Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-04-14

BROADWAY
ItsTin1e
To Look
Ahead
BY WILLIAM GLOVER
Associated Press Staff Writer


NEW YORK. - There's no
business like show business
especially in the spring.
While everyone else's fancy
lightly turns In office, shop
and school to thoughts Of
vacation. the operatives Of
entertainment are deep in
sedulous labor.
Next seasons shows are
tooling up, old pros are bus
ting, young hopefuls are
stirring into action.
Here are three brisk cpl
sodes behind the footlights
on q lazy April day, typical Of
the vernal urge to theatrical
creativity.
Jennie" is the title OF q
major musical comedy for
autumn starring Mary Mar.
tin that already has director
Vincent Donehue operating
at full steam.
Seventeen Stint
MARY has had plenty Of
demands on her performing
versatility in the past" the
lean, intense Stager sets the
mood, but II she lives
through this, it win be mar
velous."
Donehue, the mentor Of
such hits as THE Sound Of
Music" and the current Lord
Pengo." has been involved
with the venture. off-and-on
for seven years O stint
which counters the common
notion that Broadway shows
evolve overnight.
Its going to be an all
out experiment In boldness,
and will be touch-and-go all
the way" he says. There isn't
going to be q chorus line,
but Donehue is keeping mum
about other intended innova-
tons.
The project Is loosely based
on the youthful. melodra-
matte years Of that star Of
an earlier era, Laurette Tay-
lor. BY coincidence, the d.
rector recalls, Miss Martin
once tried to take lessons
from Miss Taylor.
FOOte Drama Awaits
"She was turned down." he
reports. ''Laurette told her,
You'll have to get 1t the way
I did from the heart
Rehearsals for Jennie"
start In June, and once the
long months Of furnishing
are completed, Donehue gets
going on another pending
job. THE Habitation Of
Dragons" a drama by Horton
Foote.
THE combination Of the
two seems ideal" says the
director who keeps seeking
new challenge. The musical
has q flamboyant wildness.
Foote's play has o lot to
say"
A few blocks across town
from Donehue's planning den,
one Of the theater's ranking
peers, Richard Rodgers, is-en-
gagged with beginners ardor
on revival at Theater Four
Of THE Boys From Syracuse,
q hit which he and Lorenz
Hart wrote Is years ago.
The production Is the first
the composer has permitted
Of a property off-Broadway,
and stems from the deternli-
nation of q persistent young
impresario named Dick York.
Finally Convinced
II wrote to Rodgers four
years ago for permission to
do 1t. but got q turn down."
he notes. "Then last sum-
mer I saw a college club YER
sion, and / sent him q tele-
gram saying I wanted to do
II more than ever"
A carefully detailed agenda
convinced Rodgers that here
was q sponsor who wouldn't
hurt the property Then
ironically. the New York
newspaper strike caused post
ponement Of the presentation
from January until April 10
with the result that most
Of the technical staff upon
whom Rodgers was banking
left 10 handle other commit
ments.
But the momentum was
rolling by them" says York,
and we got okays on all the
personnel changes"
York. 80. was born In
Minneapolis. got his major
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