Variety (October 1925)

r- ♦ f» » • VARIETY LEGITIMATE m Wtdnetday. October 14, i^ PLAYS ABROAD A MAN Paris. Oi. 1. The Theaiie de la Madfl'ine, <li- fecttHl by Trebor and Aiulre Hrulp, ia fortunate In liavlng secured an up-to-date three-art tomody. "L'n Homme," by Alfred Savoir. which was suocesMfiilly i>resonfed last week. The subject is dtilcaie. but .«<o adroltely bandied by the clever author of "Blue^,^••lrd■8 Eighth Wife' and 'The Grand Duchess and The Waiter" that ft does not shock, but on the contrary con.stltutes an ex- cellent entertainment with a ro- mantic thrill. A charmlnp; spinster, Mile. Klem. ia at the head of a big financial con- cern. She Is a super-woman who in a weak moment falls in love with an Impecunious nobleman. Anony- mously she provides for his keep, hoping to win him. When the young Count discovers his benefac- tress, whom he adores, he continues to carry on the role of a profligate, albeit he has just Inherited another fortune which makes him independ- ent of the female banker. To avoid a scandal, the family suggest a mar- riage with the Count, but believing him still Impoverished they exact humiliating conditions. When It Is disclosed the young Count Is even rT?her than herself the romahtlc climax Is reached, and the unsavory theme of "Un Homme" Is avoided. This Is where the con- summate talent of Savolr Is re- vealed. Andre Brule is perfect In the role of the Count, with Made- leine Lely as the super-woman. There are several side situations which enhance the, mtrth of ^hls psychological farce.' The thesis Is briefly a reversal of sex: If a wealthy woman desires a man why should she iK)t use her riches to I'uy him if he is to be bought. How- ever, the aiithor has treated the shocker so neatly that no objection- able phase is found in the comedy. KfHdrfic. level best to reach the Americans. They are headed by Marcll Hahna and a newcomer calling himself Na- pierska. Mary and Christi.ine «!uy appear In a number of elegant dresses, more or less light In weight, and constitute an attractive feature of the pre.sent Palace shiw. They are backed by J. S. Fisher troupe of girls. .Jane Pierly sings prettily and Is quite attractive. Fernando Jones of Doug'ass and Jones, a colored gent: U.iisy Holls; the clever dancers, Hrrjianova and Darewski; Jane Aubert, and the comedians Maupl. Max Berger, Georges Oloe, Pomie, P. Clrel. make up the rest of a suitable cast. On the whole it is an entertaining pro- duction, with a Venice mirror set (a simple effect of reflection obtained by a larRe looking glass) causing wond. find a miniature ballet. "Rose and Nightingale," Inspired from a poem by Oscar Wilde, eliciting ap- plause. KrH<l>r\c. TAEFY Ix)ndon. Sept. 22. Satire of Welsh life by C8r.iil'H- Evan*, presented at the Royalty, .Septei<ilier 2). by Dennis E>idie; production transferred fr*n' 'Q" Theatre. RADIO WAVE 505 Berlin, .Sept. 19. This is the best revue lierlin has ever seen and Director H. Haller can be called the Flo Ziegfeld of Berlin. It might even be appre- ciated In New York if not so much previously seen In America. It is easily noticed that the producer has been In New York. The show is splendid. No plot, but the cross-talk witty, costumes gorgeous, production elaborate, scenery original and music in some parts catchy. It has only two faults: length of til© show (3 hours and 40 minutes, with one short Intermission of 15 minutes), too much for a Berlin audience that seldom sees a show of such splendor and 60 scenes. The second fault is too much nudity, which makes It unsuitable for the class of audience catered to. The scenes with almost nude girls have less success as, for Instance, the cute fairy-tale scene. There are five female principals, the star, Alice Hechy, of very good appearance; two tonitdlans and three other male principals lead the show, which includes sixteen Tiller girls, a ballet of 20 In the Russian style, a chorus of good,-looking girls, a troupe of midgets, a Jazz band and some good-looklnK specialties. Walter Kollo, the Irving Berlin of Berlin, wrote some catchy music, of which a waltz Boston, "Du machnt nilr srhlaflose Nachte" I'Vou Are < auslng Me Sleepless Nights'), and two foxtrots are best. Business Is good. The show phould run a year. The admission lias been cut in comparison to last year. The capacity Is 2,400. It is said that hte production cost 280.000 marks (70,000) and the daily salary list Is about 4,500 marks 91,100). The importance of Caradoc Evans is due to the enmity of all hi« brother Welshmen. His self-im- posed mission iif life is :o repre- sent his fellow countrymen as hypo- crites, misers and everything else that's bad. As he lashes them un- sparingly and, moreover has a fine literary gift for writing English in the Welsh idiom, his short stories have become very popular. His play, however, is another matter. There is a limit to satire on the stage and accordingly, "Taffy" cannot make an audience writhe deliclously with «lisgnst The satire is vigorous enough but it lacks novelty. It is doubtful whether such a s;ory could provide sufficient dra- matic situations for a play. In any case, Caradoc Evan.s has indulged too freely In speeches which, whether hypocritical or righteous, are dull. On the first night Mhe performance was enlivened by the Interruptions of angry Welshmen who finished by singing "Land of My Fathers" in Welsh. Without this attraction the play is tedlou.s Can Caradoc Evans provoke the choir to attend every night? good, sexy screen entertainment If properly adapted. There Is one thing that 4'.uatuv Blum must b« credited with, and that is the manner in which he iias cast the two principal roles. In Lester Vail and Antoinette Perry, as the middle-aged lady with a longing for a young lover, ne cer- tainly cho8e_two players copable of delivering. There Is a little too much ef the mirror of life In regard to middle- aged ladles who like ttt have young fellows fluttering about them a-id are willing to pay for it to please the middle-aged ladles who might t e in the audiences. The story con- cerns four young people, all In a rooming house adjacent to the "Vil- lage."" One, a struggling young architect, who has quarters with a pianist, lives on one floor while above them there are a couple of girls, one a student a>-i'st. Both the boys are practically at the end of their rope, but the pianibt has the happy faculty of having practically all women fall for him. the young ones as well as the otd, and It is through the medium of the old dames that the musician manages to get enough here and there to keep the roof over their heads.' One dashing widow finally pro- )K>ee8 to him and he decides to marry her. That ends the first act. He is really In love with the young art student who lives on the flour above him, but he seemingly hasn't the will power to say 'No" when he '■»-8 a life of flnancial ease before him. The second act, a year later, dfscloses him practically as a fetch- and-carry poodle for his wealthy wife. She is insanely Jealous of I'.im and there are constant scenes. At the end of this act, in a struggle to make him remain In the house when he would leave her, her re- volver Is discharged and she falls dead. The final act Is in the .same set as the first. The boy rushes to the side of the girl that he readly loves and Is found there by the police. When they start to take him away he rushes to the hall and fires a bullet into his own body, being brought back on the stage to die. The piece Is well staged, and were it not for the tragic ending it un- doubtedly would be a better busi- ness getter. Frrd. that be tried to picture viflue in an amiable Ucht. Mebbe so, and It's too late now to correct him, but In revived form, its bo1«- value Is as a relic. As noted l>efore, Mr. P iney and Miss Brown were the most comr petent members of the cast. Even Maude Allan and Jeanne Owen ca- pable legit people, sufTered from cx- ei-rable direction. One of the pi- rates. Vanderbluff, had a bass voice in which there was neither a trace of music nor a hint of harmony, while his associates weren't much better off. And aside from the ex- ceptions noted, the amateui'lsh cast pretty nigh ruined what values might have been left by the omis- sion of decent music. For the .songs weren't especially melodious In themselves and as rendered were very bad. "Polly" nvay finish a subscription run in the Village, but with its skimpy scenery and poor cast. It har<lly stands a chance of removal uptown.-> Hiak- HAMLET Trage.ly by Wnilam Sh>ke»|ieare Re- vived by Waiter Hampden at hia thi'aire iformirly I'oonial), »ilh Hampden MOd Ethel Barrymore ctarred. T'layed by him in three acts and I^ aoenet. Pr<Hluction de- signed by Claude Bracdon. .Staged and dlrecto<l by Mr. Hampden. Opened Oct. 9. Francidco, a aoUlliT Marcel Dill Bernardo, an oIHcer Reynolds Kvana Marcellus, an ofllrer I'hIIlp Wood Horatio William Sauter ithcst of Hamlet's Father Max Mentor Claudius, King uf Denmark. Kennel h Hunter Gertrude, Queen and mother of Hamlet.. .Mary Hall Voltlmand. an ambassador J. Pluihpion Wi:ion Lames Ernest Rowan Poloniua .Mberf Bruning Hamlet Waller Hampden Ophelia E'hel Barrymor*- Reynaldo S. Thomas Homer Hosencranli Thomas F. Tracey nuildenotern Uonlon Hart Players— Pl.iyer King Reynold Bvana Playr Queen Mabel Moore Prologue Edith Birrett Luclanus P. J. Kelly Fnrtinbrav, Prince of Norway.. .Hart Jenk!» A Captain l.ouis Polan A fJallor S. Thomas Gomez First Oravedigger Cetil. Yapp ."Second tJravedigger P. J. Kelly \ Prie»l Thomas P. Tracey <>»ric I.e Rol Op'Ttl English Aml>4<»ador... .J. Plumi>lon Wilson Ixrd", i.tdi(<<<, players, soldiers an<l attend- ant* played by 10 others. PALACE Paris, Oct. 3. — ^e,-new show, "Paris Voyeur," presented by ,0. Dufrenne and H. Varna at the Palace, starring Orock, the Swiss musical clown, is an ex- cellent spectacular revue without being anything out of the ordinary. Signed by Leo Lilievre. Henri Varna and Fernand Houvray, the chief glory goes to the prorturer«, but Grock shines as liie headUiier. He is p'aying his usual vaudeville act, split up in different scenes, starting off with a Kketch, "In My Diesslng Room," where he is seen ninlng-up with his partner ibrother- in-Iaw), TLole. During the second part he sings his usual Tyrolean song, accompanying hipiself with the accordion, and later discourses on the cosoertino. ' The series of tableaux evoking the Paris boulevards .since 1807 is highly •Interesting and well costumed, ter- minating with the proposed street bridges of 1950 to relieve traffic con- gestion. There Is a lace scene and ,1 finale, Inroduchig popular alcohol- ic; tlrinks, wliicli reminds one of the .MouMn Rotige revue in wjilch the <:er4rude Hoffman Girls lm|iersonate liqueurs. PLAYS ON BROADWAY (Continued from page 26) did or why she ever fell for him to begin with, even though the author paints her a woman who could make any jiacrifice for a home and domi- nance and the security of the plain gold band. Trowbindge couldh't be right in any stage argument with Miss Hearne. It is the authors intent that she be humiliated, deserted, crushed. But the actual outcome is that every man and every woman out front reserves the opinion that if he swept floors, tended furnace, washed the dishes and carried out the garbage he would still be getting all the better of the combination. Miss Hearne Is simply too good— far too good for any author, hero and plot combined to take the play aw-ay from her. On the other hand, were she not so brilliant there might Vie no play at all. If "Craig's Wife" has a chance at all it 1.'^ because of the performance Miss Hearne gives of Craig's wife. Critics will rave over the con- struction, the language and the theme of this opus, all of which are theoretically worthy. But the box office will scarcely echo their encomiums. "Craig's Wife" looks good for a limit of four weeks, and may possi- bly collapse earlier. I.oit. POLLY operetta by John Gay, written in the early part of the 18th centuiy and de- sign'-d as a aeiiuei to "The Beggar'-' Opera." In three arts and (our scenes. Frudui ed | Oct. 1(1 by the Cherry Lai>e Playhouse. 40 i Commerce street. New York. StiiKed by Gordon Oavis and William S. Ralney. Mr. Ducat Kdmund Ford*- Pirates: Moratw William S. Ralney v'anderblun Richard Abbott Capftern Orde CVelghton Harker MUhael Kllborn <°uUrerin. William Burl^e I^guerrc Oscar Amundsen rohetohee. , David D'Arry I'awwawkee , Charles Trout First Footman William Broderirk .'•^econd Footman,... Marion Cowen Polly Dorothy Brown Mrs. DiKat Maude Allan I>iana Trapes Jeanne Owen Jenny Diver .>,. ...Geneva Harrison Flimsy Eunice Osborne Women of the Tow: Damaris Kalbryn Mulhnlland Betty Doxy Zoe Barry Mrs. Slammekin Grace .Searles Molly Brazen ......Margot Andre !^uky Tawdry Helen Wblts A little opera which was probably nice and dirty In Its day—so much so that" the Lord Chamberlain of England refused to let it mortify English morals by Its presentations. According to the proRram notes at the Cherry l^ne, it has never been presented in America and the cur- rent New York presentation Is Its first. Maybe that's the reason the cur- rent production is so badly done. With the exception of Dorothy Brown and William Ralney, there is not a singing voice In the cast, and Instead of at least string trio or quartet to handle the musical, an upright piano is made to suffice. Right away the value of the music is lost, and with some of the atro- clcuis voices in certain songs. It be- comes laughable. No doubt it Is a commendable ef- fort, but for all Its good intention and all the devotion to art which A play in three att? bl^-Kat* Xl>>4(»iV1ri. .i;!ptonipfe<l their btuigijMr forth the Prwiucd unil^rtihir dir««?rihn . f-«ifrts-pw«»«eque* td T*re''*Cefc'fe'.ir^ CAUGHT senled by tSustav Blum at the 3tnh Street New York clly, Oct. 5. Mrs. O.Mnra 1,11 .in Booth David I'urner Fiilrf.ix Burgher Betty Martin Qltidys Hurlburt Allx Carrol Eve ''nsanovn Pendleton Brown I.rster Vail ludy Roi« Anti/ir'tie Tf-rry l(<ib"rt Coleii un ll')l)eit llarrlion 'ii'rie Morxnii I.ii;:i'i llocili Ii.hnson Edwin K. Vi'kf,y lli>.|.|y ('olem»n Bo\d 'lark* Plflifr Edwin K. ^•i.:kery T'p to the end of the sej-.n<t act of "Caught" one wonder.s ^^by the shtiw isn't dotnf7 better bii.Hintss. The third art tells the si iry. It Is simply proof of the fact ,,int audi- ences of today will not let the au- thor kill the hero in iht '.ist .it't. That serms to be the real trout)le with "CauRht • Had a happy end- ing,' been evolved there ml>;ht li.tvf be«-ii .'mother slury at th»' I'MiOfliee. As it s!jiii(ls. "Cniuht" (aiiiiot hf counted as an oiiistandiiig box- (ifllVe hit It tail, houcvor. linKer a little with the-.iKsistance of I tie 'iit- ratHS .'ind possibly enable liif pro- ducer to Kct out »if the barrel Ihroiijili the sale of the i'i<-tiire The Palace terpsiehoreans do their tights, for "Caught wiU m; tic j Opera,* it cannot be said In truth that the Cherry Laners have brought forth anything worth seeing. For "Polly" Is so woefully staged. Its music so badly handled and its lines so ni.al- treated that little Is left of what was suppo.sedly a satire on prostitu- tion. The plot conceins a young girl who follows a rapscallion husband to West Indies, where the keeper of a "school for gt-nilewuiueii" altenipts to sell her to an old (,'ent!einan who has grown tired of his wife. This same gentleman later makes threats to her should she refuse to carry out the work for which he pur- chased her. The sweet f.iced lady who sold her is a great booze fighter and in drinking rum she takes large tumblers. The girl later disKuises herself as a man to be near her husband, who is a pirate chief now. and finds him mixed '•■ with an- other dame. Persistency, however, tritiiiiphs. and virtue ^vif what is coming to It. • '.ny, w)io wrote this |)Ircf ,o« well aw that chirmlng "Hegirar's fljirra " e'»)'laln" that this «ine '"tended .is a satire on (he \iie»! of tiis cu^ and touring Just to play the pi>;.t ,., ' And yet each new gene.ft'i^l,* Zl'' to bring forth some actor who*!^** nius fits with the genius of .s^^**' peare and whose efforts are eventf,!!' ly crowned. The regular shot. S chooses an easier path to proswiu for the simple reason that half . them are so limited In mental '* sources that they would be toianC otali, unaoie to present aiiyiiiing ^Z'i appealed to Intellects above ««« mar school capacity. i>t at have stuck to their guns, Harnnd!! Included, and after years „f ^2 he has been enabled to start hi. own playhouse devoted to jhJ, things which are dear to his heart Certainly a triumph for him 7^ all the more a triumph because hs waited so long. ^ Miss Barrymore, the Ophelia h the current production, is a kitt»n ish player in this part, lovelier tiia. ever and slender. Her way of pia., Ing seemed like a new method ol delivering Ophelia, but it was emil nently successful, if the reception |a a criterion. Of the other pla\er» Albert Brunlng, William Sauter and Krnest Rowan stood out. ■Hamlet" is In for a limited «n. gagement, which may mean about six or seven weeks. With the col- leges In session, the piece should be able to go nicely through that period. fitk. THE CALL OF LIFE The thre.-act drama hy .Arhur Schn'tiln pre^nted by the Actors' The.:tre at 0» Comdey, starting Oct. t». l»::s Entii* version by Dorothy Donnelly. Dii..teJbi Dudley Diggea. SetllnKs dfsigned by it Mie'.ziner. Mo.ser Egon Hreclm M.Trle K\a I.e <;. 111.3,,, Ed wan) Ralner DouK'am H. Pumbrlllt Dr. Schindl«T Thomas I'lalnwn Mrs. TonI Rlchter Allr^ Jshi Catherine Katherine .Mrxiii<i«t. Max Derek (JiyuM Peh^nlian f,.rie St«s« The Colonel H"imann U^k Albert Slaiilfy K»r,li»rit Irene Rosa ind Fu'iff The highest price ever asked reg- ularly for a Shakespearean produc- tion in New York—$-t.40—is being requested for Walter Hampden's new production. Very likely this is necessary, for with Hampden is Miss Kthel Barrymore, Albert Brunlng, Cecil Yapp and several other distin- guished legit players. Moreover, Mr. Hampden has brought to New- York a heavy production and a very large cast. For the opening of his reiiertory season Hampden has done himself proud in every way. We most recently have had John Barrymore's "Hamlet" in New York, and a sensational affair It was, too. Sothern, lyeiber. Forbes-Robertson and Walker Whiteside also played It around here not so long ago. With the exception of the Barrymore Job, IIamt>den tops the lot, playing the Dane with a sad, serious mien which is vastly more Impressive than the hocus-pocus acting some of our other thespians have put into the part. Hamlet Is the test of a great actor. The greatest role In the greatest tragedy ever written, it is not alone the test of the actor but the test of a man. No weak actor can play the part. No ambitious but Incapable actor could don the inky robes and get away with a faking of the role. It has to be played strictly on the level and always by a man who knows his chores back- wards. It is no news to the profes- sion that Hampden knows his busi- ness, for he has played Shakepeare- an and other classical roles for years. His "Othello" is generally conceeded the best ever given in this country; his Shylock is excellent; his Macbeth, his Petruchlo-^all of these pa«>««^. have been admirably presented and cordially received. His great success, coupled with the un- precedented run which his "Cyrano de Bergerac" achieved last season both in New York and on the road, would serve to rate Hampden among the truly ureat of the stage who have been fortunate enough to have impressed the paying jjubllc with their worth. In "Hamlet" Hampden has com-- wrenced his most »moiilr>us enter- prise—the mainten.ini-e of a reper- tory theatre given over to Shake- speare and other classic writers. Some say he will do "The Merchant" next; others that he and Miss Bar- rymore will appear in ".Much Ado About Nothing." while still others insist that he Is for givinif a gala I revival of 'Taming of the Shrew." I Whatever the next vehicle may be. 1 and it is fairly certain that Hamp- I den jind Miss B.irrymore will remain j associated for ^everal future pieces, I the cordial reception of their "Ham- let" will terd to give sn inn>etus to the next t>roduction. In "Hamlet" Hampden Ins spent much money In die^slns: his stage. He has sur- rounded himself with one of the best •Shakespearean casts ever assembled and he h.is kept reveren'lalty to the tr.idif ional spirit of a scrint which Is sfi'I a '>ox-. fflce-dran- af'^r three ceMturi'S of I'saKe. That point should m.tke some of the cotiiiiK rcii.l iii.inagers pause. Alo'i;; n-,-o:idway the reciilar liunch !<s i""r<e<' to vooh-nfU'h fl^e rla^sic- l"f»._ rt'^v-de f.l'e ,Tf>»ors w>io have '■■"'-i;Ied for a place 'n the rh»ssic;\1 nil and who have devoted \carp In The directors of the Aviov^' Thea* tre, in selecting Sohnitzler's "Call ot Life" for their first jjrodui tion of the new season, seemed to hav« erred if they expect it to riv;il either "Candida' or "The Wild Due!;. Thia early play of the distinguished Ku- ropean draiBatist is one of his be«t, perhaps, from the purely literarr standpoint, but not even the plati' num-edged presentation ^iven it at the Comedy can free It from dull moments, from uncoiivlhcing th< at- rlcallsm and from a certain "high- brow" taint that is unforlun.ite ai far as the box office Is conceriieil. The central character is a ftirl, young, beautiful and full of the xest for a broader existence, but chained to the bedside of her crabbed. Iras- cible and surly father. His span of life has almost been completed, but he fights death with a tena< ity that is horrible, while he allows hlJ daughter no freedom, no joy, no res- pite from the tedious care of hl» last days. She takes what slie con- siders the only way out, administer- ing an overdose of sleeping powden to the old tyrant. That leaves her free to enjoy tlw liberty she has so long desired, but instead of finding life beautiful tht sees only sorrow and sordidne.ss on all sides. Yet she lacks the coura«» to end it all, traveling on throu|li this human "vale of tears' a tragic wistful and poignant creature. In marked contrast stands the fij* ure of her cousin, Katherine, a light- hearted, joyous girl, but one doomti to die before the play is ended by » dreaded disease that wracks her frail system. Schnitzler has brought out most effectively the pitiful contrMt between the Yiatures of the two glrU, one physically able to enjoy th« pleasures of life but viewing them with stoic indifference, and »he other passing into eternity just as she blossoms into happy, exuberant young womanhood. The counterplot, interwoven with the lives of the cousins, tieats of « regiment of Austrian soldiers wa«- Ing the battles of their < ountry «t the time (1850). Thirty years before the forerunners of this military un"i the Blue Cuirassiers, had retreated under fire and the present group or younger men have sworn to expiat* this cowardice by consecrating their lives to this cause. The pro<fu«lon1s almost f.iuUlet^ It Is a peculiar play, inasmuch*' there are really no leading role.s «na most of ttie characters appear out- ing only one of the three acts. M'W Le Galllenne has no su. h opportu- nity as in "Lilliom," and tliough «n« did splendidly with a diflicult "paf^ she was forced to share the h"""*! of the feminine continK'it *"5 Katherine Alexander and nosaim" Fuller, whose few colorful niotnem^ in the second act stood out . leaf'' in the general gloom of the evening Of the men Hermann Li<'^ *" Thomas Chalmers seemt'i i<> «'* the most finished perfoi nintv^* while Egon Brecher was i"'*'''"!?:. tenth- brilliant in the iinporia" first-act role of the father For a "cold" opening < •'''^7'". went superlatively well, a i*;'''"?. nlal to the directorial Keiiia- "'''", ley DiPKes. The second ait ^•et w. handsome and unusual. !'>'' others not quite. perl,ai>- «" tlnctlve as might be expc '«<'.. _:|i ArtisM-ally ■The Call of I '/*- *' unqiiestioniibly be ac.l.iirn"! '". i,n qii.irters and the au'.«'■'■!" '"''■>'.!.- iriiar.iniees it a teitain I the of JIf* H>rb-