New Plays

The Ethiopian Art Theatre. It was the avowed purpose of Mr. Raymond O'Neil, director of this group of Negro players, to develop his troupe along the lines of their own individual and racial characteristics rather than to train them into a smooth imitation of white-skinned actors. And here, it would seem, he has succeeded already--and should succeed to an even greater degree in the future. The first bill of their repertory season consists of a one-act curtain-raiser, The Chip Woman's Fortune, followed by Oscar Wilde's Salome. The Chip Woman's Fortune, a mild little comedy, is played with extraordinary verisimilitude--with delightful warmth and grace. Salome, of course, is a more pretentious production and not quite such a successful one. Sydney Kirkpatrick made an admirably repulsive Herod and Solomon Bruce as the flea-bitten Jokanaan was noteworthy. Salome (Evelyn Freer) danced circumspectly--in fact she was oddly reminiscent of the Daily Dozen, at times -- but her interview with Jokanaan's removable top was horridly effective.

The Rivals. Sheridan's star ascends once again in all its blaze of eighteenth century wit and laughter. If any cast can do The Rivals justice, the Equity Players do it--almost. Mary Shaw as Mrs. Malaprop plucks her juicy verbiage with consummate taste. James T. Powers as David corners the greatest single contribution of laughter and applause--enough to make a dozen Broadway successes. But what one actor has a chance to shine pre-eminently in such a congeries of stars: Maclyn Arbuckle, McKay Morris, Francis Wilson, J. M. Kerrigan, John Craig, Violet Heming, Eva Le Galliene, Vivian Tobin! The only weakness in the cast is Sidney Blackmer as Captain Absolute--too modest at his intrigue. Magnificent acting, to be sure, but more than that--Sheridan. For Value Received, as might be expected from its title, deals with the familiar woman who pays for what is generally referred to in such drama as "breaking the rules of a man-made social code." She has a splendid opportunity to knock the present social system and Men with a capital M for a row of rhetorical rockets. All of which, with subsidiary complications, well played by a competent cast, should furnish sufficient entertainment for the theatre goer who prefers to see his drama proceed along fairly well-worn lines.

Percy Hammond: " Very good in spots and rather bad in others . . . an interesting hybrid."

J. Ranken Towse: "Strong drama, well acted."

The Mountebank. Andrew Lackaday was a bilingual clown in small-time French Vaudeville. He hoped for higher things and read books on military tactics on the side. The war found him a music hall success--thanks partly to the assistant he had rescued from starvation--a young French lady named Elodie whose husband had left her. Andrew liked Elodie (though, of course, their relationship was just one of those hygienic affairs), but she hated fresh air and left her lingerie around the flat too much, so he went to war, became a brigadier general and fell in love with Lady Auriel Dayne. Of course, that makes a lot of trouble. The piece is well-cast and furnishes an innocuous evening's entertainment. Adapted from a novel, of W. J. Locke, it suffers the fate of most such adaptations. Alan Dale: "Involved and hopelessly tedious play." Kenneth Macgowan: "Some pleasant moments."