Putnam patriot., 1926-10-22

New York City. Oct. 21. l926.- In one humble opinion there are two seasons of the year when New York IS at its best. These are the weeks that spread themselves over the late Tall and early winter to Christmas. and then again from Eastertide until the first of June. Then New York IS alive and vibrant and splendid. a wonderful eolorful organism that roars with vitality and brilhancy and busies itself in such sunshine as no other capital of the world enjoys.
 But if you come to New York this year in the autumn you will fret and complain along with the New York. CTS and make that bromide remark regarding the fact that New York will never be finished" For every where the city Is torn up. buildings are rising or being pulled down. ave- nues are torn from end to end in the attempt to relieve eongested travel with new and faster subwavs. But above all the sun shines. the avenues are bright with shoppers. the theatres are crowded and great signs on Broad way blare forth the news of new and brighter pictures and new and bright CT gayeties
 As the Theatres Open
 Naturally in these early days ot the new season, attention is more or less focused on the theatres. So far, on the dramatic s.de of the cal. endar, three hits have been registered. First of all, at the Broadhurst Thea tre, there Is q melodrama called by the somewhat routine name of Broadway Here is q glorious bit of real theatre, q smashing, rushing melodrama of life backstage in cab aret Here are the girls dancing on and of to an invisible and fask-bur- dened audience. here are the "hoOf. ers' who dance nightly, here are boot leggers and highjackers and gang sters. There ls a murder or two. a pistol armed with q sileneer. police and detectives and a little Virtuous heroine sadly in need of protection. To describe Broadway" Is to tell of much that is familiar to the theatre, much that Is justly classed as 'ho- kum.' But by its acting. its stage direction. its finely sustained suspense and constant action. Broadway wins out as a smashing melodrama.
 The Captive" and Deep River"
 A the other end of the theatrical ruler and little down Broadway at the Empire. Is another hit. a transla- tion from the French of La Prison iere. d sensational play on a theme of sex abnormality beautifully acted under the expert direction of Gilbert Miller There was not q little discus. sion of this play prior to its American presentation. l. was said that no such theme as that which dominates it's whole thought and action could be presented successfully in the Ameri- can theatre. But when the play open ed before critical and sophisticated audience, many of those who came Co carp remained to applaud the splen- did production of a pitiful and merei- less tragedy. beautifully presented. "The Captive" promises to be one of the outstanding successes of the sea son.
 At the Imperial Theatre, long de- voted to tuneful Rose Marie" there was presented last week a new de- parture in music as well as comic opera, a work entitled Deep River with score by Frank Harling and the book by Lawrence Stallings. that same Stallings who was collaborator in What Price Glory" and who wrote the scenario of the super-suecessful movie. "The Big Parade" This is an opera of the old south, with a score that involves tunefulness and not lit tie of the spirit of jazz which. since George Gershwin and Paul Whitemar brought jazz into the concert halls demands the attention of the musical critics. The result is a somewhat UT. even affair. some moments of excel lent music. some moments of dull dragging, but, or the whole, a pleas ing result and something new. A one Crowninshield once remarked Perhaps the best critic of the thea. tres is the box office" If SO. Deep River" is near the top Of the list.
 The Vitaphone
 The time had to come, of course, when there would be talking mo vie" It has arrived. Some weeks ago the Warner Brothers. at one of their theatres presented John Barry more in a movie called Don Juan" But prior to the picture they gave a lengthy program ef music by some of the worlds best. An astounded audience saw Martinellei come upon the screen. walk forward and bow