Variety (Jul 1930)

^0 VAItlETY LEGITIMATE Wednesday; July 30, 1930 DIVORCE ME, DEAR Philadelphia, July 29. "Divorce Me» Dear," a new com- edy by Katharine Roberts, press asent and itewspaper woman, open- ed last night at the Garrlck as the Play of the Week Company's 11th and final production of its second local summer season. This is the fourth new play presented by the company and Impressed as. having a chance for at least moderate pop- ular success. Story concerns decision of Ver- onica Vare, fasclnati.ner but unac- countable younff matron, to be di- vorced from her husband, not be- cause he has been unfaithful, un- :kind or even incompatible, but rather because they B^t along too smoothly. She claims he knows, her so well hi even finishes her sen- tences and knows'the p'oints of her witty sayings before she has said them. She consults the family lawyer, telling him frankly that after the di- vorce she is going to live with an- other man, not, however, aa husband and wife. Lawyer aghast wants to know the grounds, but she declares simply that that is up to him, sug- gesting, as one thought, that her husband go to India or China for three years, thus creating a de- sertion situation. Lawyer and family learn all this before either husband or lover do. ■Former is' at first thunderbtruck, tlien angrily acquiescent. Latter Is qultb' apparently t>i9wllilered, but accepts the situation.thrust upon him. Second act ti'ansplres three ydafd later, on eve of' final decree of di- vorce. Husband has disappeared, not contesting suit, and lover'and Veronica have bben living t6getHer. They are planning to leave' for Kurope the following night. At this time hubby returns and Veronica is all a-thrill-after lunching with htm in a private dining room. She invites him to come to their home to live as long as he is' In town and Insists that her European trip be postponed.' Lover is furious, not taking her attitude as 'well as bus.- band did. ^ The latter announces that he, too, has a girl with whom he Is sailing for a foreign port. Veronica be- JACK DONAHUE 4N SONS 0'GUNS n WITH GINA MALO NOW IN NINTH MONTH AT THE IMPERIAL THEATRE Also playing at the^ Hippodrome^ London, with Bobby Hdw^ and Mirielle Perrey Will Soon Be Presented in Australia Sold to United Artists as a Starring Velucle for A! Jolson Coming to the bnperial Theatre, Sept. 29th "PRINCESS CHARMING" Book by JACK DONAHUE From the original by Arthur Wimperis and Latiri Wylie Sceneiy by Joseph Urban Costumes by .Chatles Le Maire Lyrics by Arthur Swanstrom Music by Alfi'cd Sirmay and Arthur r Schwartz Albertina ]Ra«ch pallet In the cast will be Victor Moore, George Grossmith, Danielle Bregis, Bartlett Simmons and others to be announced Next 8e€ison a new operetta and a new musical comedy to be announced Staged hy BOBBY CONNOLLY Arthur Swanstrom 1697 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY THOMAS V. BODKIN General Manager MILTON RAISON Gen, Press JRepresentqiive ma bomea, terribly Jealous to the point fof pl^dlngr with him. and' admlttlni; :that she has been wrens and la still i|n love with him. The lover finds jthem In an embrace andrthreatenji Idire' tblnsa. ' Vcfronlca says she Is torn between her love for her husband And her duty to her lover—one bt the clever- est of the/conversational angles In •Miss Roberts' play—but the lover settles the thlner. once and for all, isteppiner- aside and admitting that .Veronica is too much for him. The end Is a bit fumbling. and uneven, as if the author were look- ing for the most sparkling and graceful tag for her aomedy. Some other portions can be tightened and the lines of one-or two of the minor characters may be Improved. Even now, however, the'final curtain falls at 10:.50, but "Divorce Me, Dear" moves briskly and brightly from start to finish. ■ , It is by no means strikingly un- usual. General theme. ha^ been used often,' last in "This Thing Called Love." SmOoth and easy dialog that does not try to be un- duly smart or epigrammatic but !^ticks to the action and'tb the char- .acters, Is the big asset of the comedy. Jean Dixon, Melvyn Douglas and jHarold .Vermiiyea played, the lead- ing"rdleBrherer-^lBs-Dlxon—dld~a fine piece of high comedy as the uncertain lady, and young Douglas again proved himself one of the stage's. most promising younger '.players by his assured and well balanced performance as the hus- baiVd. 'Vermiiyea was not even In iiis characterization of the lover, but capital in the scenes suggest- :ing , the .complete .bewilderment of this sot'eiy-tried individual. I Play Is in. three acts and two sets, with a,company of nine.' It hardly shapes' lip as anything but a, nice chance as a light coriipdy of love, divorce and a woman's change- dbllity.. . ' Waters. OH JUDGE Hollywood', July 25. Musical farce In two parts, by Owen Meredith, George Bowles and Edward CIsner. Presented by Frank Stroncr and Jack Wilson. Music by L,uclen Dennl; 'Staged by. Edward Eisner; dances by Eddie Prlnz. Cast, 'featuring Bernard Granville, Includes Itodncy McLennan, Frank Braid- wood, Marie Wells, Mildred Xlostello, Frank Marlowe, Marie Hutchinsbn, iHal Bedus, Frank Allen, Douglas ,JCea(on, Albert Cross, Clarence Muse, PpKky Cornell, Randolph Scott, Nanettd Vallon. Ev- elyn Hayes, Vang! Murrdy, Paisley Noon, Peggy Standee. At The Vine Street, Hollywood, Jully 22. $1.C0 top. Imbued with the commercial lopfic that has made them pleasantly suc- cessful holders of property in Holly- wood, Messrs. Strong and 'Wilson have reasoned that a'theatre with lights is much more beneficial than a theatre In darkness. Whereupon they have opened what they them- selves 'bill as a musicdl farce. To anyone > east of Los Ahgeles it's a tab. And If not oiie' customer bought a ticket durinfc an entire week the backers would be out not more than $6,500. 'Which again proves that the gentlemen are busi- ness' men'. • ■ Strong and Wilson own the thea- tre, a nearby parking station, and several- other adjacent bits of dust. Otherwise there would be no "Oh. Judge!" If they come within $1,000 of opei^atlng expenses weekly they will be content to remain open. In commenting on a tab. or on' anything else passing in Los Angeles and vicinity as stage matter, con- templation always returns to rest upon Coast legit salaries and how they are accomplished. When $160 is the top salary it ..may be seen that the declining scale leaves eight chorus girls not much more than stocking money. But the girls are beautifully tanned, and have that familiar California aura of health, so if they're from the east originally they may be better off out here In the territory held equally by Heaven and the Rotary Club. Most people work for the love of it in legit out here because they hope they will be seen and grabbed for pictures. That few of thfem ever are does not tarnish the rain- bow's pot of gold. Again, in returning <to comment upon "Oh, Judge." the musical comedy, it must be reiterated that It really Is "Oh, Judge!," the tab. .Otherwlae njobody wlU- get any- ■Where.. ' •; ' ' Its music ia monotonous but not irritating; Its book becomes lost in a . wild sidesw&tg at farce in the second half. The cast, aside from Bernard GMnVille, knows little about dancing and singing or acting but everyone seems to have a good time. And that, after all, is enough value for $1.50. The whole thlhg may be summed up as being poor, but hot oitenslve. Book concerns .the sentencing of several minor law violators to a health farm as a publicity stunt, it afford a chance to bring the girls' on in tights, but otherwise little happens. Staging is economic, and dance numbers are handled well consid- ering that there Is only the elas- ticity of eight girls. When a couple of realtors open a show for other than ordinary rea- sons, any opinion as to its com- mercials value should be. from the real estatie angle. "Oh Judge!" ought to keep the Vine and Selmar corner lighted for about four weeks. Bang. OH BETTY! Dayton, O., July 29. -^^Ohr-Betty!" a co.medy^by_Ghaiac3. R, P. Evans, of New York, was pro- duced for the first time on any stage here by the Wright Players at the Victory and drew a difference of opinions. Critics of all three lo- cal papers asc^^d that the play was too talky,, lacked action, and needed humor. "Two of them believed that made over 'intb a straight farce it would have a better chahce for suc- cess. W. H. Wfight 'and J. Elmer Redelle, produdeif^, believe that with slight revisions the play, will go oyer- as a coniedy. Idea of the play is reminiscent of "Dulcy" and plays like "Meet the Wife" and "The poidfish." Heroine flirts about with every new man she meets and thus has a different husband in each of the three acts. At the last she is saved from a fourth and nearly' gets a fifth as the .final, curtain descends. Miss Hanna did exceptionally well with a rather artificial character. It is the avowed intention of the producers to present Miss Hanna in the play on Broadway In the fall. For local consumption dhe and the fo'iir men playing'leading roles as- sumed their own names,- Charles Lyon, Baker Moore, Klock Ryder and Johnny Moore. The play closes the fourth season of Wright Players stock here. A fifth will probably begin In September. TORCH SONQ Atlantic City,' July 29. Kehyon Nicholson's "Torch Song" at th« Apollb ' last night is ah observant^ moving melbdrkmatld picture of the' ,ialth thki cleanses all. The sfuth'or seems .'.f6' have wlritten Into It just the right Variety of heart rending drama and 'homely humor.: What he did not accomplish in the writing, Arthur Hopkins, the producer, with his attention to' act- ing and detail, .made up for. . The result Is a. play of simple charm, through which 'the story, though in fact old fashioned 'enough, runs smoothly and naturally for two- thirds of the' way, moving under a rather telling atmosphere until al- most the final curtain. '.'Torch Song" suddenly grew dim. but even in its last flickerings. retained some of its naivete. Set for the most part In a com- mercial hotel in Pomeroy, O.. "Torch Song" recounts the love of a traveling salesman for a song- stress in a road house outside Cin- cinnati. He hasn't the nerve t.o tell her that a week hence he is going to marry the only daughter of li's employer, and leaves her a note of farewell while, she is singing the song he requested. Almost a year later they meet again, he the successful drummer, she. a Salvation Army lass. In or- der to hold Sunday morning ser- vices her corps takes lodging In the same hotel over night, and the clerk, hearing from another knight of the grip, that the pair had once been sweethearts, places the girl in an adjoining room.' (Continued on page 92) Hans Bartsch PLAYoT New York: Capitol Theatre Building 1639 Broadway Cajble Addrets: ''H^baHsch, New York**