The Playgoer

The one-man show is not a new phenomenon in show business, nor is it a temporary one. Maurice Chevalier recently gladdened the hearts of local audiences in his post-war American revival tour. Now it's Ray Bolger's turn, and the results are equally pleasant--though it should be noted that "Three to Make Ready" is a one-man show in effect but not in design.

Back from a year-long run on Broadway, the man with the India-rubber legs and the pantomimic face makes an otherwise modiocre revue well worth seeing. Unchallenged master of the soft-shoe dance, Ray brought the house down with his hilarious parodies of the latter-day rhumba and jitterbug, and then went on to display further talents as a top-notch practitioner of low comedy in several skits that would have done credit to the Old Howard in its better days.

Between Bolger, the audience was variously entertained by a melange of unrelated items, best of which was Brenda Forbes' side-splitting version of the libretto of "Dio Walkure." Kaye Ballard, appealing young newcomer, displayed a good talent for putting over a humorous song; she would go far if only she could muster enough volume for the gallery seats. Further time was killed in a tongue-in-cheek attempt to portray "The American Tragedy" via the R-H (Rodgers and Hammerstein) formula. Dreiser is already dead, but his estate might find grounds for some sort of lawsuit here.

With all due apology to Actors' Equity, there really wasn't any need for these other acts; the results would have been far happier if Bolger had been left alone. Currently, however, you can see just enough of him to make the evening worth the price of admission.