10 B
THE PEE: OMAHA. SUNDAY. APRIL 0. 1922
Little Theaters
Doing Well in
Old New York
Br JAMES WHITTAKER.
NEW YORK, April
rid.) None but a port could
have written the gay and
luthinf comedy hiili U embracing
the rau.e of thr rhildrrn in the
Nrighhorhood I'layhoute. The
mating changes which occur in the
apect of the adult world when it
looked into from the level of a
child's eyes are tricky material.
Longfellow bungled it, Hooth Tar
lingtoii knout hut a hit of it, Mark
Twain made recursion into it; he
tta a port and came out with two
masterpiece!. Thi author, a Ru
hum woman. Iia done it bet. "The
tirren King." i not crratrd out of
mcmoriri tt( hildhood, but a recrea
tion of childhood itclf. Xinaida
llippiu M4 a child during the time
Hie wrote it.
Children forgive and forget the last
gem-ration, in time, but first thry re
it well. The play relate what thry
i'c; in the world about tbrm a mud
dle into which they will presently
mature; in parent two large babies
drooling (rividity in one instant, full
of the Rrren apple of sin of the next
ami bawling uuhrroirally whenever
their heart or tummies ache, eter
nally crosses for the narrow shoul
der of their offspring to bear.
The parent of the play were living
in separate sin. Father Vozhm with
an milium triilnw in a fliiiilcv flat
' Mother Vozahjn with a soulmate in
a nearby hotel. Between them shut
tled little Soma acquiring, a she be
came entangled in the duplexitirs of
her forebears, an early education in
the plaintive incoiiMstencics of the
adu't rode.
Mother wept the tears of her un
successful adultery into Sonia's
misses' size blouse. Father filled her
small cars with the transparent lies
f incident to a graybeard's stale and
perilous flirtations. Sonia decided that
the messed lives of her elders were
not worth the upkeep. A the play
ended, she planned to leave them
flat. It is an inspiring idea that it
is possible for the child sometimes to
turn the erring parents out into the
night.
The play has amusing Rlimpses in
to Russian customs. In one act
there is a meeting of the "Green
Ring," a stern philosophic circle of
pigtailed Pctrograd school children
gathered periodically for discussion
of biology, the family as a civic unit,
the suicide impulse and the sex urge.
In another the mechanism of one
of the famous Russian "mental mar
riages" is exposed, when immature
, Sonia, for purposes of legal freedom
rather than legal bondage, gives her
child hand to an elderly philosopher
of the plot. These incidents are fan
tastic as they are literally translated
and produced in the Neighborhood
Playhouse. But I did not find that
they diminished the plausibility of
the play.
Joanna Roos, an inspired young
ster, is the heroine of the play and
the event. She plays a part not very
far from her own age with the skill
of twice her years and yet retains
the whole charm of young ingenuous
ness. Unless the chance of casting
can perform miracles the miracle of
her playing of Sonia is performed by
herself and you can watch Joanna
Roos for the development of genuis.
At the first performance of the
play, I am told, Pamela Gaythorne,
-who plays the mother, gave an im
pression that she was overacting her
part. At the second she overacted
it a bit more and is perfect. The
life of the type of woman she por
trays is overacting. F.ugene Pow
ers, who plays the father, overacts
not quite enough, and he is not the
elocution adult the author wrote.
Her thesis was that the grownups
are a lot of very bad actors.
A bountiful audience of ladies of
ladies bountiful was on hand Tues
day afternoon to encourage the first
performance anywhere of Miss
Mary Hoyt Wiborg's play about the
dreadful carryings on of the south
ern negro proletariat.
' Mamie, the usherette of the Sam
H. Harris theater, was a bit scared
of her audience and seated it prim
ly... The best white manners in the
house, the worst black manners on
"the stage. Mamie took her cue and
sat you with a Boston accent.
But Mamie,, I suspect, was not
frightened by the play, however in
dustriously the har-working negro
v actors whom Augu l'n Duncan as
sembled to play this ;pose of Voo
riooism labored to curdle their own
blood. Mamie has seen 'em come and
seen 'em go, and no blackfaced actor,
shooting "Eehyah" like Hughie Jen
nings and gurgling over a stuffed
serpent, can stand her hair higher
than its natural bob.
1 In the course of the afternoon Miss
Margaret Wycherly, on the stage,
chanted lugubriously of witchcraft,
murder and blaofc cats, Mr. C. Kam
ba Simango of Liberia enacted, in all
probability voraciously, certainly
voraciously, the ritual of a blood
dance in Darkest Africa. Mr. Alex
Rogers did a spooky incantation
ever the left hind foot of a cemetery
rabbit, husky Fannie Belle De
Knight intoned a wailing chanty of
. the Congo and duskv Ruth Taylor
went into a well-simulated conniption
fit to a tune of Voodoo blues.
Miss Wiborg's first play is a con
scientious but confused collection ot
date from many erudite sources on
the barbarisms which some times
stick to the southern darky out of his
lungle pasT. Mamie yawned. Bur
perhaps the Ladies Bountiful in the
audierlce got a pleasantly horrible
thrill :
Both productions of the week
were made by Little Theater units,
a few of which are prosperous. The
Provincetown Players, the Neigh
borhood Playhouse and the Theater
Guild have become solvent in this
year which has driven most of the
bigger theaters previously near to
insolvency. -The Theater Guild stuck
like a leech to its first principles of
choosing plays for every reason on
earth but their potential revenues,
and finally came to its reward. Its
production of "Mr. Pirn Passes By"
made it so prosperous that it could
pay actors with cheques instead of
in -silver from - the boxoffice till.
Then it staked Mr. Pirn's winnings
on the handsome staging of "Liliotn."
The Guild is a good gambler. With
the money of their first great suc
cess they had the choice between
caution and daring. They played
double or quits and won. The epic
, of their climb to their present finan-
w t. -sJ$3S' 5;Vr' -ih
ml Crtw ii
T HWw J?olf3 J?eue f V' V A
lMSm xmi M$
Miss Boihu,el2 U 7 ljCCMk
ETtfess ' Miss 2?uJbn
1t yy J3jsaioc3
I A U
Dvid hterfielci.
cial stability has been as entertain
ing as their best plays.
I he rrovincetown Havers are not
so far from their start in self-con
scious culture and painful poverty.
Save pennies as they could, they
have never been able to get quite
enough of them together to pull
them out of the makeshift hole in
Greenwich Villaee wall which
charity and enthusiasm call their
theater. At times they even have
financial troubles with the furnace.
But, just at present, they are eating
well and optimistic. They put Eu
gene O'Neill's "The Hairy Ane"
onto thefr diminutive stage and their
diminutive playhouse cannot hold the
people who turn their backs of an
evening on madding Broadway to
trek unfamiliar miles down to the
roots of Fifth avenue. Winthroo
Ames will take "The Hairy Ape"
to one of his uptown theaters pres
ently and give the Provincetown
.flayers a percentage of profits
which will be greater than the sums
tliey can take in at their tinv box-
office, at least while deputized fire
man is looking.
Ihe Neighborhood P avhouse peo
ple are less dependant on their own
efforts. A fund keeps the roof over
the heads of their audiences, for
the same roof covers an east side
charity which is kept comfortable
by benevolent citizens of the richer
New York wards. Once in a while.
however, the actors unnecessarily
make some money. In the past win
ter, they had the first demonstrations
of Thomas Wilferd's curious Clavi
lux, or color orgin, which kept their
auditorium filled for two weeks.
With the proceeds of this and other
lucky ventures,1 they strike out and
produce the current "The Green
King." It seems that there is some
unlocated Rubicon for the Little
Theaters to cross. When they have
passed it, luck turns and criticism
with it. Mr. Belasco has been in
the Theater Guild's Garrick, the
Provincetown Playhouse and the
Neighborhood Playhouse. .There
seems to be nothing beyond to
w hich they can aspire. .
When the Guitrvs. father enn arm
Mrs., who is known on the Paris
stage as Yvonne Printemps, come
to America next vear to nlav in a
number of the younger man's com
edies, you will see what the French
mean by their impropriety on the
stage. They mean no impropriety
at all. Mr. Belasco had to expurge
the script of "The Grand Duke" be
fore he dared it here. The Guitrys,
for those who will nnHprcfanH iU,r
French, will go through with these V
worse than sprightly jest on the sub
jects of illegitimacy and adultery.
For that he has been approved, I
believe, by mother clubs and the
Paris clergy. It will be a terrible
blow for ' this family of refined
French 'comedians if they are run
out of an American theater for an
offense to some policeman's delicacy.
They will "understand it as little as
Mexim Gorky understood the rum
pus which rose when he quixotically
admitted to a New York hotel reg
ister that his company was not "and
wife."
World Will
Open Its Doors
Next Saturday
WHEN the new World thrattt
open it door rtet Saturday
noon it will promt a a por
tion it the program a M-iiit 4mle
Mile hill that promie to provide
diversified rnlerUinuu-nt. It it a
show that combine to a nucty all
tbe vinous clement of variety.
While comedy will be predominant
there will be a seasoning of niute.
novelty and jut a touch of the
dramatic. .
Headlining the how i the Irish
actor-kiiiger. Larry Keilly. who, with
a company of five, including Mary
Hampton, offer a romance of old
Knit called "The F.nd of the Road."
The pU) let a rollicking and withal
triikC portrayal of life in the County
Mayo and tervrt to present lilly
in kcvrral lilting vocal number a
terie of dance. The act ha been l it
one of the vaudeville uccee of the
eason upon the 1'antaRct circuit.
Comedy, with eccentric trimming,
is what Dunbar and Turner will
provide.
Mabel Harper, aptly called the
"fun beam of vaudeville," i a clever
character comedian. Kthcl Fit
gerald preside at the piano,
I'.l Cota, the xylophone funuukcr,
introduce a real musical novelty.
The young man is a premier musi
cian and his program consists of
tcmiclassical and popular number.
Something different i the con
tribution of Shaw' "Sporting Dog
Revue," half a dozen leaping grey
hound from the most famous ken
nels of the world. The act has a
number of sensational feature.
Billed as "Syncopated Jugglers,"
Swan and Swan introduce novel
feats of juggling in conjunction with
syncopated dancing.
The various photoplay features are
all first run in Omaha and in addi
tion to various novelties, short sub
jects include a peppy and laughable
full length film play, entitled "Sit
ting on the World," enacted by an
all-star cast.
Organ solos on the mammoth
Hope-Jones unit organ are to be
featured on each bill. Ernest Nordin
directs the concert orchestra for the
vaudville portion of World entertainment.
What Theaters Offer
gjwouomm.i
NEW SHOW TODAY
HARRY W. FIELDS AND HIS
NAPANEES
In "Fun in a Schoolroom"
CLIFFORD and BOTHWELL
In "Bits off Art"
DEVOY and DAYTON
In "The Tree Doctor"
ROSE and SCHAFFNER
In "Figure It Out"
ON Tl HilUY ,.( W,.ild
4 i.i(i r.iu ixxf Mi"l'f
Ik 4lfarltu vl l'tl. iaUta, H
viw. lit irili iHir in Mr.
irt.a ni riuuin !!, 'i f'lum
vl I'.latf iihiomi" t'Ui4.wr el
Id lhir (ii.iM.in- ,u w
I r4ll IN lJ lHrrr H) i
twim 11,41 n.r, first iiuduiin
Vl IHl fli llHl4. OHl.lt .'
UlH4 lh (.! hlotflllrtll ui sir.
tiu (' cmin n. iie4i,r,
I..I ill Sir. Wi,ri. mi lul
Mr. W -1111,14 s .MirKti..i f f,lr
UllliiMt, h r!ma fiin h irlul
I4 I ia l n4 lu iii.i ihi.M nh. iii
k li-k.-t in ihu auii.l h. la lr
iri.r hiiilii ihn uh.r (, Vvn ir
si in "li Mau H..lr." ur hi Itiiuun
!- in ""lit AMt'llunmir-" ' roi
on I ha I ileitiiHLt, Itun4 III h.h..l
l-lini,i, lin of numan un.Ui.unil.
l' i'4 ooiriiu! miiu. Thr nti.
Iiuit Vlr Wrii4 oi ii. la m liniwr-
una In u. mu ihi hi lvir
tlluuit i an tui4 l in iurniui cril
It amor. Ih tfrit rim on
lh ttiodfitn U -nud ih ,U iu.il
(r (iuih bn.g ini m kt'Muml ir
mil Dataller lo na abaoilnnii, n
4imli i,riiiv I Kal nsut in Ini.r
I ol ibo auilnur Irmn tmiiniii la n4
OMirmitiJili' Sir Warfi.i.l i caniin
of III first i.Klrr. nii'H in. Ig.lr m ll
HiHiorahip Man luia. Miriam tvl.
Matin lleuhanli, J.wri n ltnn. Jahn
rintll, tiattru uilinin. Jnhn r,
UI"-r. IIli hard UuiMtut. William
n4 1'I4 Haliutti
Uo
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la III ill
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liar aliraiilun l Hi l.in.
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III aaarlr uf jilrviii
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pra..ul,4 by Ulai.4 t:iilfut4 n4 1.14
luihll. Thru i.llarn railed "llli u(
Art," rnnaist of brilrntiilly srulr4
iniilii l.y Sir riifrt4 in eoiijuni-iion
Willi aiing ami rusho nuinhar hy lis
llalhwll. A i'Un rhnf Willi In4rni'y
la Ihinnna artiS a rharnilii! tiluiiin, fur
vr siiiilina. t'f"" young wmuan. rr
nil a cMtiinly akll svllh Militl, ant nine
ilnmra un4r lh rapih.n of 'Th Tr
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twVoy ami Uy laton. Il-rt Una 4
Noll lu-hafftirr t-an It auaraitlr4 lit krp
an outtlon In lh Ihrnr of continual
Uuahlrr Hiih a lalhlna kit lhy firemnl
umlr lh nil. Kiaur It Oul."
FOR many oar lh
Irrauliia (tulttio hava
ai'lliic uf On bklnni
III.. taa i4t aiury vf lh ul
ru.f III ilaii,.l I to filal t'4J
IN H 4HI lO.'llt.J lit 1. H H4 MMr
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hca itulaiiwualiy Itr hint. Iwn koi.
'lh moal lliaai.lt, ,, .l.alrl I l
kliin. ,0a In .aik r'tuin that win,
l'i llar.l uf I ha Int. I t aa.f 4
rvltlillta Ihi (ra-.a Ur kaii.n.r ha
hi l.a.tll. ,.itliall ("athatlii lllltil.
a faiiaowa .iit wMiy, t.4 in fail ttf
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nanl f.lur ul in nra.lni. aiiiae.
i,m altua tnmr t in tittnMin fur
IK ra haililin. llh u4a a nial.
Illr Huifa llu aa du. 1,4 ky in
ni hnaaa pru.lu.-ar an4 mutiun infut
litarlur II A i"il h4 a ir4 k
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nu4v in rihrat4 rotnatial. t'harl rv
l:.anla Thr t Jati.af an4 uaiiaia
alas muairiana piayina kta auj alrioit'4
Inairumama In rumaily ia'iy lh
II hitonn romnlia JaniK C tlarlua,
nil) t rn. a'i.4 k lhta tkort
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l.al .um4y tn4 'l4 fnwia' W (
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l...i.a, ( of ika ual fuaih4 aU (4
lh kuw la la l -ainli4 IV
A fuaa ai. Ik a.'.i.l'.l'llak4 ) of
lh r.tm.r fi.atl.! uf Ki'4-
I rua.i.i uf aii, Ntuai a4 auu.inani
uf a t l,ii..ii kl.i ilnu'Ki A kaat art
mill unii.l tJraa kill M iiikti4
hy lUih-r a4 JrVaua ltainikkiy
Han, .4 ...m. . ,i. a at f.ar la !!
14 .la,ia tkaa iuik 4 nia
tal p. ay ala.t..t.a UN halt, tUkfO 04
4k uibr aainHiaiiiNf HI. ka Th la fla
la 1 1. 1 1 iii. (caiuuii Vin Vutana.
lau.il fntiH lh aiak tuml. Tky
ihl a .iu,iH of fit nutaliy aaaa
h. la Anaia in rJuua outnio. Au
ral.ln. mil ho a fum falu Toi' of
ih pay h thuaa a4 lh l'lh
Wr.kit-
qllr! f.
I l"o i
mi uh
faur Van kiolk!, kilk It fori.
in Ikan ratntny. runt 14 tk
hriim ' In -k kaaii.nit.a auk
In kuiuUt h anna Afiru I fn.a ataia
..ar in a t.i.u4 mit'i.'al uni4 oaii4
"in h lliiny ' ikutally. -nio ltMMaa
l'n aa Mim.mi ruittbahy n4 yiotoo
.ni. I ara ail r.iuMti. uuu lrkia f
Ih.ir vniaiiaiommi
Amorli-an thra-
rvi'llrt In lh
nor. hrn h haa
han ralltil upon lo lorlritv on of tlioa
rolnrfut, iairin. buaallnf. lyliic
nip rolra. which ha mail him Hi
furrinoat rumanllo ai'tor of our Ian.
Ther may h a amnraphlral connrc
lion halwafn l)i aurtarlnna Initvar. Ilaj,
In "Kumul." and hia Ki liallanta In
"Hlno4 anil Sainl." alum I fully aa col
orful that lluadad atalawaK. But lr
Hklnnrr haa crnaanl th amall atrip of
aa ami haa cum lino Hpaln fur hi char-
ai'tap ahit'h la lh. firttiti.tial flunaa In I
Tom Cualilne ply Iniaad on Vlcenl aa
J THEATRE ' 1 '
ThU Afternoon at 3:00
Tonight at 8:15
ONLY TWO TIMES
TRAVEL MOTION PICTURES
SWEDEN
Sight
Seeing
THE GREAT WINTER SPORTS
A rare and onlf opportunity to tKi lotaroit
ing and beautiful country at insignificant cot.
RESERVED SEATS AT SOc, 75c and 11.00. Plu Taa
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY A DDII 11 1
WEDNESDAY MATINEE tL IlaW
DAVID BELASCO PreienU
DAVID VVARFIELD
IN y
"The Return of Peter Grimm,,
Evening. SOc, $1.00. $1.50, $2.00. $2.50 and $3 00 Plu Tas
Wednesday Matinee - . - SOc. $1.00, $1.50, $2 00, $2.50
Second Balcony Seat Reserved and on Sale
missing lines, perfectly unconscious
that they are shocking. And, if Dr.
John Roach Stratton brushes up his
French and flares into language over
the discovery that, in one part of
The Grand Duke, the elder Guitry
and his exmistress are having a lot
of fun trying vainly to .remember
just where, when and how her son
happened, the Guitrys are going to
be more shocked than will be Dr.
Stratton. For they are not devils
in their own home town, but leaders
of a settlement on the Boulevards
for clean comedy. Sascha Guitry
never soils his pen with anything
GALLI-CURCI
Auditorium, Omaha, May 27
Prieas $1 to $3 War Ta Extra
Mail Orders Now to
LUCIUS PRYOR
Care Auditorium, Omaha
kaVfeW 3- ff) K"iffiMHl CC
Js )4auCxauX LC
Week Starting Sunday, April 9
Matinte Every Day, 2.15 Evary Night, :!
"ROLFE'S REVUE
' (Produced by B. A. Ro(fe)
An Extraordinary Production
7F
Tha Distinguished Artist
DON ALFONSO
ZELAYA
Son el tha Ex-President
ol Nicaragua, in
Wit. Music and
Philosophy
J ana Jsroms
BARBER and
JACKSON
Nothing Serious
Just Mirth and
Melody
Tha Famous Comedian
JAMES C. MORTON
Assisted by Mamie, Edna and Alfred Morton
In a Comedy Travesty
HOWARD'S
SPECTACLE
LA PILARICA
TRIO
Featuring Viela Victoria
Dancers from the
Spanish Court
XI Carleton
LYDELL & MACY
in "OLD CRONIES"
By John J. McGowan
Topics of the Day I Aesop's Fables I Pathe Weekly
Matteae lie to SOc; Mint at 75o and II Saturday and Sunday
' Nlelita I5e to SI.OO; Some l-2 Saturday and Sunday
Pttroni Pay U. 8. War Tan
Today's Winner of Two Frse Ticket is Auto No. 21,548
PASSENGER
FOMD
TOWING CAR
New Model
This and Other Valuable
Articles Given
FREE
by the Merchants
THE CITY
OF
NEBRASKA
FAIRBURY
. -Bids Ym
Community Wlk
SAffiAY' 15th, LAST DAY
Nearly 100
Firms Unite
in
Producing
This
Special Event
and
PRIZE
Just 6 Days
Ends
Sat., the 15th
COME
Secured at an Immense Cost
-No Advance in Price At the
BR AN DEIS THEATER,
Beginning Thursday, April 13
The .lost Talked About Picture
Direct From Broadway 111 AfnCflCd Ho Advance in Price
DRAMATIC GRIPPING THRILLING
SPECTACULAR ARTISTIC ELABORATE
UNUSUAL DARING HUGE ENTHRALLING
The Utmost Perfection of Screen Entertainment
By Special and Unusual Arrangement with Mr. Carl Laemmle, President
of the Universal v Film Mfg. Company, the Management; of the
BRANDEIS THEATER is enabled to announce a limited engagement
of the Motion Picture that for the past year (and prior to its release)
has received more press comment than any other ten pictures presented
t . during that time.
In congratulatingvourselves, may we also venture to congratulate the
people of Omaha upon their opportunity of seeing within a few weeks
of its triumphant, record-breaking Broadway Presentation
il.A Universal V " Lu
A Universal
Super-Jewel
THAT MASTERPIECE OF MASTER MINDS
Upon which more than $10,000 was spent for production
for every minute required to show it on the screen.
DON'T MISS THIS THE GREATEST SCREEN EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF
OMAHA SEE THIS MARVELOUS ENTERTAINMENT WHILE YOU HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY WATCH THE DAILY PAPERS FOR DETAILED ANNOUNCE
MENTS OF THE WONDERS PREPARED FOR YOU IN THE GREATEST
MOTION PICTURE EVER CONCEIVED BY THE MIND OF MAN
PDIPFQe Matinees 25c, SOc, 75c; boxes $1.00, except Saturday and Sunday
nlVI-iJe Evenings 50c, 75c, $1.00, $1.50
SEAT SALE STARTS TOMORROW-MONDAY
For the Formal Opening The Social Dramatic Event of the Year!
11 Days beginn'ng
2:of.rpra "d Thursday
April 13-23 April 13
(Motors may be ordered for 10:45 P. M.)