Louise Groody, Star in "Hit the Deck," Emphasizes Trend of Drama to Musical Comedy--Sings to Crimson Reporter

Musical comedy is rapidly becoming the most popular form of stage production, and this is one of its most successful years, according to Louise Groody, petite star of "Hit the Deck."

"Most people are amused by rather light productions, but they are getting tired of looking at the spectacular scenery and clothes of the reviews," declared Miss Groody to a CRIMSON reporter in her dressing room at the Tremont Theatre. "They want a touch of plot, good comedy, and action, with their music, and only musical comedy meets the demand.

"One of the best reasons why musical comedy has been so unusually successful lately is that its composers are beginning to realize that they must write pieces that people can sing and play themselves," she continued. "The production must have catching numbers that are easily remembered, that people can him and carry along in their heads with out effort." Here she illustrated her point by humming a familiar part of "Sometimes I'm Happy," keeping time with the motions of her curling-iron.

"Another thing that makes people come to see a musical comedy is a number of well-known names in the cast," she went on. "The people who play in it, besides being important, must also be young and attractive. And you will notice that the plot of nearly every musical comedy this year has a youthful appeal. This year producers have tried to combine all these qualities, together with good comedy, and as a result only three musical comedies have failed in New York this season, while the drama, operetta, and revue have not had any remarkable success.

"I like to play to college audiences," she declared, changing her subject. "They are much quicker to catch on, and an appreciative audience is easier to play to. I can tell in the first three minutes I am on the stage just how responsive the audience is, not by the applause, but by the little ripples of amusement.