Judge — February 5, 1927 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NEA { ; 5 { \ \ Le JUDGE OMEBODY ought to take Sacha S Guitry out into the backyard and give him a good spanking. ‘That is, if he can read English. If he can’t, and is therefore not to blame, the spanking should be ad- ministered to his manager. Anyone guilty of putting in the theater pi gram such walla-walla about “The Mlusionis in which the engaging Sacha is appearing as I write, should not be able to sit down again for at least a week. I quote a few tidbits: (1) “The personage created by M. Guitry has discovered that the majority of human beings wish to be illusioned and without being rolun- tarily evilly disposed this peculiarity of his character sometimes leads him to commit acts that are really cruel is shown in this pl (2) “This . in spite of its appearance, con- tains a moral; and (3) “The epi- logue is the morality of the play ex- pressed... in these words: ‘Open your arms and your hearts only to those of your own class. If, good English aside, any more dreadful hooie has ever been printed in a playbill by way of easing the moral qualms of an Anglo-Saxon audience, I have never encountered it. “The Illusionist” is just a traight-from-the-shoulder, unmine- ing, naughty farce and a thoroughly amusing one—and that is all there is or, for that matter, should be, to it. If its central character isn’t “volun- tarily evilly disposed,” then neither was Petronius nor Casanov: If the contains a moral, then ‘Fanny contains one no less. And if the moral admonition of “The Illu- sionist” is “Open your arms and your hearts only to those of your own class” (a line spoken in the first act with hardly moral design). then the The Brothers Guild) —One of © Theater Guild's best The Siler Cord” (Golden)—One of the Theater Guild's poorest “The Captice” (Empire)—Bourdet’s well written drama of perversion. “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Times Square Anita Loos’ best-seller made into an The Nishtin Jolson)—A melodious New York Exchange” (49th St.) —Trash “The Mlusioniat” —(Chanin) Entertaining furce-comedy admirably played by the Guitrys “The Barker” (Biltmore): reviewed next week The Virgin Man” (Princess)—Same here The Play's the Thing” (Miller Ag French farce written by a Hungarian The Constant Wife? (Eliott) —Mangham wad Ethel Barrymore contribute to a diverting evening. “An American Tra Longacre) —T offer Dreiser a dollar to tell me what Ke honestly thinks of it. ond the Horizon” (Bijou)—Good O'Neill Box)—Very amusing Dirt” (Lyceum)—Uninten tional caricature, and very dull, Sam Abramoritch” (National) —To be re viewed Hudson) — Commonplace “Piggy” (Royale) —Sam Bernard and Eddie Conrad are the features. Where's Your Husband?” (Greenwich Ferrible ‘he Ramblers” (Lyric) —Bobby Clark is the card here, The Devil in the Cheese” (Hopkins h 1 this one “Oh, Kay!” (Imperial) —Gertrude Lawrence “Oh, Plea Fulton) —Beatrice Lillie han dicapped by a bad “The Constant Nymph (Selwyn)—A de lightful play “Betsy” (New Austerda Ziegfeld’ “Criss Cross” (Globe)—Fred and Dorothy Stone in fine trim “The Wooden Kimono” (Beck)—Stale mys y play. The Arabian Nightmare” (Cort)—Pretty | Dad. His Own Way” (Comedy)—A dull evening “Sex” (Daly's) —Trash Several good t)—First-rate melo Little)—Nil. ‘aponsacchi” (Hampden) — Not much | more “The Ladder” (Waldort)—Less. “In Abraham’. mm” (Provincetown. Paul Green's Negro play “The Squall” (48th St.)—See “Two Girls | Wanted “Gertie” (Bayes) —See “The Little 8 the Squall dmonition of “The Cap- is “Women and children first!” Such pious mugging is the rankest sort of hypocrisy; it fools no one, except perhaps a censor or so who knows no more French than the address of a dirty postcard manu- facturer; it makes Guitry and his enterprise appear pretty cheap. Since it seems utterly inconceivable that Guitry himself would tolerate such puritanical greasing—he has cer- tainly never given the slightest evidence of doing anything like it in all his years in the theater—it is sonable to assume that some one connected with his American’ tour is the party whose rear awaits the hairbrush. While the — particular rear, whomever it belongs to, is being searched for, let me commend “The Illusionist” to your attention. It is a very jolly little farce founded on the old smoking-car story about what the fellow said to the girl going upstairs and downstairs, and don’t let the program fool you. Il T us week's theater put up by the Chanins is called the Royale. Among the big news items vouch- safed us in the souvenir program given out on the opening night are the following: (1) the plumbing w stalled by Louis Black; (2) the ornamental hardware was made by Charles Kurzon; (3) the roofing was done by the Globe Roofing and Sky- light Company; and (4) the contract for washing the towels in the lavatory has been bestowed upon the Swiss Hand Laundry. Next week's theater, to be opened by the same gentlemen, is tobeknown as the Masque. The theater to be opened the following Tuesday is to (Continued on page 21) comicbooks.com