Show PERCY HAMMONDS HAMMOND'S NEWS NEVIS UTTER LETTER Dy By nIES CHARLES BELMONT DAVIS IS I 1 NEW YOrK YanK Aug AUf 7 7 lt It was WIlS about a 0 year rear ago that Florenz feld feld produced a revue revus by J P Mc Me- Me Ic- Ic Ivoy called The Comic Supple Supple- Supplement Supplement Supplement ment of o which W iV C Fields was waD the star No sooner was the project well under under way than rumors were rite rife along alone Broadway Broadway to to the ef effect Jc that there was vas is friction be bee between tween the tho producer and th the that author Do- Do that Do-that that a as ae It may in ht spite of oC the of-the the fact production wa was an ex extremely ex- ex extremely costly one and that Mr Is not easily discouraged the Dhow chow how closed clo ed In Newark before It had h been seen In Inthe the metropolis Shortly after oler this In several cv r l ot of o the In tn the then current Fol ol lies Iles with Fields as tr er cr All ot of o the skits were extreme extremely ly Iy successful but on account of ot the apparent failure Of or The Tho Comic Supplement the question arose au ac auto to whether their success was due to Mr Mr McEvoy's McEroy's homoly homely humor orto or orto orto to the clowning ot of W C Fields who being a creative comedian 1 I prone rone to embellish any part for which he cast Is-cast- cast Therefore when It was announced that a new revue by McEvoy oy Americ m was to tobe tobe tobo be produced d It St seen selm seemed ed Cd as a It if tho mystery ot of Newark was abo about t to to-bc to be solved The prospects of merle Americana did not loom very bri bright ht There had been several postponements and nd the tho reports from the tho town out out out-of- town try-out try were for tor from favora favors favorable ble In fact most ot of the theatrical experts along alone Broadway did not give It St a chance Which only goes to 10 show slaw by what by-what what a n great treat margin those who are arc re supposed to be b also Ise in in the ways woys o ot of the tho theatre can miss the mark Indeed I have seldom seen a revue tint t from th the tho rise ot of the first curtain seemed so surely destined for a sure ur success success The fun Cun w was s continuous and there were constant flashes Clashes Of o nov novelty and keen I never could I quite understand the reputation a 0 aNew aNew New York night first f audience en cn enJoys joys of oC being belne hard to to please It seemed to me m It enjoys anything and Md everything When en a play pIa Is a success it cheers its delight as ns Jr if every Individual in the audience had written the piece and In the ease case ot of o failure It enjoys Itself huge huge- hugely hugely ly huce-ly ly by maintaining a n stony silence or howling Its disgust at the Innocent actors who In order to earn a liv- liv livIng liv living ing lug are arc tr frequently to play impossible roles The audience at ata ata ata a New York premiere just must haven good time But there was no question about the tho attitude o of the Uie audience at the premiere of oC Americana It fair fair- fairly fairly fairly ly chortled with Its warm warm hearted glee and on several occasions lIh Its violent outbursts of ot entHusiasm stopped slopped the show show show- It seemed to tomo tomo tomo mo that that- Americana has all nil the Ingredients that go 10 o to ma make maJie e up a successful revue revue comedy revue comedy lilting JIlting tunes spirited dancing amusing charming settings l and on the part ot of the Ule actors ability the the ability to establish establish lish between themselves and the tho audience a truly Intimate relation relationship ship Americana as a l matter of oC fact Is in no sense a costly production production production tion Tir rhe chorus Is la small and the tho costumes simple but It Is lavish In It Its fun tun In Its Imaginative settings and In Its lis merry tunes There can bo be little doubt that It has firmly established Mr Sir McEvoy oy as one ono olour ot of our mo most mOISt t contributors ol to the humor of ot the tho theatre But Dut the Newark mystery still remains the Newark mystery With so much talent bombarding us from so man many directions In Americana it Is is not easy to tributo dis tho honors fairly Of OC course such laurels as I may award the freshest and best must gO to the creator of oC the humor J P MeE McEvoy oy who with rare ap appreciation ap- ap appreciation of oC the foibles of his countrymen and his hl 9 government poked fun at their evident weak weak- weaknesses weaknesses nesses u In any case case Mr M McEvoy Evo In a gentle way tree free from Crom any tinge o ot cynicism made them all nil too evl- evl c evi t dent evident ent last night And closely behind the author come the composers there were several But undoubtedly the song sone hit of oC the tho evening was Why I I Dya Roll Those Eyes of which 1 Philip Charig wrote the melody and the lyrics To 10 me all of the he skits were ere amusing and interesting but Rollo and Ills 1 Ia a and After ACler Dinner Speech were easily cully to the safe saCe harbor of ot success suc success suc- suc success cess And ju just t as usual and live tive as ns was the humor I of ot the sketches no less humorous and Imaginative were the sets set designed by John Held Jr There Thero is no doubt Is a 1 designer of ot comic scenery Mr Ir Held has arrived The The burden of ot the acting was car car- car carried vied ried by Lew Brice Brie and Roy noy Atwell a and d their comedy was always alay come come- comedy comedy comedy dy of ot a n high order order Intelligent sub sub sub- subtle subtle tle and clean as a 1 whistle Never before have I seen either cither ot of them so completely masters of ot their artor art artor artor or an audience Miss Evelyn Bennett contributed some rome delightfully comic bits bits and Miss Harriett Burke sang her num num- numbers num- num numbers numbers bers charmingly But to my way of thinking It was Miss Betty Detty Comp Comp- Compton Compton ton Comp ton who carried away the honors among tho women Beauty Miss Compton ompton unquestionably has and whether th the rest is technique mac mag-I mag mag- mag magnetism or personality I do not kow But Dut I do know she has hIls that something which In the tho good old 1 days before beCore automobiles used to lead cad the a audience to the stage door and when its Its favorite had stepped Into her Iler victoria to take out tho thoI ho I horses and drag draff the lady to this the theE E Everett eret t house In more moro or less the tha original form and of ot th the same substance A Night In Paris moved from Crom the top of the Century and opened Its second edition down town There are some new faces new skits new songs and new dances but It stilt still remains typical of oC the theMe big modern revue revue cus ta- ta tableaux tableaux ta tableaux many beautiful girls much nudity lU and sketches sketch's which seem as lone long as we wo know th they y are broad But Dut of oC the popular pop ap approval ap- ap approval pro al of oC the new version there can be no question Since the opening nIght th the Forty fourth FortY street theatre th thE atre has been crowded and the laughter lauchter and the A sm great creat Chief comedy honors rio go Ago to Jack but person person- personally person ally lily ally I wish that he h might wear his popularity with less com self com His HIa method of o 0 render render- render Ins Illg a 0 certain kind of oC song son I Is so admirable It seems a misfortune that h he should not be just a little a-little little I less ss conscious of his prowess Evento I cn 1 to act humility Is better than no noI humility at all 1111 and at a 0 perform perform- performance I ance It Is probably best to let the q do th the cheering In regard to a rec recent nt paragraph lit In this column olumn as to te whether Miss lIss Greta Nissen or Mr Mic Michel 1 I deserved the lie credit for tor the Ilia ballet pantomime Mile 1 lie Bluebeard In inho Inthe tho ho Revue I have dc de- de r hed th the following front from Cro m Miss Nissen My Dear Mr Ir Davis In refer refer- reference reference ence to th the article that was In your our column last sunda Sunday about rnY my performance may I draw Miss attention to the fact tact that ot of the tha two I have o given In this country neither has been conc conceived nor directed l by Mr Fokine Besides I have havo n never lI ver studied pantomime with him Asa As Asa Ii a child I did partake tor for seven years ears In oil all 11 the big ble ballets ts at the tho Royal Etoyal Opera House Hous In Copen- Copen l gen l which has a flint fir tit class ballet school and strictly holds to 10 Its traditions of oC the th old French mer method hod The Tha ballet Itself Is t but the pantomime always seemed to me m to be bo naive unnatural and aid a artificial Mr Fokine from whom I later got sot my tutelage as a lancer I regard a as his art Is la the making alive of ot mu- mu mue e sic tic sculpture and poetry In en each h passing movement and I am grate grate- grateful grateful ful erate-ful ful for Cor what I have learned from him But my pantomime I Is most most- mostly mostly mostly ly an from the tho music music- music which has developed since my early childhood and In which I dare say I have hav had very great reat successes as well as with my dances at Independent perform perform- performances performances ances before I came cimo to Arne America ricO It Is my Intention to stage similar performances here as soon toon as I Ican Ican cnn can find tin the convenient time and opportunity My opinion Is that dance li is an nn art that can an be taught but pantomime grace groce and I are arc congenial and can therefore only bo be taught to a 0 certain certain certain tain extent extent because In this artmore art artmore artmore more than In any other It Is necessary to t develop de Individuality Mile Mille Bluebeard I have created myself but but as ns It was necessary tomake to tomalee tomake make malee It shorter than originally Intended I also had to shorten the sword dance which wa was by Mr But anyway I am ll thank thank- thankful thankful thankful ful to Mr for tor having given me a n chance to show a of oC my ability and th the whole ar ar- ar arrangement arrangement with the picking o of oC the music directing given sketches for Cor costumes and scenery scenery have havo all been o of great interest to me I Sincerely GRETA NISSEN It Is not surprising that Long Island Is well sprinkled with Ith nc- nc actors ac actors tors colonies They must feel so mu much h at pt t home hom there because beca lse it Ison Is Ison on Long I Island that practically every modern society drama com com- comedy comedy edy or farce has IJas its ills ts locale locate I Imagine most actors woud would bo be ata at ata a 0 complete loss as to how to havo bc-havo be- be lava havo It an In author Interested In New York or New v Jel ey real estate should lay his Ills plot in West West- Westchester Wet chester or In one ono Of o the Oranges No to the play playwright who may live In luxury on Drive or starve star In a n Greenwich Village hall bedroom Long Lone Island stands I as the th perfect emblem of ot smart smart- smartness I smartness ness and And then If It we areto ju by bytho ho Long Lone Island of ot the t t theatre the homes and their multimillion mu multimillionaire aire alro Inhabitants never vary vary ari and that fact tact alone saves the tho play play play- playwright wright t from searching out new styles style In decoration or new tw r- r w types for his characters A living room with prettily tinted walls walli wall chintzy chairs and curtains a and d an van open fireplace with a white wood man n man man- mantel mantel tel It Is over the latter that tb the villain In tweed knickers drapes drapeD himself while he ho tries to Induce the pretty but somewhat discon discon- discontented discontented discontented tented chatelaine of liB the Iho villa to come to his Park Avenue bachelor apartment at the end of oC the sec second sec sec- second ond act acts And then o of course there Is that wonderful e doorway upstage center of which the doors urn ure always Ils open showing the tho full s sweep of the cropped close close close- lawns And it Is through it that come corn allour all allour allour our old friends of oC stage stagg L t Island tho bo o tired husband return return- returnIng returning return inc Ing from a 11 hot day at nt his Wall Val street office the tho boy In n flannels carrying a tennis racquet tennis racquet the gay flappers Clappers with very v very rY short skirts and evidently e kissable and an easily tl d-tl the e morose with butler the ramrod back and a 11 silver sll tray ot of cocktAils and Md last but far from least least constant raucous noises no doubt Intended as IlS honks bonks from Crom expensive cars cars carrying itch Ilch and d gay n neighbors the lip up p the the may devil me life A sporty they lend lead at Old Westbury Westbury the footlights 00 00 |