Judge — March 2, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE Fr : first. Fioretta,” the new Earl | Carroll musical show, is far and away the hand somest thing of its kind that has been put on this town in many years. And not only in this town but, so far as personal observation nywhere in view In scenic background, in color ig. al pictorial composition even Ziegfeld has never surpassed it. It has intinite beauty, taste and charm, The bad news second. The libretto “Fioretta” are pathetically weak. ‘Time they invade the surrounding loveliness : nd score of and again nd do their is, for example, th mildewed stencil of the tall woman married to a hrimp, with the attendant stereotyped jocosities. There is the line, “You go out and yet shot and I'll stay here and get half-shot.” There is the episode in which the heroic tenor in black breeches and a white shirt singlehanded puts to rout with his trusty blade a regiment of the evil Du swordsmen, There is Leon Errol, that melancholy clown, purveying his fle and depressing series of trips and falls. There is much impenetrable to-do over the travails characters dubbed Count Matteo di Brozzo, Julio Pepoli, Ozsino Count di Rovani, Marquis Filippo di Livio and the Marchesa Vera di Livio, to say nothing of the usual quota of Pietros, Enricos, Giacomos, Robertos, Luigis and Marcos. From all that one hears, the: troub! utmost to lay it low. There veners are havin an awful lot of worry and bout something or other, but just what, it is more or less difficult, due to the interruption of fashion parades, acrobatic dances and a trained “AM the King’s Men (Fulton) Not! one. “Dynamo” (Beck) — O'Neill « this time, Little Accident” (Ambassador You'll Ged amusement bere “Wings Over Europe” (Alvin authors disclose themsel¥es not up theme “The Kingdom of God" (Barrymore) — Ethel Barrymore's proficient performance im play that needs it badly ow in five years “The Age of Innocence” (F Heaey-going dramatie ‘ornells acting to f ‘Fellow Thru” ( “tina” (Belasco)—Nothing ot all verting a tuseal a staged as if it discovered Shakespearian manuscript “The Marriage Bed” (Booth)—You pay $3.85 and leara that marriage is a sacred inati “Brothers” (48th Street) —Sonly stuf. h Street) teen donkey, to make out nakes some As for the score, the progran fuss over the fact that its composers are not of ‘Tin-1 Alley but are young men who have much higher ambitions, HH r ainbitions than th of Tin-Pan Alley are certainly commendable, but I fear that the talents of the young men in ques tion are still insutlicient to rea One or two of their they seem to possess : ze those ambitions. gs are fairish specimens, but greater gift for borrowing from their superiors than for original composition. Tin-Pan Alley is all that they allege against it—or at least all that the program alleges in their behalf —bat they still have a very long distance to go to equal even such implied Tin-Pan Alley boys as Kern, Romberg. Gershwin, ef al. Aside from the extremely beautiful production it- self. the best features of the evenin of the Mile. Fannie Brice, th pretty f Guerreri, a skilful trio of acrobatic performers—the MM. Banks and Barrington and the Mile, Taylor— and the trick donkey, by name Geranium, who, we are confidentially informed by the program, “lives it the Ben-Hur stables.” The number, however, isn't given re the antics her material is ble, the singing of a professor donkey's telephone In sum, the show is um than enough for even the most critical eve. The scenes depicting the carnival square of Venice, the coronation, the silver gondola, the wedding proces hall in the castle or in the theatre, istied, sion and the gr matehed for splen ear remains uns: re seldom been But the critical Continued on page Digest “Street Scene” ("lay cxting picture of asides comedy by Philip Barry “The Front Page” (Tine ‘The farce of farces and a gay Caprice” G Jenga” (Harris) —Sex wha: “The Perfect alibi" (Hopi detective play, fairly entertai “The New Moon” (I mperi My comedy with several meritorious elem “Hot Water” (La Verne) —Drivel Serena Blan dish” (Morcnco)—A feeble k of the same name. Paris” (Music Bor)—Porter’s lyrica will make you chuckle, b evening surely will no “Leppetia” (National) —Ch Selwyn) — A Mars boys and a highly eo “The Red Robe (sbv Jodies by Jean Gilbert are “Lady Fingers” (Vanderbilt)—Ealdie A the Busaell's cracks will give you some loud comicbooks.com — Es |