Variety (Nov 1927)

50 VARIETY LEGITIMATE U^^SMdaj, BUNrtmber 30, 1927 Th* ring of the whole thlnir ecboee with Impudent flllips at all estab- U«be<l moralities, intended to go W&r Continental and up-to*today wheezes of wit. The result to this reviewer was no more than an in- tarsexual gratherinr of adult persons tellii^ smokehouse stories and act- ing pornographic Winter Garden '^MielEouta.'' Miss Le Gallienne announces this 6candinasty four-acter to appear t«lt times within the month. Thht Is ten times too deplorable. It should never again be seen or hearxL Misa Lie QalUenne's clarions for repertory at low price* have all been la the name of preserving and un- foMinff plays that are meritorious, iMttt lack the boxofflce appeal to tMDPt the mercenary producers. Row does that let in this malodor- ous nose-thumbing at civilized pre- cepts, which should have been left to rot in the fetid atmosphere of the notoriously dlrty-mlnded land whence it was hauled hither—the supposedly phlegmatic Nordic king- dom whose Illegitimacy rate doubles that of many famously hqt-btoodsd Latin natlonsr "Cradle Song"—ah, ymi "The Oooid Hope'—well, at least maybe; Ibsstt's worki, alway;i food for the intellect, even though grim, weird and frequently rebellious, but this tnurtir, badly acted, vilely produced, miserably conceived distortion of a technique that finds its comedy props in the unfortunate freaks of distortion of a technique that finds Its comedy props in the uofortunate firsaks of congenital mishaps and its plot In the prancing misde- meanors of idiosyncratic dissenters WliMa Uvea flourish only tq hiss at all the few institutions still semi- H.irred - it is too bluntly Insolent In this age when the world seethes with futuristic mutiny against the final fundamental rules of commu- nal restraint, coiisi ieuce and at least that shame which Eve ezpsrisncsd after she realized her exposure. With all compliments and respect- ful regrets of Eva I«e Oallienne, doer of marvels, artist in her honest heart—she has here thrown or suf- fered a gob of dirty mud upoa the shield of the Civic Repertory The- atre which has been her unblem- ished coat of arms hsf tei ttf ^ "Twice Two Are Five" is too clumsy and abhorrent to be a finan- cial hit If its erotic profanities do catch the appetite of the seekers after peephole thrills on the stage of a theatre dedicated to the uplift of the World's greatest city's sense of art in the drama, the more's the pity. PEOPLE DONT DO SUCH THINGS Obm«dy In thr** acts pr«Mnt«d br A. L. Jones and Morris Or«en. Written by Ufon Meareon and Edser If. Schoenbwrg. OpeMd Not. 2S at ths 40th Street. Lyna* Orer- man featured. Bartlett Ernest Stallard Jeffrey Osborne L>ynne Overman Ted Converse Stanley Losan viola Milllcent Hanlejr Blaine Oabome*...** laobel wlsom Hobbs • WUIiam Sellery DoUjr CoBvwae < After one week in Brooklyn this comedy opened at the 48th Street, which theatre is operated by Jones and Green, who are presenUnir the play. Durinr ths topss sC three days two cast changes were made. That may have made for « better perfonnaaoe^ but Ml bsttsr «iter- tainment. "People Don't Do Such Things" is chatty all the way. It* last set Is best. That comes with a peculiar marital triangle—that of two wives, past and present, wh» haTs"* bssn living- in the same house with the doubly attached husband. This Is the thing peopls don't d«. There Is a third woman, but when she also wallcs out the much married Jeffrey makes a dats bjr telephone, a device that has beta fir a stage curtain bejTore. Jeffrey Osborne, a • snooessful architect, finds time to play around with the gals. He has Viola in his home over night and they are hav- ing breakfast when Elaine, his wife, walks in. The girls have known each other for some time, and there is no rumpus. Jeffrey and Elaine easily arrange a divorce^ and he marries Viola. A year passes, and the breakfast scene io reversed. The second Mrs. Osborne walks, in on Jeff at the table with ttis first Mrs. Osborne. Viola had returned from out of town sooner than expected. ^ fk> what to do. Tha wItss past and present concoct the nice little scheme that both shaH remain In the house to share firleiid husband They cut th© cards as to wtio is to tuck him abed, and when one has poor luck for three nights hand mn- ning they throw the dice for the nuptial privilefre. She looses again, but the winner qnldcty oomea down stairs to announce Jeffrey has gone out. Five out of the seven charac- ters finally straightap vat IMIr lore T I N S T I T U T. N INT CKNATIONALB 4 MASTER OF SHOWS AND A MASTER OF SHOES Tli« biggest i#Uetlott of tniali tlce thoet In Mankftttan«- Vltit our Special Size Department of Slippers and Hosiery George Whitens first musical comedyt is dancing its way to fame and fortune • • e in L Miller shoes! For this Master of Shows always chooses the cm pf the Master of Shoes ... Icnowkig from past experience how big a part they play in "putting it over^l Show folk's Shoeshop — — BROADWAY at 46th STREET OPEN UNTIL 9 P. M. Wkm m Lm o4mftki, vmt tht th^ «f 1. Millir st 52S Wm Senalk StoMT^ affairs after sparring around with the status of a Mexican divorce. Most of the way the sexy discus- sions are quite frank, perhaps dar- ing to the average playgoer. But the chatter beoomes a bore. Jef- frey's name Is mentioned countless times and takes the edge from Lynne Ovenaan's affable husband. The authors offer quite an assort- ment of bright comment. It is mild- ly laughable, but as a play it could have been a better job. Perhaps they were too much limited with a short cast calling for one set. Had there been another set it certainly would have been a bedroom. Lynne Overman Is not In a cinch plurt, for the character could easily be made a cad. but doe^ well, and Isobel lasom, late of the late *'The Mulberry Bush," is In the cast In place of Helen Baxter. She plays Elaine, the first wife, and the genius who frames the Idea of remaining in the houee as Jeffrey's mistress. TrcMn her plajrlng the short rehearsal period could not be detected. Elsie Lawson replaced Florence Johns and gives a good perfermaiioe as a viva- cious, flirtatious ex-aoUess. Milll- cent Hanley is excellent as Viola, being particularly attraetlVe as* a sweetheart prior to marrylnp Jeff. Ernest Stallard fits admirably as the butler and William Sellery got a good share of attention. Stanley Logan does not have much of a chance. "People Don't Do Such Things" being presented by the same man- agers who have the theatre may get by for a time, but not for long, and then only by grace of cut rates. TAKE THE AIR Grne Huck presents "new musical of aviation." co-starrinir Will Mahoney and Trlnl. featurlns Max Plsher and his Cali- fornia orchestra In a libretto by Anoe Cald- well and Oene Buck; "airs" by Dave Stamper, staged by Alexander L,eftwich, dances by Ralph Reader, and settlns* by Iden Waller. In two sots, piolQC and scenes at the 0«n« Baok Wfclisjri^ " Mo ats".•••••*«•*.••..•••.• .Hosb BMMMtt Qlorla ,. k Geasva IfiteheU Marsuerits .Audrey Berry "Happy" RbkmB WHl Hahoney "Ooldle" Rose King Lieutenant Sullivan Bud Pearson Ltieutenant Berg Jack Pearson Sergeant Mooney Chick York Broncho IJz Kitty O'Connor L.ieutenant Dale Walter Scott Kolk Captain Halliday Greek E}van8 "Red," the Mule ekianer.Wm. F. Donahue Lillian ("mby") Boas Dorothy Dilley Senor Jose Maurice Lupue iScnorita CarSMla OortM Trlnl Wing •...»•.. Almeon Karavaeft Sing Song..Gladys Keck Nagasaki KikoU Mural Show Girls Prederica Flnlcy. Helen Hermes, Nellie Kins. Muriel Manners, Marcel Miller, Marie Mttselle. Agnes White. Habfl Wl Carol Kingsbury, Lauretta Dsaoers Bobby Bliss, Miirlol Buck. Violot Casoy. E»drla DlasBon4» W*^^ ^7* Helca Farslnc- more. Oene Fontaine. Beryl Golden. Frances Ouinan. Irene OrllBth. Sthel Handler, Elea- nor Hunt. Loretta Jefferson, Rosabel le Kay, Oladya Keck, Florence Kinney, Carol L.ynn. Loe Manner*. Helen Murray. Adelaide rer« min. Marjorie Spahn, Blanche TMiria, Dorothy Waller, Bobby Weeks. Boys Andrew Burgoyne, Viocent Curran, Kd- ward Conant, Norman Ifonald, Joseph Oor- rien, Paul Jones. Starr Jones, Julio Martel. Herman Maler, Hazard Newbury. Herbert Pickett. Baail Rallls. Charles lUinsford. John Roach, Doahli WoUa, l^sf Oene Buck's own second musical production since leaving the Zieg- feld fold, "Take the Air," compares favorably to "Yours Truly" as a pre- tentious entry but only as a mod- erate money contender for a mod- erate run. Posseased of greater comedy potentialities and more knockabout punch than "Youre Truly." this latest production is iMtn- dlcapped by a hybrid presentation. It is a hotsy-totsy conglomeration of wow vaudevUle, orthodox mtiMtel comedy and current revue, mixing up the three in the main, and pro- ceeding along one direction in sev- eral spots, such as when Mahoney does his olio vaudeville specialties, or ad libbing and gagging as in revue (including an audience intro- duction of Ruth Elder). This free-and-easy abandonment of the libretto when it is the star's pleasure is not so grave a theatrical offense for box-offlce purposes as witness "Manhattan Mary," with Ed Wynn doing the like and making 'em like it. "Take the Air ' is a great dancing show. It might be crltlclsM for an overplus of dancing, that corking chorus of real "lookers' shining in their Ralph Reader routine* aJdil with the stars' stepology, not t mention Simeon Karavaeff's srnsa tional tap stepping, the Pearso. brothers. Dorothy DiUey and Char lotte Ayres. The ifnivcst shortcominfi: of "Take th© Air ' is the lack of cohesion. I rambles in its story, and in spot., the book is coaipletely al>andoned, such as in the Yorke and King inter- ludes. Ab.sence of a song hit is an Im- portant handicap though Buck may be able to fofee his show for a spell, having both the house and attrac- tion under control for pooling^ Mahoney is great He's the ihln- Ing light of the proceedings and merits full stardom, a distinction the vaudeville luminary modestly refused considering this is his pro- duction debut Trlnl as the co-star is another vaudeville recruit, a looker with the "It" dripping but not particularly scintilhtting otherwise. The support is all to the variety in its derivation. Like Chick Yorke and Rose King, Karavaeft is from ig to n ''.^V??* Charlotte Ayres. ballet spe- clalist; Bud and Jack Pearson Klttv O'Connor, Greek fivans and Maurioi Lupue ara tnm tha vaude or p c! ture houses. ^ A couple of surprise hits deveU oped in Miss O'Connor, the "girt baritone." as she is known on tha ColumbU records, and Dorothy Dil- ley; ingenue, who grew on the cus- tomers. It is understood Ralph TbT" num had to force Mias Dilley on Buck, and now proves a pleasant arrangement. The title is derived from the biiu Ing 'a new musical oomedy of avia- tion opening on a Texas-Mexican border ajid the Riok^bibacker l-^eid at San Antonio (where the I*ar- amount's "Wings" film was "shot") Will Mahoney as Happy Hokum,' vaudeville hoofer, with a yearn for the corner of Broadway and 47th, la stranded in these parts. For tha finale he steals a plane and lands amidst the wealthy (unknown to him) heroine's Japanese garden fete in fashionable Long Island. r The first act is a bear for laugli returns. Mahoney is catapulted amidst aviation oiflcers on the loole»i out for border smugglers. That's the story thread holding the plot to» gether. It proceeds smoothly anougl^ with no suspense or heavy romantic interest. The couples are method- ically paired off from the start. No subtle establishment of the appeals among the pairs. Automatically th« theory is that Mahoney must have a vis-a-vis, so he is assigned to the wealthy banker's daughter. The handsom^ captain Is with somebody else; York and King a» the comedy pair are a team; etc. There is no plausible book transition to tie it up. Still if one is not too exactingt there are many happy moments in "Take the Air" although, like its title, the entertainment is too airy for any laafing ImpreMioiL On* takes away little beyond the bril- liance of the male star aild that corking dance chorus. Some lavish production effects are said to represent an investment of 1200,000, doubtlessly an exaggeirated estimate although coming from an authoratative source. Costuming and scenic hlghlighu are spotted too far apart with the opportunities lim- ited in view of the many olio drops and outdoor stuff. It is only in tha first act finale, the inside of a hangar, and the ranch house court- yard and the Long Island estate scenes in the second atanza thftt anything settnle eaii ba eapitallxed. The Dave Stamper score, while original, is undistinguished. There Un't.a UUUaUng tuM iii tt. *^ing«*^ and "Carmela" got something an4 "Maybe" is the ballad, but th# "Home ta the Ifomlng* interpola- tion from an "outside" source aii done by Kitty O'Connor was a show* stopper. Miss O'Connor again ctleked with "Lullaby," tielng it up cold, but more on her rendition than material. The "home" number reminded oC "Hallelujah" in lU staging. The Max Fisher California or- chestra, like the ushering staff, and everything else connected, was in smart aviation ofllcers' attire. In George Olsen style from the pit, the boys cut up with vocal trios and solo interludes. They could be featured even more and to advantage, al- though the runniiig time might fpre« stall thftt as tha show runs orer* long as Is. At the premiere a delegation of air ttiAil flym wM pronitfient In the stage boxes. "Take the Air" might be labeled a 'timely^-moaloal produetloB be« cause of the stroifg aviation inter- est, but as ata^ra entertainment it will not catch tliMii llfiMlff to the Waldorf in droviii far^iftwktanded length of time. Buck has the Waldorf under lease this season and the pooling of both the house and his attraction are to be considered for boz-ofllce longev- ity. . Abeh . THE IRISH PLAYERS (*'The Plough and the Stars") Presented by Geurse C. Tyler at tho Hv4« eon Nov. 28; flrst plajr of ths vMtlag eea* paay vtltton by Sean O'CUi^, WttlTethera from his MB U follow, rittthsr Oood.... .V..«..^Artkte 8iaolal9< Potor Flynn. ^. •;.. .... .. J; Ai O'Rottrke Mrs. Oosim^.................Ifaire O'Nolll Tho Odvcjt Sydney Morgaa Nora Clltheroo Sheila Richards Beasie Bursesa Sara Allgood Jack ClHheroo.-. Michael Scott <'apt. Brennan r. .Harry Hutchinson MoilHer Margaret O'Farrell A Bartender .........B. J. Kennedy Rosie Redmond....Kathleen Draico Figure in Windew^*********Joseph French r.ieut. I.anffon i..»»«......Tony Quinn <\>rp<)nil Stoddard. Ekiwin Kllia Sergoant Tinney.,...««>«.. .Joseph French Private Carapboll..,«.<i,.....Arthur Bright Private Francis....; William Lamt>ort Privato Thorn* .......Howard Konk Clo.se on the heels of Max Rein- hardt'H (lerman company came tha Irish Players for a season of reper- tory under the direction of G<?orge C. Tyler, who made no attwnpt to attract a capacity house at the Hudson Monday. "The I'lough and the Stars" is but one of Sean O'Casey's plays to be pre.sonted. The same author's "Juno and tho Paycock" was tri«d here umuccoss fully last season but not by an im- ported cast. "The Plough and the Stars" Is of excellent writing and was cleverly played in its native Celtic way. It won a rep al)road, with a run in liondon. In Dublin was some pro« test from the audience who objected (Continued on page 57)