Evening star., 1934-03-05

TT is to be hoped that Joe &c
revue will meet with a large
at the National. No matte
L matter if this town has beel
Brethren ShubertS for maltreati1
dren, thus getting the Cook musi
no matter if there is only a ba
or that Miss Ona MunSon tWh(
cast; no matter If there aren't
in the "Follies";; or as many
"Follies";; no matter if you just
in the gay COS or that you think
as a stOoge than the Ted Healey
every musical show Mr.. Cook h
if you'd rather cry than laugh,
laugh any more-we will bet yo
this Cook opus, whether it be
gloom that may be around you
belief that has sprung up and
no more comedians on the stage
Mr. Cook is one of the few gene
ralissimos of humor who makes the
best of a good bargain. Given sound
pair of lungs, sensible appearance,
a good laugh and an inventive facul-
ty that puts to shame everything ever
created on the stage except Ed
Wynn's typewriter corncob. Mr.. Cook
pursues his mad, mad course with no
chagrin and maximum amount OF
intelligence His current Offering, &C
cording to the Chicago literati, revived
the whiting theater in Chicago during
the past few months. and before that
New York rocked with inconsolable
laughter over his cock-eyed antics.
Mr.. Cooks arrival here tonight is
one of the few moments of music and
laughter this town will have had dur
ing the 1933-34 season. 1t is gala,
a festive, and a notably joyous event.
No wonder the round. rosy face OF
Manager S. E. Cochran has been
shining with glee for the past few
days. He knows a good entrance
when he sees one-and MIR. Cook has
never yet made anything but good
one in this town.
ONE of England's most beautiful
and talented actresses. Gladys
Cooper, is currently appearing in New
York IN THE Shining Hour" a play
by a very young man named Keith
Winter, who first sprang into fame
last year when nobody could figure
out why he called his first play THE
Rats of Norway" While We frankly
must admit to having been slightly
disappointed in this new drama, which
has been praised to the skies by the
Manhattan commentators, it was also
a very great treat to see some one
who is as we'll known as Miss Cooper
playing a difficult role with smooth,
clear diction, perfect manners, poise
and great charm and who never for
one minute either barked or snapped
at you to remind you that she is who
she is.
If, now, the same role had been
played by Miss Tallulah Bankhead,
we are convinced that the lady. while
would nevertheless have tied herself
into knots and in order to get out
of them would have jumped over a
sofa or turned cartwheel or two.
Miss Cooper. who slipped into this
country quietly and without single
band playing, and whom we have ad-
mired for long from full length por-
traits in the Illustrated London
News, is what might be termed an
Elegant" actress Gin the correct
sense of the word) and one whom
drama enthusiasts should certainly
see.
Possibly the reason We were cis-
appointed in the play itself was be-
cause there was so much tea drink
ing. Barns burned down, people
killed themselves, and people had
hysteria almost in the tea pot. There
was a touch more Ibsen and touch
too much tea in it for comfort-al-
though Mr.. Winter has done miracles
with a plot that is old as the hills,
and which comes out almost as
shining" as Miss Cooper and the tea.
RACK from New York and the first
word to reach this desk is that
''the last of the red-hot mammas" is
coming to town. By that you know,
of course, that Sophie Tucker is in
the offlng and will soon appear at a
local IIledUtI. LII llllS CdoC u y.
Payette has shared her. and will fea-
ture her on the stage of Warmers
Earle a week from this Friday.
IRON all accounts the dinner held
last night by the Community
Center Department in honor of the
one-act play tournament was huge
success The speakers were brilliant,
the guests ate nicely and no one got
up and recited I'VE Are Seven" The
best of it all, however, seems to us to
be the spirit prevalent around town
that it is time for many of these
groups to get together and unite into
a willing and hard-working whole
This, of course, is something which
We mentioned couple of seasons
ago-a Little Theater-and were then
promptly ripped from ear to elbow
by some annoyed celebrities who i'm
agined that we were singing our darts
at them. Whether we were or weren't,
the plan did not seem so terribly out
of joint, but from the fuss that ensued
we thought some sort of walls of
Jericho had been burst into. Never
theless, We still believe this to be a