DRAMA AND SPECTACLE

Evening Star, Issue 21786, 31 July 1934, Page 13

DRAMA AND SPECTACLE

INTERMINGLED IN EMPIRE'S NEXT Alice Brady, Jackie Cooper, Jimmy Durante, Frank Morgan, Fay Templeton, Madge Evans—brilliant names of Broadway and Holly wood-will parade on Friday at the Empire Theatre, where ‘ Broadway to Hollywood,’ spectacular cavalcade of the theatre will be shown. This pageant of the stage, mingling poignant drama with'dazzling pageantry, tells the story of three generations of: troupers; the rise of vaudeville, and the ultimate decline of vaudeville in favour of the picture. In this intensely human drama of the loves and levs, the t-iumnhs and heart-breaks of a vaudeville family whose career is traceovci a period of-fifty years, a touching narrative is, interwoven with' colourful spectacle as the audience from time to time sees what is going on upon the stage as well as behind the scenes. Fay Templeton sings, Barney Eagan dances of yore. There are gorgeous Albertina Rasch ballets. The dramatic climax shows 500 dancers in the largest, talking picture set ever built. Alice Brady and Frank Morgan play ’the original dancing team, progressing from youth to old age in superb characterisations. Jackie Cooper scores in the role of the young dancer, and Eddie Quillau gives a splendid impersonation of the grandson who becomes a famous Hollywood star. “ Schnozzle ” Durante makes his every appearance side-split-ting. as usual, and the romantic interludes are ably handled by Madge Evans and Russell Hardie. •