Variety (February 1959)

LEGITIMATE 73 Wedneaday? Febroary 11, 1959 P‘J5tiE'7r For Actors Fond Met Tormula Actors Equity Is again trying to 4--——- work out a.satisfactory quota for¬ mula for the distribution of tickets among employed members for Actors Fund benefit performances. The union. wa§ recently hit with a new barrage of complaints from members, currently appearing on Broadway,, who have been unable to obtain seats to the “La Plume de Ma Tante” benefit performance next Sunday (15). It's reported that a limited num¬ ber of tickets were available to only eight productions. The situa¬ tion of working actors being un¬ able to obtain tickets for the special Sunday benefits has occur¬ red before, notably in the case Of “My Fair Lady.” Beefs from mem¬ bers at that time resulted in Equity working out some changes in the allotment setup. A new committee has ' been formed by the union to devise a .plan that, would permit wider dis¬ tribution to performers, especially in the case of such hit shows as “La Plume,” where there’s usually a great demand for seats. A catch to the situation is that for benefit shows of less-than-smash calibre there is little demand among work¬ ing actors, and a sizable public has been built up to support the shows. It’s considered essential to satisfy the regular benefit patrons when sellout shows are' offered. A.C. Continues Bookings; Has 3 Additional Dates, Atlantic City, Feb. 10. “The Gay Felons,” with Jacques Francois, Denise Dared and George Tobias heading the cast, opens here next Monday (16) for a six-day run at the Warren Theatre as the first of the concluding series of pre - Broadway productions brought here by the Off-Season Attractions Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. “Garden District,” the Tennessee Williams dual-bill starring Diana Barrymore and Cathleen Nesbitt is due March 11 for a four-day run. A third scheduled booking is “The Good Will Ambassador,” set for March 25-29. George Hamid Jr., resort pier and theatre operator, who arranged the dates, says his committee is also negotiating for “Dear Liar,*’ with Katharine Cornell and Brian Aherne. Also being sought is “Warm Peninsula,” with Julie Harris. Hamid says that negotiations are virtually completed for a local run of the Broadway hit musical, “West Side Story” when it ends its New York run. Meanwhile, subscription sales continue, with tickets in the first 15 rows for five prospective shows priced at $22.50. Non-fixed seats in the next-best locations are selling at $17-50. Tickets include free poking: Earlier this season, this resort city returned to the legit circuit with the presentation of five Broad¬ way shows, .for which a total of '$100,000 "was subscribed. • NeviHe to Exit Old Vic, Will Try U. S. Residence Washington, Feb. 10. John Neville confirmed last week that he will leave the Old Vic com¬ pany late in April after five and a halt years. He hopes’ to work in the U.S., but has no firm commit¬ ment. In an interview during the Shakespeare troupe’s two-week 'repertory engagement at the Na¬ tional Theatre here, the actor dis¬ closed that besides repeating his title performance Feb. 4 In a CBS- TV presentation of “Hamlet” and accompanying the British troune on a subsequent two-week tour of Yugoslavia, he is slated to direct “The Importance of Being Earnest” for the Bristof Old Vic in April. Following that, he plans to re¬ turn to the 17.S. for tv, motion pic¬ ture or “legit engagements. His •eareer to date has been entirely with the London and Bristol Old* Vies. ' The* current Old Vie engagement here had the largest advance ticket ] sale of any non-musical presenta- ' tion in'Washington history. The advance exceeded $70,000 for the two r wgek ifftand.... - • > 509,342 N. Y. Oakleys For Servicemen During 1958 A total of 509,342 tickets for various forms of entertainment in New York were distributed free to U. S. servicemen during 1958. That’s reported by the Interservice Ticket Committee, which works with members of the entertain¬ ment industry in obtaining the ducats. The tickets, at an estimated value of $800,000, covered legit, television, films, sports events and special shows. The committee is made up of officers and enlisted men of the armed forces located in the New York area. Comden & Green Tarty’ Made 30G The recent five-week run of “A Party With Betty Comden and Adolph Green” at the Golden The¬ atre, N.Y., is figured to have earned approximately $30,000 profit. The team, brought to Broadway by the Theatre Guild after a string of Monday night off-Broadway per¬ formances at the Cherry Lane Theatre, N.Y., is slated to reopen April 15 at an undesignated Broad¬ way theatre. Meanwhile, the collaborator-per¬ formers have gone to the Coast to write the adaptation for the film version of the current Broadway musical hit, “Bells Are Ringing,” for which they supplied the book and lyrics. WiLLIAMSTOWN MGT. SNARES STOCKBRIDfiE Stockbridge, Mass., Feb. 10. The Berkshire Playhouse, one of the established spots of the straw- hat circuit, will be operated this summer in coordination with the Williamstown (Mass.) Summer Theatre, about 20 miles from here. Nikos Psacharopoulos, of the Yale Drama School faculty, will double as executive director of the two strawhats. Psacharopoulos, who has headed the Williamstown operation for the last two years, will have his two chief staffers from the latter spot, William J. Martin, general manager, and Ralph R. Renzi, pressagent. The Williamstown strawhat locales in the Adams Memorial Theatre, on the Williams College campus. Martin and Renzi are associated with Williams Col¬ lege. A resident director will be ap¬ pointed to head operations -at the Berkshire Playhouse, and it’s fig¬ ured that the two strawhats will avoid booking conflicts and, in some instances, play the same shows on successive weeks. The local strawhat was operated for many years by William Miles, but he relinquished the spot last win¬ ter to devote full time to pro- ducing-directing industrial shows in New York. The Williamstown stock project is a relative new¬ comer to the strawhat field. Amerika Cites Off-BVay For W.S.S.R. Mag Readers Washington, Feb. 10, The success of off-Broadway theatres, related in. a story* with pictures, is a feature of the latest issue of Amerika* theonlji U. S. magazine allowed inside Russia. It is published by the U.S. Infor-; mation Agency, under an agree¬ ment with the USSR. Emphasis is given in the piece to off-Broadway productions by Russian writers, Dostoyevskl, Gor¬ ky, Turgenev, Orstrosky and Chek¬ hov. “They have earned a position of honor in-the dramatic world— and the sincere respect of estab- lished professionals*” says the ar¬ ticle. , Illustrations include pictures of productions of “The Iceman Cometh,” ’The- Boy Friend,” •“Endgame” “Winkdberg/* “Sud¬ denly-Last Summer” “The Kara¬ mazov” -‘The Courageous Oner” “The Threepenny Opera” “The Chairs” and “CJeiembard/V 'Charley’s Aunt’ Still Top Choice Of New England Do-It-Yourself Legit - - - - - 1 - St„ Moritz Agency Gets Theatre Ticket license St. Moritz Theatre Ticket Serv¬ ice, Ine., has been chartered at Al¬ bany to conduct a. legit . ticket brokerage at the St. Moritz Hotel, N. Y. Capital stock is $20,000, at $100 par value. Directors are Bonnie Alden Son- nenberg, James P. Sonnenberg and Lloyd Alton, all of the St. Moritz Hotel, and Joseph Cohen, also of New York, was filing attorney. Story’in Black At Its Opening; Hasa “Problem’ “Tall Story,” which opened Jan. 29 at the Belasco Theatre, N. Y., was in the black, with about $9,000 profit, as of its premiere. That’s the situation on paper, subject to the Howard Lindsay-Russel Crouse comedy (based on Howard Nemer- ov’s novel, “The Homecoming Game”) continuing at least three weeks to_ insure^ participation in the pre-production film deal with Warner Bros. Although it drew generally en¬ thusiastic notices, ‘Tall Story” has the handicap of having opened with practically no advance sale. More¬ over, the window sale and broker call has been less than anticipated, particularly for matinees. That’s at least partly attributed to the dis¬ appointing trade for virtually all Broadway shows last week. However, it’s figured Slat some of the slow-to-kindle puDlic inter¬ est may be due to the play’s sub¬ ject matter, involving an attempted fix of a college basketball game. For that reason, producers Emmett Rogers and Robert Weiner have revised the advertising and promo¬ tion policy for the show to mini¬ mize the sports angle and empha- \ size comedy and romance. I That’s following the strategy of producers Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince with the musical of-several seasons ago, “Damn Yankees.” In that case, the print¬ ed ads and billboards showed Gwen Verdon, the show’s star, wearing a baseball shirt and a mitt, - were drastically revised to reveal; (Continued on page 75) Irene Worth in ‘Like It,’ With Douglas Campbell, To Open Stratford, Ont. Stratford, Ont., Feb. 10. The acting company for th& 1959 Shakespearean Festival season, which gets underway here June 29, will be headed by Irene Worth and Douglas Campbell, Both will ap¬ pear in “As You Like It,” with Campbell also' handling the title role in ar Festival production : of “Othello.” Appearing as Desde- mona will be Frances Upland, with Iago played by Douglas Rain. “As You Like it” will be staged by British director Peter Wood. The staging of “Othello” will be shared by Jean Gascon, director and founder of Montreal’s Le The¬ atre du Nouveau Monde, and Cana¬ dian actor-director George Mc- Cowan. Desmond Heeley and Rob¬ ert Prevost will design the comedy and tragedy, respectively. Michael Langham, the Festival’s artistic director, will act in a super¬ visory capacity. The season will run 12 weeks through Sept, 19. Langham recently returned here from New York after a lengthy illness. He’s due to 'leave here later this month for England, but Will return to Stratford for the start of rehearsals May 8. Mex Legit Held at 96c Mexico City, Feh. 3. The Federal District government has denied a plea by theatrical producers for higher boxoffice . prices. Current admission is pegged at 12 pesos <96c> for plays and/or I musicals alike as well as for what; is known as “teatro frivolo” here (vaudeville). Producers had bypassed the Of¬ fice of Entertainments (a city op¬ erated entity supervising all forms of public entertainment) in a di¬ rect appeal to Mayor Ernesto P. UruchuriQ. As for cinemas (with a. 4 pesos or 32c top) Mayor Uur- churtu said no increase, at least notfor.the.pteaent . ■ .* ■ * • McMaster, Elis. Bergner- For ‘Journey’ in Dublin Anew McMaster, who costarred with Fay Bainter in the U.S. tour of “Long Day's Journey Into Night,” has secured the Irish rights to the Eugene O’Neill play. A Dublin presentation, with Elisabeth Bergner appearing as the dope- addict mother, is planned to open soon. Miss Bergner has been appear¬ ing in German-language perform¬ ances of the play in Europe. An Australian tour is contemplated by McMaster following the Irish run. 'Peninsula Pays Another $25,000 San Francisco, Feb. 10. Manning Giirian, producer of “The Warm Peninsula,” has repaid another $25,000 to the backers of the Joseph Masteroff play. That makes a total of $50,000 returned thus far on the $75,000 investment. Julie Harris (Mrs. Gurian), is starred in the show, which is cur¬ rently in the final frame of a three- week stand at the C ii’ran Theatre here. The production, making a se.ason-long cross-country tryout tour, is due on Broadway next fall. ALEX COHEN SETS UP PHILLY TICKET CLUBS Philadelphia, Feb. 10. Broadway producer Alexander H. Cohen, who’s also New York book¬ ing representative for the Locust and Erlanger theatres here, has organized two new local theatre clubs. The operations, which func¬ tion differently, are the Playgoers and TheatreGoers. The Playgoers, which has over 1,000 members, charges an annual membership fee of $10. That en¬ titles members to buy two seats for each of 15 or more legit entries during a season. The TheatreGoers sends out a Priority Mail Order Blank to about 15,000 members, offering a chance for application prior to the placement of the first mail order ad. Managements utilizing the Thea¬ treGoers service must supply 15,- 000 heralds and pay $750 for en¬ velopes, stuffing and postage. A partial list can also be used. Han¬ dling the activities of the Playgoers and TheatreGoers, respectively, are Seypiour Herscher and' Audrey Pomerantz. Tires’ Opens Palm Beach; Set ‘Book/ ‘Beachcombers’ Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 10. Arthur Watkyn’s “Not in the Book,” which has been running in London since last April, is being tested at the Royal Poinciana here this week. Edward Everett Horton, Ann Harding and Reginald Owen appear in the comedy, which producer Gilbert Miller has under option for Broadway presentation. The Playhouse launched its sea¬ son Jan. 26 with Eva Gabor, John Emery, Bert Thorn and Mar¬ garet Phillips in “Private Lives.” That was followed last week by Fay Bainter and Dody. Goodman in “Girls in 509,” “The Beach¬ combers,” a new . play by Paul Crabtree, producer-director at the Playhouse, is slated for Feb. 16-21. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Ta&dy will appear in the Broadway-tar¬ geted “Triple Play” the Aveek of March 2. Shelley’s ‘Cenci’ Revival OM Vic Season Finale London, Feb, 10. •The final production in the cur¬ rent Old Vic season is to be a revival of Shelley’s “The Cenci,” opening April 29 with Barbara Jefford as Beatrice and Hugh Grif¬ fith as Count Cenci. r The play’s last London revival was at the Empire in 1926, with Sybil Thorndike as star and Jack Hawkins and Laurence Olivier playing minor- roles.. By GUY LIVINGSTON Boston,; Feb. 10. "Charley’s Aunt" is still the favorite show for do-it-yourself performance by local groups in New England. More than 300 com¬ munity theatre outfits offer home¬ grown productions, mostly for charity. Many cf the shows are presented through firms specializ¬ ing in this type cf service, such as Empire Producing Co., of Kansas City, and John B. Rogers Co., of Fostoria, O. Although “Charley’s Aunt” re¬ mains the most frequent choice, there is growing call for revues in which a series of blackouts are pre¬ sented, with such titles as "Circus Days,” “Gay Nineties,” etc. Heart- throb dramas like “Smilin’ Through,” a perennial fave for •many years, are losing out. Minstrel shows, once the most popular kind of show to raise money for church, grange and social groups, are low on the list now, and the frankly hokum metiers like “Ten Nights In a Barroom” are a dead item. Local, outfits buy the shows, usually after taking a vote and hypoed a traveling representative of the producing firm. Sometimes two men come in, one to set up the deal, the other to clinch it. Then, the producing outfit sends in a drama coach, usually a femme, who rehearses the locals and gets the show on stage. Cooperative deals are often worked out with the local dancing school, for instructing the town belles in a chorus line, co-op adver¬ tising from merchants, etc. Thea¬ ters pose no problem for these hometown shows. Town halls, grange halls, churches and parish houses, recreation, buildings and even in dancehalls are standard locales, although occasionally a local film house is hired. With the rise in "suburban liv¬ ing” and the exodus of young mar¬ ried couples from cities to small surrounding towns, where they join ih the social life, the increase in the do-it-yourself show has been high. New England has for years been the stamping ground of the “home show” and it was here that Denman Thompson’s “Old Home¬ stead” was produced and it still plays each year in a revival in New Hampshire. May Offer ‘Hidden River’ ‘On Location’ in Paris Prior to West End Preem London, Feb. 10. “The Hidden River,” the Ruth and Augustus Goetz drama about the postwar expose of traitor to the French underground during World War II, may play a week’s engage¬ ment in Paris prior to its London premiere this spring. David Pel¬ ham, the British-resident American producer who will present the play by arrangement with the original Broadway management, Martin Gabel & Henry M. Margolis, con¬ templates flying the London critics to Paris to cover it. The Paris presentation will be in English. Leo Genn and Marianne Bennett will costar in the West End edition of the production, which will play a break-in stand March 9 at Brigh¬ ton. The opening date and the the¬ atre for the London engagement haven’t been set. (“The Hidden Rirer” had a 68- performance run on Broadway dur¬ ing the 1956-57 season. The cast included Robert Preston , Dennis King , LtZi Darvas, Goby .Rodgers, Tonio Selwart and Peter Bran- don. — Ed.) Set Iithgow to Stage Season at Toledo Zoo Toledo, Feb. 10. Arthur Lithgow, formerly direc¬ tor of the Shakespeare seasons here and at Antioch College, will stage a six-week legit series this summer for the Toledo Summer Theatre Associates* probably in the Toledo Zoo Indoor Theatre, A subscrip¬ tion campaign aimed to raise $30,000-$35,000' is planned. A season of classics is contem¬ plated, including “A* You Like It,” “Man and Superman,” “Pyg¬ malion,” “The importance of Being Ereest”. and “Mr.’ Pirn Passes By.”