Judge — August 6, 1927 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE ) GONN G He ~SAOW Se BY GIORELATAN NATUAN wo of the hottest nights of the summer were ushered in, incompatibly enough, by col- ored shows. One of them is called “Rang Tang” and features the MM. Miller and Lyl the other goes by the name of “Afri- cana” and has the Mlle. Ethel Waters in big type. The old complaint that these onyx exhibits lose half of their effect by cuckooing the white musical shows does not hold true of “Africana” at least. For here is an affair as black in spirit as any grumbler might wish. Nota mezzotint gent on the stage sug- gests for a moment that he thinks he is Jack Buchanan and not a wench looks as if she’d even so much as nod to Ziegfeld on the street. This, despite the heat, is refreshing, because nothing is more of an anomaly than a black show that tries to be George White. “Rang Tang,” though it also has some very lively stuff in it, suffers from the latter ailment. I have nothing against colored ladies, at least when they are con- tent to be colored ladies, but when they come on with true Dilling- ham elegance and haut ton and hint that they’d be knockouts in Alfred Cheney Johnston photo- graphs, I begin to lose some of my old prejudice against their white sisters. “Africana” wins by its lack of affectation. “Rang Tang” fights against its posturing and suc- ceeds only by virtue of the fact that some of its members, notably a banjo ensemble in the first act, are so good that the over-layer of imitativeness is forgotten. The hoofing in both shows of course, excellent. But that is an old story. For almost every- one in the world, with the possible exception of Ned Wayburn and other such professors, knows by “Saturday's Childre wedlock in Manhatta worth seeing. (Booth)—The trials . nd elsewhere. A com “The Squall” (48th St.)—The trials of anatomy in Spain. A play not worth seeing. “Merry-Go-Round” skits. (Klaw)—Some amusing “The Circus Princess” (Winter Garden)—A big show with good tunes and good low comedy. “Crime” (Times Square)—A 10-20-30 melo- drama dressed up in Broadway clot! “The Second Man" (Guild)—A merry and ob- servant comedy that I believe will entertain you. “A Night in Spain" (44th St.)—Ted Healy, Phil Baker, Sid Silvers and a wiggler named Huera will give you your money's worth. “Padlocks of 1927" (Shubert)—Texas Guinan's heroic fight against awful stuff. “The Silver Cord" (Golden)—Mother-love turned inside out, but not deftly. “Tommy"* (Eltinge)—For Little Willie and the neighbors’ children, “The Spider" (Music Box)—A mystery melo- drama played all over the theater. “The Play's the Thing” (Miller)—Amusing French farce by way of Hungary. “Grand Street Follies" (Little)—There’s humor here. “Rang Tang” (Royale)—See this issue. “Africana” (Daly’s)—Same here, “Her Cardboard Lover" (Empire)—Pair French farce-comedy, miscast. “The Mystery Ship” (Bayes)—Very dreary. “Rio Rita” (Ziegfeld)—An expensive and eye- filling exhibition, but I ean’t say much for the | principals. “Honeymoon Lane” (Knickerbocker)—Only fair. “Peggy-Ann” (Vanderbilt)—Ditto. “The Desert Song’ (Casino)—Ditto, “Broadway” (Broadburst)—You've doubtless seen it by this time. If not, hurry up. “The Constant Wife” (Elliott)—Intelligent and diverting sex comedy with La Barrymore in the star role. “Queen High” (Ambassador)—Not much. “One for AU” (Selwyn)—A darned sight less. “The Road to Rome” (Playbouse)—This one didn’t pop me. “The Barker” (Biltmore)—The tattoed man is the best feature of this treatise on the carnival shows. “The Ladder” (Cort)—Whew! “Hit the Deck” (Belasco)—Average song and dance stuff. “Kiss Me” (Lyric)—See next week's issue. “The Mating Season” (Selwyn)—Ditto. this time that when it comes to shaking a leg our darker fellow citizens are the simon-pure article. The we dance is enough to make the per- spiration roll off the foreheads of the producers of the white shows. It appe that about the onl thing they can’t do with their fee is walk, There isn’t a moment that every last one of them isn’t as busy as a coroner in Holly- atch them and then to go around the block and look at a Caucasian troupe is like taking a squirrel to Philadelphia. Ethel Waters, star of the “Africana” revels, will be identi- fied as the brunette who makes phonograph records for the Co- lumbia Can Co. Although she is far from being a Florence Mills, she has a genial personality and a method for getting her numbers across. One or two of her risqué ballads prove fetching amuse- ment. As for Miller and Lyles, the stellar comedians of the other show, my enthusiasm has no trouble in remaining under per- fect control. They are funny once in a while, but they have a habit of picking up cues so slowly that half of their comedy falls with a thud. And some of their puns surely call for a barber. Another thing that I notice about these entertainments is the falling off in looks in the girl de- partment. A few years ago, th licorice babies placed on view were anything but unsightly, but those on view at present are far from that. I can only conclude that all the good-looking ones are now married to wealthy French- men and have retired. In neither of the shows is the music above the stereotyped Broadway jazz thing, although here and there a bit of authentic (Continued on page 24) comicbooks.com