The Washington times., 1922-07-10

NSOPyihHt' A0S@l W ~'sh"NfN'~" -'~
ServiceD
NEW YORK. July 10.
DUTTING 1t in Broadway
own jargon "the cloak and
l. suit" variety OF play will
hold the spotlight on Broadway
this coming season. according to
a thorough canvassing today Of
present plans in theatrical Off
ces. This is to say that spilling
over the country from Broadway
next season will go comedies,
farces and musical shows with
only an occasional smart" show
to please seekers Of alleged high.
brow" entertainment. Out OF
about 1876 entertainments an
nounced for the coming season,
at least ninety are OF the light,
fun.making, laugh forcing sort,
and II remains to be seen just
how many of the serious type
Broadway decides TO laugh at, too.
Some folk think the American
stage is reaching a point OF dig
nifty. As proof Of the sincere
effort she has made to attain
the artistic, dramatic and philo-
sophie" heights that Europeans
generally pretend to deny US.
practically all prominent Ameri.
can producers journeyed across
the Atlantic this summer and
brought back all the plays they
could lay hands on. So. they say
that now we have every play
worth while written by Ameri-
cans, as we'll as all that have
been composed by Europeans.
William A. Brady, Flo Ziegfeld,
Winthrop Ames and Henry Savage
are still cleaning Europe. David
Belasco. Charles Dillingham;
William Harris. tr.. A. II. Woods.
j. ]. Shubert, Edgar Selwyn. and
the other biggest and best'known
producers. have already been over
and returned. Nearly everyone
has returned with praise Of the
American way of managing the
theater and American productions.
THE European theater can't
compare to the American in any
way" said William Harris, Jr.,
producer Of East Is West.
Abraham Lincoln" and etc. I'VE
produce for the world here; we
take plays written in any language
and produce them better than they
were put on in their native
tongue"
Perhaps more plays have been
acquired from the better European
authors than ever before at the
beginning of the season. This
may be the result OF a reaction
against the bedroom farce and the
fight against the salacious play
which producers have been carry.
ing on all season to thwart off
stage censorship. Feeling runs so
high against censorship that the
coming seasons farces. comedies
and musical shows will probably
be clean, II nothing else.
Small. independent producers all
say they will produce clean.
American comedies" since all pro-
ducers admit they know nothing
whatsoever about what the pub
lie wants" but would rather take
a chance on making the public
laugh than making IL cS. What
II will laugh at is the big question.
After the season begins. which
ever lucky show makes EN-
laugh" will be bound to have ten
lHllidlOIb "llHIl TlOIltn
The white Way" at present Ia
showing seven musical comedies,
eight comedies, two mystery
shows. and what il would term
three smart entertainments"
with a prospect OF receiving as
many as 1873 0ast years quotal
stage struck. stage frightened OF.
ferings in the coming season.
some OF which will pass out in a
night or two, and others may
reach points west" with a road
company in year or two.
Die Wunderlichen Geschichten
des Kapellmeisters Kreisler," the
sensation OF the German season.
will probably be the most novel
entertainment offered. II will be
in forty.two scenes. will be called
~The Mysterious Affair" and will
be produced by Selwyn and Sam
Harris. There will be another
"Chauve Souris' from the Moscow
Art Theater. But don't be dis
coursged. There will be The
Bathing Girl" and The Bad Girl"
both German plays to be produced
by A. II. Woods, and then there
will be new editions OF George
Whites Sea ndals" and The
Greenwich Villape EoIlias