1932 Milton Berle gets his Broadway break today in the show Earl Carroll's Vanities, which opened tonight at the Broadway Theatre. The former Vaudeville star gets to sing the popular song, "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" by Harold Arlen in this production, which was staged by Vincente Minnelli. The show will run for 11 weeks only, racking up 87 performances.
1942 Today was the wedding day for two famous couples, both very significant in the theatre world. Jessica Tandy married Hume Cronyn, starting a relationship that would blossom on stage as well as off, since they often worked together. They starred in Albee's A Delicate Balance in 1966, as well as The Gin Game by D. L. Coburn on Broadway in 1977 and the films "Foxfire" and "Batteries Not Included." Stella Adler and Harold Clurman were also married today. Both were founders of the Group Theatre, a socially-conscious troupe that became one of the most influential theatre companies of the century.
1966 The Actor's Studio Theatre announces today that is will cancel its season due to a funding shortage. The Three Sisters was the last production, having taken place in October 1964, and the profits left the company with just enough money to retain an infrastructure.
1972 The first graduating class of the Drama Division at the Juilliard School (referred to as "Group I") is directed by John Houseman in a production of School for Scandal. It's the first production of the City Center Acting Company and takes place at the Good Shepherd-Faith Church at Lincoln Center. Kevin Kline, playing Charles Surface, gets rave reviews from The New Yorker ("handsome," "rollicking"), but Patti LuPone's Lady Teazle does not get such great notices. She "has not yet the stage presence or dignity" for the role, but "she is appropriately merry and sly."
1999 The season at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre kicks off tonight withBluff, a new comedy-drama by playwright Jeffrey Sweet. Directed by Sandy Shinner, Bluff will star Jon Cryer known for his work in film, such as "Pretty In Pink." The play tells of a young couple coping with family baggage. --By Sam Maher and Ernio Hernandez
