New Musical in Manhattan

Reunion in New York (produced by The American Viennese Group, Inc.). The Viennese actors of last season's revue, From Vienna, seemed engaging and talented, but too alien for Broadway. The trouble wasn't their accent, which was piquant, but their material, which was ponderous. When they offered a second bill last week, their accents were less piquant but their sketches were more lively. Reunion in New York is more or less Broadway's conception of a Viennese revue. (And, just as likely, Vienna's conception of a Broadway one.) It lacks the pace of the U. S. product, and its sophistication does not consist of being hep to the quirks of cafe society. Instead it has, at its best, the gaiety of a Continental cabaret, and a sophistication based on real culture. When it is not at its best, its culture becomes a liability, its leisureliness a disaster.

An agreeable if upsy-downsy show, Reunion in New York would be better were its performers less wistful about their homeland. In spite of a girl who wails that she wants Artie Shaw, and not Johann Strauss, the group does quite a bit of gulping for the Wiener Wald. It's understandable; but on stage, as off, a little heartbreak goes a long way.

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