Variety (November 1925)

VARIETY LEGITIMATE -J Wednesday, November 4, 192S the costumes, furnlshlngB, etc., great care h.is been expended. Hut the care stopped with the selection of the cast, which Is like the well known blsliop's w«Ml known egg— good in spots. First and foremost, there ia Mrs. Inbull, whc : Lady Teazle Is unlike anything seen either in these or foreign parts. The lady is equipped with more poses than a prof<'K.sional .nodnl while her efforts at issiuing nielodlous and singing toni'3 are notliing but silly. She fairly purrs lln-^s whiclj other actresses would talk, and this one trait caused niiRli comment. Otlier- •wise slug's a fair eiiouKh actres.-^, pe- tite and beautiful. Uruce. as Sir Peter Te.iz'e, w.is olcay. having a full uniler-t.iiidwig of the play. The eanie ajjiilies to Wilfrid Seagram and .Ma.\ .Montesole, who really did better than anyone else. Of the others, or p.irtuularly one or two. there was often a hint of incom- petency or rank acting. Settings nice, all four of them, hut hardly of the do luxe variety. Fur- niture beautiful and mostly antl«iue stuff. The flow.Tj which were rushed down the aisles after the first and fourth acts to Mrs. In.sull were also pretty. The opening night price was $11 a gag. Regular s.-ale Is $3.30 and the managerial firm has the house under contract for Ave w^eeks with option of more time. The show can't make money here, but then it wasn't produced for that purpose. So long as audiences Hli the seats Mrs. In- .«ull and her husband will probably ^be ready to foot the bills. But that it will even prove a moderate draw la extremely doubtful. One thing must not be forgotten. Sheridan died a long time ago. Yet the applause tendered Mrs. Insull reached that comic stage which . ver- zealous friends often attain In the theatre and caused one prominent critic, waggish qualities unknown, to hiss through his teeth: "Author, author." 8iak. PLAYS OUT OF TOWN -"JST life, madaiwe (Continued from Page 26) thoroughly. In fact, a few lessons from Pinero wouldn't hurt anyway. N'nturiilly, Mrs. Chcyn«y is to l)e sent to jail with her l)iitler. but un- fortunately for the outraged liostess Lord Klton, in a moment of unusual passion, has written a letter to his lady lovo in whicli ho not only makes extravagant exprcsslor. ) 1 ut has told all too plai .l.v his precise opinion of his hostess and her guests. In a liigliiy conilc scene he reveals wiiat he has said and then with clumsy strategcms lie nd liis victims endeavor to get the letter I)a(k. But Mis. Oheyney, after tor- turing them ;.ll tlMirougiily, tears i. > his check for 10,0(10 pounds and re- tm-nn his alre:i<ly de-,no!isl.ed letter. The butler, in sorrow ratlier tlian anger, regrets that he vould lever make lier a good thief. As the cur- tain drops Arthur has persuaded her to hurry off to a bishop so tiiat he may qui-kly make the last of Mrs. Cheyney. All this is well enacted, although cluttered with characters who con- tribute only atmosphere. Roland Young, unfeatured, but who takes his bows with Miss Claire, gives a superb characterization of Arthur, while Felix Avlnier does much with the role of Elton. As the butler, A. R Matthews is most convincing, but he is .seen too little, appearing for not over two minutes in t'.e second act. The settings are the best wit- nessed here this year and this also goes for the costumes. If the play is carefully rewritten for the first two acts and Miss Claire, as in the past, is allowed sufflcient freedom, it should be A hit. Otherwi.se it will be one of tliose halfway things. Austin. Cincinnati, Oct. 30. Drama by John BowIp, •tarrtng Aini'llii Bingham. StaK.d by O. D. Wo.Klward aiil the National Playeri. M*K I'hiiiie Mnb.1 Jaun.iy DIok KilloWB Bkhar.l IrvlnK Kobert HcnniK U.m llorniUKhx Drunlnda EuKi'ia Turita CJrace Norton -^lli- Hahfi Gonlt)n C'haso I.<'o I.liiJnait Florenie Sllaby l-aura l^v.il Mme. U^mice <-'has.> Amelia llliifhuiu FiirboK I.awn'iH'1' O' Itrli'ii Eileen Heir K.lih O.rtsh.uu John Bowie lias selected the same general theme for this jilay upon which the Kamous Mrs. Fair" was based, but he has seen lit to treat it in a more serious vein. The piCi'e has its humorous spots, but they are the exception rather th.m the rule. "Just Life, Madame," Is ridi in metropolitan flavor. No effort was made by the author to gloss over the unpleasant portions, and al- though the author has been openly frank in his portrayal of a certain phase, or phases, of life, the play does not at any time descend to ob- Jectlonal dialogue and situations. Structurally the play Is sound drama, and there la no gainsaying the fact that it will be a success. Like all new plays, it needs careful prtyilng to revise and eliminate, but these changes will have been made before it Is presented elsewhere. The locale la in the home apart- ment of the Chases in New York. Mme. Bernice Chase, once an oper- atic prima donna but now retired because of the failure of her voice, impoverishes herself, selling her Jewels and other possesl«ons in or- der to retrieve the forgeries com- mitted by her husband, Oordon Chase. She accepts a position as a singer in a low-class cafe to keep her daughter in luxury. During her absence the daugher runa wild with a fast set of youthful moderns, the husband meanwhile sinking himself Into an affair with an actress. The mothers returns, learns of the state of affairs and. in a fit of dlBtractlon. ruslies from the house. The daugh- ter then enters with the man she has Just married, saying she has run down a woman crossing the street. The victim is believed to be the mother. Tlie thl'd act reveals that it was not the motlier but the father's ac- tre.><s who was the vlctln>. Ill tlie last act inoliier and daugh- ter are reunited, friend mother giv- ing her faithless spouse the door, while a new romance with an an- cient admirer holds out promise for a new future. Amelia Hlngliam. returning here as a guest-artltt. achieved a distinct personal triumph in the title role. Don Burroughs as the old sweet- heart and .Mice Baker as the humor- ous sister, gave two of the best portrayals. I»cal critics were unanimous in declaring that the play was a cer- tain success. M'ahh Somewhere £ait of Gotham "Somcwbere Kant of Ootiiam." by Wil- liam Anthony MciJulre. Dlreit»0 and prc- lu'nOMl by the author at Fords Theatre. Ilal-Jinore, week of Oct. 20, 1»2J. Jane Burton Mildred Florence iharles (thuck) K*ymond. .Albert Haoketi John Bur;on John Weatley tierald Fay Warren William FrogBV Alfred A. Hesae .Skinny iJkncr Burrltt Irish Saul Z. Marterl MIrhael Mc**ue Frank Shannon L.efty Jamea P. Houston Hplke Frank Hilton Tonv Ullbert <llr«r<J lAnte Tan Peter rhong <;oe Kngllah F. H. Day Joneay Howard Morgan PLAYS ABROAD GONE CRAZY Colored musical tabs as played via T. O. B. A. circuit, the chain of Negro tlieatres, may long be ac- customed to shows of the "Gone Crazy" stripe which is the current attraction at the Lafayette (Har- lem). Yet at the Lafayette which has played every kind of a colored policy tabs of this kind will never flU any longfelt amusement want in the uptown colored belt. "(•one Crazy'-' bears the producing name of Irvin C. Miller, a sponsor- sTiip label that means something up Lafayette way.through Miller being one of the most prolific of Negro tab producers. It was only a few weeks ago that another of Miller's shows, "Brownskin Models," turned 'em away, due for the moSt part ac- cording to the gossip up that way to the "undressing " of the chorines. "Gone Crazy" is a crazy quilt affair, running mainly and largely to songs and dances and "bits" that hark ba k to paleozoic days or perhaps even further back than that for all the oldtimers uptown know. As a revue It doesn't stack up so forte and could stand some semblance of a book or show greater entertaining strength through proper material. The array of prin- cipals isn't so bad, yet the work of a few stand out and .so far out that the show as a show slides into the discard. IrvIn Miller has a corking bet in the Radcllff Trio and this combi- nation of' two male comics and a woman save his bacon as far as any outstanding merit is considered in the show as paraded at the Lafa- yette. Miller knows his tab pro- ducing, and looking at "Gone Crazy" as traveling proposition he Isn't out the minutest part of the United States mint in either costuming or scenic investiture. The tab got started pretty late, preceded by a Fox feature. It was 9:05 liefore the ojKming mimber started. Ten girls were on view in chorus, array for the start,, with a number later appearing for individ- ual specialities of the song and dance order. The real, mansjzed comedy hit comes late in the second part but It is worth sticking around after that deluge of songs and dances which for sameness affected the general result. •This Is tlie "Phe's Mine" scene funnilv handled by the Radcllff trio. Messrs. Hadrliff and Williams tied iVif. house into a knot with their byplay, a comiiined vocal and slepiilniT argument over the girl, each claiming her, witli the better dancer given the jireference. The men not only harmonize well but each is a good dancer, one showini; .some eccentric kUim (hat were sure- fire. Another pair of principals, George ■VN'lltshlre and Inez Dennis, worked hard, the best part being the ma- terial they are said to have used as a "team." Of the women, Hen- rietta Loveless sang creditably. The chorus goes in for the usual run of stepping, making a number of changes but none of them belncr out of the ordinary. The girls in several niiinbers disport themselves in bare legs and one girl drew more ttfon— than th e o t h ers -thj'wusrb her efforts to be more lively than the oth«ys. There were a number of "bits' that elicited Intermittent laughter and applause but the funniest mo- I mcnts were apparent when the Itad- Folies Bergere Revue London, Oct. 8. Anglo-Frenoh re\ue prcarntod by Tom Arnold at tho Palladium, Kept. 30. Stage lUrectlon .liy Joseph Haynian. .Stars: Urnle l»tlnga, Fred Duprcz and Jenny tjolder. ■While not designed to delight dramatic critics, super-showmen, or wise West Enders, the new Palla- dium revue is calculated to please the regular patrons of that house. Popular priced seats will sell well and even those at the top price (16 shillings) will bo in demand. The title guarantees curiosity, and Bi-nio Lotinga's provincial humor ensures satisfaction. There was some dissatisfaction in the gallery at the close of the first performance. Because it was billed an "actu.T.1 Folles Bergere produc- tion," some Frenchmen connected with the famous Parisian theatre objected. Furthermore, when Joseph Hyman was credited with the pro- duction, they shouted "V'ous I'avez vole," not realizing a revue could be both English and French at the same time, as this one undoubtedly Is, since it includes scenes from Lotinga's touring revue, "Khaki." The revue will pay its way. Booked at ihe Palladium for 10 weeks on a guarantee, it will pro- vide a small profit after expensej are paid and should do well on the road, where Lotlnga is a favorite. His Jokes are effective. In one scene he takes several doses of cas- tor oil. In another he drops a hot potato In his trousers and salts it before lifting it out. In another, after saying: "I'll put this letter next to my heart," he slips it into his hip pocket, a Joke acted by George Thatcher and Ed Marble, at Proctor's 23rd street theatre. New York 25 years ago, and regarded as ancient even then. But that Is what the Palladium likes. There are many costumes for a cliff and Williams boys were hitting on all cylinders. In this pair Miller has the nucleus of a real comedy layout and witii a book and its ac- coutrements could stage a show that would stand the acid test any- where along the route. The show is chockful of "Charles- ton" steppers, too many, as this dance both in routine and by in- dividuals didn't get much of a hand up town. However, when a comedy twist or walk is given to the dance there is something in the way of api)lause; olherwiKe it passes al- most unnoticed. Due perhaps to the fact every Harlem boy and girl can do the Charleston without any ef- fort. One "bit" that deserves mention was the "dope"' scene in which the man and woman worked hard and pleased Immeasurably. The show was pretty free of suggestive verbal exchanges, onlv Joke that sounded a little offcolor yet It was certain of laughter. "Gone Crazy" Is a slammed to- gether show at best. However, there are some redeeming features and one is that Rr.deliff and Wil- liams combination. Tliey liave a "future." "Follies Bergere" show, the work of Max Weddy, Parisian costumcr. The 28 girls dance with deft pre- cision. The solo dancers, Les Ucr- malnes, are a capable duo of the whirlwind kind. Steele and Wins- low, who might be described as Nervo and Knox on roller skates, won approv.il. There is not an original song in the show. "Music arranged by Hor- ace Sheldon and Charles Colerick" merely amounts to "Row, Row. Rosie," "Susie," "Oh Katharina," "Sunny Havana," "Le Reve I'asse" . . and so forth. But these are the' Jackers of today songs Palladium audiences like. 'Jolo. "Somewhere East of Gotham" lies somewhere between the lurid locales of the late Theodore Kremer and the heady fo'castles of the very present Eugene O'Neill. This is a rather wide latitude, and Mr. Mc- Guire's play lias quite a wander- lust. It gets off with a first act that could walk right up to the A. H Woods of twenty years ago and say, "You know me, Al." He would. It's all there—the prodigal, but right-hearted brother, the caddish and cowardly husband, the dutiful and long-suffering wife, the villain wlio turns ojiit to be the hero, th.> vil! -in who trails the villain who turns out to be the hero. McGuire has modernized the old setto by supplanting the white- slavers and the black-handers of yesterday with rum-runners and hi- Act Two, how- GIRL AND THE CAT Paris, Oct. 10. "La Chica del Gato" Is the title In the original of a Spanish melo- drama in three acts by Cartos Ar- mlches, played In Spanish for a fortnight at the Theatre Femlna by the troupe of G. Martinez Sierra. "The girl and the cat," as we should say in English, is most Interesting as a display of modern life In Madrid. The pl.ay Is situated In a sort of thieves' den as a start, and the action shifts to the home of a wealthy family. Senora Catalina Barcena. the sup- posed half-starved waif, is a fine actress, but hardly looked the part on account of her rosy cheeks. The rest 'of the cast Is good, with Man- uel Collando diverting as the valet. Kendrfv. ever, finds the heroine facing the same old situ<ition. She faces it un- til around H o'clock whlen the searchlight of a U. S. revenue cut ter ■weeps the set from off-Btajt« left and the ushers prepare to onen the foyer doors. , ■ Let it be said, however, that there 8 life in the old plot yet Tbl McGuIre script reveals an excellent kick or two. What It needs prin elpally is direction and a simplify, ing of the plot. The killing of th« wuywurd brothe*- by the hi-juckera at the first .act curtain is uimeces saiy and disiractiiig. The. conflict between the rum-runner hero and the hi-jacker for posses.sion „{ tj,. heroine peters out after the second act. and the third act is largely a stall. On the acting side the one notable contribution Is that of Fr.ink Shan, non as the hi-jacker skipp(M-. Thlt likewise, is the author's ln.st char- acterization. The most interesting scenes of the play are those in the second u*-t TJtetwoon the lii-jin;ker and the rum-runner, in which they boast of their amorous prowess More of this sort of thing would aid the play grealty. With direction and plot tinkering the play has possibilities, and there Is a lot of it that will go good on the movie lots. "Uraubrook." SHUFFLIN SAM FROM ALABAM (COLORED) Chicago, Nov. 2. This is one of the .shows of the late Jack Hosklns, who was killed in last week's railroad wreck near Memphi.s, Tenn. It has been out some eight weeks under the Joint management of Doc Gardner and George L. Barton. Considered as a road attraction for the minor cities, or the minor theatres In big towns, it ranks as a rea.sonably safe bet either as a buy or a percentage proposition. It is not a big league produi-tion, but it is better than just a musical tab. It has a book of .some merit and the lyrics and music are okay. The chorus Is just so-so as to looks and ability, but among the principals Harry Nay, Hoyt Jinkins, Jay Scott and Frank Kirk stand out as laugh- getters. The show exhibited here at the Grand, in the .south side colored belt. It Is not, however, geared for colored audiences exclusively. T^TiIte customers in certain towns and cer- tain neighborhoods will secure an evening's entertainmeitt and a lot of laugh out of "Shuffiin' Sam from Alabam." Gunjiowder. a comedy mule, makes surefire howls in the sec^ond act. At the (Jrnnd the first Jict was allowed to drag somewhat in order to run three hours, it ijsually being a two- hour show. The comjiany carries its own orchestra of seven pieces. The production is passable ns to scenery and wardrobe. MERCENARY MARY London, Oct. 10. Musical comfHjy produced by Herbert Clayton and Jack Waller and presenti-d by Moss Emnlres. I.td., at the London Hippo- drome, October 7. Music by William 11. FrlPdlandpr and Ton Conrad; additional lyrics by Irving Caesar; giagp direction hy William Mollliion; Jances and ensemlilea by Ljirry Ceballos. BURLESQUE REVIEWS (Continued from page 13) seemed to lack the snaj) of the aver- age soubret. Lowell Gordon made a good look- ing straight and also was there wltli the "pipes" which he demonstrated in some of the numbers and in sub- sequent speclnlties. Jack Dillon was the Juvenile and handled a tout role satisfactorily. His dancing also stood out. Sam Bransky bandied a character role acceptably. Undoubtedly there aie some who might figure they weie getting their money's worth from "Mutt and Jofl" but you won't find them nmong those who want their burles<;ue .served with paprika. Edba. The Lafayette has no programs. The audience must guess who the players are but where some stand out It Is not long before their names are buzzed In, around and about. Mnrk, No author Is mentioned on the program of "Mercenary Mary," and though Friedlander Is credited with having written the book, a critic may well be forgiven for thinking that no author has been supplied. The dialog is of the kind that actors might Invent at rehearsals. The humor Is lamentable. That suiiplled to the chief <-oniedlan Is merely an absence of "r's' and the relterat?d gag, "I'm not a cwumb." It is said there Is nothing left of the original American book. Such fault may deprive the show of the success it deserves in many other respects. The dancing is the best seen In musical comedy. Frank Masters as a butler opens the show with an expert display of quick stepiilng which winf a burst of ap- plause that is repeated every time he reappears. The chorus is well trained in this resiiect, and there are five girls, Mildred O'Keefe, Ardath de ."Sales, Betty (Jarson, Mary Titus and Janette Deltrich, whose specliil- ty work would entitle them to a place of honor In any show not so richly endowed with hoofers. The show lacks class. The mclo- dlca ara as tr i t e n a t he w ord s ar ^ ' HOTSY-TOTSY GIRLS (MUTUAL) Prima Donna Nan Haven Straight .Vincent .Scanlon < "h.iracter Will Rogers Ingenue - Helen Downs aoubrcttc Amber Pearl Comedian Arthur Page Comedian Johnnie Weber This Is an Arthur Page produc- tion, Pago also t.iking one of the two leading comedy roles with his familiar Hebrew character, while Johnnie Weber, veteran Dutch comic, is given equal prominence in the featuring. What merit there is to the comedy in the show as now constituted belongs to .Weber. He scores repeatedly with material that would seem hopeless In other hands. The show is weak In com- edy, lacks speed, and Is badly In need of the services of an aggres- sive straight man. The women are comely. The In- genue, Helen Downs, works hard and scores with cooch, Jazz and shimmying. Amber Pearl, a nice- looking brunette, also puts her shoulder to the wheel, but their ef- forts failed to get anything like the usual returns at this house. This was probably duo to the draggy comedy scenes, all of which lacked punch finishes, and all of which are old bits thiit were never partic- ularly funny In their heydays. Weber has one or two touches frotn his former scenoe, but Page, or whoever is responsible for the crude, and the skill employed In orchestration was worthy of a better use. Whatever .success "Mercenary Mary" enjoy.-j will be due to the boom that preceded its arrlx'al and St III persl.'its. ^olo. TibTiTT, has saddled him with the dulleFt collection of flop scenes seen on the circuit this season. The "wireless telephone " bit Is stupidly unfunny, the same going foV a long- wlndrd revfa-.irunt .er<;rc In which the one big laugh was a mechanical trick with the "explosive" liquid. The scene is old enough to be new if well done and wl:h modern dia- logue. It includes the "zoop" bit, "eels eyebrows," and other familiar hoke. One or two revue touches also failed. One was a full stage com- edy bit ii\ which Page as a husband, with his wife planted on a vacation at Coney, brings a girl to his apart- ment. A telegram arrives telling him his wife will return that nlgbt. He frantically trieS to get the girl to leave. She demands dough. He refuses and she disrobes. The phone rings and after a conversa- tion he begins to disrobe. She asks, "What's the Idea?" He an- swers, "She's decided to stay 'till tomorrow" (blackout). "Painless Dentistry" was another familiar with few laughs. Weber, as the patient, refuses to open his mouth and is Jabbed with a hat pin by the nurse with the extraction of the tooth. All this to plant the old gag, "I d:dn't know the roots went down to there." Page gets some laughs as an eccentric nance in the bit. The business of th« doctor m.assnging hinj in unfunny •and vulgar under the most tolerant circumstances. The numbfcr," fai -il about the same. The gals tried to arouse some enthusiasm, but their sev- eral ti Ips on the runway failed to start anything. They are a good- looking bunch of 1(5, work hard but are ineffective. The number leading of he sou- brette and ingenue is in the stana- ardized vein of the wheel, w'*" cooch and grinds accompanying each number and the two *>*'"*' legged throughout. They are younK and have nice figures, and in a P<'v .show would stand out. The worn of the prima donna is so-so. The show needs Immediate re- vision in cast and bonk. Ai.e Spence Tenney Is "credited" W'J the latter. He has gone back v> the days of the Turkey for his ma- terial and then picked not wi.sel) WMth the proper book Weber ana Page could do It. Both arc expen- enced comics of talent. They sho^uj^^ "Be on the stage together ""*" ?"j do away with the present metno of halving the comedy scene?. "Hotsy Totsy" Is the poorest Mu- tual this reporter has seen Hi'« " * s.n. '^«"'