Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-29
THE PLAYGOER'S
WEEKLY TALK
Observations on Plays and
PhotopIays Of Interest
to Philadelphidns

"A Amusical shows it is pleasing 10
view from the critical ark an Ararat
OF real drama And 1t won't take fortE
,lays to reach Henri Lavedans me
starouis of Priola," which is announced
for the Broad in mid-AITi!, with the
translator. Leo Ditrichstein, as star
I,avedan is no stranger TO Philauei
mia audiences. Anne RUSSELL appeareu
rs his Catherine more tt-Rn twent!
v.ars ago. Otis Skinner starred in
fsos-os in THE Duel" one OF the first
Of the 'small-cast' school Of drasna-
turey; there were four parts in this
tense drama of the conflict between
science and religion. Mr.. Skinner ais"
appeared in Iavedans robustious, ro-
mantle comedy. sire" in 1909 Mrs
Fiske gave his striking war play
Service" in 1917. The premiere or lie
Marquis de Prioa" goes back to l'Vs'
the great le Bargy creating IN French
the part Mr.. DitrChstein is to create
in English.
1avedan was admitted 70 the French
Academy in 1898. and has been decor
ated for his achievements in arts ana
letters
r.ayedan has the faculty of develop
ing contemporary manners and condi-
tons accurately, for he paints living
pictures, not sketches, and creates Nv
ing, breathing men and women, not
mere skeletons, from an imaginative
brain, His analysis of character IS ac-
curate, his logic sound; and his daring
arraignments of social conditions are
but reflections of his personal antag-
onism to prosaic conventions and ooso-
tete observances He never dims his
lens while turning the searchlght on
10 this characters. He exposes the
frailties OF women and the indiscretionS
Of men. He treats innocence with sym
pathetic reverence and boldly discloses
profiigacy with !ntrepidity. His satire
is brilliant. his wit scintillatng. He is
fundamentally sound in his principles
He is French to the core; in precision.
compactness and directness and his
plays disclose that he is a past master
in the art of writing intimate and con-
yincing dialogue. Lavedan is not an
idealist; he is human and real.
The peach blossoms which lend SO
much distinctive charm to the scenes Of
Turn to the Right" at the GarriCk.
are handled by the stage crew only
when absolutely necessary, and then
with clean white gloves. New blossoms
have cost Producers Wnchell Smith
and John L. Golden upward Of $4,000
during the two seasons that the play
has been before the public.
A peach (biossom) of a tale.
rs THE chorus girl eligible for MEM
L bership in the Women's Trade Union
League? That Is to say, are ladies of
the musical shows to be Classed as ar
lists or labortes? DO they belong 10
the P w. G's, or are they living and
working in a much higher occupation
a nh
10 be derived from organized women
unions?
Officials OF the movement for the or
ganization of the women workers of
the country will be called upon to make
decision in this very important mat
ter The issue has been raised by the
chorus girls of The Melting of Molly
company.
"It looks as though girls of the stage
are neither fowl nor fish. Managers
don't recognize us as artists and women
Interested in the social betterment of
girls don't consider US in the working
class" Gladys Miller. as the spOkes-
man for the chorus girls, told the Play
goer I'VE girls are going to have our
status settled once and for all"
Going back to Miss Millers zoology
Of chorus girls, We have heard some
called poor fish and others chickens.
yTAUDEVILLIANS might rightly be
v termed as wandering minstrels be-
cause a majority of them cannot claim
a legal residence for voting since their
occupation necessitates moving from
city to city almost weekly. Unlike the
player with an attraction which has
the good fortune to remain in a city
for an extensive engagement, these
thespians must literally live in their
trunk, which is home to them. Any
railroad station in any big city on a
Saturday night will be fruitful place
to find the headline actor or actress
Of the vaudeville program which just
ended. There, too, may be heard that
famous cry of the actors, Where do
you go from here?"
While we folk in Philadelphia do not
have an opportunity to see many
yaudevillians off of the stage, the New
Yorker knows his players and welcomes
them with their every appearance The
yaudevillian claims New York as his
home, although in reality he has no
place of real abode. To many thespians
club is the one real homelike place
where he goes. He delights TO tell his
friends that he holds a membership
even though they be miles away from
the city in which it is located. A club
is business address as well as home,
1t was this idea of the vaudevillian
not having real clubhouse that
prompted the general manager Of the
Keith theatres. Z. +. Albee, to give his
time for two years to the planning and
creation of the National Vaudeville Ar.
lists Club, the finest of it's kind in tho
world and representing an outlay OF
over 100000. Representatives of tn,
city and Newspaper men this week ac
compsnied the local Keith manager
Harry Jordan, on a trip OF inspection
which brought together what is said tc
have been the largest number of dra
matte critics ever gathered together fol
one party. Unanimous admiration wa,
expressed for the handsome clubhouse
DEITY CLARK, one of the charnint
- chorus girls in Ladies First" a
the Lyric, was born and bred in PhiIa
delphia. Her mother was on the stag
before her. Betty went on the stag
when she was seven years old. JUS
N seventeen years ago. Now guess Betty
age.
Chorus girls are not always as youn,
as they seem.
LAUGH AND GROW THIN
= That-a kbn asson of Ax.: T.. e. I