Judge — January 21, 1928 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE I lo George Kaufman and | Edna Ferber goes the credit of having written in “The Royal Family” the best play of its kind ce “Trelawny of the Wells.” With a kind and gra- cious mercilessness, with suave ony and with a boot in the rear delicately delivered with silk slipper, they have confected a picture of histrios and of the theater that is a large delight from start to finish. And that delight has been further nour- ished by a shrewdly assembled company of actors and by the sort of presentation that is pidly elevating Prof. Jed Harris to the gilt chair at the local producing table. It is a platitude that the gen- eral run of plays dealing with actors are just so many doses of veronal, since it is bad enough to be asked to look at and to listen to most actors without being doubly imposed upon by asking one to look at and to listen to ctors playing the réles of actors. But the platitude gets a bump in this case. For the Kaufman- Ferber combination have laid hold of their job with so much penetrating wisdom, so much sympathetic cruelty and so much debamboozled humor that their exhibit at the Selwyn provides as beautifully diverting stage fare as this town has had to offer in a long time. The presenting troupe, admirable in its entirety, includes Haidee Wright, Ann Andrews, Sylvia Field, Jefferson de Angelis and Otto Kruger. II A Tier place to spend a gay evening is at the corner of fty-fourth Street and Sixth Avenue, where Dr. Ziegfeld has Behold, the Bridegroom" (Cort)—See this issue. © Bless You, Sister” (Forrest) —Alice Brady in a dummy that takes its bat off to Sinclair Lewis, | “Show Boat" (Ziegfeld) —An elegant show from the Ziegfeld hand. “Paris Bound’ (Music Box)—A comedy by Philip Barry, staged by Arthur Hopkins. I'll go around 02 the next open ev “The White Baghe “The Squaw Man.” “The Love Nest” (Comety)—Fai dramatization of the excellent Ring L story of the mame name. “Mengetia’* (Greenwich “Coqutte” (Elliott) —Ao interesting exhil every angle. “Carte” (MaraGeld)—Highfalutin trash 0 Ham, “Reatleas Wemen'* (Morceco)—Nothing Paradise"’ (48th Street)—William Hurlbut’s t T may get around to it some day “Spring Song’* (Bayea)—Flapsloc “What Do We Know?” ie hooxe. Spiritual —Razzing Mr. Tunney nge)—Fannie Hurst writes Celebrity” (Lyceur: “It la To Laugh (F a cheap and stale one. “The Royal Family” (Seley “Lowty Lady" (Hasris)—A lastrelesn w= with Ena Leedom and Guy Roberts “Marco Mill 1d) —O'Neill’s delightfet play about Marco Babbitt Polo. “Prunny Face'* (Alvin)—The Astaires and Victor re buck up an otherwise weak sb “The Racket"* (Ambamadcr)—\ melotrams of Chicago police, bootlergers and newspaper report: ‘ers with some good points, tick” (Coban)—There are several teuney seenes her "he Trial ef Mery Dugan"* court-room melodrama that will entertai: he Margi 7. Bille Burke at # “Ewape"* (Booth)—Joba G condition News’* (46th Street)—A lively and tuneful ore) —Pretty poor worthy in a forte she “Golden Dawn"* (Haromersteis)—Also a tuneful one, but not #0 lively 2 “Interference” (1 well played. * Rosalie’* (New Ameterdam)—The new Marilys Miller show. ‘To be reviewed later. * Burlesque’* (Plymouth)—Some laughs redeem an indifferent play “A Connecticut Yankee" (Vanderbilt)—The | tunea are the ticket ““Artiate and Modela’* (Winter Garten}—As the comedy and dancing are here. “The Command To Love’ (Longacre)—Some jolly low tanter “The Ladder” (Betmont)—The morgue has moved up to 48th Street. “Drocula’® (Pulton)—Vampire melotrama of another era. “The Merry Malones"* (Erlanger)—George M. Coban's amusing nose-fingering at musical shows. “The Patriot” (Majestic)—Ashley Dukes’ eaptation of the Neumann play. To be reviewed later. ”Peripherie’” (Commopolitan)—To be reviews! pert week. “She's My Baby’* (Globe)—Same bere. )—Ortbodor melodrama uncovered his music show ver- sion of “Show Boat.” The Doctor has once ain done himself proud. With the best score that Jerome Kern has written in se seasons, with a libretto th gives the critics a welcome holi- from the usual grumbling, with some tasty Urban back- ground and with some colored wenches so talented in the art of hoofing that it is rumored Pav- lowa is thinking of entering a convent, the dish proves to be just about as satisfactor time as even that chronic bell acher, the M. George J Nathan, could wish for. Outside — the pater on the opening night, twenty photog raphers were marshalled by the Doctor to snap the incoming horde of society — magnificoes, with the result that the next morning's gazettes were a verit- able treasure-chest of views of Otto Kahn, Paul Block, Reuben the delicatessen man, I New- man, Mr. and Mrs, Elias Ginz- vogel and all such other hot New York fashionables. The Doctor should be too experienced and valuable a showman to indulge in such poor press-agenc If he insists upon this photography nonsense at his openings, I sug- gest that, at the imminent pre- miére of his Marilyn Miller show, he at least persuade a few au- thentic swells to look at the little bird and smile. That failing, I suggest that he get Percy Ham- mond to make up as the late Ward McAllister, Burns Mantle to do himself up as Harry Lehr, and me to disguise myself as either the Maharajah of Kap- urthala or Josephine Baker’ If the show is “Show Boat,” so far as I am con- (Continued on page 28) comicbooks.com