Variety (May 1922)

Friday, GITIMATE BROADWAY REVIEWS GO EASY MABEL }£2 SffnSorcncy Ethel Levey Siird Drt-nton Jajoe. C Marlowe S* Frtward DrentoB....MmrK»r*t Dumont •"■• liTeitotu?.. Riuwcll Mack ^^Jt^ ifJ?dJni d Arthur Ayle.worth 0**Trf»lr« r Klleen Van Blene STfilThf Mi««« Orac« Duncan. Lucille ^''^/CMViTnto Evelyn Gerald. Sonya Ivan- **"• White. Virginia Roche. toria Adair Eilden wthel Levey's return to stardom In an American piece was cele- krated May 8 at the Longacre with ! musical farce written by Charles George and produced by the Hudson pjoducing Co.. Inc.. which has for «Vmanaging director Lee Morrison The piece Itself carries a light »tot of farcical proportions, and while dealing with the sex compU- liJions a trifle delicately in dialog. Sere is really nothing naughty to •S) Easy. Mabel." u. less the audi- tor overworks his Imagination. A emr.ttering of bedroom con- ▼ersation without the bedroom, and the director has supplied the usual compromising situations without compromising anyone. But then the piece itself is really secondary to Its star, so far secondary it would never have become a Broadway entry without her. It is light in comedy and decidedly so in the mu- Bical division, for unless the titular number. "Go Easy. Mabel." Is ©lugged into a popular refrain, the niece will be hitless. In musical comedy circles there can be no hit- lM8 successes even with a groat card like Ethel Levey. The theme deals with a tempera- mental couple, married one year and lacking the essential happiness, expressive love. The wife (Estelle Winwood) decides on the advice of her girl friend (Eileen Van Biene) to stir up some Jealousy in the hus- band (Will J. Demlng) through some harmless flirtation with his best chum (Arthur Ayles worth). Meanwhile the husband at his chum's suggestion decides on a ■Imllar plan and engaged a stenog- rapher (Miss Levey) to act as bis secretary and do some visible "vanaping" on the side. Meanwhile his hrother-ln-law (Russell Mack) falls In love with the stenographer, while her father (James C. Mar- lowe) and mother (Margaret Du- mont) supply some action on their own. The comedy is practlca'lly all in the hands of Miss Levey, who essays a sort of slang role, employing what one might call cartooned English ^rather than genuine American alang. There are no passages of lingular originality, although the author had unlimited opportunities to add them, yet Miss Levey man- aged to corral a few solid laughs with some of the speeches. Inform- ing her employer th« fellow who bought a pair of hose one day and wanted to put them on her the next was nothing new to her. eked out a great response, but one could see any number of situations left barren of laughs where laughs would have helped <ind could have been easily supplied. Getting direct to the core of "Go BSasy. Mabel," it seems there is only one Ethel Levey and she has a fol- lowing that equals her ability. Her ability, notwithstanding the handi- cap of this piece, cannot be hidden. Her personality was never tested such as It was the opening night and it fairly beamed throughout the house. In her opening number, *1 Want a Regular Man," It was Quite evident Miss Levey brought with her her entire stock of tricks, and she lifted the song through a number of encores, but It wasn't the song, it was the singer. Her grace :n th» position dancing, the delicate touch of artistry in her kicking, showed clearly that re- gardless of her confession to 24 years of stage activity, she Is still the Ethel Levey in every move and picture. Her voice was clear and resonant and she never looked prettier than she did in the closing costume. ' Mias Winwood. who is featured, received an ovation on her entrance and played the sweet, lovable wife a« Well as one could ask. I'retty and with magnetic eyes, .sold at par value, .she was always good to look at in a jiiquant role. Miss Van ^iene in her opening .song. "Love Is K'ng." took all singing honors, but thereafter slio did little beyond aid- ing in the adjustment of complica- tiono. Miss Dumont was a some- what different type of mother-in- 'aw. stylish, a perfect type, but not •"©gisteii-.ig. Sh? Iiad two capital scenes, but just di-ln't .«;eem to be the nd2;elv, bo::3ing wifo the role called for. , Ru:;sell Mack, the juvenile, a cap- Jblo dancer and a p.-eat opposite to JJisa Levey, siowJ out in tlie male Jivision and captured whatever honors ihac carr.e their way. Ayles- *^orth got more th.in his sl^rirc if* the comedy line a.ul Doming pUiyed * 'straij;hr' role fniMloHsly. .The producer cm f.lways point to Jho eliorus of eight as ono of ll^e »*««t octets Broadway has ever jathered. They all work \r\ unison and a prettier collection of types ^ould hardly bo assembled. Their «>Mt showing came In the opening I of the third and last act, arrayed in white costumes with completely bared backs. And what a gather- ing of perfect Kitty Gordons! They stood out with the star. The mur- murs of the homeward bound audi- ence revolved almost wholly around their great work. The production carries two scenes, both showing the same room In different angles. An olio set utilized for "A Lapse of Time" num- ber brought the girls through four practical doors Into "one" and called for applause on its original con- struction. The piece as a whole lacks that necessar. something to make them talk and to guarantee the Broad- way requisites. Ethel Levey will undoubtedly draw them In, but It is doubtful If she will do that deli- cate t^sk for any length of time— not with "Go Easy, Mabel." Look- ing beyond that enthusiastic first- night gathering and the attendant receptions, there is little visible in this Morrison production to bank on more than the guaranteed engage- ment. But it was a genuine Levey tri- umph and what balm that carries for the accompanying and subse- quent disappointments is worth something. As a summer attrac- tion "Mabel" will not only go easy, but will probably go slow, possibly too slow for a lengthy walk. Wynn. RED GERANIUM Thf> Ctrernwlch Producinif Co. prenents the four-act drama, by Ruth M. Woodward, with st^ttinRs b.v C'leon Throckmorton. StnRod by R4>fcinald Travorn. William S. Raitiey aitd Florence Rittenhouse play the loudiiig ro'Os. At the Princoss. May 8. Larry William S. Rainey Mary Florence Rittenhou** IJill Mary Ricard Sal lie P:ieanor Coates Mid Robert J. Adams Jane Marion Ix)rd Klizahelh KIrah Markham Bejtrice Mary E>onnelly .Tohn Dawifon Benjamin Kauser The r>ope Donald Bethune The Doctor Frank Andrews Mary'a Mother Mina (;ieason Policeman Edward Felbroth lainy goes unscathed. But that Isn't the worst of it. The undercurrent is thick with unwholesome inference. The cast did with considerable skill a task that was not worth the doing. Miss Rittenhouse showed unquestionable power to make cer- tain strictly theatrical scenes im- pressive. In a better play she prob- ably would attract attention as a sensational "emotional actress." Several of the other principals gave evidence of talent. Robert J. Adams has a capital natural comedy knack that would achieve something, and several of the women, notably Marlon Lord, have a fine breezy, casual style and jauntiness. Cleon Throckmorton's stage settings are extremely interesting. With the barest of materials he devises back- grounds that appeal to the Imagina- tion with their broad and striking effects, a curious feeling for realism and so-called ''atmosphere" with a conspicuous absence of detail. The bare elements of the story deal with Mary, country school teacher, engaged to a bullying vil- lage youth, who Is Introduced Into a Greenwich village studio of girls. It is made pretty tvldent her chances of happiness with the country lover are slim. Into the studio comes Larry, village dilettante, who talk.s free love for his own purposes. The death of the drug fiend and the scandal of the party separate Mary and her rural sweetheart. Present- ly Mary and Larry are living to- gether, running a tea room called the Red Geranium. It had been disclosed Larry's habit is to live ofi' his lady loves, and it comes as small surprise he is ready to drop Mary in favor of a flapper from uptown, but Mary breaks the news she is about to have a baby. The "big scene" that makes this situation evi- dent closes with Larry's illuminating line, "I'll think of something." Next, the hospital cot and the suicide. Rush. OUT OF TOWN REVIEWS •The Red Geranium" Is a freak of the theatre. It has a highly inter- esting first act that promises a good deal in deft satire. Then it runs into morbid agonies that pile up and pile up until the far limit of human endurance Is reached and a normal person, or anyone in any minor graduation of abnormal, loses pa- tience with the accumulation of wretchedness and stubbornly de- clines to be moved by anything so self-consciously and persistently neurotic. To catalog a few of the sweet- scertted incidents of a single even- ing's "entertainment"—one of the frivolous young things of the Green- wich village studio coterie mentions as an Interesting item of gossip, "The police raided the Lavender Louse last night and arrested the snowbirds"; a drug fiend dies realis- tically as the climax of a merry studio party in the second act; the simple country girl is Inveigled Into a free love affair with an intellectual poseur who Is a thorough blackguard and is about to become a mother out of wedlock. The authoress glosses over a good many obstetrical details at this point, but presently the hero- ine is extremely pale In a hospital cot and the doctor tells her In effect that her "effort to cheat nature will make It Impossible for her ever to become a mother." That galaxy of gems ought to satisfy even a Village playwright. But no. The heroine's mother visits her in the hospital, and In a scene that would be wrenching If It were not so theatrical, pleads with the girl to give up her Ideas of free love and marry the man who Is respon- sible. She promises, but the man appears on the scene and, after giv- ing his promise to make amends, starts a violent affair with the hos- pital nurse within his victim's hear- ing and the heroine commits suicide by leaping out of the window, with plenty of vivid off-stage business to trick the imagination into picturing the ghastlv results on the pavement below. Mercifully the realists stopped short of parading the mangled body before the footlights, but not much short at that. The story that started out with promise ni developing into an amus- ing smart, modern sat ire, degen- erated into a heap of Freudian gar- bag(>. In a season that has been strikiiiKlv rich in unsavory, not to sav malodorous. inv.Tted romances, this produetion touches a br.md new altitude of shuddering horror. Hor- ror that engenders enepy quivers but never a thrill. Tn place of stim- ulatini; shocks it offers a subtle .'^ort of miasma that is spiritually nau.se- The plav isn't even a good piece of technical literary work. There are iiidcfinile characters who .siart things that lead nowhere Chaiuc- lers' are laboriously built up nn.J then step off as thouKh they had dropped out of a niovie camcri focus. There is mtieh child-like em])hasis on uiiini|>u. tant episod-^ that reminds one of a bad him—and alu-avs the stressing on sex distor- tions that have no business on a public stage. Kven the fiuP/'';";;'''^^ ethics are upside down for mistaken \jrtue is punished and willful vil- ADVERTISING OF KATE Miss Wanda Maud Sinclair Mr. Dfll .., l.cAi\n Fierce Brandoth Frederick J. Waelder S« m Gardner Ja m«»f> Wally 7.\ffR\or Bertram U'Ren Robert Kent I..ealle Austen .Sadie Ryan Fay Courteney Thaideus Knox Byron R»'a8ley Kate Blackwell Mary Roland Diana Verulman Helen (SHI Aunt Maiaie Mrs. Thomaa Whlffen Mif-9 l/evinsky Gertrude Mann Mra. Muldoon.... PegKy Ooran Toinmv I.uoc R»y Wilson EdRar T.eroy Bernanl Thornton DalHy Tonne Isabel I.amon Madfce Leslie Jessie Naglc Butler Louis Stewart One of those clever things, this Is, of the sort that would win first prize in the graduating class of an upstate school for playwriting. It bristles with epigrams of the sort one reads under such headings as "Bachelor Philo.sophy" or "The Stenographer Says." The play is as thin as the title Is thick. It looks like a Lc- blang success and a cold summer. Lee Kugel, who produced that in- spired twaddle entitled "Your Wom- an and Mine.'* committed this one also. The other was at the Klaw, this is at the Ritz. Whoever direct- ed both these plays has a lot to learn and more to forget, for in both Instances the stage business was of the obvious, obsolete old- school type. In the other piece the acting was better, In this one the script is less wearying though equally unimportant. The author is Annie Nathan Meyer. In response to the clamor- ous applause of Rows N, O and P (containing the faithful) the author came forth. She is a pleasant lady past youth, and made one of the brightest and keenest curtain speeches this reviewer has ever heard. Authors' calls are almost always tragic and are usually a blight: this one helped, however. Miss or Mrs. Meyer, as the case may be. is a woman of brain and imag- ination. Her play suffered princi- pally from her inexperience at con- struction, plus the stupid direction. A practiced, deft hand could have improved it greatly and might have turned it Into a contender. But in this age, especially In this year, a play requires a punch—some sort of a punch, be It a horror or a scream or a surpri.se or a daring departure—but something. "The Advertising of Kate" is static in its progression. It goes through the formality of consuming the requi- site number of minutes in ninning tenure, hut vascillates and wabbles and backtracks and starts all over again a dozen times. It is a fair one-act play in four acts. In fact, it Is really only a good short story, devoid ot the better acting qualities and depending entirely for what re- .sults it gets on words—twists (if word.s as a rule, with here and there a real new thought shining Ihrouyh the afdiorisms. .Mis. Whiffen ran away with what actitif; there wa.s. The <lear old lady was greet<-d by tho greeler.s, who sfornied the liouse, realizing that here they were getting some support from purchaser.s and strangers, and how they went to it. ~ But the grand old thoroui;bl)red rame through f-r tliem. taking her first, second and tliird, .*^he is still an ingenue in her heart, ber eyes sparkle, her hands talk, her persf»nality regi.sfers in staccato and in profundo. Tho re- cepti.m !riav have been "sympathy," but after that it was merit. As a tlxer," a meddling old spinster aunt, Mrs. Whiffen was a delight. Tiie story was that, of a business woman (Mary Doland) who wjis a AND VERY NICE TOO Montreal, Que.. May 10. "And Very Nice, Too." the phrase which gives its title to the new mu- sical comedy which at His Majesty's received its first presentation on any stage, can bo truthfully applied to four out of the five elements. When combined in due proportions they make up a satisfying and successful specimen of its genre, which for one or two of the four commendatory terms even more emphatic and def- inite are well deserved. The four in- gredients which in the main fulfil the expectations with which the av- erage audience approachef. a musical show are the music, the company, the dancing and the choru.s. The wealc sister of the full quintet is the libretto, and the diagnoFi.s of the play doctors will probably be fol- lowed by some drastic «—cisiona . f atrophied jests and adipose tissue and the administration (.'' a bracing tonic compounded of mor^ trenchant humor and speedier action. The music makes no pretensions to be anything but the popular vari- ety, but of its kind it is excellent — always melodiou.*^^. replete with tunes that sing themselves int^ the mem- ory, and sedulously avoiding the di:ssonances and vulgarities of jazz except in one or two deliberate in- shark at human-interest advertis- ing. She had Inherited the business together with a male partner (Les- lie Austen) and was a riot In the world of commerce. She had a pact with him to cut out sex—to a.sk no privileges and make no concessions. It worked until she saw a very fem- inine (and absurdly transparent) vamp make eyes at him. whereupon she dolled up. became a female, too. and landed him. That would seem to be the logical end. But, no. She reneged, realiz- ing he loved her beautiful shoulders and not her beautiful soul. It hap- pens that the shoulders were as much her own as the soul, and the shoulders were visible, whereas the soul was a gamble, but that didn't satisfy her; the fi>urtli act had to go on. Finally slie changed her mind again, the only reasonable thing she did in the whole play, and went into the fade-out for the finale, as it was growing late, or there would have been a fifth act. The acting, with the exception of Mi.>*8 Boland. who did heroically with a role so amateurishly con- structed, and Mrs. Whiffen, who was glorious, was uniformly bad. Byron Beasley, an accomplished player of strong types, was lost as a part heavy, part gent, railroad president. Leslie Austen, the typical American advertising chap, was as British as the Manchester (Juardian, and angry about It—or about something—mak- ing himself more of a Hamlet than a Romeo. The bits, without one re- lieving exception, were overacted and underdone. Lait. WHAT THE PUBHC WANTS stances. The composer, Percy Wein- rlch, is known by name antl siglit to many amuiement seekers, having appeared for several reasons in vaudeville. He has of later years devoted himself to musical comedy composition, and. Judging by the ad- vance shown in his pre-^U effort. ? o should find a permanent place among the musicians who have proven their ability to capture and hold favor in this field. .Such icnti- mental numbers as "When You Cjme Back to Me" and the letter duet arc charming, while tho topical ditties and choruses have the essen- tial briskness and pattering effect. A cast of experienced and capable principals has been assembled by the Merliock Productions, Inc., and all that is given them to do they do well. It is not their fault that some of the spoken material leaves them little to work upon. Amelia Stone r.s r.anees Blake retains all the se- ductive sweetness of voice and grace of person that made her welcome In f.rmer appearances in light opera and vaudeville, and the pretty music that falls to her role is rendered in a fashion that brit.gs out all Its agree- able and .appealing qualities. Fran- ces Kennedy plays Mrs. Corless In an exuberant key of comedy, and her first act monolog is delivered with infectious humor. Walter I..awrence sings adequately the tenor part of Major Burton, and when relieved of the double straia imposed by his duties of. directing the production, should make the character distinct- ive. John B. Park enacts a real estate agent with the appropriate easy asKurance, and displays dis- criminating comedv sense. The lijToader comedy is In tho hands of Alexander Clark and May Pollard, but the former's lines arc too largely pointless and tho latter Is restricted to pantomime. Both roles could be built up effectively, as could that of the vamp, filled with complete acceptance, so far as the eye is concerned, by Marguerite Denys. Recalling a long succession of mu- sical comedies In which dancing was an Important If not a predominating feature, none comea to mind In which more diversified and original entrances, exits and intermediate "business" were Introduced In the ensemble numbers, and Walter Lawrence and David Bennett are to be congratulated on their success In devising terp»Ichorean novelties. No better whirlwind dancing has been seen here In years than the two spe- cialties Introduced by Helen Kllnr and Cy Layman. Tho chorus works with enlivening spirit and the nuix- Imum of dash, the costumes are re- s[>lendent in color and pleasing in design and the two settings are elaborate and artistic. As for Raymond B. Peck's book, it contains much indifferent mate- rial, fails to utilize all the possibil- ities of the story and requires thor- ough revision to measure up to tho level of the remainder of the pro- duction. Cardinrr. sir ('harles Worgan Charlei Dallon Haul Kendrlck Malcolm Dunn Francis Worgan c;iaude King Page Boy Francis Sadtler Simon Mscquold Stanley Ilowlett Kmily Vernon Margaret Wycherly Ifolt .St. John Ixjuls Calvert Mrs. Cleland Jane Wheatley .Mamuel Cleland William A. Kvans Mr.1. Downes Kmlly Fltiroy Annie Worgan Shirley King John Worgan • Moffat Johnston Mrs. Worgan MarletU Hyde James Urindley Harry Asbford How can a Man write a whole play on the subject of what the pub- lic wants when he knows nothing about the subject? Arnold Bennett, a highbrow British malcontent, has indited this scribble purporting to be an expose of yellow journalism and the commercial theatre. The journalism that probably struck him as the yellowest must have been a slam at one of his misfire comedies and the commercial theatre :.iu8t have incurred his distorted displeas- ure by giving one of his master- pieces the air. There could scarce- ly be any other explanation. And the Theatre Ouild. that prof- itably altruistic, sneering, snarling organization of volunteer saviors of show business (they call it his- trionic art), was probably the only Ameiican producer that would have considered it. principally for the cf>unter-straln of "What the Public Wants." the rap ngain.st the com- mercial theatre. The (;uild Isn't <ommercial, excejit that it asks nion( y at the box oJlke just the .•^aiiie as any other manager, opens pla\.H which it tliirdiH will get money or please its own vanity or grind it>> r.wn axe.s just the same as any other mati.'i^er, and rh.se.s plays as soon us th«-y cease to bring home the shan»eful sca<ls just like any other manager. Otherwise it Is operated entirely for the good of til** cause, just like the Standard (Jil Co. or tho subway. In tho shabby little flurrirk. which poses like the ifJreenwieh Villag<- Jakes as a, Tpijnory t>t the good old days when New York was young (and. ostensibly. mu( h better, or .it least mu( h more worth widle), tie- Guild throws its tidbits to the sfd<^cted few. The selected were verv few Tuesday ev«'ning, and it looked like about 4300 In th«» frayed auditorium. They were few, but | (Continued on pag<> IH; HER FRIEND THE KINO" San Francisco. May 10. Henry Miller opened his San Francisco summer season at the Columbia theatre here last week presenting for the first time "Her Friend the King" with a di.**- tinguished cast that Included be- sides himself. Blanche Bates, Anette Westbay, Marguerite St. John, Geoffrey Kerr and others. Two well known California actors are also in the cast. Paul Harvey, well known leading man, is seen in a small role which he does well and Leigh Wll- lard also plays a bit splendidly. The honors of "Her Friend the King' go to Miller and Miss Batrn with Miss Bates getting a little the better of It. Her role of a rich American widow is Ideally suited to her high comedy talents and she gets out of It every ounce of humor. Miller has little to do in the matter of characterization. He is seen as (Jeorge IV, a deposed monarch of a little Kuropean principality wlio In spending his exile In Hwitzerland. The finesse with which Miller reads his lines iind the delicate touches of pathos that now and then creep into his work remind one of "The Rainbow." "Her Friend the King" Is splendi<l high class comedy. Its plot is rather obvious but the lnter<'st centers in the really brilliant dialog and deliciouHly funny situations. Ihiubt lines are scattered with a lavish hand. This is a play that probaWly will be w(dl like«l in S*'W York, but does not look like a winner on the road. Tho situation.^ are so sophlM- tK-ated that American audiences are not so a|)t to find entertaining as Kuropean audiences. For instar^^e. a royal jnin ess p(»sing as an Amer- ican. Miss hjrnifh and the heir aj)- parent to a royal throne. Prin(»' Otto, T)retendlng to be Monsieur •Jone.'*, 'the son of a man who sells sixrnething" and meeting each oth«r tinder rallier uncr)nventional cii- f tim-^tances. is not as apt to prove thrilling to everyday Amerieati aiidiciH-ej!. Their scenes togetli. r a;c \cty .nmu.slng Tievorthelews -""id well acted by CJoeffrey Kerr, as the Princp and MLss Westt.»ay as the princess. Tha production Is lavishly staged in Miller's best stylv.