Evening Star Newspaper, February 14, 1932, Page 49

| Stagé, Screen and Music Revie‘ws_ o AMUSEMENT SECTION he Swunday Star, Motor, Aviation, ‘Radio Programs Part 4—8 Pages Lois Moran, in “West f Broad- way,” at the Metror olitan. Classic Drama Departs, Giving Way to a Revue In One Local Playhouse "'i’lfl;fl})&efi‘s Stay in "Cyrano™ Is Shortened for Ziegf‘eld.s New Sl’\O\\'*NIiSS Barrymore at Shubert-BelascofSummer StOCl( a Certainty. By W. H. Landvoigt. F all the arguments, pro and con, concerning con- ditions in the modern . theater, no better illustra- tion. perhaps. can be advance to establish that tasles h changed than fact that Ro! tand’s beautiful, romantic classic. “Cyrano de Bergerac.” and its dis- tinguished star., Walter Hampden, were compelled to limit their stay in Washington and to move out early to provide room for the re- hearsal of the new Ziegfeld show. This simple truth inspires more thought for the interested to dwell upon than all the com- plaints that have been made against the stage and all the guesses hazarded by the talented writers of the day combined. Imagine the feelings of the gen- fuses of the French Academy if and when they learn the facts! “Cyrano” has not been seen here so frequently in recent years as to become tiringly familiar, and the fine presentation of its mani- fold beauties was of such ex- cellence as to entitle it to a week's stand in any man’s town. More- over, the distinction of its star. Mr. Hampden, is such in the American theater as to merit the heartiest welcome, no matter what his play, whenever he finds it convenient to come this way. But a Ziegfeld show is > Ziegfeld show—and everybodv knows what to expect when it is announced any old time. People have been fairly scrambling and shoving one another out of line in the parade to the box of- fice for seats at $4.40 each * THERE was once a time when “The School for Scandal,” “She Stoops to Conquer” and other old English comedies of brilliance in wit and comforting in humor were always sure of large and appreciative audiences Ethel Barrymore has never lacked such an audience no matter what might be her play, unless, per- haps, “Scarlet Sister Mary” may have furnished the experience Sprung from the nobility of the American stage and one of the brightest lights of a distinguished family, people went to see her whether they appreciated her full worth or not. And they always came away apparently contented and happy. Miss Barrymore has been mak- ing a wonderful tour of the coun- try with “The School for Scan- dal,” and this week she is honor- ing Washington. But the fate of Hampden and “Cyrano” hangs ominously in the memory, and there are those of Miss Barry- more’s ardent admirers who won- der what may happen. Perhaos the mood induces the thought and, after all, the royal lady of the House of Barrymore may challenge the rivalry of even a Ziegfeld premiere with a smile Mr. Hampden and his “Cyrano” were, perhaps, fortunate in being able to make a dignified retreat before the great threat arrived. Miss Barrymore, however, must enter the lists and wage her bat- tle with the wily enemy just over the way. * x * x HIS predilection for the spec- tacular and for the melo of the musical stage seemed for a while, at least, to threaten Washington’s annual hopes for its heretofore popular Summer stock season. True, achievements in that particular line in the past year or two have left its coura- geous young manager hovering be- tween the devil and the deep blue sea, financially speaking: yet he has braved fate, and like the stoic who climbed the mountain bear- ing aloft his banner “Excelsior.” Steve Cochran has chuckled with glee to see the multitudes push- ing their way into the play hous2 | holes. forbade him th= privilege. —when multitudes did the push- | ing. Moreover, positive announce- ment gives assurance that Mr. Cochran's National Players will again appear at the old stand for business, “bigger 'n better than ouez before,” Monday evening, | and screen stars April 18. For a time it seemed as if that Milton Aborn Opera Co., which has been doing marvelous thipes right in the heart of the great metropolis. might crowd out the plavers. Those singers will dig a couple of weeks out of the Summer season, but. notwith- standing, the Iiational Players will show up before the April showers have left us. And it is going to be all up to their Wash- ington admirers to say how long they will linger when they do come. ook % AVING thus deftly high- hatted depression and now gayly shoving dismay and dis- couragement into the discard, Washington's world of the thea- ter may turn its eyes to the bright hopes of the future, even if a later month in this year of promise | should tend to rumple our com posure in matters of government. The way to be happy is not to be anything else; and if all the sub rosas of Mr. Cochran blossom into realities, barring acts of God and “the Continental Congress,” worry over the future of the drama. in the National Capital. at least, will cease and be forgotten when the “happy days are here again.” * o o x N the nebulous distance there is said to be hovering a hope that Washington may be per- mitted to see “Green Pastures” before its eternal interment in the land of the forgotten. But one obstacle is said to stand in the way. “Green Pastures” has been described as “a Negro child’s idea of Heaven.” Naturally the cast demands many youngsters for its presentation. But with all males under 16 and all females under 18 barred from the stage under existing law, it will be im- possible to secure the kind of cast the play makes indispensable. The law. it is claimed, has not been strictly enforced, otherwise it would long since have routed dramatic effort- on the part of our young amateurs in the schools and churches. and plays like “Pollyanna” and “Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch” might never have been presented here, save in talking pictures. The law does not affect the film producers because the pictures are made elsewhere. This, it is contended, is an unjust discrimination against the legit- imate theater, and unwarranted under present practices in the theater affecting stage children. It is understood that strong ef- fori is being made to eorrect this, and, it is said, with the Kkindly aid of church and educational circles. Escudero, Spanishr Gypsy. INCENTE ESCUDERO, the noted Spanish Gypsy dancer. who comes to Washington for the first time Tues- day afternoon, at the National Theater, is on his first American tour. Escudero was born of Gypsy parents while they were on the open road through the city of Valladolid, Spain. A born dancer, like most “gitznos,” he practiced heelwork as a boy on the metal manholes of the streets of Gra- nada. He danced so violently that the police, fearing he would break the man- When he was 9 he joined a troupe of Gypsies and wandered wit) them through And=- lusia, Casiille and Aragon. dancing at fiestas and in public squares. His job was to pass the hat, but he rebelled at this and ran away. Escudero danced on the professional stage for the first time in Portugal, where he was hailed as a prodigy. In 1920 he danced at fashionable cabarets and clubs in Paris, then in London, Berlin and Rome with marked success. In 1927 he first won a real concert audi- ence at a solo performance in the Salle Pleyel, Paris, when he packed the house and brought all Paris to his feet. Pavlowa, it is said, had planned to brine Es~udero as her partner in a tour of the United States, but the greatest of all the baerinas cied just before th-v were to have sailed. The dancirg of Escudero is deseribed as spontaneous, rugged, even boisterous. He moves like a streak of fire. He has been called a demon of rhythm. His American debut in New York in Janu- ary was attended by many famous stage and was ssensation. WA HINGTON, D. C, SUNDAY ‘Marjorie White and Bert Lahr, in Ziegfeld's “Hot Cha!” at the National. Jean Harlow and Walter Byron, in “Three Wise Girls,” at the Rialto. Buster Keaton and Polly Moran, in “The Passionate Plumber,” at the Palace. MORNING, FEBRUARY Charles Bickford and Edward G. Robinson and 14, 1932 Ethel Barrymore, in “The School for Scandal,” at the Belasco. Helen Twelvetrees, in “Panama Flo,” at Keith's, Loretta Young, in “The Hatchet Man,” at the Earle. Famous as a Headliner. ILLIAN ROTH, hrading the vaude- ville program at R-K-O Keith's this week. has been a “he: " in every phase of theatrical en“eavor. Her carcer reads almost lik> the hi show busiress, and that dresn't me; Miss Roth is a sweet little old lad’ either. for she is known far and near tory of | as the “movie queen of synocpatio; Lillian Roth is a full-tiedged actress with nine years' experience to her credit. When she was but 14 years old she started imitating Lenore Ulrich, Ruth Chatterton, Judith Anderson and John Barrymore. The Shuberts' “Ar- tists and Models” was her first big revue, and then, in the order named, she appeared in Texas Guinan's “Pad: locks,” Delman's “Revels,” Carroll's “Vanities” and Ziegfeld's “Midnight Frolic.” She supported Maurice Che his piciure. “The featured with De; Vagabord King." Marx trothers in “Anii and later with Nancy Carroll “Honey." After completing Hollywood engage- ments she journeyed back to Broadway and again into Earl Carroll's latest “Vanities.” Having retired from thai production, she is now playing a lim- ited vaudeville engagement. . Martin Lecture postpo‘ned. HE lecture which was to have been given by John Martin of the New York Times on the modern dance and drama, entitled “The Contompoi~ry Theeter—if Any,” last Monday evening at the Caro'ine M-“inley S a2 has be>n postpored until 2fter the Easter holidays, prcbably in April. due to the intensive properetions and reh-arsals for the opening event of the Bicenten- nial Celebration here, “The Masque of Wakefleld,” today, in which the Mc Kinley dancers are to play & prominent | Summer Stock Promised SHORTL\' after Easter the National Theaicr Players will begin their Fpring and Summer season in the Nat'onal Theater. according to an- ncuicement just made by S. E. Coch- ran, the manager of the company, who has set Monday, April 18, as the open- ing_date This, it is explained, will give eight | weeks in which to select the plays and members of the cast. The subscription | plan in vogue the past two seasons will |be revived. The schedule calls for 10 | weeks, during which 10 outstanding American plays will be presented. Under the subscription plan, patrons are emable to secure seat reservations s at reduced prices at e seats being reserved his will save them the in- box office, it will enable the manage- prtrons preierrcd locations in the the- ater for every performance. When the players open their new season they will establish a record never approached by any other resident com- | pany in Washington. Of former com- | panies at the old Columbia, the Be- |lasco and Poli's Theater, some ran \three and some four seasons in succes- | sicn after the regular theatrical period. | None, however, ever attained the con- | tinuous record enjoyed by the National | Players, who, in seven seasons, have presented at popular prices more than 125 represgntative American plays— cdrama ranging from lively farce to high | comed~. and even tragedy. | When the players began their first isoeson thev established a box office | scat price that has been maintained to this day. In spite of the greatly in- | ereased cost of production which now revails throughout the theater gener- lly, the management announces that the same scale of prices will be in force, thus assuring and drams convenience of standing in line at the | ment to reduce prices and it insures the | lovers unquestionable bargains in play entertainment. For 1o the theat:rzoer who feels that the regular theatrical fore is too high in price it gives scme of the best Broadway nroductions at less than ore-third the Winter seat scale. The National Theater Players have | won an enviable place in the American | theater. Only recently Roger Pryor. |a former leading man, was featured here in Forrest Wilson's sparkling com- edy “Blessed Event”; Romaine Callen- der, for many years character man. was selected by the late David Belasco for an important role in “Mimi” and later he was cast in “Grand Hotel." with which he is still playing: Walter Gilbert, also a former leading man, played the lead opposite Ethel Barry more in “Scarlet Sister Mary”: Edward | Arnold, one of the most popular of the | players, has for two seasons past becn a prominent member of the Theater Guild Acting Co., and Stanley Ridges, leading man last vear, is now rehears- ing the lead role in a new Broadway play. These are only some of the high lights of a company that has given Washington many seasons of theatrical enjoyment. The new stellar organiza- tion is to reassemble very soon in the National Theater. Always Wholesome. !WILL ROGERS has brought the | American family back to the thea- ter, and fathers and mothers know they | can take their children to se= his show. Rogers has done more to bring back | wholesome good fun to the screen than | any other person or group of persons in | the industry. In “Business and Pleas- | ure,” now at the Fox, he is said to be the living, breathing image of Earl Tinker, the character created by Booth Tarkington in his novel “The Pluto- crat,” from which this picture is | One of Three Little Maids. “BLOSSOM TIME." the perennial joy of the music-loving theater- goer, is to be with us once again—next week. to be exact, and at the Shubert- R-lasco, where it opens a week from today. One of its many charms. apart from the glorious melodies made immortal by Franz Schubert. almost while he was starving his life away, is its notable galaxy of three little maids. who enter into the love story of the great com- | poser’s life and who sing his beautiful songs. Not the least of these, in the present production, is Marie Maher. Miss Maher was born in Cortland, N. J., and in due time was graduated from Cornell University. She went to |Europe and was the first American to receive a diploma for voice culture from | Vincent d'Indy in Paris. She then | went to Milan, where she studied under Horace Cataldi, for grand opera. She has sung leading soprano roles in opera in many Italian centers of music culture and her re f | mermoor 4 Boheme,” i | d'’Amore,” “I Puritani,” “Manon” and | “La Sonnambula.” Only a year ago she returned to America to join the “Blossom Time" company—yet she still hopes to go back again for further study of the operas. Rogers’ Fun and —Fact. WIL.L ROGERS went through “Busi- | ness and Pleasure” with his right ankle in a plaster cast. the result of a | fall. while playing polo? | Wil is said to have traveled more air | miles than any passenger in America— | probably in the world—and he says he has never fallen out of one—yet. But he is one of the few Americans who own their own private polo fields. He has to forget-his accident when he talks about- the however. Will Rogers and Peggy Ross, in “Business and Pleasure,” at the Fox. '(Women Capture Laurels In All But One Branch Of Motion Line—Ma]e Stars DO By E. de S. AID Rouben Mamoulian, ace director of Paramount, re- cently at a talk given before l S the motion picture confer- ence of the California Federa- tion of Women’s Club: “Women |play a three-fold part in art | through their creation, inspira- |tion and appreciation. In such capacities they are both the be- ginning and the end of art. of which motion pictures certainly are a part. “Creatively, woman's part in motion pictures is obvious. They | write, act and even direct. The | feminine contribution to the stage and screen is more pro- | nounced that in any other | field, even that of writing. The stage today remembers those two great personalities, Sarah Bern- hardt and Eleanore Duse, when many man actors are forgotten Today, on the screen. the leading |acting figures are women “In the appreciation of motion pictures as an art women lead. It is no secret that women choose the family's entertainment. Thers is an Oriental adage which says, ‘When in doubt ask your wife's opinion. and then do the oppo- site’ Today that has been re- versed. Women have a keen sense of discrimination which practically always guides the choice of motion pictures.” Mr. Mamoulian. who, of course, | found it expedient to place this {halo at such a session, has hit a truism firmly on the head when he said “in the appreciation of | mation pictures as an art. wom- # lead.” And there is little doubt as to the validity of his assertion | that “the leading acting figures |are women.” In turning over the |pages of a motion picture guide |it is the weaker sex which | dominates. There is no question but that |the past year has seen the dwindling of the popularity of | the male star and the greater | glory of his opposite. High and | wide float the publicity banners of sister sirens from California |and mortal man is relegated to “also rans” and other humble po- sitions. He is seldom glorified in print, and unless he is a Robert Montgomery or a Clark Gable his chances for immortality are slim. The matinee idol's hey-day, in other words, is spent. And in his place rises the first cousin of | Mother Eve as the proud pos- sessor of Hollywood's golden apple. It was well that Mr. Mamoulian stresses the importance of ladies as mimers rather than as di- rectors. Except for one or two intrepid souls on various lots (Paramout has the best) the fe- male species is notoriously inef- fective in the latter pursuit. While she may blister her audience by the provocativeness of her emot- ings, as the promoter of human emotions on the lot (in a direct- ing capacity, that is) she seems not to breathe forth sufficient fire and her imagination for once leaves her flat. As a thespian, now, she has scored one or two and, perhaps, even three and four on her breth- ren. As curious as it may seem, such outstanding an actor as John Barrvmore. for instance, has faded a little during the past year. As the logical bearer of this country's acting banner, his leadership has.waned as percep- tibly as that once-favored com- |edy favorite Jack Oakie. While Mr. Barrymore has not met with rip-roaring success, his acting having been touched, perhaps, with a certain sameness, such constellations as Norma S8hearer, Marie Dressler, Greta Garbo (yes —never a week goes by!) Marlene Dietrich become brighter and | bigger and better every day. You | have only to plant one of these names in front of a theater and, no matter what the story, the | public will flock to it like dis- ordered penguins. Plant the name of mere male before a cinema door and see within the portals the wide, wide open spaces. Few of theold Picture Work IThCy Are Successful EXCCP! in [1’12 Directorial Not Draw at the Box OfflCC—LOCBI Screen NO!CS Of the \Veek Melcher. endure any more Fairbanks, ago, was special exci perhaps, do most ulating theatergoers veteran _troupers as Beery, Lionel Barrymore others far removed from the mat- inee idol class. Yes, this is the day of fe triumphs in the films. The d fall of the once riotous is the only acute casualty lists. Such eloquent pe as Minna Gombell Dressler, happy repres the old guard, now consti backbone of Hollywood more pulchritudinous a Crawford, Ann Harding & Chatterton need nc ballyhooings, and th any day and at a: to bring forth crowds of devotees “What.” some are saj} the matter with man? he being snowed under more pliable sex? And w the reason for the cinem: crown being snatched from head?” The answer is diffic except that man has never been photographically as as woman, and hence not likely to endure so permanently. He can too. not appear one with a new kind of headdress and the next with a new kind of dress. this possibility for variety is distinctly limited—and once he has smiled, or cried. or done neither, that is about all there is. Take the case of Jimmy Dunn. How long will he last? Or Gable, or Montgomery? Long? Per- haps. but not so long or with such devastating results as say—well, Shearer, or even a lesser celebrity such as Sally Eilers. who during the past vear has done some very excellent work Mr. Mamoulian leading acting figures the screen are women.” * CHIEF among the news gadge's of the past week wa course, anything that Maurice Chevalier had to say. He d: “My newest picture is my best That's what Lubitch teils me, and so it must be true.” And. by thi way, Chevalier wears a bow t with a soft blue shirt, two rin on his left finger, and is not s young as vou think he is. They say that “Mata Hari” is packing them in three deep at the Co- lumbia, and that *“Hell Divers” will do even better. Gary Cooper is said to be coming home from Europe with two live lions. Janet Gaynor will play wifh Charlie Farrell in Mary Pickford's erst- while “Rebecca of Sunnvbrook Farm” when she gets under way again in Hollywood. And the name of Howard Hughes' new film, “Scarface,” which has had a hard time getting itself into the open, was changed to “The Scar on the Nation.” and is now def- initely just “The Scar.” is right— today Exuberant Comedian. HE new Ziegfeld show, “Hot-Cha!" is especially prou” of its leading comedian. Bert Lahr. And lest you be not familiar with his methods and medes of doing things, it deems it wise to enlighten vou | Bert is one of those chaps who is thoreughly saturated with the joy of |living. He plays the role of a toreador |in the show, and such a toreador! He lives, not acts, the role, but in his own peculiar way, and exuberance is the middle name of “that way.” Those who were fortunate witnesses of “Flying High" will remember Bert. He is always delighted, and in that de- light he is never listless. never silent, never urbane. But he ogks and glows and smiles and smirks and his guttural articulation is said to resemble the joy- ous whelpin of the trained seal. Once started, he knows no restraints ‘Why tell you all this? Simply be- cause it serves in some degree to prepare you with the reasons why and the man- ner in which he attacks the mines of | buried laughter in an audience and lets Joose the free gold for the general joy of the Nation. But—Bert is not at all highbrow. He is a tricky toreador. He knows his business is to make folks laugh. flAnl )