Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-07-22
Mew York
Letter

~
NEW YORK. - Broadway. Its
myriad lights anemic from lack OF
exercise. Is taking to the sea for
its health.
Its night-going places have been
collapsing at every corner these
humid evenings. Only tEo OF 1t:
better known supper clubs have
totte-ed through the famine. and
these are preparing to depart until
the more stimulating Autumn
breezes blow.
The number or plays has hit a
new low for all time, with but ten
promising to survive the hot spell.
Scores Of theaters are as vacant as
u blonde ch0rine's stare.
Instead have come the floating
cabarets. and now the first theater
aboard q liner.
The word show boat" suddenly
finds itself with a metropolitan
twist 10 II. Instead OF the pictures
que old at-bottomed floating pal
ace" that churned It's way along
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
there moves out of Manhattan a
three-stacker with a theater special
ly designed by architects. with a
master OF ceremonies and all the ap-
purtenances OF the Big Street.
Whereas the convert charge chairs
yawn empty and the aisle seats,
with some few exceptions. gather
dust. the turbined night spots play
70 houses or 500 and up. on each
trip: and gents who had become &C.
custOmed TO the greeting OF suck
er" when they entered a gilded base
ment begin 20 wonder il Tex Guinan
might have been right after all.
First OF the sO-called show
boats OF the sea Is the liner Bel
genland. And two OF the veterans
OF Broadway's theater life are link
"a with the activities Of the liner
tfeater: william Morris, one OF the
Oldest Of the vaudeville domos, and
John Golden. the producer.
Golden. by the way. Is to stage the
pre-Broadway premiere at sea.
Ordinarily rehearsals are held IN
sidc-street halls about Manhattan.
although plenty Of empty theaters
are now available: and t~ry-outs. pre-
yicus TO Broadway presentation. are
scheduled usually for Philadelphia,
Camden. Atlantic City. Boston.
Pittshurgh and towns not far from
the ma stem
However. Golden's initial Broad
way product for the coming sea
son, After Tomorrow" viii be pre-
scented aboard the B~elgenland. while
not intended, when written by Hugh
Strange, for the worlds first oceanic
theater. the NOVELETTE, a nothing
OF the general conditionS-made the
experiment possible. The play will
open In New York during August.
Morris is booking vaudeville and
general entertainment for the
oceanic show-boat." Some OF the
sea-eoing performers include Fran
ces White, "the s~plash-me girl"
whose varied fortunes have made
good newspaper copy: Claire Wind
sor. the screen star of not-so-long-
ago. Lester Allen. the music show
clown: the Mu-rays. ballroom dan
GERS and a dozen other attractions
that have played the Palace and the
circuits.
And even though the gold-and-
white show-b0ats OF yesterday have
metamorphosed into a three-stack-
er liner. attempts will be made 10
keep something OF the bygone flaw
or. including n street parade at
Halifax and performances both
aboard ship and ut the -opry house"
Practically all European lines now
operate their star craft on side
trips. since continental travel Is not
oil that IL might be and excursions
are considerably more than were
once expected.
The French line operates the
France and Paris on a triangle
cruise to Bermuda and Canada:
the Cunarders have their fastest
craft running 10 Bermuda and near
by points: andi there are a
number Of other lines. each with
some night-lifc attraction 10
say nothing Of bathrooms. jazz bands
and. OF course. bars that are bars