Judge — February 11, 1928 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE JUVYG ( He Mercuant ov Venice,” by Cosmo Hamilton, has been put on by Winthrop Ames at the Broadhurst Theatre. The author is listed in the pro- gram as William Shakespeare, but that is probably just a typo- graphical error, as the exhibition bears much less resemblance to the latter’s play of the same name than to Mr. Hamilton's recently demised “Caste.” There are times when the similarity to Shakespeare's drama contrives to confound the auditor, but for the most part it is casy to sniff the Hamilton hokum, Like Hamil- ton, Mr. Ames has apparently been mindful of the fact that the Jews constitute about — three- quarters of the paying New York audiences and has gone after their mazuma with some very snappy goosegreasing. His Shylock is no Yiddish Desperate Desmond on this occasion, no pound-of-flesh yeller, windmill gesticulator or three-ball Gins- berg, but a mild, soft-voiced, very agreeable English actor in whisk- ers whom one might see any Sun- day at St. Bartholomew's Church. As Ames has directed him and as George Arliss plays him, Shy- lock steps directly out of the familiar Arliss dressing-room, a suave and mannerly fellow with only a beard and an occasional refractory Shakespearian line to betray his race. Even in the in- stance of the other characters is the anti-pogrom note emphasized, for where, in the customary pro- duction of the play the epithet Jew is hurled at the fellow like a fifty-pound spitball it is here directed at him with all the politesse in the world. There are moments when Ames, an intelli- gent man, plainly feels that he “The Patriet”* (Majeetic)—An over theatrical- view of St. Petersburg in 1800 A. D. The Merchant ef Venice” (Broadburst)—George Arliga once again as George Arle “Cock Robin” (48th Street)—Jurt another murder-mystery monkeyshine. A Free Soul!” (Klae)—More murder and even more dullness. The Royal Family” (Selwyn) — Excellent come ety of actors and theatrical life, admirably prow * Diversion” (4b Street)—Stale stuff, though well-wnitten in epots “The Pirst Stone’ (Civic Repertory)—The Otyrapie burlesjue theater is only a few blocks down the street, “The International” ‘worst kiud of balderdasb. New Pt ighte)—The to your attention. “Rio Rita’ (Lyrie)—Ziegfeld cot in eueb good “The Sileer Boz” (Morceco)—Poor revival of the carly Galeworthy play. “Mierors"* (Forrest) —Nothing in this ove. “37 Bowery” (Wallack's)—To be reviewed in “The Queen's Hustand” (Playbouse)—Ditto, “The Racket” (Ambussator)—Interesting mel- odrama of Chicago lo: “Interference” (Lyceum)—Rhinestone F. moelodrama played as if it were the Kobinur di ~The Trial of Mery Doses (National)—Court- lodrama and good diversion. air hootlegger and Melodrama of the napkin- (Mansfeld)\—Tam = melodrama, “Manhattan Mary" (Apollo) —Ed Wyns is the item here. “Good News" (46th Street)—As the whole thow bere. "Golden Dawn (Hammerstein)—As the voices are bere. “Punny Face’ (Alvin)—Ae the dancing is bere. “Artiste and Models" (Winter Garden)—As the comedy and jaxs are bere “A Connecticut Yankee’ (Vaaderbilt)—As the tunes are bere. "Take the Air (Waldorf}—As Will Mahoney, if nothing else, is bere. "The White Eagle” (Casi ia bere. “The Merry Malones’® Coban’s bidding is bere. “She's My Baby” (Globe)—And as nothing but Beatrice Lillie is bere As Frimi’s score (Frlanger)—As George “Carry On'* (Masque)—See next week's ise. “Ewape” —(Booth)—Ove of Galrworthy's poorer efforts. “Behold, the Bridegroom" (Cort)—One of George Kelly's. “Comudte” — (EIliott)—Axother worthy Jed Harns ering “Jimmie’s Women” (Frotie)—Trash. “The Ieory Door’* (Hopkina)—Poor stuf "The Command to Love’’ (Longaere)—Naughty comicality and very amusing Cyrene” (Miler)—Agrecatie farce by: Gere MC. Por Bound” (Msc Box)—Prirly ecterta'n ing comedy by Philip Barry (Prymouth)—You may lah even if the play doves persue yes Perm" (epublie}—A Guild production your attention “Saltation (Empire)—To be reviewed shorty. "We Never Learn” (EXtinge)—Same bere. “Se Am I" (Comedy)—And here. WWiG He & BY GIORGEATAN NATHAV NOWe has gone far enough with the soft soap and when the play is permitted to go its original and untrammeled way—and to excel- lent effect—but there are many more moments when the shush method is in evidence and when the script goes Semitically Polly- anna. It is in these moments that we have a Shylock who would feel perfectly at home in the White Mountains, a Tubal who is chairman of the member- ship committee of the Union League Club, and a Jessica (subtly cast with a comely [rish girl) ‘who is as painstakingly non-Jewish as the late Mr. Henry Ford. In the mounting, costuming and lighting of the presentation, Mr. Ames has done admirably. The production has a very real beauty. But in the matter of the script, Winthrop has temporarily changed his name to Weinberg. V ork on Alfred Neumann's “The Patriot” started at Hollywood two months before it was produced in the theater by the Gilbert Miller Company, which controls both the movie and dramatic rights. This, among other things, goes to prove, as I have long contended, that the Mulluk are a tribe of the Kusan stock of North American Indians, that Diirrenstein is a village in lower Austria situated on the Danube, that gastrula is that form of the germ of the Metazoa which is a germ-cup of which the walls consist of two layers, that Columbus discovered America, and that one and one make two. “The Patriot” is a Sardou treatment of the assassination of (Continued on page 31) } comicbooks.com