Variety (Nov 1926)

L K»\m 1 I IMA I .Jb Wiftmhj. H«nnA« 17. 1986 ART THEATRES By Theodore Pratt Th« IxMtltuUr Playm a little the- atr* orsanliatlon of Brooklyn. N. T., have presented "Ills House in Order," by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. Oeorges Renevant, the Broadway Atlor, played the lead, supported by a professional cast. The pieo^ was atafed by Anne Wolter. Plans for an art theatre for St. ttOttls in which It Is h op a 4 to inter- est ISO subscribers, were advanced In Invitations sent out by Elisa- beth Morse, Harry R. IdcClaln and ft group of aatoaiatea The group to to be known as the New Toy Theatre Players. Four plays will bo presented the coming season. After yeafs of discussion the The- atre Guild of Canada, Ltd., has opened an English stock company at the Empire. Toronto, former home of Columbia Burlesque. It got off to a good start with "Hay FoTer.** Plugging for society pa- tronage a^ |1.5f top. Mrs. J. M. Mood, 9Q»*p[^ipp|||f|Ma, la miming ' City censor appearing as the general in a cast made up partially with American legion members, the Maylon Players are Inlaying *«WIUkt FriM Glory** as their •8th weekly bin mt th« Att4ltorlttm, Spokane. . Only a few of the original lines cut by WUI Maylon^ leading man-manager. Two local min- isters endorsed the showing, stat- ing Maylon has proved "an ob- Joetionablo p|ay losos nothing when indecent langi^jii'.||g4 blasphamy art omHtad."-; '^1: • , ; PKHTCESS TUBANPOT l^nUttlc comedjr in three acta by Carlo OoSBt. Adapted by Henry O. Alsberg and IMMO Don Lftvlne. Btaged by Leo Bui tense called for and rarely de- livered. "Turandot" is a brave attempt on the partis of the Provincetown peo- ple to stage a piece somewhat out of their reach. It can hardly prove successful la any department, miAIIIMICIX Ooniadjr by Bernard Shaw. Stand by Randolph Somervllle. Presented by the Washinirton Square College Players at the Playhouse, lOtf Washington Square, New York. Johnny Tarleton...., Alexander Oerry Hentley 8ummerhays David Morris Hypatia Tarleton .l^dwinne Colvllle Mrs. John Tarleton.....Anna Smith-Payne Lord Summerhays Mario PamoneAt John Tarleton •..•.•..alehArd Ceough Joseph P«rclv&l..,.,*,«^,,,*«....John Koch Una 8MSd9an«ii«ka.,.;^««.Judith Knight Oeoiier*.** ••...•.•.••.«..lf«f1e Kigre Washington Square College Players of New York University openeU the season last raday with Bernard Shaw's talkative **Misal- 1 lance." The play , deals at length and in detail with ShaW*s volumin- ous opinions about the relations be- tween parents and children. The best quality exhibited by these Kew Tork college players is a good deal of force, though this tended to general over-acting. David Morris. as the sensitive Bentley Sununcrhays showed distinct talent in emotional <nomentf, while Rich- ard Oeough as John Tarleton did a surprisingly mature Jo|f;fPtth his end of the play. The Players have heretofore specialized in Shaw playa, but Dec. 17 will do "RoUo's Wild Oats," by ClaM Kummer. $1,100 A TSAB cakov. BttUnga and oostuntes by Robert Van Roeen. P rw » t>< kf tlk« Province- town PiaykaMh at PMvlieetm Umxx%, Mow York. sSmol .....»•••••<J. Edward Bmmberg Pentalono •••••• victor Sharon BrigelUk.... Harold IfcOee — — - - Baifam Beltakor ......;..KIfer Hawkos Loni Stoecol 9 Altoam ; «..Ats»tr Oootor tklrlna Sada Gordon Tlmar Oeorre nttmo - Brown Zellma m Muriel Oampboll SarakMoos fletats Slave airl Sheba Stninsky Starting their season with ^Trincess Turandot," a .fantastic comedy by Carlo Gossi, the Prov- incetown Playhouse shows evi- dences, of still laboring in the rut . it traveled last year. This unpaved boulevard is an unfortunate selec- tion of plays peo'pled with second- »ate players. Story is of a proud, hard, almost unbending, beautiful Princess, Turandot. It is decreed that any man successfully giving the an- swers to three riddles she may ask him will receive the Princess in marriage, thou(|h if he fails to an- awer them correctly. his head will be cut off. The play has received unfortu- •ata adaptation, sliced as it An with naay abortive Americanisms. This mirit is. one of absurd tantasy, taaagh even this rarely catches Are. **Turandot** lacks capable actors. ^' iMp^ Deeter on most * occasions is singly successful at getting across an amusing picture of the harlequinade Smperor. Barbara Bulgakov Is highly per- POaable as Princess Turandot but ia orercoming the diUleulties Of * language, her diction holds up the pace of the play. The rest of the aaat seem unpraetieed In playing aiaoathly to tba mood of Unht pra- Comody In tbrto acta br Bdna Forber and Newman l«vy. Proaontod by the Meeting House Thf>atre of the West Side Unitarian Church, New York. Staged by Fay Raker Paul Stoddard Pat rVII Jean Stoddard .Irene nielman Henry Adams Wlnthrop Ben Davidson Frances VVInthrop FMisabfth^Donnell Cyrus McLure Jaroea F. O'Connor Steven McCltiro*.**,.......Howard Tiffany Chris Zsupnlk.'Beo Davideon Mrs. Z8upnlk....*-i^||:«,,..Mildred T. David Tony Zsiipnlk..»«*^«k««««£tJnorence BurKy Slotkln.... ««««o^a||ward W. Boise Martha .Marian Lord A. Star Pat nan.. A •••nMS Goldsmith Bmily Putnam...Per Smith Howard SneU......••••••••Prank Navigate Mlllio Fnnnlnc...«««,,««,.Naomi DIamant Vernon SalabwT..* •••.Jay A. Moreno Quaslo....k......•..•••«.»«•»c^oan D. Ocey CloWlaad Wololi M«. Bolae •'$1,200 a Tear," 0y Edna Ferber and Newman Levy* had its Amer- ieaa premiere Nor. 10 at the Meet- ing House theatre, in the West Side UniUriaa Church. W West noth street* - First pfodttoaA in England several years ago. It is a comedy of the struggles of a college i>rofessor to live on $25 a week When mill hands receive 1^0 a day. The professor turns mill hand and takes along with liim most of the other members of the faculty. Offored a large salary in the ttorles the vnlrersity pleads with him to retulPn and teach at a living wage. He accepts. The play lalglit have dOna for Broad- way a few years ago bat It aow somewhat out of date. The prMuctkm revealed the play- ers as a competent little theatre group, amateur throughout and lacking polish, bat a good deal above the average acting of such, possessing above all an unusual liveliness. They receive expert di- rection umler Fay Baker, formerly a professional and also director of tho St« frfouis Community theatre. UrniE THEATRES The University of Baltimore at Baltimore has orlranlsed a Dra- matic Club and adopted a novel policy of producing plays by Mary- land playwrights built around peo- ple and incidenta signiflcaat in Maryland history, and concerning general activities and Ideals of the Free State. Uelene Wittman is stadtot assistant la eliarga of dra- matics, and Frank A. WooMald is the faculty advisor. ^e Little Theatre of Duluth was revived this week after a lapse of eight years. The local theatre was the first organized in the north- west by the Drama. lisague of America and operated successfully until the war, when the building was disposed of to be used as a Red Cross station. A fund Of'11,630 was obtained and is held In trust A meeting this week brought out 100 fans and plans were formulated for reorganisation. A series of plays* will be presented after the New Year. Clyde Fitch's "Truth" will be the first. Officers of the old organization are: Mrs. S. R. Holden, president; E. C. LeDuc* secretary, and F. A. Patrick, treasurer. Frank J. Webb was made temporary chairman and will appoint committees to arrange for reorganization and select plays and officers. WHiTrJUJIAIE lEAYES Alnsley Whittendale has resigned from the Frohman ofUce, which or- igan ization he has been associated with for 22 years. > Whittendale waa baok- iprl^ «7he PlaTa tba Thlar* a| die MUlen PHLA BOX OmCE (Continaed from page 39) mas lilght. Bookings at the Er- langer-Syndicate houses are decid- edly sketchy after those of the 29th of this month, with nsaay contradic- tory rumors. Estimates for Last Week "Craig's Wife" (Broad. 3d week). George Kelly show still clicking strongly between $16,000 and $17,000; strong probability that show will gross pretty near $70,000. on four weeks here. "The Song of the Flama" (Shu- bert, 2d week). Notfces mixed and show not getting anywhere near ca- pacity at high scale ($S.50), but helped by fact Forrest had no mus- ical; Armistice Day and Saturday helped swell total to $24,000. ''Oh, Please" (Forrest, 1st week). Doesn't open until Friday (Nov. 19) night, due to third postponement; "Cyrano" (film) had houso last week to rather ordinary buginess and very poor matinees. "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney'' (Garrick, 3d week). Real wallop of dramatic shows, although because of $8.30 top not as remarkable as business of "Craig's Wife"; sot bet- ter than $19,000. "The Patsy" (Walnut, 1st week). Opened three weeks' engagement Monday night; Grant Mitchell's "One of the Family" made comfort- able profit, with $11,500 claimed last week: eoufd have stayed longer. "Niqht in Psrie" (Chestnut, 3d week). Helped by success of "Gay Parse," house's previous attraction; between $22,000 and $23,000. "Student Prince" (Lyric. 2d week). Second return engagement real sur- prise of town; $19,000 Indicates it can stay longer than allotted four weeks; may move. "Abie's Irish Rose" (Adelphl, 11th week). Pax:e remains about same; better than $16,000; last week. (Copyright, 1926, by Variety, inc.) 'Twinkle'' Ouuiget Louis O. Werba's new musical comedy, "Twinkle Twinkle," open- ing at the Liberty, New York last (Tuesday) niffht, waa kept out of town two weelca longer than planned. A cast change placed Ona Mun- son in the feminine lead, in place of Nancy Welford. The show was written by Harry Archer and Harlan Thompson. Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby Joined the first authors in rewriting it. 42d St Dm! Not Ckwed The reported 4eal (or a tboatre oa West dSai aCreet tiio otlMr aido of the Selwyn, has not been ooa- summated. Philip Goodman and Mack Uiiiard, mentioned as prin- cipal in the propoM purdiase, ap- pear to have gone no farther than discussing the matter with Isadore Zimmer, real estate operator, who controls tbo site. Zimmer and associates are behliy) the proposed hotel' and theatre project on 4<th street, adjoining, the N.<V. A. Former bttiUUaga luiTo been razed, but work has tem- porarily stopped. An offer to lease the proposed theatre in the latter project has been aiada. The same group erected the Roosevelt apartment house on the Grand Concourse. It is the largest apar^noat building ia tba Bronx SECOND WK" Gene Lockhart and Percy Wax- man are collaborating on a second editton of "Tba Bunk.** arbieh they will spot in an intimate theatre in New York early In February. Lockhart and Waxman wrote and produced "Bunk of ItSf" at the Heckscher theatre last season with the piece later being taken over by Ramsey Wallace and Frank Martins for a downtown showing at the Broadhurst and later closed upon recommendation of the play Jury. Lockhart claims thai none of his original material had been retained in the version voted objectionable by the Jury, the latter stand said to have been precipitated through undrapeA : choristers rather . than substance matter of the revaa. K^p|ys Are 0iTarced ' Milwaukee, Nov. 16. Mrs. Brlli O'Brien Mdaro Kear- ney, former ingenue of the local Players' Guild, has been granted a divorce • from Patrick Kearney, publicity man for the same organi- zation which went on the rocks be- fore the 1925 season ended. -The Kearneys were married June 1, 19M, when Mto If^M a^lUi if «M Kearney 32. Mrs. Kearney charged cruelty, neglect, and lack of support begin-, nlng almost immediately after her marriage. Judge C. M. Davidson; of the Waukesha County Circuit Court, restored tp Mrs. Kearney her maiden naaia ait 0NN|M ii» final property setttMBfBt 6f fSdt M lieu o{ alimony. " Dolly Tree's De^jDs Designs fidir tba costumes of Jones & Green's new "Oreenwlch Village Follies" are to be made and sub- mitted by Dolly Tree, England's leading stage designer, nO# In Hew York. It will be the first work Miss Tree has Indulged in for New York. Througb aonildering tha F." offer. Warn Tree permitted the work of designing the new musical at the Gaiety, London, to escape her. Ifflss' Treo ia also skettililaf a<it the designs for the New York pro- ductions Grne«it Rolls has secured for production at the new Empire Sydney, AustralHL Mr* llallg is said to have purchased the Australian rights for ftyf of t^p 9roa4way *ne- cesses. It is a possibUIty Miss Tree may hereafter divide her time between New York, Paris and London. She has designed for many of the stage and ciasadinnit^aiiib ibAarilBi of the teuropeaa eapltatib Appoint General Staff I Chanin Productions, Inc.. formrd by the builders who will have ilve theatres under ' tbalr diroetton by the first of the year, will have what is termed a laboratory theatre. Which may be used for trying out attractions for the other houses. The first play selected Is 'Tuppeta and Passion,' being adapted from the Italian by Ernest Boyd. The Chanlns ara flow operating the Biltmore and Mansfield. The Other three houses are part of the hotel fhroject at Eighth avenue, ex« tending from 44tb to 45th streets. David Burton Is general staga director, with Harry D. Kline gen- eral manager. E, "Slim" Sever* ance, editor aC "World Traveler.^ has been appointed as general preiA representative. CmCAfiO GROSSES i (Continued from page St) in for big holiday money, but strong draft appears to have ended. *'8he Couldn't Say No" (Olym- plQ, 3d week). Spotty trade checked, but managsd to approach $9,000, with chances*of bettering; figured the usual dismal Monday opening gross. ''The Honor of the Family" (Blackstone, 2d week). Drew mod- erate money, with week's total prob- ably ascending to around $9,000, maybe trifie under; in for two weeks only, witb "Toung Woodley" to fol« low. . ''Princess Flavia" (Four Cohans, 4th week). Has been off in call at hotels and box ofllce, but immense help from special party sales; no indication "Flavla" will last, be- cause pace since opening has been far below expectations; probably around $18,000. "Vagabond King" (Great North- ern, Ifth week). But litfl% variation In weekly trade pulling clientele all its own: hitting 'em for $26,000. '^Coeoanuttf^ (iMangor, Bth week). Suffering like all others early part of week and matinees; pulls up strong week end% aad okay stt Hiigli CjUMTon Starred San Francisco, Nov. 16. Hugh Cameron, at the President for the last five weeks In the title role of "Alias tba Deacoa," bas booa elevated to stardom. The show «a«* pects to remain Into JanuaiT ba* fore, beginning a road tour. - immmtm'- <raa- brought waii ta play the part by LeHoTi.-gliiaiil, co-aut|ior of the play.; : Btify Bjrrd't Divorce Los Angoleii^ Not. 1$. Betty Byrd, principal In Carter DeHaven's "Fancies" at the Holly- wood Muila Boa, has been granted a divorce from Will Terrell Dickey following a charge that she was deserted three days after her mar- riaga;.-'"' Her mother offered corroboration and also testified Dicksy ba^ never supported his wife. '7- r^.- Tba boibaad im aat la P. 4 f .9^ SmA 8 WEEKS "Potash and Perimutter, Detec- tives," Is being reorganized with its original cast for an additional aigbl waaki tMif iC ttit longer. The reopening ' ii;. Ml fpr Brooklyn Dec. 20. The show closed in New Tork after a its wMttf ran fbroe weeks ago. The Itinerary of the new route so far includes five weeks on the •Miaiay ^roilt,^ iNtii mtadelphla to fbUoWt ^1 0 {