Evening star., 1932-02-07
PLAYS IN A LADY'S LIFE


norman production, staged by Herbert
Gresham.
This was followed by the famous "Bos-
tonians," at the National, in Harry B.
Smith and Reginald de Koven's Maid
Marian" with Grace Van Studdiford,
Henry Clay Barnabee and George B.
rockingham in the cast.
ROBIN Hood" the immortal, also
by De Koven and Smith and under the
brilliant talents of the Bostonians, al
ready had won undying fame through
out the land. 1t is small wonder, there
fore. that Maid Marian" was con-
structed. much along the same lines, as
a twin sister While delightful pro-
duction, however, it was but another
angle of Robin Hood and folk pre-
ferred the original
The last half Of January brought
the album record as well as the month
to a brilliant finale. William Faver-
sham in The Royal Rival with Fa-
versham as Don Caeser and the dlsttn-
guished actress Julia Opp (Mrs. Faver-
sham) as Mariana, lead the process
sion of the gods over the rainbow bridge
to Walhalla. Only a bare memorandum
of this attraction is given by the album.
The Augustin DAILY Musical Co., how
ever, at the Columbia made things very
merry with San Toy" which old-tlmers
will remember as the work of Edward
Morton, who wrote the book; Sydney
Jones, the exceedingly catchy music,
and Harry Greenbank and Lionel
Monckton, the lyrics. The cast that
won fame in its time presents a group
of names almost unheard OF by pres
ent-day fans of the musical comedy
and revue stages.
The outstanding event, perhaps. was
Robert Marshalls four-act comedy with
John Drew as its star, supported In
part by Lionel Barrymore, Guy (noW
Sir Guy Standing, oswald Yorke. Ida
Conquest, Ida Vernon and Louise Drew.
1t was a New National" attraction
January 20. There were few II any
empty seats in those days when John
Drew came along.
Then came the comic opera King
Dodo," with the Castle Square opera
Co. behind it, to make things mum at
the Columbia January 27. Raymond
Hitchcock led the list of funmakerS and
singers and the cast also included
Cheridah Simpson, who is not YET en-,
tirely forgotten. And, oh, what
galaxy of merry melodies it carried,
headed, after the fashion of the day,
with rollicking Drinking Song"
The little story OF the plays IN a
lady's life is brought to close by =. S,
Willard, famous in his day, In The
Cardinal" Louis N. Parker play that
many still live to remember. And, al
though polite vaudeville was then at
the height of its glory at Chase's, after
ward Polls Theater, now no more, the
album closes its record with vaude-
vile show at Chase's January 29 with
Wnfred Clarke presenting his adapta-
tion from the German, In the Bio
graph; James j. Morton, "A Fellow
of Infinite JEST" and the Seven Reed
Birds In Look Out for Johnson.
Even with its greatest drama of the
age, with Ziegfeld's glorified femininity,
its folk plays and many other tryouts
experiments and hodge podge Of musl-
cal sophistication and gloomy drama, 1t
is doubtful if the present-day theater
in comparison, displays much better In
the way of theatrical entertainment
Certainly productions, as rule, were
free from the salacious and the other
wise unpleasant during this foul
months partial record of year close
enough to "the gay nineties" to par.
take of their general spirit and cultural
inclinations. Perhaps closer analysis
might demonstrate beyond the perad-
venture of doubt why the oldtimei
loves to look back to and longs for the
old days." at least In the theatef.