Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-01-17 | Page 4 | Broadway Takes $45,000,000 from Patrons in 1925

Broadway Takes From Patrons in 1925 Jury Comes to Grief When Wien I It Attempts to Select Select Ten Best By THE NE NEA PLAY JURY NEW V YORK Jan Broad 16 16 Broad Broadway way has collected from theatregoers In 1925 but bul the product product prod prod- of ot American playwrights seems seem to to suffer from malnutrition none non the less Since last winter few plays h have av app appeared ared from American pens t to cause audiences to dance dance in th the the street with Joy Nothing the present present present pres pres- ent season son has produced Is comparable comparable com corn parable to They Knew What The They Wanted and What PJ P Price Glory of ot last years year's excellent vintage Maxwell Anderson a and d La Lawrence Lawrenc wrence Stallings who collaborated on th the latter have labored at several new new pieces and brought forth only fail fail- ures urea Anderson going it alone wrote Outside Looking In which Is one of the outstanding and and no great wonder a at that Eugene ONeill O'Neill who has become becom our drama laureate took a mua much rewritten play The Rainbow from his trunk but no skyrockets skyrocket were set off in its honor It is Is' this Jurys Jury's Judgment that tha the two best American plays ar are George Kellys Kelly's Craigs Wife VUe am and Van Druten's Young Woodley which Is aided more than a little by Flenn Hunters Hunter's excellent acting All other laurels go to revivals revival and foreign Importations THE BEST The best pla plays w we believe bellee to have been the Guild production o oThe of The Glass Slipper with June Jun Walker Valker the Neighborhood playhouse playhouse playhouse play play- house production of The the Guilds Guild's Shaw revivals particularly particularly particularly Androcles and the Lion the Liveright production of Hamlet Hamlet Hamlet Ham let In mufti which owes much to Its Intelligent nt direction The Too Man With a Load Lead of or Mischief which long since died but which will be he e again seen with an English company company company com com- pany Rostand's Last Night o oDon of Don Juan a fine play poorly acted acted acted act act- ed which also went to the graveYard grave grave- yard There has been much shouting about Noel Cowards Coward's The Vortex and Easy Virtue Hay F Fever ver which died an early death seemed t to us the best bet Coward show Easy Virtue gives Ui the Illusion of being a a. better play than It is th thanks ks to toJ J Jane me Cowl The Arlen shows The Green Hat and These Charming F P pie are far better acted than h n written written writ writ- written ten which is the case also of TK e Last ast of Mrs Irs Chene Cheney Slipping under the gate at the thelast thelast thelast last minute is the Portia of Ethel Ethe Barry tore tore- and the Shylock of Walter Walter Wal Val ter tel Hampden in a Merchant 1 of Venice revival and also there Is a combination of modern and ancIent in Peters' Peters presentation of Taming of the Shrew w with Ann Harding MUSICAL COMEDIES BETTER In the mU musical comedy field the general average has bas been much better The The have have continued continued con con- on- on their excellent operettas not the least of which Is The Vagabond Vagabond Vagabond Vaga Vaga- bond King an adaptation of If It I IVere Were Vere King with Friml FrimI at athis athis athis his musical best and the best cog cos' to be seen In this hamlet Also there is Princess Flavia taken from the Zenda stor story George Gershwin who began began t to turn Jazz Into art when he composed composed com corn posed Rhapsody in Blue has be become become he- he come quite tho the m most st Important young man In American music this winter He has it a new ja Jazz z concerto concerto concerto con con- certo written for for the New Nev York Symphony orchestra he be has Street the first negro op opera ra given given given en by Paul Whiteman with Blossom Blossom Blos Bios another step step- som Seeley he wrote for forthe py py musical comedy toe Tip the he Lady Be Good pr producers a and d boP he collaborated on a a. more important tant operetta The Song of the Flame for Arthur Hammerstein This Gershwin n is a ma man to watch BY THE WAY A. A L L. Erlanger brings over from England an unusually intelligent and clever English musical production production production pro pro- which Includes two enter entertainers entertainers enter enter- rs who are not likely to be al allowed allowed al- al lowed ot off Broadway for many a n month They are Jack Hulbert and CecIle two London fa favorites favorites favorites fa- fa and Miss Cecile is a most adroit and talented comedienne whose mimicry runs run the gamut ot roles This is perhaps the cleanest cleanest cleanest clean clean- est music show In town and the most cleverly written TIP TOES George Gershwin again turns ou out some of the most tuneful Jazzy numbers of ot the year ear If It you OU are within three blocks of a lI radio or phonograph or dance orchestra you'll be hearing nearing Looking for a aBoy aBoy Boy and Sweet and Low Jow Down before the first March blizzard MERCHANT OF VENICE Ethel Ether Barrymore gives gives' an Interpretation Interpretation Inter Inter- of Portia that is not nol easIly easily easly Ily ly forgotten Hers Tiers Is a nature mature sophisticated Portia a Portia without without with with- out much illusion regarding men and with a sort of knowing smirk for even her Antonio Walter Valter Hampden gives an unusually fluman human human hu hu- man Sh Shylock lock THE MONKEY TALKS A very colorful and satisfying French adaptation of ot a circus play Excellent acting from Wilton Allen Lackaye and Martha Bryan down lown to Rose Ross Kean who makes a good part of ot a n. bit Gives an enjoyable enjoyable en- en change from the usual thing which has seen Broadway this his year ear Jacques Lerner Lamer as the monkey who talks is surprisIngly surprisIng surprisIng- ly y like his foil a real monkey who talk does not nol u