Variety (December 1923)

Thursday, December 6,1928 LEGITIMATE ,.;ys5i;"iE.3E^::™-Viu; i-jm^ VARIETY IT NEW PLAYS PRESENTED ' OUTSIDE NEW YORK CTTY THE OTHER ROSE Atlantic City, Dec. 6. Even the dls.ippolntment over last week's frost-bitten product failed to dim the optimism of Atlantic City's flrst-nlghters Monday. They were all there and had their friends with them last night when Fay Balnter, chaperoned by David Qelasco and ■urrounded by a company worthy of both of them, madp her first appear- ance In "The Other Rose," a play by George Mlddleton from the French of Edouard Uourdet. . The story is the more or less we!! known one of the youth, faiiclnated by an experienced woman, who con- flden the details of his unrequited passion to the girl who liven next door—and you know the end of that. He does marry the girl next door, but the triteness of theme is saved by the clever dialog and the perfect characterization. Rose Coo and her father, an ab- sent-minded old profe.ssor of Greek, rent a cottage in Maine for a quiet summer's rest, only to And that they are the innocent victims of a plot to divert Tony Mason's mind from an unfortunate love affair which had occurred In this same cottage the year previous. He has kept the place just as It was, and comes there each day to torture himself with memo- ries. The il;' • he finds his "sanctu- ary" violated by a real girl with a Ben.<!e''of humor, a doting father and a little brother—It is almost more than he can stand. Where will he go to mourn ? He artorms and blu.sters and tries to put them out, but In the end he who came to mourn stays to confide, and both the audlepce and Rose's little brother Johnny sec What tbe outcome is to be. Henry Hull as Tony Mason gives reality and charm to a part that could easily have seemed impoa.slbly foolish. "Krnest Stallard as the pro- fessor, Effle Shannon as Tony's mother and Carlotla Monterey as the "Rose" of the summer before, were all excellent. As to Fay Balnter, the only dtffl- eulty is in restraining one's enthu- siasm. Her naturalness, charm fceauty, humor, the lilt of her voice and the twinkle in her eyes combine to make her one of the most attract- ive actresses on the stag-e. In "The Other Rose" she has a part th^ is «ay and lovable, with just enough pathos to show what she is capable ©f. ; "The Other Rose" won much ap- plause ol» the opening night. It will win much for many nights to come, for It has every requisite for a long »nd succe.ssful season. Kioan. THE LADY KILLER Los Angeles, Dec. 6. •The Lady Killer,'' at the Morosco Sunday afternoon, might be called a ', dramatic crazy quilt. It has every , trick in the batt: drama, celodrama, ■ eomedy, tragedy, satire and farce - and, for good measure, music and • song, by Frank and Alice Mandel. The former the author of "The . High Cost of Loving," "The O'Brien , Girl," etc. While the enthusiasm of first night audiences cannot always be Interpreted to mean success, the ' hew play has a very good chance to get over. Worse and crazier things have made a lot of money, exhibit - A being ''Abie's Irish Rose." which ,. »ot Its start at this same theatre. : The play Is programed as "a com My drama," and is in three acts. One •et, a beautiful and atrlklng one, ' aerving. This Is an Important item. ' as cost of production is cut down Considerably. The cast numbers 13. and the Mo- rosco Holding Co., which Is the pre- ■entor, Is doubtless hoping the hoo- doo number may change Ito long ■tring of bod luck. At least two characters could be eliminated without injury. The plot revolves around a blonde 'and Impressionable stenographer Who takes a petition offered by a 'picture author who, like many of his kind In Hollywood, do their work at home. There Is a son and former district attorney, and a butler with a criminal past. The ex-D. A. nsk.i the son. his friend, to help him obtain a fox hide. Thoy go to the lake's cdcc to ■kin the animal, secrecy being main- tained because of It.s illegality, lie- fore goinfr they have a slight tiff over a IcKal matter and the steno overhears, as also does the butler. The latter se«-s Stn opportimlly to get revenge on his Nemesis tor once •ending hlin up the river. Later the form of the badly In- ' Jured ,-ittornpy Is picked up hy fish- ermen In the water. His friend, last With him. Is accused. The .stenngru- pher, ffcttins Inspiration from movie thriller on which she has Just t^iken dictation and having fallen In love with boy, coiifessps the crime. Thr youth, who, of course. Is Innocent. doesn't know what it i.t all about. but takes the girl at her word. , The my.stery la cleared when the HUppo.sed (lead map walks In, ex- >i plaining he had .stilmbled and fallen In the lake and wao ptiked up by a boat oontafnlne; inatead of fishermen, bootleggers w<ho plied him full of liquor and sent him to headquar- ters for dead. The niayers appear more mysti- fied than audience, but there Is kick In the satire and the situations are well built up. The dialog at times Is brilliant with few wisecracker- Isms; first act drags, and it Is pos- sible authors may cut and speed up. Charlotte Treadway presses In lead, with Harlan Tucker and Gayne Whitman in the two other main roles are effective. Arthur Clare and Joseph Eggenton are convinc- ing, with Fanny Yantls and James Donlln almost stealing the show with their olever character bits. The play was staged by Augustln Olas.'wnlre, with Franklyn IJnder- wood (here from Xew York) super- vising. J. M. Richie, re^'elver, came west to attend the opening, v "The Lady KlllBr" hasn't much rhyme or reasoni but Bro^.dway may Hke It—If It reaches Broadway. THE BUSINESS WIDOW Baltimore, Dec. 5. Leo DItrlchsteln's, new starring vehicle, "The Buxlness Widow," is a mildly amusing, consistently enter- taining comedy of no brilliance, little originality and scant novelty. It has, however, more than fair chances for box-olTlce succe.ss. It is at all times diverting and pro- vides Dltrlchsteln with a part which the publlo baa come to associate with bim. In all events "The Bualness Widow" provides him with a hap- pier roI« than did his lamented "Right Is Might." As the ofllce- bound Wall str*e» magnate of oil with not etiough leisure to devote to his beautiful but dumb wife, Dlt- rlchsteln Is suave, polished, authori- tative, gallant after a fashion and thoroughly fascinatinK to thd femi- nine contingent. But to the masculine part of the audience the real center of attrac- tion' was Lola Fisher as the spoiled but adorable wife. There were those whO' alternated between a de- sire to choke and to embrace her— which, of course, was Just the effect desired. She was a continual de- light from start.to finish, from the time «he broke up pompous business conferences in her husband's ulfice to the last curtain, where there was a long kiss of understanding. Some mention should be made of the living or drawing room set in the second and third acts. It Is done in execrable taste, taste too atrocious for even an oil millionaire to fancy. And certain reall.'»tic ef- fects were lost by the vases refusing to smanh when flung on the floor. They bounced like rubber, which Isn't good form for porcelain vnats, Somcthin'S shpul '. be said in credit to the cast. It was well balanced. Sundry muifing of lines, but due to the newness. John Davidson as the romantfc Greek Interior decorator an.' expert In the psycholo^ of breaking u.> homes was consistflitly amusing, , and James Dyrentorth play-ed convincingly. The play, purporting to have been written by Gladys Unger with "sug- gefltlons" by Hcrren Engel' and Sas>!man, demands a competent company to carry it through. It is talky in places and its end is too clearly foreseen. Cooling. NEW PUYS PRODUCED WITHIN WEEK ON BmY LAUGH, CLOWN, LAUGH Tito neppi L,lonel Barrymorc ■liKl Ravnill Un. Keith t .-uf. (}ambella Henry Herhftrt tV.Jerlco Ouy Nkholi .•-'iRnora Cftlvaro Vaughn De I^rath Hlsnor Del Papa Thumaa ReynoMi^ Flok ,, SIJney Toler :tlmanetta Irene Fenwick Lilly nianchetle Myra Florla'n Rtenxi SlBtera. .Susanna Roaal. L,eah T,eKoux mbl Nick hc.\r: Olaclnta Roao Morl.wn Father Baverlo Giorgio MaJeronI Slgnora Hcl Uonte Kathleen Korrlgah ."tfarghcrlta I,ucllle Kahn Conte Cantlgllone Olorglo Majeroni aignora Capelll Agnea McCarthy Slgsora Ferlce Jenny Dlckerson Slgnorlna Crlrjpl JHIchellne Keating SIgnora Torre Alice Horlne Ragamuffln Ctiarlea Flnnbarh. ur. Ragamuffln Harry Craven Despite equivocal notices b^ thi critics for the dallies and the call at the brokers' reported as not spon- taneously responsive after the Thanksgiving Eve premiere, this re- viewer has no hesitation In pro- nounclnx "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" as one of the sensational hits of the year from an artistic as well as money standpoint. If New 'York hasn't yet been roused to the extraordinary per- formance of Lionel Barrymore and the glorious drama of the book. It will be. There may be some doubt about synthetic products of al- chemy, but pure gold cannot fall. This David Belasco offering Is a thrilling, fascinating adventure In the theatre. The perfection of Its execution Is twinned with.the tense human appeal of Its conception. Every breath and fibre of It Is mas- terly. It is something new In con- struction—a comedy-tragedy, being replete with hearty laughs and end- ing In one of the most clutching bits of sheer and deadly grief ever ex- pressed across that boundary be- tween art and life. "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" Is not a dramatic vfrslon of "Pagllaccl." It Is a modern, original play by David Belasco and Tom Gushing, adapted from the Italian of Fausto Martini and left In Its Roman locale. Barrymore (Tito Beppl) plays the role of Fllk, a "hick" vaude-. vlUe comedian. And he plays it! Perhaps only those who truly know the type can appreciate fully what he docs with It. BeHidcs which he has perfected himself In Hying front somersaults, a little hokum dance, every posture and iTPsture of the "dumb" actor. To those who so recently saw him play the mighty Macbeth, his character- ization is the more startling in Its contmsts. The story begins In the offlre of a psycho-analytical expert, where two men have come. One cannot stop wcepitig. uni- cannot stop laughing. They talk it over In the waiting room. The gloomy one Is Flik, the r.imous clown; the other Is a young millionaire libertine, played by the h-'ind.some and accomplished Ian Keith (for whom stardom was pre- iliited several times over the signa- ture at the end of this report). The doctor rules that the laugher should find one womai\ he can take seriously and the weeper should gret the one he wants or find many be- cause he Is taking one too seriously. They scoff until in comes the girl, Fllk's young ward and professional partner. Fllk realizes that he laves her; the other falls In love with her; it cures them both. Then follows the gripping story ot the girl torn between sisterly devo- tion to the clumsy clown and the sex urge for the fascinating blade. She would sacrifice herself to save deso- lating Fllk, but he is a game, noble soul, with all his simplicity and un- lettered vulgarities, and he gives her to the other; and it breaks his giant heart. We see htm at the last alone, on her wedding morn, setting the stage for his clown act—a "single" It must bo now—and ho takes candles for footlights, puts on his broad make- up, raves, rants, grins, tumbles, froths, fumes and dies. For a mo- ment that socne, which was so heav- ily criticized by the New York re- viewers, reached heights of heart- breaking and ghastly reality that made men gasp and will cause women to swoon. Let them gasp and let them swoon! Such a classic takes no cog- nizance of human sensitiveness and "happy endings." This Is raw, un- compromising art, conceived by poets and served by a genius. The performance throughout Is nearly perfect In the star's support. Miss Fenwick is not the happiest choice, registering little of the hoy- den In her person, though she per- sonates It well enough In her char- acter. Keith Is terrific as well as dazzllnsr, and gives to "lAUgh, Clown, Laugh" the authority and conviction of a perfectly selected personality, physical and tempera- mental distinction, and acting of Kraceful and forceful touch such as is rarely seen In these days. Sidney Toler as Fllk's "straight man" is a tower of sympathetic strength, yield- ing, himself, a most finished charac- terlz.atlon. Belasco's touches and effects, cli- maxed In the second act when an entire vaudeville show Is played by illusion behind the set, supposedly benejith the ba'lcony of the gltl. Is diffiTent, colorful. Imaginative, ultra skillful and uncanny In the realism It projects. The direction through- out Is more than Intelligent—It Is noble, discerning, compelling. If "Laugh, Clown, I^augh" Is not one of the solid successes of years New York should see the psycho- analyst and firtd out why it can neither weei> nor laugh. This bumble scribe cannot believe it will be less than a memorable and .substantial triumph. • IjoU. I.,angdon West, stage director f* "Chu Chin Chow" .and "Aphrodite" under E. Lyall Sw'.etc, Is assisting .Max Relnhardt in preparing "The .Miracle." THE LADY A. H. Wooda production, atarrlng Mary Naah In "a atory of a life and a love," by Martin liro'.vn. stag--^ by I.i«ter lX)aerg;in Scenery clenlgiiwl by CHttuM F. I'ember In four acta, ttvo acem-a. pn>'.«g and «*l>U»>g. Ui>ened a.t the Himplre, New York, l>ec. 4. 1923. A Sailor Marcel !,• Mans A Navvy Marcel Morelli Laiette Stei>hiine de Ije<ger Julie AdoLihle WUaon The Loafer Bdward t.a Roche Polly Pearl Mary Naah The Traveller T,eonard Wll;ey Blackle Herbert Heywoo<l A Young M«n Ilrajidoii I'etera Fanny Im Clare KUanbeth Rla.lon Oallhoy .Hugh Ilrtioke Florlne Betl* Wliaams Phyllla "reddy King Leonard M. Aulayna Austin Falrman Tom Rol>lnaon Victor Morl«y Mr. SI. Aubyna Kthellwrt Hales 'i,ady "IMdu" Huntlngtoa Irby Marahall A Olrl.. Nora lladalonl Mme. Blanche Ludmllla Toretska Joaef Bilwanl tyx Koche Mrat Sailor Kdw.ird FelbnHh Second Sailor ^ Hugh llrooke Mfa. ('aims Cecelia Ra^lcilffe A Lawyer Hert>ert Hey wood A N-uree Sylvia I,lltJe A (}ent!c4na:n Clement 0'L'>gh'en A Il<)lj1>y Frank Horton A I,Ady Vlrglni^t I.engdon A Llttte Boy Junior Durkln A f)(X*tor Kudolliho Fkvdalonl A Police Agent John Fulco This may be the best work Mary Ntish has ever done, as some of the first-nighters thought, but It cer- tainly Is not the best play she has 'aver appeared in. Nor is it even a good play. Judging by the high standards now necessary fur a Broadway offering to possjltu in order to get over for any sort of a run. Yet it has Its points that may fool the skeptlcail first-nighters who, despite their obvious friendliness, certainly did not impart the spon- taneous enthusiasm that magically relays to the actors that the play is a hit. Miss Nash was accorded a gener- ous number of curtain calls, but the play left something lacking. It is bpiit on the familiar motlier's sacri- fice theme and embraces a number of sure-fire ingredients. The prolog introduces the Brixton bar at Havre In 1921, with Polly Pearl, once a popular serlo-come dienne of the FInsbury-Empire, .,.,,,: ^, . : ... London, the proprieties. Polly W acting vehicle It la disjointed, lacks old and gray, but the friendly stranger is a willing listener, and Po^ly sentimentally recounts her life and love. The fiash-back displays a drop In "one" of the Slnsbury-Em- pire in 1900, when Polly was capti- vating the patrons 'with her then famous "Give Her a Violet" number. The first act proper shows Polly reciprocating Leonard St. Aubyns' interest to the extent they had se- cretly become married a few weeks prior. St. Aubyns, pere, enters the scene and amputates his son's In- come. In Monte Carlo PoUy faces the crisis, discovering her husband's Inherent caddishness, although about to become a mother. Several months later In Marseilles, after the hostess of a local dive had befriend- ed her In the direst hour, Polly re- ciprocates by offering to pay oft the debt through singing for the enter- tainment of the i)atron8, although the place Is a frank brothel. The heroine at first had been proposi- tioned by Mme. Blanche, the owner of the place, that "Just like In Eng- land, tho men like French girls, over here they like the English girls." But Polly still remains "the lady" during her sojourn at the Malson Hhnnche, although forced to depart when St. Aubyns, Sr., enters with a seizure writ of the baby on the ground Its mother Is "unfit" as a guardian. Aubyns was formerly a common tradesman born Tubblns, who tried to make his son a gentle- man through the medium of his money until the offspring drank him- self to death. The father is Intent on bringing up an heir as he sees fit. Polly entrusts the baby to a friendly stranger and spends six years un- successfully trying to refcain him until there Is danger of her mental stability. For abetit 15 years she has been conducting the Brixton bar at Havre, almost having given up hope, When tha young Tommy who had accompanied an overlnduflgent com- panion Into the place accidentally shoots the latter. Thin leads into the discovery as to his identity. This is a fairly thorough synopsis of the plot development. The skele- ton has been cloaked with all the sure-fire Incidentals UnuaJfly attend- ing such theme. The question whether at this late date the pa- trons will take to It, will make or break the offering. The Chances are neg.atlve, however. MIns Na/Sh is auperb In the sev- eral characterizations she must han- dle, and accepted all opportunities masterfully. One or two of the scenes were truly gripping, l<}ilsa- beth Rlsdon is the unolficlal lumi- nary with her brilliant handling of an extraordinarily Juicy assignment. With the start "stralghtlng" In one comedy scene. It appe.irs on the sur- face that Miss Rlsdon is running away with the piece, although Miss Nash's legitimate contribution Is worthy of any artiste. Victor Mor- ley as the racetrack tout has about the only other opportunity worth while, with the rest more or less ■bits." Lester I,onergan's staging Is ex- traordinarily worthy and the Clif- ford F. Pemher scenery is above ttie average. The production leaves lit- tle wanting. Similarly th» Acting. Kvon the play as a piece of iliama- tiirgy Is not to blame. The general theme, bccau.se of Its fnmlll irlty witli tho obvious twist that the mother the medallion she put on th« baby's neck, is at fault. The chances are against tba pleca on account of that, although Woods should get a decent break on the screen rights. Properly handled, the play should make good film material, although It win probably necessitate the Introduction of a punchier tltha than "The Lady." AttI PELLEAS AND MELISANSE The Doorkeeper Oordon Bui^ Mellsaitde Jane Cowl Uolaud Ijoula Hector Arkel J. Sayre Crawler (.ionevleve Grace Hampton I'olleaa RoUo P«ten Little Ynlold WHllam Peerc* The Old Servant Jeaale Ralph A Doctor _. Vernon KeJao Alma Reeves Smlta Maid.Servant!.. Three. Beggars. Marlon I'ivanaoa Mildred WaU LucUe WaM KdUh Van CSeT* Mary Hulton Katherlne Wray Harry Taytor lAurenco Adams lUcbard Bowler If any star on earth could make "Pelleas and Melisande" a popular success, Jane Cowl might. But It seenns chimerical, even with her beautiful and gifted presence, that this senile gibber of Maeterlinck's will Intrigue New Yorkers. The Selwyns have given Miss Cowl's far-fetched new starring medium a production of extravaifant Investment and fine spirit. It will never pay Itself off, even as a unit In the repertoire they are oomplllnK for the star whose Juliet lifted her rather suddenly Into glories whence sh# may dispute with any current artiste the title of First Aotreas of the Land. ■ "Pelleas and Melisande" will set her back In this ambition rather than elevate her, as she dombtlessly anticipated. Neither the role nor the play could ever help "make" anyonQ. It ta a dreary, episodic, verbose, frequently soggy tragedy of Platonic love, marrlase to an old brute, suffering and repressed de- sire. It may be a symfeolio poetlo fantasy of literary merit, but as an climax, and finli^ea In %M dreary and emotk>nless a deatb as ever was staged. Why modern actresses, full of life and feminine loveliness, yiouth and allure, fight destiny to engasa In wearisome mediaeval drivel that they do not themselves understand and that thoy know few others will crtjojf. Is one of the starnal mys- teries of Bta«e psychology. It seems that ^ soon as stars become com* merclal magnets they yearn for a chance to bore their pulblle and to sell somethinK no one wants; to prove aomethlnc perhaps — but what? Mies Cowl, a Juliet beyond any of her generation, followlns wKh tow- ering triumph the failures of sev- eral established stars In ths same role, might have been satisfied; It was glory enoug-b for a lifetime. But she no sooner broke records in Shakespeare than she dug out the musty mumblings of Maeterlinew and hurried back to the great the- atrical market place as Melisande, a creature unhuman, a pei^natlon of a doddering poet's eccentric moonlngs. There are a million people In New York who adore Miss Cowl in the flesh and blood. They do not want to see her pant and .sigh and die, even as Juliet, but Juliet Is nt least a glrU Melisande Is only a ghost. Melisande does considerable weep- ing, and weeping has long been Miss Cowl's best trick. Perhaps that Influenced her to give the world Melisande. Perhaps It was the Greenwich Villaje Influence or soma other hysterical or esoteric urge. It certainly was not the Selwyps. In "Romeo and Juliet" Miss Cowl drew around $26,000 weekly. It she reaches half that figure after the first press of the CowI-In-anythlng fans It win be a wonder. She has Instituted special performances as Juliet, and these matinees will out- draw her nights as Melisande. "Pelleas and Melisande" Is re- grettable despite Its artistic apple- sauce. • Miss Cowl does all wMh ths princess from nowhere that a -nor- tal could, and Rolio Petero, as Pelleas (he Is her Romeo), has a deep and vibrant voice and suffers mightily with her. The scenes are mostly played in the dark. No foot- lights or borders are used at any time. All sets ore forests or vast castle Interiors, gloomy, forbidding. Home of the scenes are very short and end with almost childish ob- sei vstlons about a moon or a flowsr or the Weather, Everything is subtly symbolic, often entirely elusive Iq the symbolisms. There are two love scenes be- tween the lovers, who are pictured as very young, though the girl Is married and becomes a mother by her whiskered husband meanwhile. The husband kills the loVer, his brother, and wounds his wife. Hhs gives premature birth to a puny child and dies llngerlngly during the final scene, a grisly antl-cllmax with endless talk, also densely sym- bolic and wpclflcally boresome. As a thing of charm. Miss Cowl is most endearing and winsome and wistful. As a character she Is faith- ful. As a «'age heroine s!;e Is nol because Meli.^ande is nl'. A few—very few—weeks in "Pel- IiMS aiul MeliBandt"" should bs cinnigh. whereupon Miss Cowl must •;.■<< ^^ ■■•J >?: 2 ;''j 4 SI •ft :?1 ■| Will And the long-lost son through Ipo Into aiiolhcr pliiy, and It la t*