Variety (October 1922)

-^•v:« "*J Friday, October 13, 1922 ■'^, LEGITIMATE ,> :«►>!»•, 17 It gone. He Immediately notified his v-host and hostess who sent for the police and awakened the other quests. After aleuthingr by the po- lice, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the inspector and decidedly de- plored by the others, De Levis pro- vides an effective curtain py accus- ing Captain Dancy of the theft, to everyone's amasement. In the next scene the racial ele- ment is introduced. Hosjt. hostess and guests assume a chilly attitude toward De Levis, puzzling the audi- ence as to whether cr not he lost the money, and if he did, how annoy- ing and plebian! Toward the end " of the act General Canynge and Major Colford try to persuade De Levis to retract his accusation. He replies that they are resorting to social blackmail and are prejudiced because he is a Hebrew. The following scene is a card room of a very exclusive London club. It had condescended to accept, pre- viously, De Levis as a member, al- though having strenuous objections to Hebrews. Here again General Canynge, Major Colford and sev- eral members try to coerce De Levis Into witlidn^wing hfs charge. They suggest, if he refuses, his xcsigna- tlon will be very v.elcome. He de- clines, saying he is proud of being of his race, and intends to lierslst, despite their clannish and unfair behavior. Dancy is persuadec*. by his friends to stnrt suit for slander-. He rather reluctantly consents. It now becomes obvious Dancy is the culprit, and it develops he is not the angel child his friends and loyal wife supposed. He has a vamp secreted i^omewiierc in his pa^t wlu> needed De Levis' money. The de- nouement happens in the office of his solicitors, when the vamp's father arrives through the offices o? a respectable grocer, one Gilman. who tatties partly through a re- spectable conscience and mostly for the- advertised rew.ard. - The vamp's father admits having the note that Dancy gave the money to his daughter. The solicitors then commit an ethical error by walking out of the case when they find Dancy is guilty (Solicitors are generally supposed to defend the client and not succumb to frigidity of the pedal extremet-ics.) This is a weak point and cannot be one of the i e s in loyaltle?. About this time De Le\l8 called and announced he knows of the case being withdrawn and also that there Is a warrant rampant for Dancy. He does not approve of the warrant and will have no part in the perse- cution. He 13 not malicious, and la now satisfied he has been proved right though he Is not one of them. Dancy's friends advise him to leave the company, while the solicitor drinks his tea out of a saucer (a touch the London public were de- prived of but evidently injected to suit our tastes). Dancy consents to a vacation and kindly thinks of his wife, who has wept through «11 the trial and the previous acts. Acting upon his thought, he confcases and tells her she can have her freedom. She refuses to be separated from him, preferring to accompany him into his exile (possibly because during the scene he assures her she had sup- planted the vamp, which must have been very flattering to a perfectly nice little wife). About the time she arrived at this 'decision the police came. She de- lays in opening the door to them and bids him escape by the window in the next room. She will follow him. After the police en^er there is a BhDt heard from the room Dancy fihould have escaped from, the police open the door and discover Dancy shot through the heart, a note say- ing it Is the only decent thing he can do. All the roles are weakly played with the exception of the fijollcltor's clerk, by Deering Wells, who gave a splendid performance, and doubled In the part of JRobert. James Dale would have given a better perform- ance If he had not seen the original and followed it so closely. This may have been the fault of the producers. It Is generally accepted an Eng- lishman always wears his dress clothes faultlessly. Not true of the Englishman In "Loyalties" at the Gaiety. The club scene, so beauti- , fully done in London and perfect in its atmosphere, is pathetically di^ppointing In New York. It is a great pity that this Inter- esting play Is not done here with the consideration for detail it en- Joyed in London. ON THE STAIRS SwamI Abukevanda Arnold Daly Elas Carroll Francee Anderson Barak Effingham I'fnto Merrltt Lane James C. Crane liUella , Mrs. Chaa. CralR Mr. CroKs; Fuller M»'lllsh ^yeatherby Hennett Southard I'ulhane I.awrenra Roberts Jenkioson Thomaa A. Braldon _. A strange audience turned out for this opening. Sept, 25. Arnohl Daly -Is counted on to draw the swoll.s, and there was a sprinkling of dross clothes. There was alrfo an cle- ment of serious-looking and be- spectacled persons who pi'rhap.«» took It for granted that Daly would do something "worth while," may- be even something that was a pro- Jest against that as.sailed Institu- tion, the "commercial theatre." It was not one of those openings whero one recognizes many faces—and one who goes to many New Tork open- ings can greet almost any one who goes to any. To the utter chagrin of the de- votees of the sombre arts, and to probably the inexpressible amaze- ment of the gowned and swallow- tailed, Mr, Daly cut loose in a most inartistic, unartful and artless melo- drama of the most banal eleven- twenty-two-thlrty-three type. For uplift It was about as elevating as a yellow-back crime story, and it was hard to say whether It was written by Nick Carter or Lincoln J. Inside gossip was to the effect that Mr. Daly had rewritten the piece to suit himself. If it suited him he was alone—as he usually is in his theatrical aspects. William J. Brady, owner of tlie theatre, had advertised that he personally guar- anteed Mr. Daly's presence. This was written seriously. But he ap- peared. He appeared to the most pronounced disadvantage In his en- tire professional career, but he ap- peared. William J. Hurlbut Is the accred- ited author and Joseph E. Shea the presenter. This combination of- fered 'Lilies of the Field" last year. It Is quite imaginable that Hurlbut wrote a rather acceptable book. The story, theugh a bit 'wild," is co- herent and almost plausible—a story of the type of 'The Bat" and an in- finitely better story. But it takes- far more than a plot to make a play. This one was booted and abused, apparently, until it became a crude, disjointed mess, more creaky than creepy, more mystifying than mys- terious. Daly portrayed a supposed Hindu seer. It was detectable almost im- mediately that he was a fake and a crook, in truth it was detectable Just which fake and crook he was. As a crook he was a worse fake than as a seer. His makeup was that between a mulatto and a "high brown," about as Julian Eltingc did it in the Cohan-Harris minstrels. It took all the expression out of the usually eloquent and mobile face of Daly, and somehow did not seem to Jibe with his entire per.sonality. This disappointment of the star to reveal the "form" expected of him, was only the crowning disaster. The entire performance was balky. The scenery and effects and espe- cially the lights were hostile at the most unfortunate moments. The whole thing impressed one as lack- ing preparation, surely as lacking that approximate perfection which a New York opening demands and which is the least that can be tossed to the hungry wolves of precarious cirsumstance that always attend a premiere. The story is of an heiress, loving and loved by a "fine young fellow," who falls under the influence of a Hindu who prates of 'lilgher thought" and "astral spirits" and "the mastery of the psychic." She is about to marry him. He has es- tablished his "study" in an aban- doned house where she was born, where her father was murdered by his foster-brother. That house Is "haunted." It turns out, of course, that the villain is the foster-brother; that the ghost was an electrical shock apparatus he planted on the stairs; that he robbed the neighbors and '"framed" the good young'man, who, being an electrical engineer with the courage of a Hon. exposes and breaks him after he has kidnapped the girl, murdered a detective and gone through the catalogue of wiles and triclcs popularly supposed to be the repertoire of a Hindu wizard, including crystal stuff and mesmer- ism. The ghost effect at the finish was ludicrous. The several shocking scenes were underdone. The one really shocking scene was where Daly and his two fellow thieves came In with shovels, having Just burled the detective's body. This was positively gruesome. Through all of It there ran a creepy impres- sion that It wasn't on the level—and no more was It The performance was as good as could have been expected. Francee Anderson as the girl showed streaks of dramatic power, but was per- sonally not prepossessing enough for the eye. Margaret Dale, a beautiful woman, gave a characterization that was free and lifelike, but her spon- taneity may have been inspired by the fact that she wasn't sure of her lines and was improvising desper- ately. Otherwise It was common- place or worse. TLalf. and presumably Ktage4 by the play- wright whose reputation as a stage director Is better known than that of a stage scrivener. Is termed a romantic play in four acts. It for- gets to mention the prolog that is thrown In for good measure. It Is spoken by Whitford Kane, who harks the audience back to the lat- ter part of the eighteenth century, the action transpiring over a span of London, Sept. 20. •Secrets" fs one of those plays years, with 1778 and 181S as the ex-bhat. If offered the average theatrl- tremes It Is laid In Dublin, England and Prance, the British setting mainly. Necessarily a costume play, it auto- matically conjjsres up a scene of theatrical arnflciality which, for all of Rollo Peters' appropriate scenic and costume investiture, can- not help but impress as stagey In these days of realistic theatrical fare. At the same time a sense of quaint charm hovers about this tale of the theatre. Dolly Bland, to be later known in the theatre as Dolly Jerdan (Joseph- ine Victor, who Is featured in the cast), at the age of 18 becomes the object of persecution by the ogling Richard Daly, of the Theatre Royal, Dublin. Daly gives the girl her first histrionic opportunity, but decries her "untractability" In complying to his demands and desires. Daly has advanced the girl some sums of money and threatens her with con- finement In the "debtors' prison." This is a bludgeon that is held once or twice more over the heroine's head in the course of the action, and a term that is interpreted as dire and sinister In its consequences with talk of "rotting in prison" un- less Thus our virtuous heroine Is forced to capitulation, although Richard Ford, a gentleman (he would be called a "John" nowadays), offers a way out through honorable marriage after certain complications in the family affairs are straightened out. Dolly refuses, but when the king's officer presents himself with a \*-ar- rant Ford comes to the rescue, and the heroine in gratuity accepts the proposal. Eleven years later Ford and Dolly are still unmarrried and the former is still waiting for the family tangles to straighten them- selves and permit honorable union. The story is quickly advanced, with Ford's betrayal of her to the sailor prince In exchange for a title. H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence, too, of- fers a morganatic marriage pro- posal, which advances the action from 1790 to 1815. In the 25-year interim Dolly's daughter has mar- ried a good-for-nothing scapegrace. Edward March, who has appropri- ated notes and money for his selfish purposes. This implicates Dolly, who again faces the muchly dreaded debtors' prison. The Prince, accord- ing to his solicitor-companion, can do nothing. He is a pauperized scion of royalty, and Dolly's sole salvation is flight to France, the Duke of Clarence promising pardon when that becomes feasible. How- over. Dolly has promised to appear this very night at the benefit of her old theatrical manager, who, too, is down on his u^ipers. Evidently the risk Is safely weathered by Dolly, the last scene finding her in ^t. Cloud, near Paris, where an old amour comes to visit her Just before the storm-tossed Dolly succumbs. Miss Victor plays with due feel- ing, accomplishing much In impres- sing the character of a Virtuous woman whose generous Impulses and trust in human nature prove responsible for her tragic betrayal. The support Is excellently handled by Langhorr Burton, Alphonz Ethler. Whitford Kane, Adelaide Zeile, Vernon Kelso and others. FOREIGN REVIEWS SECRETS cal manager for production, would be rejected. It Is so simple in con- struction It would require a consid- erable amount of imagination to picture its stage presentation in a manner that would sustain the in- terest of playgoers. In form it is built on the lines of "Romance," and as that btt of theatrical sentiment was sensationally successful on both sides of the water, there is no reason to believe "Secrets" will enjoy a le»s felicitous fate. The piece opens with a prolog that Is supposed to take place in 1922. It is the dressing room of Sir John Carlton in his house in Lon- don. Sir John is 77 years old, and believed to be dying. His four chil- dren have beeh unable to persuade DOLLY JORDAN Mrs. niand Marlon Abbott Mr. .Swan Whitford Kane Mr. Illchard Daly Walter KinRhani I>olly Jordan Josephine Victor Mr. Tate Wilkinson Alphonz Kthler (".porge Inohbald Hartley I'ower Mrs. Roblnaon Adelaide Zelle Mrs. Smith Catherine Calhoun I>oucet Mr. Hob»>ea John H(»Kera Mr. Hichard Ford Vernon Kelso A Call Hiiy fJeorKlo Ryan A How .Street Runner Kevitt Manion Miss Sketchley Shirl.-v (ialo K » e n Ji l l Mi.T.TIof„n Hon. William Halley Charles K.'*)ii|.- Duke of Clarence I^inKhorr:e Murton Landlord Handd S'liain?li<n»y Mr. IMward Mar'li liiirdt'tte K.ipp* m Mr. John Uartu-^ Rfgina d < arrinKion Jeanetto ... ^, Donise C-rdoii "Dollvo >;ot^'»"." which Jphn Cort bowed in^\o'^ly's (the rcchristened 63d St. Mu^Ol Hall) Oct. 3 reeks as strongly of tiie theatre as did the theatre interior itself of its several new coats of paint and gilt. The piece, authored by-B. Idea Payne INSPECTOR GENERAL Xhe barest recounting of the plot of the delightful comedy Maurice Schwartz presented at bis Yiddish Art theatre downtown Sunday (Oct. 8) will probably precipitate the thought that the mistaken Identity theme, which forms the basis of the opus. Is only suited to tickle the risibilities of unsophisticated Yid- dish theatre patrons; that even for American vaudeville the idea has long outlived its vi^elcome. As a matter of fact the idea Is trite and to some extent obvious in denoue- ment, but It is ingenious none the less, which, coupled with the casting that is as near perfect for mortal man to accomplLsh and the direction that is superb, fully deserved the super- enthusiastic plaudits accorded It at the premiere by an unusually smart ass»emblage. N. Gogol is the author of the "Revisor" ("The Inspector General"), staged by Vladimir Vis- kovsky. of the Moscow Theatre "Korsch." It is tho Russian's pre- miere American production, and judging from the product there Is a field awaiting him In Yiddish tlio- atredojnfi. Tho Kt4try }« sliKht, l>ut tJi<' inl.-r- pr<l;»tioii i.s well iiif;h unsurpiis.Mahlr. Tho action is laid nn a corrui)t Jtus- i<\iiu proviiuiijl town with tho pub- lic olllcial.s oxi>ocling the arrival of un important olll'lal. According to tho piivrrnor he i» traveling on an in.spoction tour. So, when JVIaurico .SL'huartz vi.s a poor joung ni.in hit» the town, lie i.s Imriu'dlat'.My taken up by llio town.sfolk auii olTicial.s, Ho I.s v.iiicd and dined and bribed promiscuously, welcomed with all the splendor and pomp becoming one of hii supposed importance and to any ministrations on the part of the nurses. lAdy Carlton Is finally persuaded to take a nap in an arm- chair, but before doing so there arises a discussion on marriage. The doctor says in his profession he necessarily comes Into contact with all kinds of marriages—good ones, ugly ones, all sorts. Every sepa- rate marriage was a mystery— every marriage had Its own secrets. Lady Carlton goes to sleep, and it is obvious that the epilog, which is also dated 1922, will reveal her awaking from her slumber. Act I, dated 186S, shows Lady Carlton as a girl of 18 at the home of her parents, secretly in love with a young clerk In her father's office. Her parents discover tho affair; her father discharges the young man, and the girl is to be shipped off to an aunt and uncle In Scotland, or some other remote place. She elopes with her lover, and they go to America. A^t II finds them domiciled In a shack in Wyoming, the exact an- tithesis of her gentle rearing, but designed to show the courage of the woman in clinging to her man. The house is attacked by horse thieves, and in order to save her husband she kills one of the intruders. The third act Is dated 1888, With her husband, now a wealthy man, knighted and on the .way to a peerage. She Is still the demure, obedient little wife, and when her parents come to tejl her of reports of an im^jending divorce scandal, in which her husband is to be named as co-respondent, she surprises them by telling them she know all about it. The "woman in the ease" calls on her, is surprised to find she knows fc Very thing, and In the midst of this scene her husband comes in, and she demands that he give her the details of ail his piccadlllos. It winds up in hl.'i telling her that de- spite his unfaithfulness she Is the only woman he lover or has over loved, or will ever love, and she sugr gests that they begin all over again. He calls te her in his familiar way: "Mary, come here, I want you," whereupon she is obedient, as usual. From the standpoint of drama. It Is not a play, but It is a superior attainment, and as played by Fay Compton, as Lady Carlton, and Leon Quartermr' e, as the husband, with a magnificent supporting ca.st, It Is an excellent entertainment. Judging by the first night's audi- ence, It scored oni of the biggest successes recorded in London in a long time. The piece was written by Rudolf Besler and May Kdginton, and was produced by J. B. Vedrenne at the Comedy Sept. 7. The American rights were disposed of before Its presentation here, and if cast with equal care on the other side should prove a very good piece of property In the states. JoJo. THE SMITH FAMILY) London, 8ept. 1. Edward Laurillard presented af the Empire Sept 6 a hodge-podgt production called "The Smith Fam« lly." The book Is by Clifford Grey, Stanley Logan and Philip Page, with additional scenes by Wal Pink. The lyrics are by Mr. Grey, and the music by Nat D. Dyer, with addi* tlonal numbers by Rudolph Nelson. The book is produced by Stanler Logan, with numbers staged by Gua Sohlke. The authors started out with a very good idea. It always was good, and has been utilised many times to advantage. Ed Wynn made cap* ital of It originally as a vaudeville act In America. In this version it their mother rest, she ' personally, >, . ..^.^ ^- . «....i« u«,ii «.»i-«. nursing Sir John day and night, andTi* the story of a music hall artist the old man querulously objecting rank, and installed In a fine suite in the gubernatorial home. The In- congruity Is further contrasted by the antithesis a short while preced- ing when the village inn keeper re- cused him a meal. The denouement occurs at the be- trothal party of the governor's daughter to the pseudo-official. The corrupt postmaster has opened a letter disclosing our hero's true identity, but his hunch-backed ser- vant warns him just In time. The arrival of the real inspector on the scene makes an eloquent ^ablcau conclusion. Tho casting is of such average high par that individual mention is HUperfiuous. althoufjh Munie Welz- erifreud as the servant stood out ex- cellently in his character role. Abel T.otils Wcrba, who Is returning to the producing field, will open with "iJarnum Was Right," tho piece being scheduled for premiere Nov. C at Springfield, Mass. It was written by I'hilip Bartholomae. In the cast are Arthur Ayle.sworth, Roots Woo.stor, Lllyan Taslimai^. Kdna May Oliver, Charles Laite, Ruth Hammond, Joseph Striker, T. J. Corrlgan, Nancy Lee, Robert Thome and William F ottkU, who advertll^es he is the funniest man in the world. The King of Hylaria has a eon who has never lauKied since he was bom. and Is ' in a >ery serious mental and phys- ical condition. The royal family enlist the services of the alleged comedian, agreeing to his demand for millions to excite the Crown Prince's risibilities. Thia excellent premise for a mu- sical extravagansa was utilised to great advantage In "The Smith Family." but only in the first act. There, as a sort of anti-climax, the Crown Prince emits peals of laugh- ter before the first act is over, leav- ing little er nothing for the audi-* ence to wait for eXbeptIng musical nun^bers and specialties. As a con- sequence, the piece is distinctly un- even and sags away in the last halt relieved only by the work of the members or the cast with their in- dividual specialties. In other words. the plot is all over before the cur- tain falls on the first act. Sohlke's staging of the numbera stands out effectively; Ayer's muslo Is crudely reminiscent of classic and recent popular successes. Harry Tate Is the principal comedian, and Connie Edlss Is his feminine proto- type. They extract considerable humor out of their anaemic roles. with 'Mr. Kennedy" scoring strongly with a George Robey make- up In a "grouch" character that is mostly pantomimic. A newcomer to London is Billy Caryll, as the Crown Prince. He Is said to have been discovered in one of the ob- scure i>rovihclal towns, and will probably establish himself as an important West End comedian. Ella Retford sustained an exuberant sou- bret role most effectively, Mabel Green sang sweetly, and Phyllis Bedells contributed a brilliant pre- miere danseuse specialty in the sec^ ond act. "The Smith Family" Is expen- sively produced, but Its success ia doubtfuL Jolo, J LE LASSO Paris, Sept. 25. Lugne Poe has successfully in/* augurated his Independent Malson de rOeuvre by producing the threa- act piece of. Batty-Weber, a subject of Luxemburg. In "The Lasso" the author tries to teach us we cannot escapo from the call of the blood, thus posing a social problem which may raise discussion In local lit" erary circles. The second act is by much the best, the third being weak. Roger Imagines hims If a sort of superman, strong enough to live aa he pleases. The death of his father, who he soon learns has committed suicide because he had robbed hia employer, Johnson, to pay the debts of his son Henri, makes Roger still more resolved to follow his own doctrines and keep out of the fam- ily lasso. He accepts, aft' hesita- tion, a position with his late father's employer, the deciding element be- ing Marthe, a childhood companion he loved, who Is working as sten- ographer with the firm. Johnson is casting more than fatherly attention on his girl secretary and offers his protection, which she declines. Marthe's brother Houblon Is a crony of Roger's brother Henri, both young crooks always out of an hon- est Job but ever ready for a shady one. Houblon is In a tight corner and needs a large sum of money to leave the country. He constrains his sister Marthe to procure the funds, and she asks Roger for the loan. The energetic young lover, albeit strictly honest hitherto, decides to rob his firm, and while in tho act is confronted by his brother Henri, there with the disreputable Houblon on a similar errand. There is a vio- lent eeene, wherein Roger oomparet* their pre.'?ont action to "the call of the blood" (their father also having robbed In a moment of woakneps), and h«; tlion shoot.s himself. He bc- lieven that Marthe will appeal for the money and give her.self to their employer John'^on in order to save her brother. Roger recover.'?, but Hrnrl In the meanwhile has let himself be ac- cused of hiving attempted the rob- bery and shot his brother when dlis- turbed. He die.** in prison. Whea Roger leatna nf fht« annrlflnA