Evening star., 1925-02-22
Plays, Players and
Press Agents
By Phi1ander Johnson.

musical play. In his sable charac-
terization the unctuous, the ponder
Gus yet agile, the all-pervading, the
indefatigable and, indeed, the always
welcome-before very select audi
ences-Mr. Barton dismissed the
little story of flowers, changeful
skies and love of home in an apparent
determination to give Uncle Tom
his innings at last and reveal him
reincarnated, creature of youth
full exuberance in realms of gin, jazz
and gyration. 1t was his evident
appointed mission to step in and
save the show. Of his courage and
determination there can be no un-
kind thought, but in saving the
show it seemed as if he had stood
some of its most valuable proper
ties out on the sidewalk and left
them there unclaimed.
X x X
when Summer Comes" gives a
glimpse behind the scenes into the
confusions arising in the processes
of music play production. 1t is the
type of music show representing a
game of chance rather than care
fully devised and accurately co-ordi-
mated demonstration. Its incidents,
separately considered, are full of
charm of comic effect. But there is
suggestion of plot lingering
through the proceedings that renders
them disturbingly heterogeneous. If
this plot can be brought to satisfy
curiosity instead of only compelling
it, the play might become not only
thing of beauty but JOY for sew
eral seasons. However, it takes 3
long time for materials to crystalline
and the theater is an expensive
laboratory. From here the piece
looks very much like one of the
numerous white chips no better and
no worse than the rest of its kind
placed carefully on the roulette
board, but not on lucky number. +
X y x
"The Lounge Lizard" revived a
type of entertainment very effective
in times of milder taste. 1t calls
itself farce comedy, but is not as
emphatic in its fun as the kind of
plays for which the term was
coined. The title lacks appeal and
is a shade misleading, for The
Lounge Lizard" is not in reality the
basic figure in the story. He is
played with the legitimate consis-
tency Of an old-time heavy villain
whose perverse nature rejoices with
hendish serenity as he plots destruc-
ton for domesticity. The character
is we'll taken by Mr.. Alessandro; but
the better it is played the less Jovial
it becomes. John Cumberland has
gentle drollery of personality that
is engaging and an artistic sense
that protects him, perhaps more
than is desirable, from any tempta-
ton to overact. "The Lizard" is of
the era of "Charley's Aunt" or "The
Man from Mexico" when an occa-
sional touch of the grotesque served
to enliven an occasion of mild ro-
mantle perplexity.
X X y X
! The comedy, in this instance, was
built upon the big-hearted loyalty
of an unassuning husband tor a
frivolous wife who resented his
calm. The farce was supplied by
| the husbands becoming tipsy and
appearing in pink silk feminine
night robe. He also had on bit OF
| lace nedQW SdI anu O~S@SfoAoAAJ o'~f w
| the ribbons from before his eyes.
And the wife, trying to repose on a
sofa, had difficulty in making a
cloak or a rug cover both her shoul-
ders and heels at the same time
These devices are still reliable to a
certain extent, but they are only in
cidental. They long ago lost their
prestige as responsible elements OF
| a nirthful enterprise.
X y
Organizations continue to multi
ply in Broadway regions. in addition
to Equity, Producing Managers AS
sociation, Composers and Publish
ers' Association, not to mention
many others, formed apparently on
the theory that some practical ideas
may be. developed from group OF
people who, as individuals shave not
| shown evidence of such a posses
sion. The Equity and the Mana
gers Association are working or.