Variety (October 1922)

r ^'^> Friday. October 6, 1922 LEGITIMATE ■.•:•:. 17 : r,:V ■ OUT OF TdNJeiEWS I JHS. ELUSIVE LADY Baltimore, Oct. 4. MMAlMr PMIt Pota WalUr Annin sinf.'BAlK*" b'^JiiitVSJk ffand A(l««n •• 01«a Krwow gouinr> •»».••• •• • • ^^'L,,*^**''' BTt BUtk* •••" Julian BlUnrs vimmle Dunn ....,.** •. • John Storey Issir .".".'.•;".• ••.•.•".•.•«t?«s. ?ssis ••#«••• Julian Kltinge'» new production .■tm a made-to-order bit of work, ^■rith Olen MacDonough and Ray- mond Hubbell as the builders, and urith Jacques Pierre as the pro- .ducer. EitHige Is the star and Lew Kelly is the principal funmaker. It is a typical Eltlnge show, well {>ut together, with music that Is Ight and tuneful and with two sots that are tasteful and good to look at. The chorus of 16 girls is un- usual, for each rates high in looks. Their costumes are good and steps iwell done for an opening week, and "their voices, albeit rather weak, could be much worse. The plot concerns the disappear- fince of the Duchess of Zoolakia, of 'a bankrupt American tourist, Bert Blake (Mr. Eltinge). He 1« in Monte Carlo and assumes the disguise of the DuchesH to lure the sister of a jgirl whom ho loves from the wllos of a pseudo-sheik. Complications develop, and. if the truth be told, the book of the comedy Is sufficient unto itself t9 form the basis for a play were it acted seriously. Blake finds it remunerative to Impersonate the Duchess. Her husband sets his chief of detectives, Koumys (Lew Kelly), after her. The affair is eventually flxqd up and the Zoo- lakian tangle straightened out; The girl Is saved from the sheik and the sister is saved for himself, a|l of which forms the plot. In a play with so much of a story, Which is consistently brought into view, the chorus girls would ap- parently be not needed. l:*ut they are brought In on every song, and the girls surely must have to work hard to make some of the changes, for they are quick. The costumes which Eltinge wears are good, and although he appears Just a bit plump in his male at- tire, he eq\jeezes himself Into the corsets and whatnots with all the ease in the world. When he appears In the feminine garb his figure is as trim.and neat as Hiat of the bare- legged dancers wliose ribs show plainly every time they make a body Den«l. Mr. Kelly gets by with his com- edy work well, and though it lias lacquircd some degree of veneration on account of fts ago he h^^ndles it and gets all out of it that can be igotten. The Invisible dog. "Roger," is still with him. and his old line on jmeetinp himself is retained. Lew has made the step to musical com- fedy rather nicely. Dorathl Bock is the feminine lead hnd' is quite a cute trick, while Olga JCrolow is the other feminine lead. Walter Arnim sings a song or so «well, and the Lew Kelly number on *'Dreaming in Bed" is a masterpiece. "Hearts of Men." "The Cute Little Beaut from Butte, Montana." "I'm Breaking the Hearts of the Men Wlio Are Breaking the Bank at l^onte Carlo'' and "Fascination" are "the song hits. All have an appeal- ing lilt. Eltinge's new show serves him Veil and there Is no reason why he Shouldn't enjoy a most prosperous keason with It. for Charles McClln- tock, who Is the general representa- tive, tells the world that the |2 top la going to be In effect on the road feind when the show strikes I'il old JSTew Yawk. 8isk. anoy, Yoting: JAt. EUe» Perpx. M. A. Kelly and Lee Millar. Both Ditrichsteln and the author were called upon for speeches by the enthused audience. "Under False Pretenses" goes Into the La Salle theatre. Chicago, Mon- day, after playing Fort Wayne, Ind. OrUl QUEEN O' HEARTS Toledo, Oct. 4. Toledo theatre fans and critics liked Nora Bayes' bright .and new musical comedy, "Queen o' Hearts," which played three performances here Friday and Saturday. It is In Detroit this week. The fascinating Nora has a mu- sical comedy that is big stuff—full of pep, beautiful girls, gorgeous cos- tumes and attractive stage settings. Plenty of song hits, which Mlas Bayes and her talented company possess the ability to get across to best advantage. A marked contrast to mueical comedies of 1921 is seen in the dis- appearance of short skirts and bobbed hair. The Bayes show Is strictly up-to-date and details taken care of meticuously. Arthur Uttry. whose voice blends harmoniously with Miss Bayes' rich contralto, Is leading man. FYanker Woods, comedian, and Georgia and Alabama, blackface, regaled their Toledo audiences with continuous and sparkling wit. The dancing of Edna Hibbard. ingenue, stood out. The rest of the cast was emcier.t. OriU. =CSB as ter, an hitherto unknown factor, and it la her love that brings the old and forgotten memories and eventually drives him back to the seafaring life, with the girl as his companion and devoted admirer. There are some splendid character parts, especially la the prolog, wh«re Herbert Belmore, Daisy Qel- more and Lionel Pape do bits bf memoraible credit. . Bchen9r. HER HAPPINESS Washington, Oct. 4. Marin MarelM ...Bmma Dunn Max Masarlue.... Sydn^r Qreeaatreet Homa Ann Winston Lloyd Nlchola... ..Don Borrouyha Mr«. Nichols .'Helen Strickland Bobby Mason Udwln Barry Martin Qulnn Wm. A. Norton Tinka Paiiatott Blsl« Frederic Hoy Smith Joaopb Balrd Jess Smith Marlon Dyer Klmer Jonra Edwin NelMon Kitten Jones Anna Hill Angelo, a waiter Paul Doucet Antonio, a waiter R. M. D'Angelo Rodnlpho, hat boy Oscar Prlmaiera An Italian Dlnor Rodolfo Badalonl Harold Kin^sley Clement O'Loghlen Rosalie Mttlonelte Margaret Conlon KIber Martin Jas. Mnhart Martha Knight Dorothy Dawn Dlnera. Masiciana, Walters, eta FALSE PRETENSES Toledo, Octf 4. If Ben Hecht's new three-act Comedy drama. "Under False Pre- tenses," starring the distinguished Leo Ditrichsteln, is as/Sucres.sful in Chieago as it appeared at the Saxon Auditorium Sept. 28, a long metro- FAITHFUL HEART Atlantic City, Oct» 4. PROLOG UK. 1890 OeorKi» Herlx^rt Belmore Miaa Gatt'-rscomb Daisy Belmore M;*Jor I.cstrade Lionel Pape ri'.HCky r;ora Sheffield Waverly Ango Tom Ne^blit Glnser Geraldlna O'Brien THK PLAY Twenty, Years Later Sera:?. Major Brahazon K<l\vnrd Poland PrIvHto Mitchan Pflter Gardner Lieut. Co!. Waverly Anso Tom Nesbitt Ki\^ar Ruckliitm George Thorpe Diatia Ou^btfr^on Daisy Markhnm Blacky II VU,r.\ Sliejli^ui Pfitchard Fredeilck Howe Georce Herbert Belmore Hoots Jean Hawthorne polltan run may be anticipated Master of humor, dialog, satire. ' present stage Insinuation and drmna, Hecht, Chi- « "The Faithful Heart" is a story of cag(< newspaperman and author of unfaithfulness and later requitnl. I'Erik Dorn," has embodied into his] "The Faithful Heart" is himself play comedy and somber drama with a skill that captivates. The artistry of Ditrichsteln seems to be the thing that will carry it to pop- ularity. The play starts out as a comedy, the first act being crammed with clever speeches, breezy lines and ambiguous dialog. Descending to vaudeville hokum and farce, the second act shows signs of weakness, but the equilibrium of the play is maintained by the straight comedy cf the third. The theme Is built about the ef- fective philanderings of a clever phrase-maker, "A presbyterian Don Juan." who plays with fire but al- ivays escapes the penaltj'—except having hia phrases continually -thro\\n baek at him by a number of Xemlnino votaries. Diyiehstein's portrayal of Felix Tarbeli; the lead- ing character, was brilliant and ho was recalled repeatedly. Supporting Ditrichsteln Is an ex- cellent cast, including Maidel Turn- er. CJustav Bowhan, Clydo Veaux. Maude Ilannaford, Catherine Car- ter, Knrlo Mitchell. Albert Mor- rison.' Mnry Duncan, Aloxls Poll- One part, even If that part be a remarkably good one and as remark- ably well portrayed, cannot always make a play. Emma Dunn's per- formance as Marin MarelU in the premier showing of Paul Wllstach's play at the Shubert-GarrIck Mon- day can be placed among those few really worth-while portrayals that can be termed "brilliant," and It was only her performance that held those out front and arou.sed a burst of genuine approval at the close of each act. There is never for a moment a thrill of suspense; each situation rdveals Itself before It occurs. For Instance, when the manager hurries his new And out of Mamma Marelli's restaurant in a basement in New York, this new And being a beautiful woman, and this aforesaid manager finds out who owns the restaurant, well, the whole story Is disclosed— you know that this same manager has "done treated someone wrongly" In the past and that someone is Marelli. Marelii Is bound to save the girl. She tells you that at the end of the first act. Naturally the manager by the simple expedient of getting his new victims mail, whom he Is pro- moting as an opera singer, and by sending unsigned letters to the mother of a young chap of a wealthy family in England telling the family of the love of the boy for the opera singer and defaming her character. The cast-off one, who, when she falleff as a singer, Mazarine leaves penniless, after causing her to de- sert h^r husband and young baby, does succeed, however, in reaching the girl, and the minute they begin talking you know that in the new singer is the daughter of Marelli that was deserted so many years ago. This scene between mother and daughter, the denial of the mother and the longing to take her child into her arms held only be-> cause it was Miss Dunn doing the mother. It follows that the manager and Marelli have the next scene. He sort of "flabbergasts" the mother with all sorts of threats, but the final act finds the mother the win- ner, the manager signing the con- tract to release the girl to save his face and taking a check for $20,000 from Marelli that she had gotten from a star boarder who had lived in her house for some steen years for |15 a week, which, coupled with a daily contact with some political organization, makes it possible for him to have the $20,000 when needed. While Marelli is disposing of his check and arranging other people's happincs^ which Is her happiness, the convenient boarder, of whom you have seen little or nothing. Is on his way for a mar- riage license. It Is truly regrettable that the play is not stronger, it gives Miss Dunn such splendid opportunities. An Italian, her accent excellent", creating monienls of emotionalism of the broad sort, the kind all artists seem to enjoy playing, and, inci- dentally, all audiences enjoy seeing. As for the balance of the cast there Is no room for complaint, bnt as to the reasons for George M. Oatts, the producer. In selecting Sydney Grecnstrcet to play the vil- very weak for the larger portion of ' lain manager, other than the fact Naturally suspicious of plays that come of the strictly "popular" Eng- lish sort, It was ratlicr surprisingly pleasant to find .«?uch an agreeably flni.*<hed performance of Monckto'h Hoffes "The Faitliful Heart" at the Apollo Monday. On learning further the cast had never seen the scenery until that afternoon, the straightforward man- ner of their acting was still more to be remarked, and the quality of the little comedy-drama with its deep human touch was still more to be thought of. Aside from the story—of which more hereafter—the piece drew at- tention to the plain, sincere acting of Tom Nesbitt and the really Hash- ing inspiration that swept along with the bright eyes and quivering mouth of Flora Sheffield. Mr. Nesbitt hails back to the days of "Mary Rose" when he played that double role in the Barrie story—a part more evasive than that of this new play, which requires Kim to be a sailor, a soldier, a gentleman and a sea captain, all In one evening— certainly not in any way a meagre assortment of parts for one actor. Ml.ss Sheffield certainly never be- fore had the brilliance of promise that spoke from her scenes of sup- pression. She, too, had a double role. In the prolog, in reality a first act, she was above the average as the young sweethearL living in fear and hope of motherhood. In the further scenes, as the outcast daughter who for seventeen years htis known her illegitimacy and then finds her father and comes to love him greatly, she convinced us that the promise of greatless lay within her grasp, allowing always that j great heights are obtainable on our BROADWAY REVIEWS THE LADY IN ERMINE Colon*! Balovar Walter Woolf Count Baltraml Harry Fender BaroQ SprotU-Sprottl Ifnacio Martlnetl Isolanl Robert Callejr Stoffan Ttntotby Daley Dottal..•••■..... Detmar Poppen Biuanl Nail Bvanc M1 rko Murray Mlnahart Suitanfl Robert Wool««y Hopnla. ••.>•••••.••.««•••••.... ICarle Burke Roalna Helen Shlpman Angelina ^« t Gladys Walton Mariana Wllda Benattt the play. The tale begins In 1899 with setting and costumes of that period. It Is the sitting room of an Inn at Southampton, frequented by sailors. It is kept by a jolly, appar- ently onco good-mannered woman of generous avolrdupol«~and a ten- dency for toddy. She toddles with a shaky old major, who evidently spends liberally at the bar, and she has two nieces who seem to be keeping rather remarkable reputa- tions for the nondescript class of frequenter.s. Then there Is a young mate who has fallen in love with the younger niece. It Is the ."tailor who .starts th<» story and whose love for the Rirl, who ha.'' committed her first Indiscretion for lilm. m akes him momiae to come out by back Skip twenty yenrs to the end of the war and find th'» s.iilor :j^-c<>lonel in command of some potty rich loafer."!, all about to be disbanded. He is himself In lovo with the rich sister of one of hla underlings and is floundering between pride and prosperity at their command. Into the scene comes his daugh- that the rotund figure of Mr. Green street suggests a self-indulgent manager, no satisfactory explana- tion can be offered. This actor gives a splendM performance—he couldn't do otherwise—but he has been identified for such a lengthy period with comedies that you are expecting something along these lines from him every minute. This does not mar his performance, though. |i Helen Strickland as the mother of the boy is deserving of particu- lar mention; only a bit, but she dominated oven Miss Dunn In tho.se few nrioments. lOlsio Frederic as the companion and tool of Mazerlne, who.sie character was never rounded til" a iM.or, also deserves Iirai.sc, uhi!.^ tl.o C'Ut.'iWndlnrr per* fyrni.inre among the men was thit of Taiil 1)oucet as Angelo, another ► I)it, that of a waiter. The i>ieco Is excellently mounted, the lighting effects being particu- larly effective, the scenes being credited to S. K. Viels. The direc- tion of Tvcster Lonergan is well done ahd although Paul Wllstach failed One of the notable paradoxes of theatrical things Is this—the Shu- berts, whose name fs a by-word for commercialism in amusements, are nevertheless the roost active and the foremost protagonists of art in the American theatre. The 8hu- berts finance Shakespuurean re- vivals, the Shuberts encourage and back grand opera ventures, the 8hu- berts are the last survivors of the regular production and presentation of operettcs. And perhaps their crowning Jewel was unveiled in "The Lady in Ermine" at their magniflcent Am- bassador theatre. Surely this cannot be entirely a money venture. There are 76 people in the cast, six authors and as many composers, a picked ballet—and this In a bouse that seats less than l.<100 people. They can turn more profit at the Winter Garden In a week of fair business, no doubt, than "The L^dy In Ermine*^ can re- turn In a month of the solid capacity that it can scarcely avoid enjoying. It sccnis to be a labor of lovo— at least there Is an element of the urge to do something beautiful and worthy that cannot be mistaken. Perhaps only a boob from Chicago can suspect the Shuberts of altruism, but this one. who has had plenty of personal evidence of their business ability (to say It mildly) must still proclaim that after seeing "The Lady In Ermine" he is of the conviction that the Shuberts have a passion for crystalizing artistic, lotely things on their stages, and that they revel In them without direct reference to the trial balance —some of them, at least. I.<ast season they did "The Rose of Stamboyl," a glorious thing that cost them $100,000. "The Last Waltz" was as meritorious, and as costly. "Maytlme and "Blossom Time" are accounted profitable. Jt is known that this style of enter- tainment today Is the most pre- carious and treacherous. Yet the Shuberts, almost ulone, keep alive the traditional type of legitimate musical productions which were the reigning fashion of decades back. In "The Lady in Ermine" they have surpassed, within the obser- vation of this reviewer, any of their preceding offerings and most of the historical light opera triumphs of any era. In perfection of prepara- tion, sincerity of presentation, pro- digality of cast and ensemble and general spirit of artistry this is their masterpiece. "The Lady In Ermine* 'le being done at Daly's, in London, as "The Lady of the Hose.- We find it hero attuned and revised to American tastes, with the original foreign smack of romanticism intact and the comedy glibly turned to channels In which Americans may find them- selves at home. The Shuberts procured the rights as a starring vehicle for Eleanor Painter, the light opera soprano prima donna under their manage- ment. Miss Painter abandoned the show at the first performance, claiming dissatisfaction with the third act. If that was her true grievance, she lamentably erred in Judgment. Any diva might be proud to play Mariana, with any sort of third act—and this third act, in truth, Is hers, even though she appears only during perhaps the last three minutes. It is an ungallant thing to say of a woman, but she was not mls^d. She has i. more cultured voice fnan Wllda Bennett, who assumed the vole, but surely she could not have given so effective, fascinating and ingratiating a performance as Miss Bennett, who has youth and mag- netic beauty, dramatic fire, the patrician bearing that the role de- mands, and a voice that is quite up to Its most exacting requirements. The outstanding personal triumph of the premiere, however, fell to an- other—Walter Woolf. What Donald Brian was In his palmiest hours, this manly tenor Is every moment In "The Lady In Ermme.'* Ills role Is neither a Prince Danllo nor a I'rince Charming—It Is more of a Sheik, though ho Is a soldier In the fanciful operetta regimentals of accustomea usage. Woolf is a fiery lo\)er and a fiercely passionate player. He puts behind his portrayal a vehemence that Is at once theatrical and Ir- resistible, and that is the more val- uable combination, even, than that of being merely "natural." One goes to a theatre fo be thrilled; iiaturalnr.ss Is not, of itself, thrilling, but It lends plausibility, and with- out that there can bo no delusion and therefore no thrill In a theatre But when an artist can go beyond naturalness and still retain plau- sibility—he causes •uper-thrllls. Woolf does that. He Is a stage hero such aa years had not uncurtained before him. The next Individual honors fell to Helen Shipman. Here is a lovely youngr arlrl in her first Broadway showlnff of any Import, and she amased those who knew her best by a startling success in a soubret role—a real low comedy, though dainty type—wheretis heretofore she had always been seen as an Ingenue of the more subdued musical com- edy order. Her fine voice, her nimble dancing, her lively, big eyes, her radiant personality, all regis- tered until she was actually cheered and "bravaed." Women threw her flowers from boxes. It was a be- wildering hit for a supporting player. Robert Woolsey, In what used to be called a "Frank Norrls" comedy principal role, scored from His entrance to the last. His assurance astd ease were colossal. Hejrot all that the famed James Barton had been SQueesIng out of this brand of characters, and Barton was hailed as a find of many seasons. Gladys Walton, a fleecy youngster, who looks like a miniature of Helen MacKellar, was a Joy, and Harry Fender In a noble little brother bit stood out. Another Indlvldaal ahone forth, one who la rarely "noticed." In the pit was Alfred' Goodman, the Shu- berts 'star leader, though the pro- gram credited Oscar Bradle. Good- man was probablv chosen because of his long service with the baton in the same house for "Apple Blos- soms"; also, he wrote some of th» interpolated tunea in thia show. Goodman's salutary handling of the musicians was plain even to a lay- man. And what music it was, aa his men harmonised It! The score of "The Lady In Ermine." liberally reinforced by an entrancing tuna ("When Hearts Are Young") by Slgmund Romberg, will sweep the country like wlldflre. It has all the Insouciance of "The Merry Widow," with modern touches that make It singable and rememberable today. But the book, atrangely enougji. will go further to establish "The Lady In Ermine" than even Its ex- otic, exquisite music. It la a throb- bing story of a wild young soldier's infatuation for a titled beauty, in whose castle hla troops, enemies, are quartered. And it is not a mild, suggesting narrative —It bristles with violence and ravishment. But it "stands up"; it la a blooded story, not a milk-and-water fairy tale to make high school glrla pant. The credits are aa follows: Book by Frederic Lonsdale and Cyrus Wood, from the original by Rudolph Schanzer and Ernest Wellsch. Lyrics by Harry Graham and Wood; music by Jean Ollb'ert. Rom- berg, Goodman; staged by^ Charles Sinclair; dances and ballot by Allan K. Foster and Jack Mason; stage settings by Watson Barrett (and marvels they are. too, every one), and clothes models by George Stimmel. "The Lady In Ermine" was origi- nally designed and scaled for the vasT"Century theatre. It seems so eye-filling and voluminous at the tidy Ambassador that It would be deplorable If It were moved to a larger house, no matter how tre- mendous its triumph—and tre- mendous It must be. Lait. in his attempt to write a play, th.it appears to be exprod.sly for Miss Dunn, the producer has nhovvn hi.s faith in the manner in which he has presented it. McaKin. LAUDER SHOW Sir Harry Lauder opened another tour at the Lexington. New York, Monday night, Oct. 2. before a typi- cal Lauder house that packed the large theatre. This will be the most extensive tour ever undertaken by the international comedian, under the direction of William Morris. Lauder made his first entrance at 9:42, following five vaudeville acta, and remained until 11:13. when the curtain descended with Lauder leading the house In singing "The Star Spangled Banner." It was an effective finale to an emotional evening. Lauder shed tears In presenting his life-long friend. Colonel Walter-Scott, with a gold fountain pen that had once belonged to the Duke of York. Lauder had auctioned it off for a British war charity at a London benefit. It was purcha.sed by a Scotch Lord, who presented it to Lauder. Sir Thomas Lipton In a st.ige box Was heavily applauded upon arriv- ing, and bowed his acknowledg- ments. In the middle of the I..auder specialty a procession of ushers pre- sented eight floral pieces. The Scotchman sang seven num- bers, breaking each one up with a monolog-. They W'l'- "Sunshir.e o" a Bonnie Las.sie'<< ,*^rnile," "Douj.'hif, the Itaker," ' Thero Is Somcbodv Wailing for Me," "iiella, the Melie o' Dunoon." ".Singing Is the Thin*? to Make You Ch*»vry," and witliout^ music or orchestra accompaniment "Hynm o' Mine" and "Bonnie. Bon- nie Wee." Ho received an ovation from a house that was thrce-qnartMr.H Scotch. His present tour will i?i- ternatlonalizo hia ref)Ulatio;i i"- ' q of tliQ Kr<-at«-Ht f;in!:I<' < • of all lime, for he plana to viait