Variety (July 1923)

vri; :y»- ■Ar-*f'• >v -^.r-arvv :*^ ■ ^■■(.X 7"h, Wednesday, July 4, IMt efitfiYiM'A'fEi 17 3B= (-■, t-- * ■(♦ OUT OF TOWN REVIEWS W.C-,1* I AFTER THE RAIN CAST ^««An(]«r AlartlngaU Jobnaon. '"'" Banor 8w«n*j' mar. 8tll«r«U Map** ^WitUaaa Burton "Siim" Olunnoa .Mt«d Kaymood, Jk-. iobo Oldham...«.. ••••• WalUa Clark W. J- Bhaushneaay.. ...JohB Daly Murphy ^l>iiar Potta. ..•• I ••••••••• • L<aa L<oab Ruth Old^iam Judltli Andaraon Roaalind Shaughneaajr....,Aiui* Buthafland Xgoas Shaiighnesay..,.. Doria Moora Mra. Tom liriirca Bother Coagrove Albert Caswall .....Joseph Crehan "Rablt" Sandera Qeorcle Ptfuiay Washington, July S. "After the Rain" !■ trying out here for A. H. Woods with a flrst performance Monday at the Belasco. The play isn't a play; it isn't even a series of incidents; it's Just a lot ^^ Aaeanitigless dialog gotten to- gether by Lyune Overman and Le- Koy Clements, and the mechanics creak because of their antiquity and are devoid of anything that might possibly be termed a plot. Trti4 average musical comedy has a stronger thread to tls it together than this piece. If it had not been for the valiant efforts of the cant ttke evening would have been an en- tire lOSH. The cast, hea'ded' by Pred Ray- mond, .Tr.. did try hard. Mr. Ray- mond'was sincere as* stilted, com- monplace laver^—a third rate hohie trainer he termed himself, wlio saved the day by showing up a man who fait a girl with a baby behind in his colleg:c town and wanted to . steal our heroine here and undoubt- ' edly desert her also. An imnorttttion in the person of Doris Moore as Aggie was the de- light of the evening. 8he did u girl that no fuliior or mother would let live, but nevertheless she did it well knd »up»))l«d tiie only real enjoy- ment. She "walked away" wilh inVerytliing in. sight and saved the show In Kf'ncral. 1 An old. brol<en-down turfman who some years ago won a great race has n horse he has entered in a forthcoming small track event with the hope of saving his home and continuing his granddaugluer's edu- cation, having had to bring her home from u finishing school in Washington because of lack of funds. While on the train coming home she meets a polished gentle- man, played entirely too polished by Josepli Crehan, who is interested in her tears of disappointment at having liad to leave schooL He promises to come.and see her. She meets giandfather. who Is talkhag to the "third rate hoi'se trainer," who has brought a horse to enter In the race, but who, be- cause of some new ruling of the track, cannot get his entry in. Out of sympathy for the old man and because of being attracted to the girl the trainer remains over to get the horse belonging to the old man in shape for the race. Here ends the first act, but ther6 must be a second, although the only thing left now of the plot Is the running of the race. That had to be held back until the last act. so the second act is given over to the rant- Ings of the etagestruck child, who is the daughter of an ex-chorus girl mother married to an Irishman whose chief occupation is seemingly that of robbing the cash register of his wife's boarding house. Act three comes along with the race. Wallis Clark did very well with a conventional broken-down old man; John Dalj' Murphy got some com- edy out of the till-robbing husband; Anne Sutherland again scored as the ex-chorus girl mother, and al- though Louis Haines' name appears on the program as something else. he made a great deal out of aji old colored parson. Judith Anderson tried so hard to be natural as the g«rl that she overdid It entirely. Clark Silvernall. who has been very ill here, recovered sufficiently to put this piece on. He did very well with what he had to work with. Mcak\n. HWay and sefl It to Adams. Th« rest of the plot is concerned with carrying out this scheme and the discovery of the plot. It is devel- oped farcically, but succeeds in be- ing merely absurd. The play gets oft to a slow start, and there is lit- tle In its subsequent course. The title is misleading. The company gave a performance far better than the script deserved. If not unfair to the excellent work done by all the cast one might sin- gle out Dorothy Mortimer for ster- ling acting and George Barbier for broad comedy rounded out to the last detail. John McKee. the di- rector, got extraordinary work from the players, and it seemed a shame to see such direction wasted on such drivel. The single set was admirable. It was actually (though this is not billed) a reproduction of the recep- tion room In, the residence of Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt in Sutton place, N^w York, Auttin. DANGEROUS PEOPLE X'omedy In three acta pr*«vnted for the flrat time on any a'aga at the Cort, Chi- cago, Sunday, July J. with WlilUm Court- •nay atar. S'lf*** "*'f <'•••••'••••• Virginia Hammond Kthel ,.,' , FruMicaa Howard i:**'^ ......,•. ««org. Paraona T.*a»dnl« Pierre Watkin I'aul ••••». v. t'l ;., k^ .«. .W'liiSffl Courtenay THE FAST SET . Newark. N. J . July .1 Farcp in Xftfi-f «ft8 by O. N. Albyn an.l Roland CMIvpr. tViiluced by Mabel Browti-n !»tock at the Shuliort. Newark. July if. Di- rected by John McKce. Philip Warren WUIlam fih'^lley Helen Warren Ruth chorponnlnn Jeremiah Adama George U.-irhlor Kdgar Hownnl Prederlclc BIcUol Orace "\Varr»'n Dorothy Mortln)or Thomasia Adanui Mabel Browiu-II I'l.swie Smith Helen Ray Silly .stuff. The only reason any manager would think it h.ia a chance i^ that bad plays have surcoodod iit the pRHt—and why not another? I'erhapw. however, it may be one of thoHc pliiys that read beautifully ai»(l so fool the producer. The story concerns the fate of 10 Jiarrtl* of wIuhUv vulutd at J30.<»'m it belonps to Ilrl'Ti \N'.tn'(n. \vh«> !■ ■ .I'u.st b(« 11 divoiccfl ftoni Philip and ^o whom tiu- rouit ha*-' aw^tr<l<'(l if As j'he i« strnni? for lemnerHuro. she • loesn't l;no\v what t.i do with it. I'lit f«vls th.it slif 1m romoellrd t«, tukv it fiM- ffar of I he ronrf. As •leremirih A<i:nMs w.intsi it b:.dly atui IMk.it Mow.-inl and ('.race W;m*n need ih.r- mon<'y to ««»t monie<l. ihev <l' lilt> to rol, ll»'U»ii :«s she c«ns it Chicugo, July 3d. The theatre c»n jpei along with a limited number of players If such plays as William Courtenay In "Dangeroti.s People" berome the vogue. There are only five people programed and the only bit is a cheufCeur, 'who merely fctJcks his head in the door and inquires about n passenger. The play is as eco- nomical with time as with people, it all takes place one afternoon and night, the matinee being located in a Harlem apartment and the even- ing in two acts, with the third hap- pening only a few minutes after the second. It is pleasing entertainment and may catch on. Oliver White, whose efforts heretofore have been de- voted to supplying his brother. Por- ter J. White, with vaudeville sketches, has worked out an ingen- uous plot, touching on some phases of human nature which have not previously been developed. The fault is that it lacks climaxes. There is a finish to the flrst act forgotten before the second act is half over, a finish to the second act which is merely a bit of irony, and the final closing of the play is tame. A little revamping, with parts of the plot picked out to make clinuixes for the Hrst and second acts, might make the linish to the play acceptable. Courtenay is starred without rea- son. The part he plays does not de- serve it nor does his playing of the part make such a course reasonable. His name is all that he offers. George Parsons has the best role and plays it very well, though on the opening night he slipped In his lines, oven addressing Courtenay by the name of the character that he, him- self, plays. Pierre Watklns, the third man, is not particularly well cast. Virginia Hammond plays the leading feminine role very well, and Frances Howard does nicely in a lesser Important role, having but one real opportunity. The plot concerns a crook (Will- lam Courtenay), who, after marry- ing, decides to reform for some reason not made plain. He turns $63,000 stolon from the Casino bank back to the ca.shier (George Par- sons) at his home for the reason that detectives guard the financial Institution. The crook's wife (Fran- ces Howard) is a friend of the bank cashier's wife (Virginia Hammond) and through this it is possible to work out an interesting plot with- out needing more people than are often seen In a vaudeville sketch. The cashier has built a home in the mountains 75 miles from New York, but his wife will not hear of going to it, arguing that there is nothing worthwhile but New York life. When the cashier finds that she takes him for the thief, having the money In his possession, as mo.st of the char- acters think, he is willing for her to retain that Impression, since it leads her to be willing to forsake New York and go to the mountains with him. The fifth character Is a crook inasquerailing as a detective (Pierre Watkin). who f.ills .so desperately in love with the r.TwhIer's wife that his lmi»ptuosity nlniost lake.^ her off her feet. There are some clever lines and the characters themselves are in- ♦ ( i-e«tinK. The idr.i of a hank cashif.T wiMi a l'>ngin<; rt»r i nqtintain liff. I'lv iriK hif» w if'' <1' \otedl.v and yet lififif* forced lo 1 vo an artiflci.al lit'.\ t«>! her sn!;e hein^ willing to po.-'f* as a thief lo fiiirili liis ili-eam is i.'i- leresflnp, wlille nioUliis; the wife lontr for a huslMnd whose every nio\.- is not to !»•• f<.i ec.tst wltli cer- laiiitN i.nrt a imirins tlif r-eniiif n-vl (laiin^ of bank rohiicf'* nn«l t)i'-ir Iclnrl o«>ens tio • il'*M f'^r ••rit'*i i;iin« ini; ooinedy. RQBERTE. LEE ,^ . London, June tt. *nobert K. Lee," at the Regent, King's Cross, is a companion pb -r to John Drinkwater's "Abraham Lincoln," nd is an attempt on the part of the same author to drama- tire the same events seen through the emotions of the south. Just as Lincoln was the central dominat- ing figure of the north, so Robert E. Lee is depicted as the expres- sion in one personality of the old southern aristocracy. The English production of the play makes no attempt at reproduc- ing the idiomatio character of the southern states, but merely to pre- sent the essential signiflcance of the spirit of the south in its great crisis. So much is this the case that when the play started off this was most apparent to the contingent of Amer- icans present. For instance, an American soldier was called upon to utter such replies as "I'm Sorry" and "This is very awkward"— things which no American was ever known to say. When the piece Is done in the States by William Harris. Jr., It will probably be found necessary to con- siderably alter the dialog to conform to the accents of the players who will be called to portray the south- ern charr.ctcrs and conform to the idioms that existed at the time of the Civil War—much of which Is still prevalent there. The play is divided Into three parts, with three scenes In each, be- ginning with the morning of April was sustained throughout his uel- iuicholjr tran.9ition from one misfdr- tune to another, and h« makes of the defeated general * noble and upright figure. Edmund Wlllard as "Stonewall' Jackson and Uordon Ha;-ker as Jefferson Davis were both excellent, and four "Musketeer"-like characters were fairly well sus- tained by Tristan Kawson, Harold Anatruther. Claude Rains and Henry Caine. The ladies in the play have very little to do but look pictureeque and lighten somewhat the gloomy background. There is no villain in the piece. «folo- TRAVELLING THEATRE , . .- t--,.. i^ndon, June 20. The Arts League of Service Trav- elling Theatre presented at the Court last night in all the bare simplicity of their rustic wanderings two playlets and a collection of folk songs and dances to a charmed and e/ithusiastic audience. The prograhi opened with a short, grim episode of the Highlands, "Campbell of Kllmhor." a sad little story of the loyalty of the peasants in the rising of 'i\. Though acted with praiseworthy earnestness, the difhculty the players tuid in assiim- ing the Scotch accent made it ap- pear a little unconvincing, with the exception of the part of Campbell, excellently played by J. Hubert Les- lie. The other play was a phantasy in which a present-day girl on the eve of her marriage lii visited by the spirit of hor mother, to whom she confides her reluctance to loee her ideals by marrying, and threat- ens to run away. The mother, in turn._ls visited by her mother, and so on until the three generatlofii^ stand befbre the gfrl and, strongly ass HERVE GAGNIER Dramatic Editor, Montreal "La Presse" In Montreal, where the French population is so great it pla.vs a most important part as far ns pationage of the theatre is concerned. It is believed that the history of the dramatic editor of the principal publica- tion Issued In French will be of interest. Herv6 Gagnicr has been dramatic and assistant city editor of "1a Prcsse" there for five years. He Is a native of Montreal, born In 189.5, graduated from the ColleKO de rAssomption In 11)1.5 with the degree of B. A. For a year he studied inediciiie at TniNersity of Montreal, and Immediately thereafter went into journalism. After a period on the Montreal "Daily ?ifail," he went over to the French papers and worked on the staffs of "La Ilevell " and "La Libertft," joining the staff of "La I'resse" in 1917. Mr. Gagnier is the author of a historical play presented In Montreal in 1920 and was published in book form a year later. Last November a rural "sketch from his pen was presented at the Monument National. (The hccnty-second of fh^ .srric.t of brief akrtrhen and pkturc$ of the dramatic editors of thr rauntry.i 1«. 1861. in the room of f,'»>rior.«l 8cott. commander-in-chief of the United .States army in Wa.sljinjjlon. when Lee learns or the secession of Virginia and declines the coinTnan<l of the northern anny to cast h"T» lot with the south. We are taken ri«ht through the Civil War up to April. 1865, after the surretulet of I.ee lo Grant. Of the three a<^t» the sefond Is far an<l away the Htrongest, etipe- clally the second scene, visual i»ini< the battle of M: hern Hill from tlw Clonf'^rleratf aiiny. with t'reriei.'iis Le.. • .sw>p.-v,.iH" .1 ; I a n d M t ua r t facing III'- aiidM'tur vvith glawsi-s gluerl to their e\es an<l creat.ng tin* lni|»r«v-.^ion ll)"y are \i*»Ait»ic tli»' battle In th»- ^..-t.-mcn. Without ih'* aid of sui»er numerarieH ilie audience assimilates the idea it Is ir» the fii^-s- ence of a vast army of soldiers. VoWx Aiyniei in the title rj> x-avf a distlMKulslied performance, fuil of [ i|iii*»i tiiifhi y arid r>»<erve, wJtlrh ( xpressing their tlisapproval of her modern manners and Ideas, counsel her to go thiough with it, as there is no escaping woman's destiny. She. however, still rebellious, is vIk- Ited by a scarlet domino, and she decides to throw in her lot with him and defy them all, but Is quickly disillusioned when one of her men- tors plucks off the domino and re- veals the faull-flnding husband that any man she marries will eventu- ally become. Hhe awakes to find It all a drcHm. and In spile of her over- night resolutions the curtain falls rtrt her ra;?erly hisninfc her lover'H Iett«'i- hrouglit in by her maid: A willy liilh* extravaganza, reallstic- 'illy |>!.'iy<<l MIs.^ Aj;ne« Lowson bv- the liu«(ie-r>ncutnl>ered mother be- 'ng i»!»rtlMil(irly natural. > The rest <»f the progrnm C(sr\- ni.sted of cameos of old-waihi huhks i|urtintly dressed and niiniod. like jejiioducfions ef old-lime Christ- • •ards. or ih" pa^.^s of •< ( hild's sloiy book conae to life. These are gems of daintjr grotesqueness, and their attraction is greatly enhanced by the graceful dancing of Miss Her- mione Baddelcy, whose barefooted, shadow danoe is particularly pleuu-*', ing. Mr. Hugh Mackay sang old Scotch airs, mainly In Gaelic, with vase and expression, and Miss San^ . Allgood's old Irish melodies and \ short human little poems completed, an altogether charming and enter- . tainlng evening. Qualntness and' simplicity are the keynotes of thiM refreshing little performance, and >• though perhaps too simple and mo<I- est for the average thrlll-seekln>; theatre-goer, it should prove a won- derful attraction for lovers of real art and the haunting atmosphere of the olden times. MAN WHO ATE THE POPOMAOX London, June SO. ' There was presented at the Savojr June 12 In aid of the British Drama league a p|ay by W. J. Turner. Mr. Turner is a young man well lcn6wn In London wjt a poet and mu- sical ci'ltio. H« is the dramatio critto of the London "Mercury." tha musical critic of the "New flUtec- man" and the literary editor of tka -bally Herald.- This is hto flr»| play. It has been publtahed and haa been flet«ely attaoked and dieouseed, "impossible," "disgusting." -hr«- liant." "magnificent'* being eome of the adjeotive* need to describe it. The perCormanoe held the atten- tion of a crowded audience, who gave It an eatlibsiaetle weleooM. It amused and thHlled. The story lo a tragi-oomedjr oC love. A younc nobleman eats a mvo ChUieso fruit, ^ho popomack. with the reenlt that ho turno a brlabt blue in th# tiuie and emello strondx And offeiudrely of the fruit he bAo eaten. He is rejocted by the woman to whom ho !■ engaged and shoots himself. With this unusual plot the'author has written a otimulating and ab- sorbing play. Ko modern dramatist has written better dialog. A great deal ma y be expected of Turner. JUDGMENTS (The Arat name i§ that of thi9 jitdcrmcnt debtor j creditor amd amount folloto.) Rheba Crawford; Kiramet Press. Inc.; I12l.lt. Olenn Hunter; J,. Buxton; $1.- 823.23. Lou Tellegen; Oeraldino Furrar Tellogen; coaU, $23C.8«. ^ '•.'• f heteplay Co.; City of New York; $48.80. Choleoo Produeina Co,, Ine.j Ben- ham * Co., Inc.; Iil5.04. Eugeno F. MeOoer Bancourt Realty Cornoratlon;-4161.20. Oimitry Dobkin; Musical America Co.: 1166.83. Nvman Oreen. Philip Berman, Loch Sheldrake Amua. Co., Inc. and Bisworth Baker; United Lighting Fixture Co., Inc.; $#24. John E. O. Meador; Ronalds Press, Inc.: $74.17. Qannm Walska McCormick; C. M. Barlght; $2 9«0.«7. Claudia tartone, also known as Claudia Windier; Charles A Co.; ;336.44. ' L. I. Motion Picture Co., Inc., and 1440* ^'"^^•'•P'*'? K- Margolies; Oliver Morocco; M. T. Ober; $1'.- Frank M. Boothe; Nat. Playhous*. Corpn. et al.; $118.76. Perret Productions, Inc.; Fon- taine, Inc.; $208.60. Osiris Amus. Co.; City of S. Y. lis.80. Seventy-seventh St. Thestre Co.: same; $48.80. ♦ Satisfied Judgmtntc Abel Cary Thomas; K. a Schultse; $104; April 19. I92a. INCORPORATIONS The National Exhibition Associa- tion, Inc.. Boston, music and tex- tile exhibitions, capital $10,000; in- corporators, Harry I.,, Katz, O^car Rothenberg. Joseph Itothenberis, all of Roxbury. Mass. The Braves Field Exhibition Co.; outdoor moving pirtttres, concerts and other forms of entertainment; capital $10,000; Incorporators, Christy Mathewson and FMwln 1* Riley of Boston and Rmll K. luths Of New York. ' '^■' " -,1 iy. « ■ W. Va. Charters Scott Rurj Amusement Co., fiKu^e. Operate parks, etc. Capital, $90.uoo. Incorporators: J. J. Reynolds. H. H. Poland. P. L. Miller. Karl Costeh.w, J. L. Maust, all of Morgantown, \V, Terrapin Park Amusement Co., Parkersburg. General amusemc/.ts, including parks. Capital. $2Ii,0i»0. Incorporators: J. H. Watson, of KIchwood; William Cain, Wei.nle iralnes. McKInlry Haines, Kdw^rd Cain, Laura Watson, all of Porkers- burg. Moundsvllle Amusement Co., Moundsvllle. Parks. Copltnl, $;tO - 000, Incorr»orai(»rs; Cl. (1 Prlc*- J H. Priro. I,,.,,! Price. R W. Wnil^t' Annrr V. Wade, at! Of STounJsvHl'^"^ Texas Charters Texas Theatre Supply Co., i;aj. las; capital stock. $Io.00O. Incori>o- j-ators. C. B. Peterson. O. E. Lon« » and W. (' Miller. i\] of Dftllas. .. i!*",'rJa***^^** Bryan; e>a|»f!a{ stock. $.i,OAo. Tnftorporator#i- J l» .M.\rtln. W. S. Barrii, nh^f o* a T.onjr ji! of Hr'-in.