Evening star., 1942-07-13

Theater
Looks Up
Comic Plays and
MelOdramas Are
Successful
By John Ferris,
Wide World
BY John Ferri,
Wide World.
NEW YORK.

After the considerable mlsad-
ventures of the past season, the
Broadway theater appears to be
finding new and reasonable sense
of direction.
The lines Of approach to the sue
cess which means thousands of dol
lars in profits and happy customers
instead of thousands of dollars in
losses and general gloom among
patrons are, as one might surmise,
pretty sharply defined, and, there
fore, ought to be fairly easy to fol-
low.
Still, they are not 50 easy to fol-
low There is always the urgency
to produce the evangelical play, the
edifying' play, the serious drama
which seizes upon some phase of
universality, some Chekovian or
Shakespearean notion and tries to
use the drama as an encyclical let
ter to the faithful of Forty fifth
street.
Drama critics themselves tend to
adhere to this idea that the play
must be serious, if for no other rea-
son than that too close an attend
ance on the theater affects the
flatulence of the ego. Therefore,
there has been noticeable lately dis
tressing evidence OF patting the
muse on the back, and chucklng her
under the chin and calling for new
works from O'Neill, Anderson and
Sherwood instead Of thwacking her
in and raising huzzahs for clowns
and singers.
The Road to Fortune.
The lines to fortune, 1t would ap-
pear, run blithely along a different
course-the comic or the melodra-
matte, or the plainly musical.
On the one hand there are the
thrillers-"A and Old Lace"
Angel Street" and Uncle Harry"
and the musicals, Best Foot For
ward" the Ray Bolger Triumph by
Jupiter" Danny Hayes hit Let's
Face It," Olsen and Johnson's "Sons
O. Fun" and the vaudeville hits,
"Priorities" and Ed Wynn's new
Offering Laugh, Town, Laugh"
Finally Life With Father" Junior
Miss" and MY Sister Eileen
To these hits add Guest in the
House." the Noel Coward satire on
mediums. "Blithe Spirit" and the
rowdy business starring Gypsy Rose
Lee and Bobby Clark entitled "Star
and Garter" And at last, with
more ease than this long introduc-
ton might suggest, there are the
happy revivals like "Porgy and
Bess,' which from the first tentative
scratchings seem to portend good
digging.
The Gershwin folk opera, based
on Dubose Heyward's life Of the
Negroes of Catfish Row in Charles
ton. S. c., has been one of the big
money-makers of the year. |
Operetta Challenges.
The Chocolate Soldier" came to
New York last week as kind of
challenge to metropolitan taste.
Originally the Oscar Strauss oper-
eta was presented in 1907, the year
Franz Lehar's Merry Widow" was
first presented In the United States.
In the IS years which have passed
the world has undergone so many |
changes that the book, like the books
for the operettas of Victor Herbert |
and Franz Won Suppe, no longer
holds much meaning for audiences.
Deems Taylor, in study Of these
and other operettas, including the
Gilbert g. Sullivan, has made the
penetrating observation that the
survival OF the Savoy operas seem
to be mainly matter of lyrics, and |
remarks that no one remembers |
either the characters or plot Of the |
Herbert, Strauss or other operettas, |
while they do remember not only the |
Gllbertian plots but whole sections
of the book.
Producer Is Convinced.
The latest attempt to capitalize on
the Strauss score comes from the /,
hand of Joseph Tushinsky. who last !
summer devoted a good many weeks
to the production of this and other
operettas, including the Gilbert IL
Sullivan THE Bohemian Girl"
Blossom Time" and The FREELY"
at the Paper Mill Playhouse In Mill
burn, N. j.
Tushinsky apparently is convinced
that there is not only money in these
old pieces, but that the people who
are willing to put up 81 top have
no doubts about what they are going |
to get 70 rtheir money.
The same idea seems to govern the |
operations at Millburn, where Frank
Darlington. defying the handicaps |
imposed by gasoline rationing in the
Metropolitan Area, has been making
60 of his summer theater Car
rington. this year, has presented
Naughty Marietta" and Mile.
Modiste" and starts the coming week
with "Sweethearts."
The books of these Victor Herbert
operettas may appear weak but au-