Judge — January 26, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE By GEORGE JEAN NATHAN sion of dialogue for these various In | logues, | in-Vana's “Caprice” displays the estimable The- tale largely through a suc S ild in one of its periodic frisky moods. — order to clear the stage The Guild, as everybody knows, devotes itself Sil-Var. for the most part to dramatic discussions of the prob- characters and we consequently are enter lem of atomic control, the woes of the subconscious, some pretty obvious and me the trials of the Russian soul and the revolutic | impulse behind the songs of ained by hanical entrance and | ry exit hoeus-pocus. One character goes into the next gouty; only on rare room to look at pictures or something equally z E x 4 eS } oceasions does it permit ity stage to look upon life arbitrary, another departs to divest himself of his lightly. Chuckles and laughter are generally anath- — dressing-gown, still another is shooed off for no ema to it; save for the annual dose of aw it reason at all, and another still just moseys out yives itself over, with rare ex: stion, to the tortures — cause moseying out is the only thing that he can do of man rather than to his whoopees. I do not — if the play is to proceed. Some of the dialo are | criticize the Guild in this respect, for it does its job amusing, however, and the performance is nicely very well. But Lam none the less one of those who ed. Lunt gives another good account of him- greet its lapses from solemnity with a feeling of con- self as the beset Lothario and Miss Fontanne, often siderable relief and pleasure suggestive of Mary Nash inn A season back, the Guild gave us, in the so-called very much better than’ ust lighter order of things, Behrman’s droll and meri- goes the credit for the smooth production and the torious comedy, he Second Man.” This season — smooth translation, it has imported from Vienna “Playing With Love,” at Ae nner and speech, is 1. To Philip Moeller iH renamed, as T have noted, “Caprice.” Just why the [Lsnocnrent one of the reasons for the decline Hy Guild saddled the piece with so banal a title when “of interest in the theatre and the consequent . the original was much better, only the Guild knows. — perilous state of show business is the character of the “Caprice” is, next only to “Nocturne.” the most — present theatre itself, that is, the theatre apart from — | + | overworked title in Christendom. But whatever it what may be shown on its stage. With few exeep- | may be called, Sil-Vara’s little comedy is not without — tions, the legitimate houses in New York and out of | | | its measure of diversion. Personally, I should have w York are dismal places, as far removed from 1 || preferred some other piece by Sil-Vara; the present the old conception of the theatre as so many drab | one is far from his best. As the gent who first, some and dirty speakeasies. A | J erson goes to the the tre, i years ago, brought his plays to American notice, it after all, in a holiday spi He wants to have a , wouldn't be difficult for ine to point out to the Guild — good time of one sort or another. He wants, as and to disport i | better introduced him to western audiences. I can himself in another world, both physically and emo- only conclude that “Playing With Love” was selected tionally, And what does he find? hecause of the roles it offered Alfred Lunt and Lynn — very outset of his | Fontanne. a bit more of g i finds, at the re that hasn't t than his own 2) | at least two other exhibits of his that might have the phrase is, to get out of himself 1 adventure, a th ty and glamour t d, telly its Schnitzlerian . (Continued on page eT “Caprice,” as it is labe Theatre Digest i Caprice’ (Guild) — Mild Viennese alousy”* (Filiott)—Sex and muntee "The Perfeet Alibi"* (Ilopkins) — Pair _ “*Sign of the Leopard’ 5 comedy, deftly staged and play Page plage bs two characters. rayatery stuff itwe ida’t have enough bad melodran i “Lady Dedleck™ (Ambasuvior)—Mare ot Innecence” “The Mew Moon” (Traperia!)—Musical Of ur own without importing them i} pret Aplin ina be of Dickens “Bleak las Cornell's rerformance worth Viewing comedy better tan AN nd al cetgor Barkara” (Republic) Medi- ; The Kingdom of Ged” (Barrymore) “Hele, Daddy” (Fietds) —S The Houseboat on the Strr®(Literty) rota Yee Oh reer” (Releya)-=Neal t Le Barymere Tibrates charmingly in @ mot —Worre. Coward's over-touted revue. | qi merrew™ (Lyceum)—One of the “The Red Robe” (Shubert)—Jesa Gil- } tia” J—An excellent pro plays ever seen in this neighbor- bert's melodies are worth your ear | tion of a play not worth producing. thers" Li “The Front Page” (Times Square) lak drama with the movie mime, Lytell, asthe «The Jealous Moca!” (Majestic) —Dis- Gala-abend. | | than) —Trash ae mal attempt at fantasy. “Midnight Frolic” (New Amsterdam ] ohan)—Trash. “The High Read” (Fulton) —Good act- Wises Ove E (Beck) — Ad. Roof) —The place to go in onter to forget | | Trash. ing and an intermittently droll comely ings Over, Earape'®, (Boel Ad: bad plays “Falstaff” (Coburn) —You'll encounter Three Cheers” (Globe)—\ gay sea. "rably staged but very little in it. “The Marriage Bed” (Boo ] “Little Accident” (Morosco)—One of adull evening bere. next week's Iatue. wa “A Mant immoral Lagy” (Cort)—Vot the season's most amasing comedies. bs lan)—"To be reviewed ‘one here. foun Lave” (Masque)—Amateur- — “—Pahiy (Lyric)—Ditto “Street See ishly written sex stuff ne" (Playhouse) —Saine Paris” (Music Bot)—La Bortori here, warbles some piquant songs. “The Skyrocket” (Miller) — loo bere ida (Plymouth) — B: Il find a comedy that will ent 20 comicbooks.com