Variety (October 1922)

Friday, October 20, 1922 LEGITIMATE ^ *■: 17 'Ci BROADWAY REVIEWS \l. CHAUVE^OURIS (Third Program) NIklta BalieflP, Morris Gest, P. Ray Comstock et al. preflented the third nrocram of the Russian company hailing from the Bat theatre, Mos- cow via Paris and London, at the Century Roof, which Is Broadway's theatre Ruase. Oct. 10. The third premiere of the imported novelty drew as classy an audience as for the Initial debut at the 49th Street theatre more than nine months ago. Names prominent In the social reg- ister, the art world and the theatre were the Invited guests of Gest, the master showman who brought •'Chauve-Sourls" here on specula- tion, announced it for just 30 per- formances at $5.50 top, and put over the surprise hit of two seasons. That |5 admission scale that went for the little 49th Street, went for the bigger capacity roof and still goes. There was not a show- man in the country who believed it could*be done for so long a stretch, with Gest no more certain of It than the others- But It Is now "the thing" to go to "Chauvc-Sourls"; and the latest program will bring all the intelll- gensla, the art bugs and the amaz- ing number of the average play- goer who has heard about^the show all over again. Gest sajd he would draw them up to the Century and proved he knew something, even though it was the summer when he moved uptown. He said he'd stay a year, which didn't sound easy. Now It looks certain for a greater run at the $5 thing. There will be a record for Broadway to shoot at— a year at $6.50 top admission. On the evening after the i»remlere Of the third bill the house was very close to capacity. Balleff (pro- nounced Baloef) was batting better than .300. Gest says he Is the only one of his kind in existence. "Con- ferencler" is the term describing BaliefT's field. Balleff says a con- ferencler is a person who gives the audience a rest from the artists and the artists a rcst.from the audience. But Nikita makes his work an art. He is a post adept person In con- tilng an audience. Ho Is demure enough to advise his audiences he is flattering them* They know It, ad- mit it and like it. More than that they really enjoy it, because after all, Balleff has a lot of stuff, as Gest says, only Gest says it in a more or less highbrow way. Nikita trains his audiences, doing In the "Chauve-Sourls" way what Blanche Ring used to do in vaude- ville with "Yip." Balleff had a poem he wanted to recite—with the help of his "customers." He ex- plained that to do It effectively the right side of the house must call "Bravo" when signaled, the center bunch to yell "Hoorah," and the left to sing out "Help." And there was a lot of noise on those signals aided by the full-rigged crew of per- sona who sell the various knick- knacks and refreshments at inter- mission. Yet there was noticed hearty response from those who paid for admission in the coin of the realm. The new "Chauve-Sourls" Is the most artistic of the series. There may not be quite the popular con- tent yet from a production stand- point it is much ahead of the first two shows and there is a higher plane of performance by the play- ers, that doubtless being the result of a confidence their work is ap- preciated. Some of the new num- bers are splendid porlralts, perhaps too much extended at times, which accounts for the show running jrver- tlme. The nicety with which the numbers are timed has been one of the contributing features of "Chauve-Sourls." By now the show is running to an 11 o'clock finale. The outstanding hit of the lighter numbers on the new program Is that which welds the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and "Katln- ka," They are, the two popular numbers and date from the original bill. Balleflf said that If the com- bined number was liked, the audi- ence would be invited to the christ- ening of the progeny of Katlnka and the wooden soldier captain in the new program- The two bits are brought together by having the soldier wooing Katinlia, whoso parent.s are opposed to the match but ulio Euccumb when the cap- tain's "company" of six "men" parade Into the scene. That was one numbor demanding "Jincore" and conceded by Balielf. It was pro.:?rammed "Kallnltu's Unexpected Konianoe." Most of the settings were by S. Soudeikino, the p.ime artist who desifined tlio "Itevue Hu.s.se," which recently opened at the IJooth, New York. The aettinK.s have been car- ried (,Mt in "Cliauve-Souris" so much better that that factor miy be tal;en to Fhf>w \\\c .suprri'>r:ty over the oj)po.siti(.n llus-inn .show in all (I'parlnu'ntH. ••M;irll)orou,'?l) tiOi!^ t o th Q W i iPti" hi one of tho Balleff in the brown robea of a monk. He did not warble but was merry, seated upon a cask with a bottle and wine glass in his hands. Balleff's "bit" was an amujing fea- ture. The number was the only one using procession props, whereas In "Revue Russe" several numbers were so framed. "The Minuet" taken from a tale of de Maupassant counted as the best of the numbers yet given by the company wherein old charac- ters are portrayed. An o!d ballet master suddenly comes uppn Cas- trl, the creator of the minuet, and they attempt to dance It as they did in their youth. Two tough names were programmed for the number, done ^y Mme. Deykar- hanova and Mr.'Gorodetsky. "Sa- murai" was portrayed by one of the most gutteral of all the imported monickers, the same being Kot- schetovsky. Balleff kidded about it and rolled it out t • the envy of those who think they knew some- thing about vodka language. "Su- mural" is a Japanese warrior and the Impersonation was perfection In make-up. The player was dis- closed la a Japanese cabinet from which he stepped for his dance. The same player got a hand for his i Inpr syntheiic hi r.ian ii !' . as "Trepak," a Russian popular dance ! without this the Robots would soon given later. j die out However, the wife of the The "Chinese Billikens" may have , manager has thoughtfully burned it been planned as a porcelain bit but some hours before. The Robots really was a comedy number. Four i wait until the meeting has had Its men squatted upon a platfomT as I say In parliamentary fashion and tiorcelaln figures. Their heads find ' then drop In and shoot them all ex Implication. Rossum'a Universal Robots (R. U. R.) are synthetic human beings turned out by an enormous factory. They are, how- ever, withont propulsive will and obey the orders of mankind explic- itly. To the factory, which lies on a distant Island, comes an attractive human girl. She wishes to make the lot of the Robots easier; Instead she Is convinced of their Insensibil- ity and marries the manager of the ; factory. Ten years later human beings have horribly misused tho Robots; they have even made soldiers of them and unspeakable wars have , been fought; they have supplanted i all manual laborers with them, and \ mankind stands before the threat i of extinction. Moreover, the still sentimentally-inclined wife of the manager has Influenced the head of the experimentaly department of the factory to create numerous Robots of a mentality really equal or supe- I rlor to man. ( These lead the Inferior Robots In a successful revolt against man- kind. Only the handful of human . beings on the Island are left, and ; they have already been surrounded as the second act curtain falls. The third act consists chiefly of long-winoed discussions between the besieged. It seems their only weapon would have been the In- j ventor Rossum's formula 'Tor mak synthetic hi r.ian *' if you've ever seen a play well done In Prague or Berlin, you'll know what 1 mean; If not, I'm afraid we'll have to leave It at that. Traak (Berlin). >•»■ ■: TO LOVE cept one old man, a builder, whom they allow to live, since he has, like the Robots, worked with hia hands. ^ In the epilog, one year later, the old man has been seeking unsuc hand.s projected and from the little fingers of each a long finger nail was attached. They sang some sort of a ditty and at times thrust out their tongues. Another comedy i bit was labelled "The Night Idyl." \ cessfully to rediscover the formula Meowing cats all but broke up the for manufacturing Robots; he Is in flirtation of a couple when the' despair as he (and the author) lover attempted to serenade his i cannot face the thought of a world t win- without Robots. "If not humans, ' let us at least have Robots,", he sweetheart from the garret dow. "Scenes from Life In Little Russia" was a lively ensemble number, the program explaining It was an Incident of a wife who proved unfaithful to her drunkard husband. Explanations of the numbers was given In the program for most of the numbers for the first time, but that in no way in- truded on Balleff's field. The new "Chauve-Sourls" opened with a "dramatic poem" called "The Fountain of Bakhchl-Sarai," the action occurring In the harem of a Tartar tribe chieftain. One of the wives, envious of the chief's at- tention to a Polish princess who us sobs. Enter obligingly a young male and female Robot In the.gripes of calf love. The old builder tests them for the human sentimental- j Itles—they have them all. It Is eyl- Ident that the Robots are going to ' reproduce themselves in the old- fashioned human mahner. "Go forth, Adam and Eve" (or words to that effect), gurgles the old man. Curtain. There Is undoubtedly a lot of ex- cellent satire scattered through the dialog; the analogy between the Robots and the factory workers of today Is a scathing Indictment of TjOVs and romance, the falsity of momentarily-thought love and the fomantlclty that develops with ma- turity, even though held In secret ahd in bonds, besides the pergonal popularity and the following of Grace George, will have to decide the future of "To Love" In Netr York for a run. It's a short cast for this unconven- tional exposition of the triangle, aa written by Paul Gerardy for the French people, who enjoy their drama When It Is most complicate around a lover's nest, and the same Geraldy wrote "The Nest," produced In New York last season. Miss George as Helene In th*e re- named "Amier" standi between Norman Trevor as Henri, her hus- band, and Robert Warwick as Chal- lange. In a role akin to what we know as a male vamp and ofttlmes called a rharer. Ti)ere are two other names of value to any play, and In addition to Miss George they may furnish their own drawing powers at the BlJou, where the William A. Bradey-produced play opened Tues- day. I With a brief cast and a brief stopy, there must be much dialog without action, and there is. It may sound preachy or sermony or may be a preachment, which ever way accepted by those unromantlc and out of the love race. But the idea ; and the Intrigue, the impulsive love- ; making of Challange and Its resist- ' ance by Helene, her final capitula- tion to the Impulsiveness, her inde- cision and request for a final fhat , with her husband, her revocation of a lover for a husband, may strike a ! chord, and a strong one, with many I women who will want to see and , hear this play. That is its po.ssl- i blllty and. possibly, probability. j What men may think of It is going to be Immaterial. The story If described in the re- I views In the dallies may tell its fate j In very quick order, for there is no criticism to be made of the playing. I Miss George is splendid, her sup- port Is perfect, and Mr. Brady can ' await the answer. He has done his share. Smith (Detroit). toire, wero followed by a medley of Broadway hits in the duet. Max Hoffman, Jr, and Norma-' Torrlss did two dancing specialties . that landed solidly. Miss Tcrrlss was a charming addition to the cast of princli)als .as a designing maiden who has her eye on the $200,000. Young Hoffman led several numbers and worked with an Infectious enthusiasm. They are from vaude- ville also. Another vaudeville teamjof sing- ers and dancers who found favor were a colored mixed double. Georgia Brown and Eva Taylor. Miss Tay- lor as a maid had many funny lines, while here partner gleaned several as an office and Pullman porter. Their "My Highbrow Fling." a song and jazz eccentric dance dou- ble, pulled them out for t)iree en- cores. To Richman went one of the song hits of the second act, "Tom Tom," a jazzy number with the chorus jazzing and doing a slow shimmy that wowed. "Dear Little Glrle" by Miss Bayes was illustrated by an allegory that brought the chorus girls on in ec- centric costumes descriptive of tho "lesson of life." Edna Hlbbard was a cute ingenuo and Lorln Raker, an Ernest Truex > type of juvenile with the trade-^ marked mustache, completing an excellent cast. • "The Queen o* HearU" is a pleas- ^ Ing night's entertainment. With a comedy punch It would bo a trumpw Con, has recently been made a victim of the modern capitalist's viewpoint on the harem, stabs her and in pun- ishment is thrown Into the sea. The number was glveh more of production display than ^ythlng yet shown In "Chauve-Souris," but seemed too long. There were 14 numbers In all. Most were color- ful and all effective. A liberal In- termission permitted strolling about In the roomy promenade where the various booths for the sale of the many novelties never fall to do a lively business. Fancy prices at- tain for the knick-knacks compar- able with the gate for admission. There seems little danger that "Chauve-Sourls" caQ be dented by competition. It is a sh^w so well done, so expertly presented and so skilfully guided that U Is In a class by Itself. The third show la con- sidered the beat of the program, i Ibee, R. u. R. <Rowum'« Universal Robot*) By Karel Cap«k. Enslish version by Paul Selver and ^tiigel Playfair. Staged by Philip Mo«iier. SettiDsa and costuinea by Lee Simonson. Marry I>omin. general manager of Ros- sum's Universal Robota. ...Basil Sydney Pull, a Rcibotpss Mary lJon<'Ftoll Marlus, a Robot MyrCland lAVarre Helena Olory *...Kathlene MacDonell Dr. Qall, head of the physiologioaJ and experimental department of R. U. R s .... .'•.William Devcreux Mr. Fabry, engineer general, technical controller of R. U. R John Anthony Dr. Hallemier, head of the Instltu's for I'sychollgical Training of Robots Moffat Johnston Mr. Alquist, architect, head of tha works department of R. U. R.. Louis Calvert Consul Busman, general business man- fijicr of i.. U. K Hinry 'Iravprs Nana Helen West ley Radius, a Robot..........John Rutherford Helena, a Robotess Mary Hone I'rimun, a Robot John Rochi A Servant .Fred« rick Mark First Robot Domls PluffRe Second Robot...r*. Richard CouUdKs Third Robot Bernard Savage ti^ovltio.i, l,a.«(.a .n a historical I'-n^i.'Oi .«!(>ji-. A pnipofj-ion of prop Jii,'.]r..s is ma.le b( iiin<l a wall. I'lCurii.tr the duko ui'on hi.<« hoi.S" fioinqr to tho contc.t, tho'othor liR- ures an«l .'•oMiora. Tho pi oco.-.'-ion is pniipos. (i to pa.s.s n niona.'^torv nnd a .><()rt'of rh->lr rhinit.s tho son^'. t>n one sTde of the stage was soaied From a commercial angle 'the Theatre Guild ha.s got hold of a good piece of j)rop*'rty in this "fan- tastic melodrama" from the Czecho- Slovakian; It should run alonj; nicely at tho (Jarrick for several month.s, and may even justify Its transfer to a Times .square theatre later on. Novelty i.s tln' box otllee api)oaI. but it i.s doubtful whotlier this i.s .sufU- r id t to I .irry it far outt-id' ui' iiiy limits. lUit tho buinnc^.s angle Is not wh(>n one eonsidir.s a i)ri>- labor; the Robot solder stands, of course, for the drafted recruit of the world war; and so on. But a fundanientol thesis Is lacking. It's just the same old story: fo criticize Is one thing, but when it comes to suggesting solutions! If the world today is rotten, if a Robot (social- ist) world would be even worse, then why in Heaven's name get sentimental over the prospect of the cdntlnuatlon of human life? Sadly enough, however, the creation of Utopias has always been one of man's favorite foibles. Then, too, the play Is organically weak; the ending of act one is gra- tuUoua hokum lugged in merely to get some sort of a curtain; while act three is unthlnkably talky. And Just here the discretion of Philip Moeller is at Its worst; where the most violent of tempi was nec- essary, he allowed a tone of after- noon tea and persiflage to creep in. The third act, to hold at all, must keep in tho mind of the spectator the continual menace of death which hangs over the heads of the little band, and, time and time again, this feeling was dissipated, never to be completely recaptured. His handling of the love theme in act one was cheaply trivial and set the tone of farce-comedy. The cruz of the mat- ter Is that Moeller Is a dilettante without any final feeling for the theatre. To add to this the actors were generally badly chosen. The man- ager of Basil Sydney is simply drawing-room pose without feeling fo^ crescendo or climax, and the same criticism holds true for prac- tically the whole cast with the ex- ception of tho old builder of Ix)uls Calvert, who erred on the side of stagincss; he gave the Impression he was playing the role of a broken- down Unitarian clergyman. Ivoe Slmonson's scenery, too, was quite disappointing. His first act was adequate decoration, the sort of thing the Germans have boon do'ng for 10 years or more. But he killed Its effect in retrospect by practically repeating It In the epi- log. Ili.s Focond act wa.s atrocious; It looked like th(^ lobby of an apart- ment hou.se. Tho play wa.s originally produced at tho National theatre in I'raj;ue and u comparison of that jtrudiie- tion with the present one may be intore.-^t'ng. But pu( h things are hard, as tho wholf fcliolinj; is .so diffeieiit on the continciilai .sta^e enouKh (luction by the 'J'lioatre Guild; only j'riic .•'trnery (ifttii has a mike-.shift tho h it ^h t ' n l ar ttw t lo wta n Ui< r . l «< «* C l l w l o 4>ly 4 i n <l t h w u Wv fr *' M U**»*^t y n t ntn . I'ut in th<} present iri.sf. m.'o urxh r tile direct ii/n of (hf authrjr liini.'^»'lf tlioy gave a perfoi nianeo \\liith bound tho play up Into a whole. international theatre can be a;;plie«l — and by tlie.se the pre-^eiit jir';I'JC-| tion fails siKn.'.lIy. Neither tlio di-^ rection, the r-cv\\ory nor tho actin;?' measures up in any sen.so. wliih.- th;' play under thi.s treatment .seems to lose most of tho cjuaiitics it p ».s sos«0(l in tho orij^inal. The basic idea is ricii in sati . I wliieli "'tint you" .is tlK- current pro- duetion nev( r did. ThM i.s jio placo";'\tlHjugh to ,'il- i tempt a conip.iij.sority^^ ilie Ameilcan irlc i stage With that Cif L>v4^rJLl I'Jurupe— QUEEN O' HEARTS A musical comedy In two acts, by Frank Mandei and Oscar Ilammen'tein I'd. Music i»y Lewis Ccnsler and Dudley Wilkinson. Staged by Ira Hnrds. Dances by David Rennet'.. At Geo. M. Cohan theatre. New Yg k. Oct. 1». lom I Max TIofTman. Jr C<r.7ce Norma Terriss Iflibolli fitidd F^rence Morrison r< rdintnd Rudd iFrankor Woods Miss .'^vanaon Oladys Dore Alabama (Al) Smith..........Qeorgle Brown FUzabe'h Ticnnett Nora Rayos Henry Rivers Harry Rlc-hmiin Myra (Mike) Kdna HIbltard Dudley Dudley Wllklnai'n Alfred Armrtrong liOrln Raker William Armstrong ,....Arthur Uttry Policeman ....>> .Sidney Rrool< Aunt Abagall I.aura Alberta Georgia < Eva Taylor Butler «...Thomas Bradley TThe new Nora Bayes show should enjoy prosperity mainly through the drawing abll.lty of the star and the tuneful, whlstly melodies that I-/f>wis Gensler, Dudley WHkinson have fitted to Sydney MltchelLjs lyrics. It Is a two-act muslcarcomedy of frothy lightness, an unusually dis- tinctive 10-glrl chorus that can dance and wear clothes, bt4 is re- plete with catchy songs that alibi the absence of a comedy punch. A conventional story that runs true to musical comedy form has Miss Bayes happily cast as tho head of a thriving marriage bureau, the managing of which sufTlces to intro- duce the principals and several ex- cellent specialties in act one, which Is almost laughless except some clever lines allotted to the star and Floronco Morrison as her heavy as- sistant. Act two transfers the entire com- pany to the country estate of the Armstrongs, two brothers who have Inherited a $200,000 legacy with a matrimonial string attached. The brother who marries first loses the fortune. Thoy have sought the aid of the matrimonial expert and en- tloed her to accompany them to their country home. For no appa- rent reason she must be married and observe the proprieties so* the husband of her mammoth helper. Franker Woods. 1h wished on her. ■^he complications arising from the deceit form tho basis of the plot. It Is conveniently laid aside In the middle of act two to allow Miss Bayes to do a singing specialty of about 20 niinute.s. Harry Kirhman (lute vaudeville I>a!fn'M- of Mae West) clicked loudly in the fir^t act Avith a comedy song conceit, sung in his own piano ac- companiment with the chorUs, who .secured laughs through singing the last few words of each verse and lini.sliing with "Die diddle dec eye die," follov.ed by a travestied es- ttietic daneo by all for an exit. The verses were topical and ttled "Toj)- ie.s of tho l»ay." "^ — Th w fc « »> H h it -4»f 4h«*>»h ow , 'V^h N( ( d .S(ine One." theme<l Jiito the se ;ond att, was duelted by Mis.s iJ.iye.s and Arthur (itry, h<'r iea<linK man. 'J'hey al.so did a sinpng spe- cialty following Mi.s.s liayes" Kr>lo, v/hich resembled ixr vnudevilh- .sontr ( yclep, "Carl>on Coi»y," a cute coon lullaby and ' .Sair.son and Delil.ih," the latter in hJirya^ideviUc rep<^i- . SWIFTY William A. Brady. Ltd., pre.«jented this at Brady's Playhouse, with Hale Hamilton featured. The accredited, authors are John Peter Toohey and < Walter C. Percival. It is said that I Rinff Lardner touched up the book also. Between them all, unfortu- nately, the product did not look I prepossessingly promising when the curtain rang down at 10:40 o'clock the opening night, a short play, short of action and short of Interest, with probably a short life ahead. The acting was as reprehensible as the book, and the production was far undergrade. One obviously re- painted set in glaring gold, which looked as though that, too, had been touched up by a humorist, provided the "atmosphere." It looked more like the sitting room of a w^ll-to- do- farmer who had Just married a burlesque soubret than like tho drawing room of a millionaire's New York residence. The company was not sufnclently rehearsed. At any rate, nobody but Hamilton played letter-perfect. It was a "cold" opening In more ways Iban one. The story is a strange admixture of farce, melodrama, problem play and topical comedy. It read quite as though two or three men had written at It. Bright lines were dragged in no matter whether they helped or hurt, while at times the talking was as from "Way Do4¥n Rast" and at other times as |rom Bugs Baer's sporting column. All this distracted what syihpathy might have been created by the tale, which was an unsympathetic one at best, even though It welched at tho end with a "happy" ending. The no-good young sap son of a fire-spouting old rich crab had <t;n- gapTPd an incredible ex-champlon middleweight as his trainer to con- dition bim after a series of de- bauches preparatory to the old man's return from Europe with his daughter, the boy's sister, a wildfire young bearcat with the manners of a chambermaid and the morals of a hyena. . It transpires that the boy has compromised a girl in a mountain town and that "something is about to happen." The girl comes to plead for him to "do the right thing," and Swlfty, the trainer, being a wise egg who knows Just that kind of black- mailers undertakes to fix It. Lol It his own kid sister. He grabs for a gun, but changes his mind when he sees the boy's sister, and turns his revenge the obvious way—he will get an eye for an eye, flgur- aflvely speaking. He fascinates the wild sister. Anybody could vamp her and he could vamp anybody, according to the book. He elopes with her. There is hand-wringing and agony. Ho brings her back. He shoots home the "lesson" to the boy, who tearfully takes the ruined girl Into the library—meaning marriage—and It looks as though Swlfty and the demon flapper, whom he has had out all night but brought back without a scratch, are going to hit It oft down the aisle also. And this play is done as a broad farce, with many "belly" laughs and no restraint at hokum. Morever, Hamilton plays It "neat," without any suggestion of ever having been nearer to a prize ring than readinij Jim Corbett's reminiscences. Ho gives a smooth, upstanding per- formance, playing the comedy as- tutely, but the role Isn't human and I tho ! itmtions aren't natural. Francos ^ H o w a r d, «» the incorrigible llapper, . Is effective, mostly on phy.sical I)diTits. Ilumphioy Bogart, as tho jtujth. is d»'plorably h)St, while Mar- ^ garet Mo.sier as the tank-town girl ' who "loved too woU" Is Just dumbly .sunk. The culp'iMlity Is an off.set lio- tween tlio authors, producer and ths