Variety (March 1959)

LEGITIMATE Wednesday, March 11, 1959 PfifUETY Shows Abroad Blue Magic London, Feb. 20. James Laurie presentation (by arrange¬ ment with Bernard Delt'ont) of two-act revue, with music and lyrics by Fran¬ cisco Conde. Ian Grant, others. Overall direction, Charles Hickman; dance direc¬ tion, Malcolm Clare; musical direction. Raymond Asoult. Opened Feb. 19. '59. at Prince of Wales Theatre, London; $2.17 top. Cast: stars Shirley Bassey, Tommy Cooper, Archie Robbins; features Ger¬ aldine Lynton, Roy Allen, Malcolm Clare. Michael Garson. Three Kims, Hazel Gardner. Larry Griswold. Herbert Hare; also dancers and showgirls. T*is twice-nightly revue, slickly geared to make little demand on an audience, but fills a couple of hours pleasantly enough and, at this theatre in the heart of Picca¬ dilly, should grab a rich passing trade. “Blue Magic” has no sketches or production highlights, giving it the impression of being more a vaude show than a revue. It relies on a few talented performers, some pleasant looking girls, amiable music and colorful, though far from lavish, sets, lighting and cos¬ tumes. > Shirley Bassey. a sultry sepia songstress whose disks are current¬ ly hitting the Top Ten and who is a vital tv and vaude personality, has five well-placed spots. She. puts over her numbers with a sexy, sensuous swing and is particularly effective in a scene called “Left Bank Mood,” in which she is backed by Malcolm Clare and the dancers, and in a solo number, “The Place Was Paris,” .But'Miss Bassey really comes to light in her own act which finishes the show: Elegantly gowned, the songstress puts over some pop numbers with striking vitality, particularly scor¬ ing with “The Birth Of The Blues” and “Burn The Candle At Both Ends.” Tommy Cooper, a zany comedian specializing in a conjuring act in which all the tricks go wrortg, has enlarged his comedy scope and in one of his four appearances is dev- astatingly funny as. in a saloon, he tells a heart-rending story illus¬ trated with an assortment of hats. It’s a routine to be seen rather than described, but is undeniably funny. . Archie Robbins, returning from the U. S., which was handicapped by a virus infection opening night and was then out of the show for a few nights. He is now back, how¬ ever, and is again the cheerful, observant droll of h ; S former visit here, with his drv throwaway hu¬ mor that makes the most of his two spots. Larry Griswold turns up hilari¬ ously with a brilliantlv-timed acro¬ batic high diving and patter act. Though seen here already on tv, the act gains from the bigger area of the stage. Herbert Hare is a useful stooge, helping out both Cooper and Griswold, while Mi¬ chael Garson sings adequately and the Three Kims contribute a lively spot of tumbling. The chorus singing and dancing round off a reasonably slick and amusing show which, however, tends to rely too heavily on the talents of four people. Raymond Agoult’s pit orchestra does its job smoothly and Charles Hickman’s direction is sound. Rich. Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be London, Feb. 18. Theatre Workshop presentation of two- act comedy by Frank Norman, with songs by Lionel Bart. Direction, Joan Little- wood; dances, Je'n JCewlove: decor, John Bury. Opened Feb. 17. *59, at Theatre Royal, Stratford. London; $1 top. Frederick Cochran. Glynn Edwards Lilly Smith . Eileen Kennalty Teddie Morris . Brian Murphy Sgt. CoUins . Richard Harris Betty ... Carmel Cry.rn Rosey. Ann Beach Tosher. James Booth Redhot.Edward Caddiek Horace Seaton . Howard Goorney George. Richard Harris Percy Fortesque.Howard Goorney Murtle . Yootha Joyce “Mystery** . Sheelagh Delaney Bookies Runner. Alex Murray Police Constable . Dudley ; Sutton Theatre Workship, operating at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, a nabe theatre in East London, is getting a reputation as a tryout centre for the work of fledgling, offbeat dramatists. The latest is a comedy, with a few songs inter¬ polated, called “Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be.” By 28-year-old Frank Norman, an ex-convict who turned to writ¬ ing with a successful autobio¬ graphy, it is a specialized piece of work which will need considerable rewriting and tightening for trans¬ fer to the West End. It seems an impossible proposition for the U.S., since it is written in Cockney, rhym¬ ing slang and underworld argot and would probably be largely in¬ comprehensible to the uninitiated. The thin story is set in and around a small, shabby gambling dive in the Soho district of Lon¬ don. The place is run by a onetime ! razor king who has fallen on seedy times and pines for the good old days. Nothing very much happens except that toward the end of the second act he is carved up by a rival gambling boss and decides to sell up his gaff, marry and be¬ come a business man. The characters consist entirely of gamblers, crooks, whores, pimps, bums and other assorted riff-raff, including corrupt police. Norman apparently knows the criminal un¬ derworld and its ling, but he is immature as a playwright. His characters are colorful, but ill- developed. The show has no dra¬ matic impact, but under Joan Lit- tlewood’s uneven direction it is played solely for laughs. The Lord Chamberlain, official British censor, has been lenient with the frank, brassy dialog, and with some of the Lionel Bart lyrics the show has atmosphere and start¬ ling plausibility. Glynn Edwards as the small-time garig chief and Eileen Kennally as the woman he decides to marry have funny scenes, and Carmel Cryan and Ann Beach score as a couple of tarts, James Booth is brilliant, Howard Goorney doubles skilfully as a has-been society type and an effeminate interior-decora¬ tor. These is also good work from Richard Harris as the venal cop and Yootha Joyce as a police¬ woman. John Bury’s setting is suitably sleazy. Rich. L’Hurluberlu (The Scatterbrain) Paris, Feb. 24. Claude Sainval presentation of three- act comedy by Jean Anouilh. Stars Paul Meurisse; features Marie-Josee Martel, Camille Guerini, Jean Claudio, Jean- Franco Discore, Marcel Peres. Direction, Roland Pietri; scenery and costumes, Jean-Denis Malcles. Opened Feb. 9, *59, at Comedie Des Champs-Elysees, Paris; $3 top. General . Paul Meunsse Marie . Jacqueline Lemaire Aglae .. Marie-Josee Martel David . Jean Claudio Priest . Camille Guerini Sophie ....'..;. Edith Scob Ledadu . Marcel Peres Toto . Jean-Franco Discore Lebellec .- Christian Lude Belazor .. Hubert Deschamps Laitier . Paul Biscigiia With his first new play in two years, Jean Anouilh has a smash hit in “L’Hurluberlu.” However his mixture of satire, drama, force and eloquence would require care¬ ful translation and mounting for Broadway chances. Still, consider¬ ing Anouilh's recent successes in the U.S., the show* rates as prospect for export. The plot involves a general, about 50, who has been retired for political activity, but dreams of the glory of France, His ambitions are vain, however, as he finds he cannot handle his affairs, let alone the fate of a nation. As usual, the author comments sardonically on love, class consciousness, religion, business, the press, etc. Paul Meurisse's playing of the General brings out the stubborn¬ ness, spirit and vitality of the char¬ acter, the sudden shafts of under¬ standing, and the pathetic moments such as the loss of the wife and the realization that. he has lost touch with his children. The acting in general keeps pace with the title performance, and the direction and scenery enhance, the play. It shapes up as bright, sophis¬ ticated theatre, with enough an¬ choring in human truths to be a foreign bet. Anouilh will not permit foreign performance of his last previous play “Pauvre Bitos,” in which he vented his spleen at France’s weak¬ nesses. Mosk. La Punaise Paris, Feb. 18. Andre Barsacq Sc Georges VUlar presen¬ tation of two-act (nine scenes) comedy by Vladimir Mayakovski, adapted and staged by Barsacq. Sets and costumes. Andre Bakst; music. Jean Wiener; dance direction. Pierre Conte and Michele Nadal. Features Yves Arcanel, Jean Le Poulain,: Mona Goya. Francoise Bertin, Marcel Cuvelier. Opened Feb. 7, *59, at the Theatre Atelier, Paris; $3 top. Prissypkine . . Yves Arcanel Rosalie . Mona Goya Oleg . Jean Le Poulain Zoia .Francoise Bertin Scientist...Marcel Cuvelier One of the international theatri¬ cal puzzles is why Soviet authorities permit the continued presentation, let alone the original production and the subsequent revival, of this satirical comedy spoofing Com¬ munism. The author, poet-play¬ wright, Vladimir Mayakovski, fell out of official favor and committed suicide in 1930, but the play, under the Russian title, “Klop,” was re¬ vived in 1956 and has since re¬ mained a popular hit, being cur¬ rently in the repertory at two different Moscow theatres. In this French adaptation by producer-director Andre Barsacq, under the title “La Punaise” (“The Bedbug”), the political satire still has bite, but on the basis of mixed reviews and questionable local application, the show seems a dubious prospect for boxoffice success. However, it may have promise as the basis for a musical, and London director Peter Brook and Broadway .producer-theatre owner Robert W. Dowling reported¬ ly have the English language rights with that aim in mind. The play deals with an eager young worker (the symbolic title character) of the early Soviet days. He marries -a decadent bourgeois girl and, during the wedding cele¬ bration, gets soused and falls into the river. He is quick-frozen, but on being thawed out, finds himself in the changed world of 50 years later, where his ideas are so archaic that he is put in a zoo, on exhibit with a bedbug, another relic of a bygone civilization. There laughs in the early scenes, including a song-and-dance version of the wedding party, in which stereotype political and social characters are ridiculed. But de¬ spite the show’s topical jibes, it seems dated. The performance is jubilant, /with producer-adaptor Barsacq’s staging providing anima¬ tion and the flexible secenery enhacing the movement. Mosk. Les Choates , (The Little Dears) Paris, Feb. 24. Benoit-Leon Deutsch presentation of two-act (four scenes) comedy by Barillet Sc Gredy. Stars Brigitte Auber; features Marie Daems, Guy Trejan, Jeanne Fusier- Gir, Dany Saval, Claude Rich, Michel Gon¬ zales. Direction. Jean Wall; setting, Diane Esmond. Opened Feb. 11. *59, at Theatre Nouveautes, .Paris; $3 top. Francoise .Brigitte Auber Corinne . Marie Daems Barbaret .. Jeanne Fusier-Gir Claudie ... Dany Saval Georges . Guy Trejan Ihdier.. Claude Rich Benoit .. Michel Gonzales This slight comedy is about the criss-cross love affairs of three provincial sisters in Paris. It is freshly, played and should do good biz here, but lacks the needed originality and vigor for export. One sister is level-headed and she loses a beau to a zany sister, but gets another in return. The third sister secretly marries a bohemian type who turns out to be of noble birth. The piece is pleasantly played and mounted. Mosk. Tchln-Tehin (Here’s to Us) Paris, Feb. 27. Renee Delmas & Etienne Bierry pres¬ entation of four-act (11 scenes) comedy by Francois Billetdoux. Direction. Fran¬ cois Darbon; decor,, Fran cine Gaillard- Risler. Features Francois Billetdoux, Katharina Renn. Claude Berrl. Opened Feb. 26. *59, at Theatre de Poche-Mont- pamasse, Paris; $3 top. Cesareo .Francois Billetdoux Pamela . Katharina Renn Bobby . Claude Bern Tenderness and a nice blending of comedy and. pathos gives this fairly commonplace story a distinc¬ tive flavor. It’s a good prospect for local audiences, but is questionable material for Broadway (although it might do for off-Broadway), Francois Billetdoux, doubling for the first time as author and ; star, offers a story about an Italian man and an English woman, resi¬ dents of Paris and brought to¬ gether when their respective spouses have an affair. They drink, renounce the world, and become sort of spiritual derelicts. Playwright-actor Billetdoux achieves a combination of humor and poignance as the deserted hus¬ band, with Katharina Renn lend¬ ing a valuable assist as the for¬ saken wife. Francois Darbon’s staging and Francine Gaillard-Ris- ler’s functional sets also help. Mosk. Champignol MalgreLul Paris, Feb. 25. (Champign-ol Outsmarts Himself) Simonne Voltcrra revival of three-act farce by Georges Feydeau and Maurice DesvaUieres. Direction. Jean-Pierre Gre¬ nier; scenery and costumes, . Francois Ganeau. Features Jacques Morel, Miche- line Dax, Jean Rochefort, Roger Carel. Opened Feb. 24, *59, at Marigny Theatre, Paris, $3 top. Florimond.Jean Rochefort Camaret . .. Jacques Morel Angele .... Micheline.Dax Champignol .. Roger Carel Charnel ... J. P. Marielle Slngelton ....'.. Christian Marin Mauricette.Anne Doat This half-century-old farce by the indefatigable Georges Feydeau .and his occasional collaborator Maurice Desvallieres still amuses Parian audiences. Vivaciously played and expertly paced, the revival should do well here, but is probably too indigenous for export. The yarn involves a would-be seducer who, is mistaken for a newlywed husband, not only by the lady’s relatives but by military authorities seeking the real bride¬ groom for failure to report for army service. When the actual hubby arrives at camp there are numerous farcical mixups, and the roue not only has to serve the other man’s military hitch but doesn’t even get the woman. Jean-Pierre Grenier’s staging is properly brisk. Mosk. Off-Broadway Reviews Royal Gambit David Ellis presentation of three-act drama by Hermann Gressieker, adapted by George White. Direction, Philip Lawrence; setting, Glen Hill; lighting, ‘Nicola Cernovich; costumes, Michael De Marco. Opened March 4, *59, at Sullivan Street Playhouse, N. Y.; $3.90 top. Cast: Russell Gold, M’el Dowd. Dolores Rashid, Grace Chapman, Elizabeth Perry, Tani Seitz, Alice Drummond. Henry VIII, and “the age of reason,” are projected into a com¬ plicated dramatic essay on the strength and weaknesses of our modern civilization in Hermann Gressieker’s “Royal Gambit.” It is a provacative and disurbing piece, handsomely acted and staged at the Sullivan St. Play¬ house. s It is something less than a play, though, more as the title implies, a royal game of chess. And who should be better equipped in the art of shuttling pawns around to flatter his own conceits and desires than Henry Tudor? “Gambit” opens with Henry’s six wives grouped around the small, bare stage. A stained glass window, braced by a crucifix, serves as the only backdrop. Each of the ladies offers her pre¬ face. summing up her role in Henry’s life, then departs, and the drama of his court unfolds. But the drama is confined to face to face discussion, philosophical or otherwise, between Henry and his women, or among the women themelves. It’s made clear early, when Anne Boleyn declares that “this is the beginning of the age of reasop,” that this is to be a picture of modern man depicted through the life of Henry’s court. And soon after, Henry makes it clear what this state stands for when he says that “the three matters of fact in the age of reason are gold, state and power.” But then, in a shattering third- act moment Henry is suddenly dis¬ coursing on 20th century politics, the power of presidents and “the crisis in the East.” It is as if the playwrights were saying “Now boys and girls, in case you don’t understand my story, I’m going to tell you what it’s all about.” It is distracting, too, that Gres¬ sieker, in this English adaptation by George White, concludes that reason has failed us, when he has the patient and pious Katarina of Aragon declare that we see man “in the splendor of his high min- I utes. and the horror of his last moments.” The best thing “Gambit’.* has to offer is its cast. Each of Henry’s six women is lucidly portrayed. Acting honors in the group go to M’el Dowd, as Katarina. Tani Seitz is beautifully haughty as Anne Boleyn and Dolores Rashid is appropriately confused as Jane Seymour. Miss Seitz, one of a sister duo acting on off-Broadway stages, is credited with arranging for the New York showing of the play after having seen' it performed in Cologne last season. Of the other ladies, Alice Drummond is fun as Anna of Cleves, Henry’s Teutonic import, while Elizabeth Perry and Grace Chapman do justice to the parts of Kathryn Howard and Kate Parr. Lighting by Nicola Cernovich and costumes by Michael De Marco are fine and the stained glass win¬ dows by set designer Glenn Hill are dandy. Russell Gold, who plays Henry, is a little too hysteri¬ cal most of the time to reflect much credit on the - monarch. But then, Gressieker doesn’t do much better by mankind. Nedi. The Buffalo Skinner Monte L. Frierson,- Robert Alan Gold Sc F. Fitzpatrick White presentation of three-act drama by Lonny Chapman, with incidental music by Joseph Garvey. Direc¬ tion by the author; decor, Charles Rosen; lighting, Paul Saltta. Features Lou An¬ tonio, Crahan Denton* Will Kuluva. Opened Feb. 19. *50, at the Marquee Thea¬ tre. N.Y.; $4.60 top. Cast also includes: Estelle Richie, Nancy Franklin, Ellie Wood, Frank Groaeclose. Margaret De Priest. James Antonio. Julia Klee. Vickie Meisner, Candella Grahame, Neil Nappi, Vincent Muro. “The Buffalo Skinner,” actor Lonny Chapman’s New York bow as a playwright, is a wandering work on the familiar theme of misunderstood youth. The hero in this mood piece with music is an evangelist’s son who leaves his seamy southwestern home to find romance and insecurtiy by riding the rails. In search of his dream—the world—he appears in a pachwork of poses as lusful, loving and lonely, in the manner of Tennessee Williams. In the end; like so many 20th century heroes, he’s back home, still a mixed-up kid. The young man is played by Lou Antonio, an actor in the torn-shirt mold, but minus mumbles, making his first New York appearance. under the author’s skilled direc- tiotf, offers a tender portrait of a prosaic hero. There are moving scenes, most notably when the hero meets the prostitute who Is un¬ certain of her womanly appeal. Nancy Franklin’s brief appear¬ ance in the latter role avoids the. banalities of the scene and breathes life into it. Similary, Margaret De Priest as an evange¬ list’s daughter who is seduced by the hero, maintains the moo(jy rest¬ lessness the author created. The rest of the women in the cast are uncommonly good looking, too. Will Kuluva has a few funny lines as a hobo with a Ph.D. from Cornell and a theory Julius Caesar was a Patsy. A boxcar scene, like most, is ingeniously designed on the small stage by Charles Rosen with a large assist from Paul Saitta’s lighting. The occasional^ musical accompaniment of folks songs, revival hymns, and popular jazz have been well integrated by Joseph Garvey. One of the songs, of course, tells of a buffalo skinner who is a man among men.” In all, “The Buffalo Skinner,” tries to soar, but is earthbound by the repetitious thread of its theme. It has heartening moments, how¬ ever, and is an interesting theatri¬ cal experiment. Off-Broadway, striving for critical acclaim, has turned away from this sort of ex¬ periment too often lately. Nedi. The Trip to Bountiful Stella Holt presentation of three-act (five scenes) drama by Horton Foote. Di¬ rection, Adrian Hall; scenery and cos¬ tumes. Robert Soule; lighting, Wayne Brown. Opened Feb. 26, *59, at Theatre East, N. Y.; $4.50 top. Cast: Marguerite Lenert, Sid Lee. Eliza¬ beth Moore. Katherine Helmond, Howard London. Tom Wright, John Bill Jones, J. Frank Lucas, Edward Grover, Aileen Ewart. Mary Lee Rowland, Nancy Stephens. Marguerite Lenert and Elizabeth Moore give fine acting perform¬ ances to save “The Trip to Boun¬ tiful” from becoming an excursion into boredom. Horton Foote’s play, revived at Theatre East, is a close- up of drab people with no place to go and little to say. It is another decadent family portrait, a group that appears little better off after three acts and five scenes than it was at the start. But Miss Lenert and Miss Moore are another thing. The former, playing the part of an elderly, hymn singing mother, trapped by necessity into living with her devoted son and simpleminded daughter-in-law, brings warmth to a type that has the facade~of an American Gothic. Miss Moore, as the daughter-in- law who devotes her time to fan magazines, coke drinking and ex¬ cursions to the beauty parlor, is stingingly believable. Lillian Gish and Jo Van Fleet had handled these principal roles when the play was presented originally on Broad¬ way. The two ladies, living in close quarters in a rundown Houston apartment, are antagonists from the start. The mother, seeking to return to her rural home at Bounti¬ ful, and the carping daughter-in- law who covets her in-law’s pension check, strike the conflict early. But why should an audience care about people with so little depth, as uninteresting as anyone encoun¬ tered accidentally in life. Such people would hardly be sought out. The touching moments, under the circumstances, are rare. The few sympathetic moments occur in the second act as the old lady, escaping from the stifling protection of her son’s residence to return by bus to the sentimental haven of her vividly remembered home in abandoned Bountiful, meets several kindly strangers. J. Franks Lucas adds a warmly hu¬ morous touch as a helpful small¬ town Texas ticket agent, and Kath¬ erine Helmond is quietly effective as a fragile young soldier’s wife who befriends the confused fugi¬ tive. (That is the role, incidentally, which* won Eva Marie Saint the 1953-54 season citation as most- promising - actress in Variety’s annual poll of the New York drama critics, and- started her in films.) There’s little room for sets in the small Theatre East arena, but Robert Soule, who also provided the costumes, has designed a Hous¬ ton apartment interior and the old homestead at Bountiful in drably appropriate outline. Stella Holt has given Miss Lenert and Miss Moore a rewarding chance for perform¬ ance in this revival, but her choice of “Trip to Bountiful” is otherwise puzzling. Nedi. Michael . McAloney and Don Mankiewicz are planning to debut as a Broadway managerial team next season with Gerald Savory’s “The Better Man,” which they’ll test on the strawhat circuit.