Evening star., 1932-07-10

TINE fight for survival-with Sum-
mer. the conventions and the
campaign, the universal lack of
l. cash and the other current
pests-has now reduced the
Broadway plays to seven, of which all
but one or two are more or less battle
SCARED veterans of the earlier season.
"Of Thee Sing" with its appropriate
ness to presidential election wear, Is still
going strong, and seems likely to con-
tinue so, for at least until the election
1t will be just as full of real news"
for those who haven't seen 1t as the
day-to-day editorials and cartoons about
the presidential nominees in the news
papers.
Face the Music" which similarly
tackles the depression, is almost as
timely, while Show Boat" and The
Cat and the Fiddle" provide proven
musical entertainment, and Counselor
at Law" (the author of which is now
diverting himself and his family in
RUSSIA, Bride Wise" and Another
Language" still hold their audiences for
reasons that seem thus far sufficient.
Meanwhile good. many of the actors
who might otherwise be summing them
selves in idleness are getting their sun,
and also keeping their hand in and
their taxes paid, through the kindly
ministrations of the Summer theaters
which have sprung up like mushrooms
all about the edges of the metropolitan
area. Some of these stock companies
are presenting, experimentally plays
that may be seen next year on Broad
way ("The Bride the Sun Shines On,
played with some success this season in
New York, was thus first tried out last
Summer at a nearby Summer theater),
while most Of them are reviving, often
with very good casts, recent successes
now released for stock"
The Brookfield Players, who disport
themselves in the region of Danbury,
Conn, had a rather amusing experience
last week with one of their several au-
diences, indicating that. while such
Summer public is generally good deal
more lenient than those which have all
the amusements of Wintertime New
York to choose from, they will. on occa-
sion, rebel and have their own say.
The Brookfield Players have been pre-
senting number of the plays of Mr..
Virgil GeddeS, who is a playwright of
solemn, If highly enlightened, inten-
tions, and given to subjects which many
audiences would regard as rather dismal
and depressing. They presented Mr..
Geddes' In the Tradition" at the Hay
barn in New Milford, where Mrs Leo
pold Stokowski, wife of the conductor
Of the Philadelphia Symphony Or
chestra, among others, saw it. Mrs.
Stokowski and some of her friends
thought that it was just bit too
unpleasant, and when it started to
move over to the Washington Club
Hall, in Washington, Conn, they in
sisted that the Brookfield company give
them something more cheerful. The
directors of the company replied that
this was the only play they were pre-
pared to present at that particular time
and their engagement was therefore
Cancelled.
This doesn't happen very often, and
fortunately so. For the country in
Summertime ought to be so cheerful
for its own sake that its lucky residents
should be able to stand almost any
believe ordeal in the theater.
There are good rasons for complaining
about gloom" In New York City itself.
But Summer boarders, full as they are
of sunshine, vegetable vitamins, flirta-
tion and other stimulants, ought to be
an ideal ground for experiment with
plays which, while depressing, may have