The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-01-15
BY JACK GAvER


The Theater Guild has done New
York a service by producing Sing
Out, Sweet Land" and utilizing
musical show material that has
been shamefully ignored for many
years. 1t is a cayalcade of Amer
lean folk and popular music held
together by a single character and,
as such, cannot hope completely to
satisfy everyone because each per-
son will find something missing
that he thinks should have been
included
The many-scened production be-
gins in Puritan New England with
one Barnaby Goodchild in the
stocks for singing gay songs on n
Sabbath. When he is unrepentant.
a blue-nosed minister condemns
him TO wander through the years,
and that's exactly what he does.
down to the present, a goodwill
ambassador of song. Along the way
there are scenes In post-Revolu-
ton America, the Illinois wilder
ness, the Oregon Trail, the Missis-
sippi of steamboat days, the Civil
~ ar. the Gay '9os. and the speak
easy era.
Many OF the folk tunes are not
generally known. others are COM
mon. OF course, everyone knowS
the popular songs that creep into
the production from the Gay '90s
period on.
The cast is headed by Alfred
Drake as Barnaby and my only
objection to him is that he is Il
trifle too cute at times, possibly the
fault of the direction. Burl Ives. a
troubador we'll known In the cafes
for his guitar and endless roper
torres of folk numbers, Is impress
sively present in most of the
scenes. He does a tremendous lot
for the production. Bib OsteTwald,
loud and vigorous. is newcomer
to Broadway and a welcome one
because she can really make some
thing of robust song. Another
newcomer who looks like an excel
lent prospect is Alma Kaye, who
does the ingenue roles. She Is i'm
pressive both as singer and ac-
tress.
An outstanding part OF the pro-
duction is the dancing, which Is
the creation OF Doris Humphrey
and Charles Weidman and ably
executed by a fine troupe headed
by Peter Hamilton. The show
would be considerably poorer with
out it.
| liked the first act considerably,
but after that 1t seems to me the
show goes badly to pieces. Miss
Osterwald and others do nobly BIZ
Casey Jones" early in the second
act, and then the Gay 90s and en-
suing scenes border on the tedious
One important thing that the
show lacks is a number along he
roic lines. Most of the songs are In
n minor vein and there certainly Is
enough material in America back
ground for at least one rousing
number. Also, the cowboy West
has been completely ignored and
some of our bestowed folk music
is tied up with it. How Walter
Kerr. whose idea the show Is.
could be guilty OF such an over
sight is beyond comprehension.
Possibly ne Was afraid OF being
corny. but better corny than dull
any day. The negro gets very short
shrift. and that isn't good either.
However, IL is show that does
have something in it for everyone
and should be seen by all means.
"ON THE TOWN" is a glittering
new musical comedy with a lot OF
young people involved. 1t stems
from the ballet Fancy Free.
which created a stir when 1t was
presented for the first time last
spring by the Ballet Theater. The
ballet was the creation of Jerome
Robbins and his dance storv Of
three sailors loose on leave in New
York has more or less siron'v been
curinped with songs and di"lng"e.
The show is srriohtlv enough.
moves rapidly and on the whole
pleasinglv. brt ii left little impress
sion on me. Tn" score OF Leonard
Bernstein. who is crite the risi"g
Young man of music, certainly is
not memorable. the only tune |
can recall at all carrving me beck
10 song in the much:belNved
"pardwapon" of a dozen wears ego
with Robbins in rharoe Of the
dancing. | expected that to be %
considerable effectiveness hut J
did pot frd II 60. Tive co"nedv co.,
trihuted in the hoo': and lvrics Of
Pettv Comdon ard tdo'nh rreer
lowered between tho dull ?-d IL.
verila excent whom NaTrv Walker
he'd a how'd IN the 0rn"e"d'rgs. AT
which. time Il was strictly a case