The Shuberts spent a great deal of money on a Franz Lehar operetta, entitled "The Moon Rises," and succeeded in making it one of the most elaborately tedious shows of the year. With the expensive assistance of two comedians, two specialty dancers, one tall-dark-handsome-gypsy hero, one glamorous-from-Paris heroine, and a large chorus, they attempted to reproduce the atmosphere which has made so many of their past ventures successful. Unfortunately, the day of Mr. Franz Lehar seems to be over. Conventional tunes, unfunny lines, a complicated and ill-written plot combine to make "The Moon Rises" seem a rehash of all the more insipid shows of the early 'Twenties.

The cast weaves its way through the messy plot principally against a background of a Roumanian chateau, solidly built, attributable only to the architectural school which conceived Steuben's Rathskeller. Singing with irrelevant gestures, fullface always to the audience, the players in "The Moon Rises" are forced to be more aggressively charming than most musical comedy actors because every line given them, must, to survive, be punctuated with a sweeping gesture, or a flashing smile.