theatre de Lys, have also returned from Europe. Cameron Mitchell is being sought as male lead in “Harbor T ioMc >* in n.’hinh T.inria Tkarncll will star on Broadway this fall. If he doesn’t do the film version of “Pajama Game,” repeating hi# current role in the original Broad¬ way production, John Raitt may do the male lead opposite Judy Hol¬ liday in “Bells Are Ringing.” He’s also being sought for a concert tour under the management of Na¬ tional Concert & Artists Corp., but prefers pictures and legit. Ann Harding, with her husband, conductor Werner Janssen, attend¬ ed a performance of “Angel in the Pawnshop,” with Eddie Dowling starred, at the Sacandaga (N. Y.> Summer Theatre. Film actress wants the actor-director to stage “Morgan Rock,” in which she plans to return to Broadway in the [•fall. Alex Robert Baron,, general manager of Theatre Tours, Alexan¬ der H. Cohen’s agency booking all¬ expense legit trips to New York via various airlines, is “vacation¬ ing” this week as an actor in a revival in “The Play’s the Thing, at the Long Beach (L.I) Playhouse. Jon Essex has joined the staff ol ries of guest dates at the Cecil-1 the Clarence (N-.Y.l Playhouse as wood Theatre, Fishkill, N. Y., in-! scenic designer and production di- cluding “Anniversary Waltz” next 1 rector.