Judge — March 24, 1928 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

I, OUNDED upon an excellent G comedy idea and played to the hilt by a very capable troupe of actors, an indifferently written but none the less amusing exhibit called The Bachelor Father” is enlivening the Belasco Theater these nights. While the earlier slices of the play are none too sportive, the fun gets going nicely a little later on and if one remits judgment as to the quality of what is making one chuckle gay time is to be had. Edward Childs Carpenter, who has never been suspected of being a humorous fellow, has at this late stage in his career hit on a notion that will) make Sacha Guitry green with envy. The notion, as I have said, is so good that even the crude treatment which the M. Carpenter has parted to it fails to weaken it, An old rounder who, in carlier days, has enjoyed anatomical ad- ventures in many parts of the globe, concludes that he would like to have a look at some of his illegitimate offspring and dis- patches an ambassador to round them up and fetch them before him, Three duly appear upon the premises and what happens to the impromptu papa when they do appear constitutes the body of the comedy. Although the author goes in occasionally for wise- cracking of the Algonquin Hotel variety and although he manages to be pretty obvious at times, the laughs born naturally and auto- matically out of his theme are hearty ones, and the show con- trives to beat the critical grunts. As an entertainment, it is far superior to anything that Mr. Belasco has sponsored in a long time. The company could hardly be JUDGE "The Bachelor Father™ (Belaser The Wrecker (Cort) —Terrib * Keep Sh (Daly's) —Diw maduro song and dance show Marriage on A © Napedeon” (Emp! pext number. See this iseue. ting colorvta roca” (Wallack Junk. To be reviewed in the he Furica™ (Shubert)—Ditto. but oeeasion anti-evalu * (Cohan)—The t “Improvisations in June (14th Street) —Ane other play botched by the Eva Le Gallienne “Strange Interlude” drama of the year. Repertoire (C regain rates, (Golden ~The outsta litan)—Old favorites at Excellent o al life, admir~ ably played. amd theatr “Marco Millions” il) —O'Neill takes a whack at Marco P first prother. “The Great Necker™ (A See next week's insue. " Ewaze” (Booth)—Galsworthy: goes rather pink in this one, play by Bruno Frank. (Klaw) “Oner Retters™ (Miller of Maugham’s ironie expat * Interference” (Lyceurn A Free Sout” Melodramatic tripe Ina Claire and a revival ate comely A. melodramatic bam sandwich served by a Rita waiter The Trial of Mary Dvzan™ (Natinna murder-trial melodrama. Coquette” (Elliott) — Excelent ly 5 comedy, with Helen Hayes “Spring $100” (Little) “Show Boat” (Ziegteld)—\ wholly satisfactory and beautifully bandied cong and dance show. "Good News lively one. Fronny Pace” (Alvin)—The dat "The Queen's Husband” (Play stab at satire. *Rovalie” (New Amsterdam)—A detight to the eye, with Manlyn Miller and Jack Donabue. “Artiste and Models” (Winter Garden) very funny low-comedy (48th Street)—A gay and very is all right. se)—A we “The Silent House” (Morceco)—More mystery “The Ladter™ (Belmoot)—Ju “Cock Robin” (48th Street) —Sti etufl. “Paris Bound” (Music Box)—Pair comedy, by Philip Barry. “Dracula” (Fulton)—Vampire claptrap. “Golden Dawn” (Hammerstein)—A singing show with a bbretto that leaves something to be desired. The Command to Low” (Lamgaere} comicality. “The Shannons of Broadway” (Beck)—Heavy wisecracking * Burlemqur”™ lomzue folk. “Bzcess Bagg” (Rits)—Ditto of vaudeville ditto, “Porgy” (Republie)—Interesting play of South Carolina blacks, ably staged. MY The Octopus” (Royale)—Quiver tripe. Connecticut Yankee” (Vanderbilt) —Richard foxigers’ jazz tunes. ‘ate the Air” (Waldorf}—Conventional show rened by Will Mahoney ‘Manhattan Mary” (Apollo)—Fd Wynn in droll form. b more mystery Naurbty Plymouth)—Gag comedy of bur GING 4 GSAOW GS BY GLORGESTAN NATHAN bettered. C. Aubrey Smith, ever an adroit mime, is the philander- ing pa. June Walker, as the American brat, gives another of her admirable performances. And the rest of the performers handle splendidly the jobs to which they have been assigned. Il. A posse. of obscure and very sour British actors, given to the slovenly English speech that once upon a time passed in the American theater for very stuff, add to the grim me of the current goings-on at the Cort. The exhibit is a mystery melodrama by a couple of Eng- lishmen tha childishly imagined and so badly written that it begins to caricature itself a few minutes after the first cur- tain rises. The play itself is such awful junk that it doesn’t call for comment. But something should be done soon to rid the American st: otherwise getting on so satisfactorily, of these Eng- lish mountebanks who speak the King’s language out of all recog- nizability and who may be all right for a country in which such garbling and mouthing of the mother tongue are a tradition, but who have become ridiculous in a younger land that, whatever its other deficiencies, still makes an effort to pronounce — English words as they should be pro- nounced. tony incholy is so Il. own in Fourteenth Street, Miss Eva Le Gallienne is proceeding to visit’ the incom- petence of herself and her troupe of ambitious boys and girls upon a diversity of plays. ‘The latest catastrophe befalls “Improvisa- tions in June,” from the German (Continued on page 29) comicbooks.com aa |