Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-17

A LOT of half-demented victims of the
"A newspaper readers desire to hear
about plays on Tuesday mornings have
long contended that musical comedy
could be made intelligent yet entertaining
and even that revue could be n revue.
If man with brains did the work. No
body expects producer of musical
comedy to hire any such person; he has
to pay too much for chorus girls. But
George NJ. Cohan happens to be both. a
manager and a man with brains That
is the secret of Hello. Broadway"
There have probably been a good many
changes and rewritings in the revue at
the Forrest since 1t first neared compile
ton. But the process of trial and err
ror," as the high brows might describe
IL, has left no marks. There are no MA
fuses of gag and CUFF; the story and
dialogue move steadily along. All OF
which means that the man who wrote the
"book' also directed rehearsals and
composed the music He wanted to pro-
duce a piece of work of definite character,
and he had the power as well as the abil-
ity.
Hello, Broadway" is a monument TO
Mr.. Cohans skill as a satirist. 1t is also
a monument to what any manager can do
more of them see IL!
1t is a little late even for obsequies IN
connection with The Little Theatres last
production Monsieur Poiret," but the
following letter is both genial and pointed
TO the Editor Of the Evening Ledger:
slr-Last Wednesday the dramatic critics ,fpr o.
Philadelpha dedicated Lheit WIS strc smI ana
Monsieur Poiret,' which the eN,S eNen,inS oel3le 2a
ease %Ss sTep IN tone s ad style the vESSG ESonES
review was superior to the othtrs' " Is tne III IL
Your gifted critic throws up his, hands in
promised US a season Of ,Hauptmann; HsirvieiH' iNgei'
ana then chose to wind up the winter with AN
impossible trihe by John JeN,n ne Yields 70 70
Tho only amazemont in order, sir Is that me me
Little rheatrs came through M o To- APTs APisr %lt w
ness all save one or two OF the PerorSdhSGs ma Se
a san assure sr yTS dTec 9a tg proporton the ar
tIstic merit OF the entertainments faded away
ably produced by comprehending artists, S, but but
before tiny audiences composed. on h thG can ops
a9rd g TO see il and & on the Slhsr baf ahRd IN IN
the thee deSa S2 FSt name i was ali about and who
never came a second time TO tnd out ...r
drSrtie iitePatire H les open to the Ltd Thea
tre. 1t is void OF commercial aims lsurey lion
fssf tSre DOES M'' indeed lie open before the Ltls
~ TAesTs ana an and a" Saf
there until it rots. The line in parenthesis above
r %a sa5rH aGt6 t0r in The
hope that, being void OF intelligence, II would
which HAuptmarn. Hervleu, lbsen Moliere, st.
John HGnkin and Gogol have no promise oil
Ana Go%s to the ssnac@nt asTIa TSsa PSst
day night one OF the largest audiences ever as
senbied within the Little Theatre The Laughter
sss serPaRed rPRdfq msreg 70 DEEPEN the gloom Of
critic las it did our oWni because Il % G9ua 0ny
streets funeral bells above the local grave OF
HHSptmann ieseTi ,.sng MUfT truth Uncovered again
is that serious young men are being GraaIhaIG1 Ghn
unjustihed notions Of what people ''of refine refine
Enent and intelligence are really thinking
af2Ht fn f@e asP Rsy % tRs critic such training
crged by the s b that as sTe moTs
familiar with the aspirations Of Noyibazar than |
Ths reSeation nH does T not make him like Mon
nieur Poiret' any better, nut II helps MN
10 see whom such plays are Written IT % e Pleas,
Philadelphia. March o.
Mr. Wallace was doubtless interested to |
learn that though there may have been |
present on the opening night 'one OF the |
The Little Theatre Monsieur Poiret"
was withdrawn with its engagement only |
half over.
Chicago has i'm the Hull House Play
ers probably the most remarkable COM
pany of amateur actors in America, for |
these hard working people OF the poorer
sections of Chicago have produced for |
the first times In America an unusually !
long list of fine dramas, A local insti-
tuition is trying to do something similar. |
Where the Hull House Players are con-
nected with social settlement, the |
amateurs are a part OF an |
institution, the University |
Extension Society. They have just
closed their season with a bill including |
1.-THE Fifth Commandment" by Stan
ley Houghton; 1.-The Bank Account" by |