New Show in Manhattan

Priorities of 1942 (produced by Clifford C. Fischer) is Broadway's latest attempt to revive vaudeville, and by far its best. It has its shortcomings, but at least it doesn't try, as previous shows have, to revive vaudeville by reviving decrepit vaudeville acts. Here & there it is cluttered with bric-a-brac from the old homestead; otherwise Priorities proves a cozy, informal meeting place for two generations of actors. Among the veterans is Lou Holtz, who, carrying the same old cane, cracking the same old jokes with the same old skill, acts as master of ceremonies--and Willie Howard with his long-suffering look, low-comedy antics, and fine assortment of accents.

If age contributes the savvy, it's youth that has the oomph. Pretty, dusky Nightclub Performer Hazel Scott tosses tunes from one end of the piano to the other in a dazzling succession of tempos and keys; and Paul Draper, least typical and most aristocratic of tap dancers, performs in his crispest and most brilliant style.

On opening night, in a house filled with lowbrows in quest of the old corn, it was Caviartist Draper who stopped the show.

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