The Fall of Eve (play)

The Fall of Eve is a play written in 1925 by Anita Loos and John Emerson. It was originally titled Aren't Men Brutes, but the title was changed in April 1925.[1] It began an out-of-town tryout run in Stamford Connecticut on May 8. The original cast included Ruth Gordon, Reginald Mason, Claude King, Cora Witherspoon, and Diantha Pattison.[2] It followed that with performances at the Belasco Theatre in Washington D. C.,[3][4] After the D.C. show, the show went on hiatus, expecting to resume in the fall.[5]

On August 24, the show opened out of town at the Savoy Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey, for a one-week run, prior to its Broadway premiere.[6][7] It opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on August 31, 1925.[8] The opening night cast included Gordon, King, Mason, Pattison, and Witherspoon, from the original cast, as well as Albert Albertson, Alonzo Fenderson, Doris Kemper, and Nadine Winstan.[9] The play closed the week of October 24, after a run of 48 performances.[9][10]

Reception

The play received mixed reviews. Burns Mantle of the Daily News gave it a favorable review, saying it was a "pertinent comedy", and the Gordon "scores another palpable hit".[11] However, Alexander Woollcott of the Philadelphia Inquirer gave the play a poor review, saying it was "a dull, daffy and dimly distasteful drama."[12] Similarly, Arthur Pollock of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle also gave the play a terrible review, predicting that its run on Broadway would not be a long one.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Notes". Times Union. April 26, 1925. p. 16. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Theatre Notes". Daily News. May 3, 1925. p. 22. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Current Attractions". Evening Star. May 10, 1925. pp. Part 3, Page 1. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Amusements". Evening Star. May 12, 1925. p. 18. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Untitled". Daily News. May 31, 1925. p. 39. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ ""Fall of Eve" Comes to Savoy Theatre". The Daily Record (Long Branch, NJ). August 20, 1925. p. 4. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ ""The Fall of Eve"". Asbury Park Press. August 25, 1925. p. 11. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ ""The Fall of Eve" at the Booth". The Standard Union. September 1, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "The Fall of Eve". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Clifford Baker (October 24, 1925). "Latest News of the New York Theatres". The Montreal Star. p. 22. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Burns Mantle (September 2, 1925). ""The Fall of Eve" is Pertinent Comedy". Daily News. p. 26. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Alexander Woollcott (September 6, 1925). ""Second Thoughts on First Nights"". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 27. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Arthur Pollock (September 6, 1925). "Plays and Things". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. pp. 2E. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.