Judge — August 24, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE ry i Lt those critical gentlemen who h exhibited A a propensity for bellyaching over the present sad state of the American theatre should board a steamer and take a look at what has happened to the French. I cannot recommend the Aur too highly. If our producers were fellows more sly than they are they would see to it that all the boy's who now denounce them as preposterous incompctents got free passage to Paris instanter. This coming season would subsequently see the aforesaid producers blessed with such notices as they had never before believed possible. While the th demonstrate 4 \ | \| itre in England—as I shall try to n—is also surely in a bad way, that »mpletely in the hands of the doctor. as in a sorry enough condition last year, but this year discloses it to be in an even sorrier, Aside from a play or two of fair quality, its stages have shown nothing that has called for anything but routine next morning journalistic reports. And in the way of production nothing to interest anyone who has spent so much as a sober day in Germany or, for that matter, New York. I qualify this somewhat bumptious statement by excepting, out of a spirit of what may turn out to be over-fairness, the new experimental Pigalle Theatre, which circumstances forced me at the last moment to miss but which I am informed is worth some attention, The trouble with the French theatre lies in the brand of criticism it Nothing, however bad, fails to be hailed as me And that goes for the visiting dramatists and players as well as for the French. Hope Hampton's operatic performances jews as cestatic as those written elsewhere of Lucill erne is regarded as the greatest of American actresses; Willette Kershaw as one almost as wonderful; and the English melo- drama, “The Ghost Train,’ is linked adjectively with the classics. All French plays and their actors are greeted indiscrit ely with hallelujas, the onty exception being the plays of Henri Bernstein, whom the critics dislike personally and whose works gen- ye GEORGE JEAN NATHAN Yet so far has the reven Bernstein nd there been patted very Hy come in for bric »segrease school gone th and his “Mélo” have here affectionately on the A rapid survey of the “Paris stage at the time of writing shows the French in a high state of enthusi- sm over the twenty-year-old detective boob-bumper rséne Lupin,” the afore-mentioned “Ghost Train, Lew Leslie's troupe of Harlem coons, Harry Pilcer, “The Trial of Mary randfather’s delight; “The Iron Master,” Arlen’s “The Green Hat,” the Tiller girls, and a couple of picces, one of them with some moderately interesting stuff in it, by the current French pet, Pagnol. The Comédie Francaise is still endlessly repeating its venerable repertoire, with the acting and production nothi send postcards home about. The revue theatre music halls reveal for the most part American acts that can’t get jobs in New York and, during the interludes, such old Paris standbys as Raquel Meller, still using he iar material, and Yvette Guilbert. The American musical comedy, ‘Rose already been running a year and the movie, “Ben- Hur,” for so long that the original man in the pro- jection-box has now been succeeded by his grandson. rrived in Paris too late to see the Guitrys’ “Mariette,” which I am told is charming. But I didn’t arrive too late otherwise to find a F ench thea- tre that is hardly a shadow of its old si What, aside from the killing kindness of its criticism, is the real matter with it is hard to make out, for certainly France has playwrights of considerable talent. Why have they deserted it? Where are they? What are they up to? The blame for the desuctude of the French stage cannot be laid upon the movies and talkies, as it has been laid in England and America, because the French on the whole still care very much more for their theatre than for such low tripe. Being at a complete loss for a satisfactory answer to the problem, I shall accordingly deviate from my oc- casional principle of persuasive sophistry and oblige everybody by shutting up. Theatre “Sketch Book" (Carroll) —A girl show “Fellaw Thru" (45th Sireet)—Ove of with ekits by Eddie Cantor. Last season's best song aad dance shows. “ Nights” (44th Street) —A “The Camel Throagy the Meedle’s Shubert exhibit wrth Dr. Rockwell: Eye” (Guild)—Trashy comedy, far be- neath the Guild's dignity. “Held Everything” (Broadhurst) —An- other succesful bold-over from last sea- on. this spot, “Hot Chocolates” (Hudson)—\ darkey “Let Us Be Gay” (Little) —Diverting vaudeville with some entertaining stu little comedy featuring the Mule. Larn- “The New Moan” (Imperial) —There are some capable songsters to be found in Digest “daaragy’s E24" (Miller)—A good war "A Might in Venice” (Shubert) —The py. but hardly the gem that some would clowning of Prof. Healy is the item here, ve you believe. in Hand™ (Moroseo)—The emn Drinkwater turns out a really ing comedy. “Show Girt” (Zicgfeld)\—I haven't got around to it yet. Show" (Music Box)— “The Little “Mow-a-Oays” (Forrest)—See next Lively fooling. It will entertain you. week's ismue. “10's @ Wise Child” (Belasco) —Ditto,