Theatres

“Doctor Monica” might have been daring way back in the days of rabid feminism, but now it is a rather feeble conglomeration of much-used ideas concerning women in love who have to suffer the inconstancy of their lovers. The play by Marja M. Szczepkowska is said to have run for two years in Warsaw. The version now to be seen at the playhouse is adapted by Laura Walker. Just why Warsaw was intrigued by the spectacle of three women in the pangs of disillusioned romance is not readily understood.

Alla Nazimova as the doctor who believes in an “exclusive love”, Gale Sondergaard as the hard-boiled architect who immerses herself in work in order to forget her unhappy love, and Beatrice de Neergaard as the servant who is befriended by the doctor because she is going to have an illegimate child, comprise the cast.

Doctor Monica is disillusioned in her love for her husband when she discovers he is the father of the servant’s child. There is the usual tirade against men who “get away with it” and a plea for legalizing illegitimate children.

Work, both the doctor and the architect decide, is the only real thing and at the final curtain one sees them fully resolved to put their careers above everything else.

Despite Nazimova’s capable performance in a thankless role and the able support of the other two, the burden of the weak script proves to be too much.

“THUNDER ON THE LEFT”

“Thunder on the Left”, dramatized from Christopher Morley’s novel of the same name by Jean Ferguson Black, repays one adequately for a trip to Maxine Elliott’s Theatre. Both the playwright and the cast have succeeded in presenting a delicate and sensitive performance and capturing that elusive quality of the story. Many of us have made wishes for one thing or another during our lives, but none perhaps is quite as sad as the little boy who wishes to spy on grownups to see if they are happy and what life will have in store for him.

Martin, celebrating his tenth birthday with his playmates, is not so sure that his elders are very happy and as he blows the candles of his cake he wishes that he might spy on grown people, but with the understanding of a child.

He then finds himself among his playmates as they are twenty years later. There is much he does not understand and like. He can’t see why people talk so much of love and indulge in kissing. He finds that they are unhappy and stupid. What Martin finds out about himself, cannot be told for fear of giving away too much of the story.

As Martin the spy, James Bell is superb in his delicate rendering of a most difficult role. His lack of self-consciousness in his portrayal did much to make his fantastic role real.

“GERMANY AFLAME”

What has happened to the Jews in Germany since the advent of the Hitler regime has been dramatized by Ossip Dymow in “Germany Aflame”, based on his own novel, which is now running serially in The Day.

From the pattern of Jewish life under the present German government, he has taken outstanding problems ad woven them into a play which seeks to crystallize the tragedy that has befallen a group of people. He has selected his characters from among those Jews who were more German than Jewish, and has shown, in a somewhat sarcastic manner, their return to the fold.

The story concerns a Jewish professor married to a Christian woman and their son who led a carefree life until the elections of March fifth report the success of the Nazi party. His wife deserts him, the son commits suicide but he himself is saved from a meaningless fate by securing an appointment to a university in Amsterdam. One of the dramatic scenes in the play occurs when the son’s fiancee, a young Catholic girl, spurns him for fear of being driven through the streets branded as one who has gone with a Jew.

Although the play is guilty of making use of so many of the traditional Jewish problems solely for the sake of their statement, nevertheless it proves to be worthy of interest. The cast is well chosen and gives a good performance. Samuel Goldenberg, Zwi Scooler, Leon Gold and Joseph Buloff come in for special recommendation.

“Germany Aflame” alternates with “Once Upon a Time” at the Second Avenue Theatre.

Maurice Schwartz announces that he has put into rehearsal his own dramatization of Lion Feuchtwanger’s novel “Josephus” as his second offering of the season at the Yiddish Art Theatre.

“YOSHE KALB” IN ENGLISH

“Yoshe Kalb” will be produced on Broadway in English some time late in December by Daniel Frohman, veteran theatrical manager, who has been inactive as a producer for many years, in association with Maurice Schwartz. The English version has been prepared by Fritz Blocki, former dramatic critic for the Hearst newspapers in Chicago. A full cast of American actors will be under the direction of Mr. Schwartz.

ANOTHER BALLET GROUP

Serge Lifar, director and premier danseur of the Paris Opera Ballet, made his first American appearance with his own ballet company last week at the Forrest Theatre. Lifar, who was a member of the famous Diaghilev troupe, has been widely acclaimed in European circles. Shortly before Diaghilev’s death he was made master of the ballet after his initial success in designing the choreography for Stravinsky’s “Renard.” When the Russian Ballet broke up, Lifar was invited to direct the Paris Opera Ballet. He began his career there with the production of Beethoven’s “Prometheus”—a version of which was given on his New York program—and since that time there have been, under his leadership, ten or more important novelties and revivals, among them the famous Nijinsky vehicles, “L’Apres Midi d’un Faun” and “Spectre de la Rose”, which he is including in his American repertory.

Ruth B. Stoloff.

JOOSS BALLETS PRAISED

The Jooss Ballets now showing at the Forrest Theatre continue to draw capacity audiences. After the success of its first offering, “Green Table”, the dancing troupe put on in addition a piece they call “The Seven Heroes”. It earned the enthusiastic applause of some of New York’s most hard-boiled critics. John Martin, of the New York Times, had the following to say:

“‘The Seven Heroes’ revealed both the choreographer and the company in their most obstreperous humor. In extremely bright peasant costumes against amusing decors… Mr. Jooss tells a rollicking folk tale with great gusto.

“This is a new aspect of the composer of the deeply moving and satiric ‘Green Table’, for it is pure buffoonery. It is, however, a thoroughly admirable piece of work, as carefully wrought as if it were the most important thing in the world. … “The Green Table’ remains, of course, the principle feature of the evening, and seeing it more than once serves only to reveal more fully its richness and authority. Certainly no one could ask for a more thoroughly enjoyable evening in the theatre.”

NOTES ON ART

Matthew Kalmenoff, a pupil of Frank Vincent Dumond, is holding a one man show of his paintings at the Bronx House, 1637 Washington Avenue.