Variety (Jan 1929)

62 VARIETY LEGITIMATE Wednesday, January 9, Plays on Broadway THE MARRIAGE BED Conindy druma In three acts by ICrnop.t IPasi-al, adaiitert from hlH novel of smno iiamp, prejsrnlcd at thy HoiUh; Jan, 7 by Barn H. .Unrn's In a.sH'ool.'iil'Jn wlih Ki lix Touiifi;.; htoigcil by Robert. Mllion OU.biTt Jleld,. Mary ' Hoyd. Cecily' Re'd,,.. Andrew Tra«k..., Caroline Reld....... Sitol'.lo PnundPrs.,., ■Ciyile Snunderi' ,.; George. Dnyd... :;..... Christine' Kennedy,^ . .Kdvvard Rniery Ann iMivIs . .Helen Chandler :.... .JOdwln ..'Stanley ,Elwribelh ratU-r.sijn .Harriot. Macijiblioii .... Krnert AVoo.l .....Allan' 11 1 no hart .........Helen Kllrit . "The: Marriage Bed" was first done in Los Aneeles with Felix yourif? >nainly . jntorp.stod manager- ially. Alliort Lewis saw ip it. a. good play property aiid it, was , ar- ranged for yam J I. Harris to pre- sent it on Broadway. Look.? like Harris can, hop a train for Falm Deach, With the rea-t^onabJe assur- anoo that hi.s latest effort will, get coin. Young Is conocrncd with the Har- ris proHentation. Lewis probably, too, although his name docs not apr pear on the piogram, and he. Is committed to talking picture activ- ity. A one set attraction, the. same very good looking living room scene being" brought on from the coast. In addition to a. different cast, however, there Is a changed produc- tion, principally of a mental or di- rectional nature. That was Harris job and he did it well. Tightening up of the story, Introduction of scenes by meaiia of characters here and there, appear to have done the trick during the recent PhiUy date. At the Booth Monday there was. no doubt' the first nlghters ilkod "The Marriage Bed." The play was adapted by Ernest Pascal from hid bookl One may or may not care fov the novel, but judged from the play It should, .be interesting Binco it takes a. somewhat difi:erent slant at sinning by married people, the male portion In particular, Mary Boyd has been married to George for 10 years and there arc two children, (not visible In the play). They had had four tough years of struggle, then George's bu-slness expanded and he stayed at the olllce at nights frequently. *HniiiiiiiMiiiiiiMiH|iHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinrmiiNiiii|iiiiiiiiiiiirtiHiiiiii)uiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii uumh nimtiiiimiH uiinn i.m.i, t .• iiuiiiiiHitii i iw tt»iitiiuiiiii»tiihHiMmmuiriM»i)iiiiii'iiMtitit<iiiimiiiiiiiuiri»iMiiMtiiiiwiir'irntiiiitiinitHiiitiiiHii'iiiiiniriiM'iHiii^ ill' lEE I- s m il ^1 11 Happy N Year To Everyone in the Anieriean Theatre ^but it won't be a Happy Year unless the Authors, Actors and all the Stage Workers come to a clearer realization that whatever affects the Producer affects each of them. The spoken—living—American Drama will never die, but it will be seriously crippled unless quick remedy is applied FROM THE INSIDE, There is one and only ONE CHANCE FOR A CURE' The Authors arid Actors Associations must FIRST, by a Close Reciprocal Working Alliance help the Producers to form an association of their own, thus giving to this (proposed Managers) group as much power and control over ITS OWN members as the Authors and Actors Asso- ciation now have over their members. This MUST be done or the whole, plan can not function. Then the institution of the American Theatre must be run no longer by or for the benefit of any one of these groups—Producers, Authors, Actors—but as Three Guardsmen they must form One Super Board of the Theatre whose word is law and together they must go forth to fight every one of the thousand obvious destroying influences with swords unsheathed and with the slogan M for One and One for All Mary's mother and her . sister-in- law troop In to splirthe beans that George has not been working late, btit has been carrying on an- affair with Christine Kennedy, who used to live nearby. . Here i,s a clear-thinking wife. Sho astonishea the family by\say- ing she knew all about the. affair, that she is not greatly concernad and that she will not divorce, Mary makes .her position more under- standable. She believes that because her husband has been physically at- tracted by some simple witted other woman. It was not a matter to be gi-eatly alarmed at. George at la.st tells Mary of the dame. She rates, that a caadlsh thing* dismisses the matter, forbidr ding: him to mention it again, Then George sets up an estabUshhient in the city with Christine. That, too. does not greatly worry Mary, who docs not think two people married as long as they should be wild about each other in a sexual way. Her idea of viredded wife puts the mar- riage bed period in the background. Not until Christine calls and asks, her io divorce George Is there any change In Mary's determination not to do so, and then only aifter the girl swears she is to have a baby. Mary doubts that phenomenon, tells the-girl that even an affair can be kept within the bounds of decency, that she did not greatly blame her for falling for George, biit that her attempt to break ujp a home makes her detestable. The audience appeared completely fooled as to the climax. A line In the play Is that poets' mistresses are born, not made and that de- scribed Christine who walks out on I George, realizing that Mary was right. And she came back to tell Mary she was sorry, to have caused trouble. Of course, the Boyds are living together. Ann Davis played Mary like a thoroughbred. Though nervoiis at first she* rounded out. a performance that should win plaudits, especially good at the curtains. Allan Dine- hart was George and it is probably the most fortunate role he has had for some time. Perhaps it was hard to believe he would do and, say the things he does. However, there is Mary. - The other roles; were all very well taken care of. Helen Chandler .is a sister who falls In love with her employer, a Spanish architect, and she runs off with him^ too, the wife refusing to divorce the toreador Ernest Wood, who looks like Bob Benchley, was funny as a muchly map'ied guy, in fact^ getting nearly all the laughs, a limited factor by the way, Elizabeth Patterson was good, as always, playing the wor risome mother. Helen Flint was liked, as Christine, pretty rather. Others are Edward Emery, Edwin Stanley and Harriet MacGIbbon. A newspaperman at the first.rtlght said the story of "The Marriage Bed'' is his own; - Only that mug is being divorced, despite the kids. ■The new play has much that seems true and it is very good entertain ment. Ibee. DEEP HARLEM . All-colored musical comedy in revue style, with many scenes.. Stnjrod by Henry 1 Creamer. Book by ' Whitney and Tult Lyrics by Homer Tutt and Creamfr. Music by Jbo Jordan, At the UUtmore Jan. 7; 43 top. Principals—Salem Whitney, Homer Tutt Rosa White, Juanlta Btlnnette, Chapplo [■Chappell, Mabel Ridley, Neeka Shaw, Jlm- I my Baukctt, John Mauon, Columbus Jack son, Andr<?w Bishop, Sterling Grant, WU Ham Edmon.<!on, Billy Andrews, August 1 Oolden, Rookie Davis, Gorti-ude Gardecn Virginia Barnum, Cutout nnd Leonard, Ivy Blnck, Pearl Mc<.'ormaok, ■ Creole Four, Bir- mingham Four; Keys, Gaytr.lra, Au.sbrook and Bridpes. Northern Br<>thcrB, Joe Felix, Ralph and Robert, Joe Kobinson, Cherokee Thornton. —rather good, in truth. An African ungle, ruined by "art" lights aUd malupropos music, lyrics, acting uiul staging,' A slave market .soenc, %' far6e: meant to be a tragedy. The rest of the act poorly, wlthn .an at- tempt to."get hot" for a dniggy eur-'. tain work-up. Second portion, as now con.stitut- ed, pretty swift and nifty entertain- ment. A Savannah scope, the first laughs of the. show, with John Ma- son doing, what would be standurd burlesque bit mighty well, and. Juanita Stinnette great In two cliar- acters. Mabel Ridley Is clean and .sharp as a. high yaller v.tmp, nml Penrl McGormack, the 'looker" of the outfit, acting, singing and danc- ng exceedingly well for a kid. This Is .a long act and never lags. One elly wow, the first, rocked the house, after Mason is given the hot- foot by his babe and sits on her doorstep, when a cop asks him what he's doing there and he answers: 'Somebody's dead in there—I'm the crepe." ' A short Savannah street scone is set-shifter, then a drop showing a crossing at 135th. and Lenox, with, Jimmy Baskttt, the best talent in . the company, as a friendly and phll- osophlca.1 traffic ofllcer, goes nicely. The front of the Lafayette it atmos- phere until made soggy by a weep- ing wall sung well by George .Whlt- tington. "Deep Harlem," the reprise song,, though not the lilt number (if any), closes', this. Wliat follows is typical Harlem, with some of the gals from Connie's to spieed and color it up and give It authehtlcity, and there the show, is at home—aa Harlem is always at. home In Timea Square and Times Square Is always at home in Harlem. The chorus is nothing to write to Dahomey about, aTid even the Connie speed-pips don't register like thiey do on the floor in their native heath. The numbers in ensemble can't come with 1,000 r. p. m. of "Blackbirds" or some of the minor all-colored re- vues. There Is no dancing of note for this type of show. There isn't a really outstanding tune, with "Mex- ican Blues" and "I'm Lovin'" prob- ably the best. The latter may catch on. "High Taller and Sealskin Brown" Is an encore two-man back- talk arrangement, hut not commer- cial. "Deep Harlem" was meant to be a modern , spiritual,, or at least a dramatic our-race-appeal ditty, but. falls short. Juanita Stlnnette's so- prano is the life-saver for several so-so melodies. This offering should draw cut rates for a while, but doesn't figure for a long run at. any odds or big dough at any time. Lait. LADY DEDLOCK Drama In throe nets by Paul Kwitcr; based oh "Ble.ik House"; presented nt the Ambassador by Murray i'hlllips Jind. J. J. Leventhal; Margaret Anijlln atiirred;. opened bee. 31; Inspector Bucket............Hubert Dmce Mr. Guppy Francis Compton Volumrtla Dcdlock... ..Kthcl Grllflea William Robert Vivian Mary, Lady Wnodcourt. .Katherlne Lorlmer Allan Dedlook..,. ...Robert H.<irrii?an Sir Leicester Dedlock... .St. Clair Baylleld James, William Eville Second Footman.....; Frances Morau Third Footman..... Charles Campbell Lady Dedlock... Margaret AngUn Hortense Margaret Anglln. Mr. Tulklhghorn ...John Ivancnwich Harold Sklmpolei...........Edward Cooper .Talin Jamdyce. i..........Thomas Holding Esther Summerson. .Margaret Khackleford Jo. , Charles Cronior The Duchess of trlncolnshlre. .E.sta Rollo The Duke of Llncoln.>»hlre Patrick J. MacMahn Sir George Barberry Charles O'Nell Constable Neokert. Edward Cooper Conatoblo Gregory ..Francis Compton A Link Boy Charles Dill NOTE: I submitted this warning and plan in a signed article nearly ^,two-^years= ago . in .the. JT^h^^^ space in the hope that it may result in some definite action. John Golden \iassaa In a normal season this sort of quality hits Times Square about July 13. But this year the panic is on early. Not that "Deep Harlem" Ja by^any means the pborest ishow that has been in the district or is there right now, but in times of average prosperity a:nd competition for ace houises it wouldn't get south of the Lafayette in January. VMiitney and Tutt are credited, In whispers, as the producers. No pre- senter Is programed. \Vhoiever con>- trlvcd and conceived It. niust have had in mind a colored show for col- ored ifolks. The whole first act is a sympathy play, sort of allegory trac- ing the blacks from their pristine .glory In Ethiopia to slavery in ante- Lincoln days. It was all meant to be very sad and all turned out .sa:d- der than meant. If the whole first act, in toto, were thrown into tho deep Harlem river and a few more numbers thrown into the second, with the llnale as an entire last half, the troupe might get somowhore. Tawdry regal pomp with ridicu- lous pretentions of grandeur make the dramatic portion now rather emb.irrassingly ontre. A scone in "one" In the desert after enslave- -mont^Is^-ffjir. - A-sluA e-^jhip-^soone^^^ short and therefore not unpalatable Margai-et Angllh was optimistic if she expected "T.jady Dedlock" to excite 73roadway. Perhaps it was her new managers who figured that way. It impresses as being as much out of date as Charles Dickens' "Bleak House," upon which it is based. The drama undCF the title of "The Great Lady Dedlock," a name too long for the electric signs, was pre- sented out of town by Miss Anglin last season; It is presumed that she will again take to touring very soon. Only In the sticks can "Ded- lock" get by and then on the strength of the star's name.. '.'Lady Dedlock" is billed as a melodrama. There is a murder committed and otherwise the play Is deadly in the even quiet of per- formance. Not a smile to relieve the monotony, although one evening last week a poodle nipped the flouted skirt end of a guest at I IN MEMORY "JUST A^MINUTE" Passed Away at Shubert's Jamaica Jan. 5th, 1929 H. C. GREENE "'Authei*-Director-Co-producer - el il 1 <IIIIH|IMMIII)irilllUIIMIIIItlll|linUllliniHIMIIIIUII|l|IIIIUIIUIIHUIIIIIIII'llliflllMnMlliHIMItlMIMtlltlllliMUIIIUIUIinillUIIIIMilllllll^ ||l«1t«<^M|ft^1tllpiyt|llll|WttlMIMIIIMlllHltMin mMII"»IIUIWIIII'liWI'HIIII»1intlH liHllllll»i|tllHtllMil-1|||ll|^^ WHUUOHUWMfUllWillMUHMaMWt;* EVELYN HOEY "GOOD NEWS"-LONDON