Evening star., 1938-06-19
Uncle Sans
Theater Is
Popular
Caravan Group Is
Bright Spot in
The Bronx.
Bp Ira WOIferf.
NEW YOR1

NEW YUM.
IF YOU turn back to the news sec.
ton, you will find there is trouble
in the world, but out here those
- of US who are in deepest trouble
don't mind now more than six nights
Q week
On that other night we can. be-
ginning this week, walk around the
corner to Uncle Sans free show-the
w. P. A., Caravan Theater-and forget
Dry your tears" Nick Hufford, q
baritone, was suggesting up in the
Bronx. "in Is years everything's gonna
be all right"
The children present met him hall
way. They let the ice cream dry on
their faces while they listened in awe
to an actor who actually would holler
If you pinched him.
The Caravan Theater Is made up OF
. fleet of trucks that carry romance
to the people. The trucks go sliding
around the town, find a likely spot
and then let down their sides to dis
close a theater complete with foot
4A6AAsc dAAd okoSA26heos Seu6Ss WAAASo oAASA
dressing rooms all packed into space
8 feet wide, 81a feet high, or just high
enough to leap when tickled, and 80
feet long. If the soubrette reaches
for the wrong clothes and appears in
moustache and cane, it's understand
able. The dressing rooms are very
close together and so small you have
to go outside to change your mind.
Mr.. Hufford is part of vaudeville
revue, Showing on" that tours one
section of the town while Jules Eckert
Goodman's dramatization of Treas
ure Island" tours another.
Treasure Island" thunders on its
way uninterrupted, but Mr.. Hufford
and his companions in jollity are
halted in midfight by. oddly enough.
'The Marriage Proposal" the one
act piece by the Russian master,
Anton Chekov. When Chekov is
slowed away in the too chest, the
troubadours come bounding back.
"Oh, you got enough money to be
NAH honey, you ducky little honey
suckle, you"
It's an unusual arrangement, some
thing like steak with chocolate sirup
poured on. But there is motive behind
it.
The w. P. A. theater project has been
made acceptable to the commercial
producers with whom it competes by
the argument that it reaches audi
ences which are not theater-goers and
educates them to love of the art be-
hind the footlights. Particularly is this
true of the Caravan Theater, which
sets up shop in the open air and lets
come who will.
Last year the Caravan Theater went
for education Fundamentally with a
tabloid rendition of Midsummer
Nights Dream" The production laid
an egg. In some Of the ruder sections
Of town. the audience picked up the
egg and returned it Justify. Those who
could not afford to throw eggs, threw
stones.
This year, the management has de-
cided on compromise without retreat
Have fun while you learn, 1t suggests,
oAo ui0o NneAOV- appears pcIWcSu re-
vue units like, 1t was hoped, teeth
between smiling lips. Well, it will be
interesting to discover how this works
out. At least, no harm will be done.
Sally Rand lured thousands to the
Worlds Fair for an education that
could be described as liberal and
never heard any one complain.
To professional theater-goer, Che
kov seemed to fret himself out in
competition with the noises Of vaude-
vile, the 'el' train around the corner
and q man who was telling Little Mary
from the top floor of a tenement that
If she didn't come up at once, he'd
kick her tiny teeth out one by one.
But the audience didn't mind. They
listened to the master in respectful
silence. If Chekov will compare notes
with Shakespeare, he'll find himself
better of than he imagined.
tCopyriEht, 1888. BY the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)