: "£ THE MICTITGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, APRIJL 21, 1940
Shaw's'Pygmalion' Will Open 11th Drama Season P
May
13
Playwright Sidney Kingsley To Visit!Season Secures
Here For Play, 'The World We Make i Two Premieres
-- --TeWl Broadway Is Relegated
Each year the Drama Season ties reduction. Schooled in Eva LeGal- To 'Also-Ran' Ranks
to bring3 to Anal Arbor at legst one Ofenne's famous Fourteenth Street
C)Iic't:la. l~fi bPPI i~ti~l n I rntad 3
A Rule Almost Kept Him Away ...
yld nus eenr ~ea ana tested
on Brcadway the preceding winter.
this year's Broadway represen-
taiive, however, the Season has not
only succeeded in importing the
play, but also three of its key actors
and its author.
The play is Sidney Kingsley's "The
World We Make." Kingsley, who
also has to his credit "Dead End",
and "Men In White," has announced
that he will accompany his wife,3
Madge Evans, to Ann Arbor for the
duration of the* play's run,
Miss Evans originally planned to(
10 the play in New York. At some-
time during the rehearsals, however,
Dan Cupid made an entrance and
Miss Evans an exit-to marry author
Kingsley. The part was taken over
by Margo. Miss Evens will return to
the part-the feminine lead-in the
Ann Arbor production..
Opposite Miss Evans will be Her-.
Bert Rudley, who willhassume the
same. role he had in the New York
RZepertcry Theatre, where he ap-
peared in such plays as "CradleI
eng,"' "Allison House, Romeo and
Juliet" and "The Good Hose." Rud-
ey since has appeared in "We, the
People," "Brother Rat, Max Rein-
hart's "The Eternal Road" and "Abe
Like David slaying Goliath, Ann
Arbor will beat New York to the jump
in presenting two plays during the
approaching season.
"Pygmalion," the opening play, has
appeared in both stage and motion
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Lincoln in Illinois." picture productions. Ann Arbor's
Two other artists who will repeat victory comes, however, in the fact
their Broadway performances are that Ruth Chatterton is presenting
Kasia Orzazewski and Tito Vuolo. her production here preliminary to
This pair, furnishing the comedy taking it on to New York.
element in the play, will have Polish A more positive victory for local
and Italian character roles, respec- theatre enthusiasts is the announce-
tively. ment that the American premiere of
Kingsley developed his play out St. John Ervine's comedy, "Boyd's
of Millen Brand's noyel "The Out- Shop," will be given here. -Whitford
ward Room" and has fashioned a Kane, amiable and able Irish actor,
prize-winning drama from the story will take the leading role here and
of the mentally unbalanced girl ( will continue with the show when it
who, escaping from an institution, moves on to New York.
heals herself by living a normal life Last year Ann Arbor won a special
with normal people. The prize given release on Jean Giraudaux's "No War
the play by the Theatre Club adds 1In Troy!" and presented the play's
to the Pulitzer Prize which Kingsley American premiere. Philip Merivale
garnered for "Men In White" starred in the production.
Too Much Realism
MADGE EVANS
._ ,
__ __
i
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MRIL
ORDERS
NO~W
for
Actors' Guild Stretches Rules
To Permit Vuolo's Appearance
Dramatic Season
Tickets
COUNTER SALE OPENS WEDNESDAY. 10 A.M.
GARDEN ROOM, MICHIGAN LEAGUE
BRILLIAN PLY
"PYGMALION"
Pre-Broadw ay Pr od1lc ;ion B ROADWAY
"THE WINTER'S TALE" AND HOLLY WOOD
Wi/h the Little Svmphony Orch'sI ra ARTISTS
"THE WORLD WE MAKE"
Sidney Ki ngsley's Prize-Winning Play
"BOYD'S SHOP"
RUTH CHATTERTON
MADY CHRISTIANS
Tito Vuolo almost had to call in
the NLRB in order to come to Ann
Arbor.
Tito is the Italian character actor
who, in the New York production
of "The World We Make," played
the comedy role so brilliantly that
Ann Arbor Season officials decided
they could not replace him. They
had to sign Tito or else.
But Tito was having labor trou-
bles. He is not yet a full-fledged
citizen of the United States, and
Equity, the actors' guild, has a rule
that a foreign actor cannot appear
in two consecutive plays without six
months intervening, a rule designed
to protect American actors. It look-
nd bad for Vuolo and the Season.
Equity, however, isn't one of those
-esky unions that insists on follow-
ng its by-laws to the letter. And
anyway Tito's second papers are
ibout due. Consequently, the guild
Notable Stars
Have' Studded
Dramatic Bill
By WINSTON H. COX
The 1940 Dramatic Season will of-
ficially begin its 11th year Monday,
May 13, when the first-nighters file
into their seats in the Lydia Mendels-
sohn Theatre and await the drawing
of the curtain which will present to
them the galaxy of stars whose role
it will be to carry on a great Michi-
gan institution.
Beginning with the day that Robert
Henderson, son of Prof.-Emeritus
William D. Henderson, director-emer-
itus of the University Extension Serv-
,ce and a Michigan Graduate who was
active in theatrical affairs, conceived
the idea of the Seasons, their growth
and popularity have increased as
their bills have come to include more
and more pominent stars from coast
to coast.
Philip Merivale Opened
Last year the Season opened with
Philip Merivale, an internationally-
known star, playing the lead in "No
War in Troy." Appearinghopposite
him were Dotis Dalton, who is now
playing in the lead in a long-run
play in Chicago, and Edith Atwater
who has the female lead in the New
York play, "The Man Who Came to
Dinner." The Season presented also
such stars as Whitford Kane, who will
return this. year in the Season and
also as co-director of the Sum-
ner Repertory Players; James Bell,
Joanna Roos and Gladys Cooper.
Many International Stars
Down through the 11 years one can
>pot the names of many national and
nternational stars such as Nazimo-
va-the great actress who returned
to the legitimate stage after an abor-
tive motion picture career; Jane Cowl,
Pauline Lord, Blanche Yurka-whose
brilliant performance in the movie
version of "The Tale of Two Cities";
won for her much fame, Aline Mac-
Mahon-who was starred in many;
relented, diluted the stringency of
its regulations and gave Tito its
blessing for his Ann Arbor debut.
Et T u Brute?.,.
Orson Welles scared America out
of a year's growth with the realism
of his radio description of a Marsian
attack on the Eastern seaboard.
That was bad enough, but Shakes-
pearian actor Joseph Holland has
more convincing proof of Welles'
mania for realism. Holland was
playing Julius Caesar for America's
JOSEPH HOLLAND
theatrical dynamo and the play was
so painstakingly authenticated that,
in the general melee of the murder
scene, he was actually stabbed.
Holland spend a month in a hos-
pital wondering what would happen
if Orson ever decided to get a sub-
machine gun and play Little Caesar.
A product of the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Arts in London, Hol-
land made his American premiere
with Katherine Cornell in "Romeo
Stage, Filem
Stars Signed
For Festival
Arrangemnents Completed
For Four Plays; Plans
For Fifth Are Delayed
Season Will Present
'Boyd's Shop' Debut
By HERVIE HAUFLER
Utilizing every dramatic resource
rom the Shakespearian stage to the
Kleig lights of Hollywood, the ele-
ienth annual Ann Arbor Dramatic
>eason will open a five-week fes-
val of plays May 13 in the Lydia
'AIendelssohn Theatre.
Arrangements have been com-
leted for four of the five plays to
>e presented. Among the atists al-
'eady engaged are: Madge Evans,
Ruth Chatterton, Mady Christians,
D)ana Barrymore,aWhitford Kane,
Barry Thompson and Hiram Sher-
man.
An auspicious send-off will be
,iven the Season wh'en Ruth Chat-
rerton presents her production of
Shaw's "Pygmalion." Local interest
n the play will be supplemented by
the attention of New York theatre-
-oers, since Miss Chatterton expects
o do the play in New York this fall.
Born In .New York
Born in New York City, Miss
Chatterton was educated at Pelham
Manor, New York. She made her
first appearance on the New York
stage as Isolde Brand in "The Great
Name" and subsequently appeared
in such successes as "Daddy Long-
Legs," "Frederick Lemaitre," "The
Little Minister," "The Green Hat"
and "The Affairs of Anatol." She
has also appeared in numerous mov-
ing pictures, including "Madame X"
-nd "Dodsworth."
Supporting Miss Chatterton in the
play will be Barry Thompson, her
leading man in recent productions
and a graduate of the Royal Acad-
emy of Dramatic Art in London.
The second week will bring a col-
orful presentation of Shakespeare's
seldom-done comedy, "The Winter's
Tale." Leading a strong cast of
Shakespearian artists will be Mady
Christians, Viennese actress who
ias starred with Max Reinhart and
Maurice Evans.
Diana Barrymore will take the role
-f Perdita, and Joseph Holland,
who has appeared with Katherine
Cornell and Leslie Howard, will play
Leonites. The role of Autolycus has
oeen given to Hiram Sherman, who
had a leading role last season in
Jerome Kern's "Very Warm for
May." The University's Little Sym-
phony orchestra will collaborate in
the production.
Selected as this year's Broadway
representative, Sidney Kingsley's
"The World We Make" will have a
five-day run beginning May 28.
Three of the original cast who will
repeat their performance in the Ann
Arbor production are: Herbert Rud-
ley, who has the leading male role,
Kasia Orzazewski and Tito Vuolo.
Miss Orzazewski and Vuolo provide
the comedy relief of the play.
Featured as the feminine lead will
be Madge Evans, who has been on
the stage since the age of five. After
appearing in such productions as
"Peter Ibbetson," "Daisy Mayne"
and "The Marquise," Miss Evans
spent eight years in Hollywood, star-
ring in innumerable silent films and
in "Exclusive Story," "Piccadilly
Jim," and "Pennies From Heaven."
Whitford Kane Will Return
Whitford Kane will return for one
of his frequent appearances on the
Lydia Mendelssohn stage in the Sea-
son's fourth play, "Boyd's Shop,"
to be presented June 4 to 8. The
play will be as Irish as Paddy's pig,
since it was written especially for
genial Mr. Kane by another Irish-
man, St. John Ervine.
The Ann Arbor showing of "Boyd's
Shop" will mark its American pre-
miere. Kane will continue in the
title role when the play opens in
New York next fall. The role of the
ingenue in the play has been given
to Helen Trenholme, who has ap-
peared in "Victoria Regina," "The
Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse," "The
Importance of Being Earnest" and
in several motion pictures.
Negotiations for the final play
and its stars are not yet complete,
but announcements will be made
next week.
The Civic Committee, of which
Daniel L. Quirk is chairman, spon-
sors the Season. The Committee re-
cently appointed Valentine B. Windt
as director, Mrs. Lucille W. Walz
as business manager and James D.
Murnan as company manager, suc-
ceeding the late Helen Arthur and
her associates of the Actors-Man-
agers of New York.
a
MADGE
Ainerican Premiere
EVANS
D KANE
WH ITFOR
and a fifth to be announced
BARRY
JOSEPFH
DIANA
'THOMSON
I HOLLAND
BARRYMORE
and Juliet" and has since
in many Broadway hits.
play Leonotes in "The
Tale."
appeared
He will
Winter's
Apples For iilw
M
HELEN TRENHOLME
and t/hers
JUNE 15
"Esquire" this month
Season an indirect plug
oublished, as one of its
gave the
when it
series of
"Feminine Face Cards," a portrait
>f Diana Barrymore, who will appear
sere as Perdita in "The Winter's
:ale." To quote from the magazine:
, "On her rests the hopes of the
Royal Family of Broadway. She is
the eighteen-year-old daughter of
John Barrymore. Diana is her name
and novelist Michael Strange, who
was John's second wife, is her moth-
r. It's too early to tejl, but she
3eems to have inherited the Strange-
3arrymore spark. Like Father John,
she draws. Like Mother Michael,
zhe writes. But her career will be
.he only one the Barrymores con-
sider respectable. So she passes
ru'ougil debutante age without a
debut because she wants to get on
with her acting. Last summer she!
acted in summer stock. This past
'Season* ickets-6"0
-840
- 603
-50
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