Variety (October 1957)

14 IMJB.\ATIOXAl P'fimETr 'VARlIfY'S' LONDON OPPICI t IK Martin's Plac*, Trafalgar fquara Financed by Yank Coin, $5,000,009 Congress Hail Opens With U S. Talent Lineup in Varied 'Arts Bill By HANS HOEHN Berlin, Oct. 8. Congress Hall, intended to be a public discussion auditorium, Yankee-style, has opened here in West Berlin on the perimeter of Communist Germany. Costing some $5,000,000, the highly mod¬ ernistic edifice which has been described by Berliners as two open oysters joined together. Is the pet project of Eleanor Dulles, sister of John Foster Dulles, the U.S. Secre¬ tary of State. The money was provided via a so-called Benjamin Franklin Foundation, established for this purpose in the States. As an "American Town Hall” demonstration, the building has an oval platform but no proscenium. This was the setting under which the N.Y. legit manager, Gertrude Macy (long with Katharine Cor¬ nell), staged the inaugural week’s entertainment events. These were selected to bring a varied "arts” tone to the occasion, despite the basic political debate purpose of the hall. American funds (State Dept.) subsidized the visits here of a variety of U.S. talents, including Lillian Gish, Eileen Farrell, Martha Graham, Hiram Sherman, the Julliard Quartet and Virgil Thomson, Congress Hall debut coincided with and overlapped Berlin’s own annual ’fall Arts Festival. Mrs. Virginia Inness-Brown, head of the New York C J ty local chapter of the American National Theatre & Academy, has been here as State Dept, delegate. Wilder a Wow A real hit with the Berliners was Thornton Wilder, the American novelist-dramatist, whose method of introducing seven one-act plays was highly offbeat for here. With his hands in his pockets, a crushed chapeau on his head, joking in both English and German, Wilder won an ovation. He also appeared In "The Wreck on the 5:25,” one of three short works of his authorship. LiUiam Gish was warmly received for her acting in Tennessee Wil¬ liams’ "Portrait of a Madonna,” which resembles a capsulated "Streetcar Named Desire.” Eileen Heckart scored strongly in Eugene O’Neill’s "Before Break¬ fast” and Ethel Waters dittoed in Wilder’s “Bernice” and "Happy Journey To Trenton.” Other one-acters included Ten¬ nessee Williams’ “This Property Is Condemned” with Bill Gunn and Billie Allen (both very good) and William Saroyan’s “Ever Been In Love With a Midget” which gave Hiram Sherman the opportunity to show up as an amusing boasting cowboy. Others who appeared in the various plays included Richard Ward, John Becher. James Daly, Cvnthia Baxter, Vinie Burrows. All plays were necessarily per¬ formed without curtain and hardly any decor. Special attention went to the first German appearance of Martha Graham who performed “Judith,” with music by William Schuman. Although her modern dancing may not have appealed to all, she too garnered strong applause and local reviewers lauded her as “a very interesting personality.” She was backed by the Radio Symphony Orch fthe former RIAS Symph Orch) under the baton of Virgil ‘ Thomson, long-time music critic for N.Y. Herald Tribune. Thomson presented also one of his own works and U.S. composers. Aaron Copland. Douglas Moore and Charles Ives, Julius Baker, Ameri¬ can flutist, clicked as soloist, soprano Eileen Farrell, with George Trovi^lo on the piano, and the Juillard Quartet, were touted by the local music critics. dancer Martha Graham, Berliners saw gu£st performances of the out¬ standing Ballet Theatre de Paris de Maurice Bejart, the ballet en¬ semble of the Municipal Opera, Lucchino Visconti’s "Maratona 1 (music by Hans Werner Henze) with Frenchman Jean Babilee as star plus Tana Herzberg r along with several other ldtal ballet per¬ formers, at the Tribuene. Undoubtedly, yie loudest ^ap¬ plause went to French avantgardist Maurice Bejart and his troupe from Paris. Bejart had feared that the stage of the 400-seat theatre in Congress Hall was too small. It was so small he had to skip near¬ ly all decors. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a big success for this ballet ensemble. This suc¬ cess was even bigger the follow¬ ing day when this ensemble ap¬ peared on the huge stage of the 1,200-seat auditorium. Despite the fact that this stage was too huge and meant a handi¬ cap for Bejart and his company, latter knew how to convince the most fastidious critics by their un¬ usual dancing esprit and technical' brilliancy. Bejart clicked in par¬ ticular with "La Symphonle Pour un Homme Seul,” with music by Pierre Henry. Bejart troupe pre¬ sented 15 different ballet works within three days. Gala night .at the Municipal Opera was for the first German per¬ formance of Igor Stravinsky’s "Rites of Spring” (Sacre du Prin- temps) and preem of Hans Wer. ! ner Henze’s “Marathon,” both done in the modern dance tradition. Choreographer for "Rites” was Mary Wigman, Berlin’s grand old (she is 71 now) lady of the* mod¬ ern dance. Her classically simple patterns, bold and superbly con¬ trolled chorus add appropriate vi¬ tality won great praise from crix and audiences. Visconte’s ballet, "Marathon,” which Henze com¬ posed, couldn’t win that much praise. With two jazz bands, piano and phonograph added to the us¬ ual pit instruments plus cameras, bulb lights and talking reporters on the Stage, the dancers portrayed a 600-hour jazz marathon with rather controversial effect. The whole thing, admittedly in¬ teresting in parts, bordered often on the banal if not silly. Result was that part of the audience turned yawns into catcalls and gave out with loud opinions. Ob¬ jection was found also with the jazzy music by Hans Werner Henze who seemingly never fails to raise rumpus. However, there were also lots of bravoes, particularly Babilee. Reviews were more on for the graceful Frenchman Jean the negative side for the entire pro¬ duction, However, some wrote that every experiment deserves appreciation. Hansl Cultural Festival First week of the Seventh Ber¬ lin Cultural Festival, which opened here Sept. 22, belonged to the bal¬ let. There has been a considerable number of new plays, concerts and operas in addition to numerous frame events these past seven days, it’s true, but the most applauded and most interesting (also in a con¬ troversial sense) programs had been offered, on the ballet Side. __ After the appearance of .African *cUo was $107,800. British Lion Films Net - Off $126,000 in Year; BL Studio Also Dips London, Oct. 8. British Lion Films Ltd., report trading loss of $59,000 for the year ended last March 31, com¬ pared with a $77,000 profit regis¬ tered for the 14 months up to the same date in the previous year. However, after taking into account dividends and debenture interest receivable from the British Lion Studio Co. and other interest amounting to $163,000, the parent company winds up with a net profit for the period of $48,000. This is $126,000 below the figure for the preceding year. The British Lion Studio Company Ltd., shows a trading profit of $397,000, a drop of over $60,000 from last year. During the next few months the Studio’s earnings will be substantially reduced while an extensive program of modern¬ ization and repair work on the four main stages at Shepperton is car¬ ried out. The remodelling will cost the company around $770,000, and it’s reported that the Studio’s .trading profit for the current year may show a loss. Net profit for the.Stu- Ballet Theatre to Rep America at Brussels; Also Penetrating Soviet The American Ballet Theatre will be the first U. S. dance com¬ pany to tour the Soviet Union. The terp troupe will play major Rus¬ sian cities as part of a trek that will include dates in Poland and Czechoslovakia. The unit is slated to play the Iron Curtain countries next April and May prior to hitting Germany, Norway; Sweden, Den¬ mark, The Netherlands, Belgium and France. | > The tour will be made in coop-1 eration with the President’s Special I International Program for Cul¬ tural Relations, administered by the American National Theatre & Academy. In Belgium, the dance company will officially represent U. S. ballet at the Brussels World’s Fair during the July 2-4 American National Days. Legit Theatre Booms in So, Africa; ‘Friend’Runs Year, 'Look Back’ Due Arg. Exhibs Ask B.O. Tax Repeal Buenos Aires, Oct. 1. The Federation of Argentine Ex¬ hibitors, which represents the eight associations banding' togeth¬ er exhibitors throughout the coun¬ try, has submitted a note to the Provisional Government, recom¬ mending repeal or temporary sus¬ pension of the 15% boxoffice tax decreed last Aug. 1, and designed, to provide funds for national school building. The exhibitors’ note un¬ derlines the fact that"cinema ad¬ missions have been frozen since April of 1953 and a deaf ear has been turned to all pleas that prices be increased to a level consistent with . rising costs. Nevertheless, this 15% tax was applied. Comhine°d with the Screen In¬ stitute’s 10% tax for promotion of local production, a total increase in admissions of 25% has been im¬ posed on the public this year. To these must he added other national, municipal and provincial taxes, which must inevitably force down attendance figures. Exhibs also point out that in general the net admission must be shaded 50% with distributors of the films, leaving them a ne£. in¬ sufficient in most cases to cover all routine costs of exhibition. Then there are other taxes which the exhibitor pays and not the specta¬ tor. Part of the note stresses that through a progressive stage of tax¬ ation, film theatres are being con-: verted into tax-collection agencies for the government, from which third parties benefit, and quite in opposition to the policy hitherto .vaunted of insuring cheap enter¬ tainment for the population. •The note is couched'in terms adopted lately by other business and enterprise when the govern¬ ment has asked for assistance in combating a gerenal rise in the cost of living. Businessmen have been frank in pointing out that the government alone is to blame, through adoption of mistaken pol¬ icies and; measures at the instance of demagogic political advisers and inexperienced ministers; It is understood in production circles that the National Screen Institute has tfeen negotiating with the Industrial Credit Bank’ for the purchase of the old Emlco studios at Martinez. Proceeds of the 10% National Screen Institute tax oh cinema boxoffice would be used to produce Argentiiie films there. Some of the proceeds also may be used to subsidize the three native newsreel producers who are un¬ able to make both ends meet. Many Register For London Variety Meet London, Oct. 1. Over 52Q registrations from for¬ eign tents already have been made for next year’s Variety Club con¬ vention, be held for the first time in London. Final figure is likely to be around 6Q0, and to en¬ able several American tents to make their arrangements the regis¬ tration deadline date has been put back from Nov. 1 to 30. The convention will tee off with a dinner and ball, to he held at the Guildhall, an historic building in the city. Other social functions al¬ ready set include banquets to be sponsored by Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola, and £ tjiirtf by a British, ice cream manufacturer. , . ., Touring Editions of Old Paris Productions To Pace Lausanne Season Lausanne, Oct. 1. . Legit in the French 'part of Switzerland, of which this 115,000- population city is the country’s fifth biggest, presents a peculiar picture/ Local productions are kept down to a strict minimum, and al¬ most the entire Qctober-April sea¬ son is made up of touring editions of Paris productions. The 1957-58 lineup of the Thea¬ tre Municipal Offers three U. S. plays, Tennesse Williams’ "Cat on Hot Tin Roof’ with Ginette Le- elerc and Balpetre (with an “adult only” tag!); Robert Anderson’s “Tea and Sympathy,” with Michel- Ine Presle ih the Ingrid Bergman role and Yves Vincent; and. Wil¬ liam Faulkner’s "Requiem for a Nun,” with the original Paris cast headed by Catherine Sellers and Marc Cassot. Paris shows include Jean Girau- doux\ “Amphitryon 38” (starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Gaby Sylvia, Gilbert Gil); Eduardo Scarpetta’s “Misery and Nobility” (Compagnie Jacques Fabbri); Robert Bofssy'S "Jupiter” (Marina Vlady, Robert Hossein); “L’Ecole des Cocbttes*,” by Armont and Gerbidon (Andre Luguet. Micheline Dax>; Moliere’s "Tartuffe” (Fernand Ledoux,. De¬ nise Grey, Lucien Baroux, Marie Deal; Michel Andre’s "Virginie” (Jean Paredes); Pirandello’s Clothe the Naked” (Renee Faure); Anouilh’s "Ring Round Moon” (Dany Robin, Georges Marchal); Bertlot Brecht’s "Caucasian Chalk Circle"; Armand Salacrou’s "A Woman Too Honest” (Sophie Des- marets) and Claude Magnier’s long- run hit "Monsieur Masure.” „ Also, -the Comedie Franeaise is set for two galas next March, pre¬ senting on a double-bill two clas¬ sical comedies by Marivaux and Moliere. Local Lausanne produc¬ tions this winter wili include, among others, a spectacular new stage adaptatibn of Victor Hugo’s "Les Miserables” for the yearend holidays.. Jean Davy from the Com¬ edie Franeaise will star. This city’s second legit outlet. Theatre de Beaulieu, does not op¬ erate on a continuous policy, but presents mostly big-scale shows or operas as occasion wffrrants. 10-DAY LONDON FILM FEST PREEMS OCT. 16 London,. Oct. '8. The 10-day London Film Fes¬ tival, which opens Oct. 16, will feature 15.pictures of outstanding merit which werefc screened at this year’s European festivals. They in¬ clude Japan’s "Throne Of Bipod,” "A Face In Crowd” (WB), Russia's "The 41st” and -the. special prize winner at the Cannes fest, “Kanal,” from Poland. Two Italian entries are "Sleep¬ less Nights’’^ and “Night Of Caliria.” - From France comes "Crimson Curtain” and "Port des Lilas.” The West German con¬ tribution is “Captain From Kcfe- penick,”and from the. Eastern sec¬ tor is “Deceived Till Doomsday.” 'The program is completed by “The Laplanders” (Norway), "House Of The Angel” (Argentina), "Seventh Seal” (Sweden), “The Unvan¬ quished” (India) and “A Sunday Romance” (Hungary). ' The festival, which is being pre¬ sented by The Sunday Times in association with the - British Film Institute, will mark also the open¬ ing of the new National Film Thea¬ tre on the South Bank. Siegel Plans Talks With Bergman on New Film London, Oct, 8. Sol -C. Siegel, who at present is half way through a 10 day Euro¬ pean visit, is planning talks with Ingrid Bergman in Paris tq discuss a new picture. - He said that was the main, rea¬ son for coming to Europe, Siegel also is giving the British country¬ side .the , 0 . 0 . for ..future locations By EVELYN LEVJSON Johannesburg, Oct. 1. Theatre business in Johannes- burg is booming. Brooke Theatre, built-two years ago for actor-man., ager Brian Brooke, has just broken all South African records with “The Boy. Friend,” being the long¬ est rUn of any show at one theatre in this country. Author Sandy Wil¬ son, imported from London. to produce his fa on ey-spinher, proved with his polled staging that given the right entertainment, audiences here can sustain # a show long enough to make it profitable. When the Season ends the middle of this month, "Boy Friend” goes off on a sixmonth tour of the Union and the Rhodesias. Another record set here was to make the first time a show in South Africa has provided actors with oyer a year’s continu¬ ous employment. Independent producer Taubie [-Kushlick moves, into the Brooke after ‘Triend" closes to stage John Osborne’s "Look Back In Anger,” just given N. Y. preem, the same month. Actor Alan Dobie, who took over the role of Jimmy Poster from Kenneth'' Haigh at London’s Royal Court Theatre, Is starred. „ Supporting'cast is culled from lo¬ cal artists'. Forthcoming shows, at - the Brooke include Hugh Williams* "Plaintiff In A Pretty Hat,” star¬ ring Leo Genn,. and the British musical success, "Grab Me A Gon¬ dola.” At the Rep Theatre, Lond;on actress Sonia Dresdel stars in the Hugh Mills thriller, “The House By The Lake.” Home again after a Eu¬ ropean search for plays, producer Leonard Schach has scheduled a Cape Tqwri opening of "Look Back In Anger” at the Hofmeyr Theatre in November. Johannesburg ex¬ cepted, Schach holds all South African and African Federation rights for this play, which will tour following the Cape season. . In December, Schach transfers to. Johannesburg to stage "Summer Of The 17th Doll,” presented in association with National Theatre Organization at the Rep Theatre,' with Marjorie Gordon in the fem¬ inine lead. Miss Gordon comes to ‘The Doll” straight from ' , T)iaI *M* For Mirth,” an intimate revue at the Library. This rapid leaping from role to role is characteristic of Johannesburg’s expanding en¬ tertainment scene, where there are - currently more plans for new pro¬ ductions than theatres in which; to * house them. A revue production on a larger scale js booked in at‘His Majesty’s Theatre in October when British comedian Tommy Trinder opens in "You Lucky People,” presented by George and Alfred Black in col¬ laboration with African Consoli¬ dated Theatres. Among the acts supporting Trinder are Shirley Burniston and Harry Morney, Pari- sienne singer Odette Crystal the Leiitini Brothers and the Tanner Sisters. African Theatres (now controlled by 20th-Fox) will present Broad¬ way’s "Pajama Game” for Christ¬ mas, with some U.S. principals to add zest to the South African scene. during his stay. . Naples Fire flits Revue Co., Stalling Rome Preem Naples, Oct. 1. Fire destroyed the stage and . backstage areas of Naples’ Polite- ama Theatre, causing about $100,- 000 damage. It burned props, scenery and costumes of the Wanda Osiris Musical Revue Co., forcing the group’s Italian tour ~to he set back at least a month. Osiris’ unit was due at Rome’s Sistina Theatre this week. Damage to the company,, not in¬ sured,. was some $25,000. By a freak coincidence, all the com¬ pany’s music and scripts (Naples was used as a tryout) also were burned in the blaze. They will have to be put together again from tape-recorded fragments used by choreographer Paul Steffens for playback purposes. Estimated that it will take about , a month, for Miss Osiris’ company to resume its tour, tinder the aegis of producer' Gianni Ane^bi. .Felt th§t dates lost via the fire - will- prove more damaging, financially, than the.aptual material loss, jyiqre.' . I; -£fhan 80 people are affe<&&