Evening star., 1932-09-18
TIME National Theater, some

what upset over the sud-
den collapse of the musical
u opus, "Humpty Dumpty,"
which was to have given its initial
local yell tomorrow night at this
downtown theater, although black
now as the Hole of Calcutta is not
taking this as a dark and nasty
omen of what shall be what for
the rest of the season. Knowing
the vagaries of the theater racket,
the National, in spite of having
to refund yards and yards of
money to advance purchasers of
seats, is settling back and philoso-
phizing that it is much better not
to have had this show than to
have had its customers go crying
out into the bouleyards.
Curiously enough, the National,
which now stands alone, unaSSail-
able, almost defiant in its capacity
as the sole recipient of theatric
wares-when there are to be
wares-has never Jared particu-
larly we'll at the opening of the
season. Washington, in fact, ac-
cording to Mr.. Rapley's sturdy
henchman, S. E. Cochran, has, un-
fortunately, been rather in the
habit of stating off with a lame
foot, and then warming up as the
season began rolling along. The
ater sleuths have only to look
back one year to remember that
this, alas, is only too true. Re-
member-we doubt if you do
Peter Flies High?"
So it will be something of a
novelty, now that 'Humpty
Dumpty" has been taken back to
its parent city for retrimming, re-
casting and more scrubbing, for
this theater to open its season
officially with such an outstanding
attraction as the New York Civic
Repertory Group which comes to
the National the week of Oc-
tober 8.
Miss LeGallienne has done SO
well by this interesting venture,
which started out really as an
Ibsen promoting company, that
in the presentation of Camille"
and "Liliom" local theatergoers
should partake of the best there
is in the current market. Miss
LeGallienne and Miss Cornell are
unqueStionably among the first
ladies of theaterland, in that not
only are they busy with their own
in divid du a characterizations
(which, in both cases, is some
thing far out of the ordinary,
but they are, too, constantly alive
to the fine things in the theater
and always on the lookout for
something that will aid in the de-
velopment of this ageleSs pastime.
1T is rather curious that such a
theatric Rock of Gibraltar as
the National should suffer so in
its seasonal awakening. Although
it has had sizable "hits" in its
first nights of the past, it has
not been in the habit of storing
up a treasure house for itself in
its seasons initial bursts. Those
who doubt the authenticity OF
such statement and think that
perhaps thev remember fam
boyantly exciting occasions for
this time of the year, may like to
be reminded of what the records
show took place in years gone by.
The following began the season:
In 1914, THE Dragons Claw;
1915, TOO Near Paris; 1916, Lau-
rette Taylor in "The Harp of
Life; 1917, Alexandra Carlisle in
1.-THE Country Cousin" "a good
play, but, as the books show, no
CASH; 1918, Violet Hemming in
"Three Faces East; 1919, "a
Regular Feller," awful; 1920, Helen
Hayes in "Bab" (this was real
smash 1921, "Other Lives; 1922,
and the opening of the new the
ater, H. B. Warner in Bulldog
Drummond"; 1928, THE Nervous
Wreck; 1924, THE Far Cry" not
so good; 1925, Noel Coward in
THE Vortex (which, incidentally,
started all sorts of trouble); 1926,
the Marx Brothers in "The Cocoa
nuts" (this was the banner year, !;
1927, "The Springboard," lowsay;
1928, Revolt; 1929, "The Front
Page" good business, but not
what you'd expect; 1880, Lenore
Uric in Pagan Lady," with
Franchot Tone stealing the
honors; and, finally, last seasons S
minor tragedy, peter Flies High,
In which poor Mr.. Glenn Hunter
went down and down and down.
hill.