Evening star., 1955-07-07


its top attraction last season W
This would be New York's
house, the Phoenix theater, wi
was the amphitheater's hit in
1854.
Once again. as is fitting for
the traditionally light-hearted
mood Of summer, the Phoenix
viii send q musical, this one
Phoenix '55," a revue which
takes a gay, laughing, and
family satiric look at the con-
temporary American scene.
Its star performer will be
Nancy Walker. an ebuilient girl
with a built-in sense of the
absurdity Of things. and to her
pleased surprised once more the
toast of Broadway. Broadway
turned up larger than average
crop Of toasts during the musical
season just ended but it was
Miss Walkers fortune to come
last. and consequently freshest.
The enthusiasm she aroused,
among the other merits Of the
production. keep Phoenix IS"
running well beyond the six
weeks. preordained for Phoenix
musicals. which began April %.
In fact it will keep right on
running at the off-Broadway
drama center in New York until
1t departs for Washington.
It's dates here will be August
3-14. inclusive, or a total of IL
performances.
SOURCE BOOK: Until some
one digs up a better. the source
of Phoenix IS" will be the
most original ever to inspire a
musical revue. This was a series
of articles in Fortune magazine,
"The Changing American Mar
ket" which contemplated statis-
tically. and with great satisfac-
ton. the emergence of a new
and more potable postwar mid
die class.
Fortunes revelations struck
Ira Wallach not merely as great
news but a great idea for a
Phoenix revue. Fortune. whose
formal hides a keener sense of
humor than you may have sus-
pected. as well as a heart of
gold, gave it's smiling assent to
Mr.. Wallach's request to have
fun with the magazines figures.
David Baker supplied the
music and David Craig the lyrics
to complete Phoenix SIS" as
the first musical frolic ever to be
taken from Fortunes August
pages.
For all Miss Walkers recep-
ton, the amphitheater's musical
highlight in August is no one
woman show. It has a large.
young and lively cast among
whose other headliners are
Marge Redmond. Harvey Lem
beck, Joshua Shelley. Bill Heyer
and Elton Warren.
Mr.. Lembeck, it may be re-
called, gave the seasons funniest
performance in Washington. as
the candid young swain IN
wedding Breakfast" at the Ma
tional.
STRIKE CASUALTY: Arena
Stage, which had thought senti-
mentally that it would be nice
to run until August Is with "1 he
Mousetrop," won't make it.
That would have been the
houses fifth anniversary. and
everybody knows how everybody
feels about birthdays.
The Mousetrap." one of Are
mas firmer hits, is slowly being
done in by the transit strike and
unless something happens, the
final performance will be that
Of July IT,,
After that, Of course, Arena
will suspend operations for a
season while it goes hunting a
new and larger theater than the
Hippodrome where, in four years
IL has established itself as one
Of the country's best known The.
aters-in-t n-the-round.
y y
LUXURY NOTE: You start
altering a building-at least al
we see altering buildings-anc
you never know just where yor
will end UP.
You might, for instance. enc
up as the Trans-Lux Theatel
which, in a word. is elated.-
The Trans-Lux finds itselt
with kind Of super screening
room. or alcove. This is a lux
ury nook. richly furnish e d
glassed in and sound-proofet
except for stereophonic soune
which sticks strictly to the film
1t is adjacent to the theater'
new projection booth and will b,
available not merely for critic
but foi anyone who would lik,
to give a private movie party il
Q public movie house.
There will be seats for l6
rivaling in comfort, it is said
those IF the Motion Picture AS
sociation's little Academia The