New Play in Manhattan

Skylark (by Samson Raphaelson; produced by John Golden) ushers in the season's first drawing-room comedy. It is a triangle play about the husband, the wife (Gertrude Lawrence) and the advertising agency that has the husband bewitched. Says the wife: Choose between me and your job. He chooses her, becomes her dream man again. Then he breaks his word and takes another job; but this time, for reasons Playwright Raphaelson keeps piggishly to himself, it's hip hip hooray with the wife.

Skylark has the sleek look of good drawing-room comedy--a luxurious stage set, a pile of monogrammed wisecracks, a cynical bachelor, a sophisticated butler, a poison-breathing bitch. But Playwright Raphaelson does nothing with them: they add up to a formula instead of a good time. His most original idea has been to have his characters spend most of their waking hours on the telephone.

Fortunately Skylark has Gertrude Lawrence to give it wings. Gertie is one of those girls it's fun just to be with, without doing anything in particular. She romps and coos and pouts and purrs so gaily (even when there is no reason to) that Skylark has the same meaningless but unmistakable high spirits that a person gets from singing in the bath.

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