AFTER SUCK PLEASURES, a series of comedy vignettes in three acts and seven scenes, derived from Derothy Parker’s book of the same name by Edward F. Gardner. Staged by Mr. Gardner: produced by A. L. Jones. At the Bijou Theatre.
FRINCIPALS-Shirley Booth, Don Sheldon, Enid Markey, Lea Penman, Ackland Powell, Al and Lee Reiser, Felicia Sorel, Taylor Gordon, Henrietta Caperton, Vernon Biddie, Mary Farrell, Kathleen Chase, and Blossom MacDonald.
Mrs. Dorothy Parker, who can’t utter a word without being confronted with it the next morning in print and whose ability to expose pitilessly the weaknesses of her characters, has made her into a sort of female Ring Lardner is represented on the stage of the Bijou Theatre with a series of satirical sketches under the title of her latest bood “After Such Pleasures.”
After playing nearly a month in the comparatively rarified air of upper Sixth avenue the playlets have been brought down into the midst of the drama belt and under the guidance of Messrs. Jones and Green, are set for what is hoped will be a long run.
Edward F. Gardner has adapted Mrs. Parker’s stories for the stage and he has done an unusually fine job. Not for a moment does he miss her complete sontempt for mankind. The result is an evening of fast and bitte entertainment.
Those of you who lave read “After Such Pleasures” will still find enjoyment in these sketches. Mrs. Parker is as fine a dialogue writer as we have and the spoke work and facial emotions of the players add strength to her stinging remarks.
Mrs. Parker knowns her own sex and most of these sketches have as their principal components, women. She is merciless in portraying the ladies in all their not so charming weaknesses. She is particularly pertinent when her ladies are engaged in their ever raging battle over the male species.
The acting, especially that of Enid Markey and Shirley Booth is more than just competent. The players seem to have caught completely the spirit that inspired Mrs. Parker to such unmitigated cruelty.
DRAMA NOTES
“Sing and Whistle,” Gropper’s play scheduled to open at the Fulton Theatre last night, has been postponed until Saturday evening.
“By Your Leave,” which weathered the hot and cold reception by crities and which seems to be in the hit column will leave the Morosco Theatre and move over to the more spacious Barrymore Theatre in time for next Monday’s performance. With the play goes of course Elizabeth Love, a young actress whose role of a refined young lady in this comeby was greeted with some cheers by playgoeers. Miss Love is not exactly a newcomer to Times Square. She has appeared in a number of other productions but not until “By Your Leave” got underway did this young person become a figure of theatrical importance.
Some years ago a novel called “Queer People” which dealt with goings-on in Hollywood, appeared. Book readers greeted it with unfeigned delight and the publishers printed editions in great proftision. It is now anouneed that this book by Carroll and Garrett Graham has been turned into a play and on Monday night Galen Bogue will bring it into the National Theatre. John Floyd has done the dramatization. In the cast will be Hall Skelly, Nita Naldi, Dwight Frye, Flavia Arcaro, Frank Ott, Gladys George and others. Melville Burke is responsible for the staging.
WIND AND RAIN
“The Wind and the Rain,” the new comdy at the Ritz, which was produced by Kondolf and Hart, drew some favorable critical notices and seems in a fair way to stay for the season. An out-standing feature of this comedy is the acting of Mildred Natwick, a young Baltimore girl, who seems to be a really outstanding charactre actress. Notwithstanding her youth, Miss Natwick has appeared in several noteworthy roles each that of old woman. In “The Wind and The Rain,” she is cast in the role of a woman about 50 years old, a hard working housekeeper requiring her to speak in the dialect of a native of Edinburg.
Max Gordon, whose productions “Roberta” and “Her Master’s Voice” are among the definite hits of the season, will bring a new play to the Booth Theatre for an opening Tuesday evening, February 13th. It is “The Shining Hour,” a new play by Keith Winter, well known in London theatricals. He is the author of “The Rats of Norway,” London’s out-standing success of last season. Gladys Cooper, Adrianne Allen and Raymond Massey, English actors, head the cast.
AMATEUR ACTORS WANTED
The senior dramatic group of the Jacob H. Schiff Center at 2510 Valentine avenue, which meets Monday and Wednesday evenings at 8 o’clock, plan two stage productions before July 1st, and wish to enlist the services of all amateurs who ar interested.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
