P LAY S OF TODAY

1 95 0 - 1 95 4

C ORN E L IA SP EN C ER L OV E

CHAPEL

fi THE UN IVERSITY OF N ORTH CAROLI NA LIBRARY b lished our times ar c to b e anua A r n u Pu f a ye , O r, J ry, p il a d J ly,

b the niv ersit o N or h a li I/ib a/r nter d s y U y f t C ro na r y . E e a

s co d- c ass e b r 9 de e n l matt r Fe rua y 5 , 1 26, un r c the a t of A ugust 24 , 1 91 2 .

h e il C ap l H l, N . C . TA BLE OF C ONTENTS

D ec i e tor b Sidne Kin sl CHAPTER I . e t t v S y, y y g ey

o r o er J n Hart The F u p s t , b y a de og

The R ose Tattoo b T nne sse e Williams CHAPTER II . , y e

o H h Herb rt The M on I s Blue, b y F. ug e

arkn ss at N oon b Sidne Kin sl e CHAPTER III . D e , y y g y

e co t ro osals b Ho ard Lindsa The Pr s t P p , y w y

Russel C rouse

o le he b a b illiam n CHAPTER C me B ack, Litt S , y W I ge

a l sb o rn Poin t of N 0 R e turn, b y P u O

The Memb er o the Weddin b C ars n McC ullers CHAPTER V . f g, y o

i A i a L o s f rom the novel of C ole tte G gi, b y n t o ,

s rv d b hrist o h er Fr CHAPTER Venus Ob e e , y C p y

m l Ta l r S ab rina Fair, b y Sa ue y o

hr k os h Kramm CHAPTER The S i e , b y J ep

o er To n o se h Fields erom C h d r v W nd ful w , b y J p J e o o o

A a a era ohn van Drut n CHAPTER V III . I m C m , b y J e

h koo A r h r Laure nt The Time of t e C uc , b y t u s

e ath Rob ert A nderson CHAPTER T a and S ymp y, b y

“ ' r urder Fr deri Kn tt Dial M fo M , b y e ck o

ni illiam n CHAPTER ' . Pic c, b y W I ge

e ea b eor A lr The S ev n Y r I tch, y G ge xe od

e rucib le A rthur ill r CHAPTER ' I . Th C , b y M e

e ll ook and C andle ohn v an Drut n B , B , b y J e

The Kin and Hamm i CHAPTER ' II . g I , b y Oscar erste n

Richard Rodgers

o h c b r H m r S ut Pacifi , y Osca am e stein

Richard Rodgers

l R r ri i i m Bib liography of P ays, efe ence C t c s , Biography

Special Reference Bib liography

A ddres ses of Pub lishers

A dditional Reference Bib liography

C HAPTER I

DETE C TIVE STORY—THE FOURP OSTER

Detective S tor y is a savage, philosophical melodrama, show Ing all the things that can happen in a New Yo rk precinct po lice M n station between the hours of and 9 R . C ops a d robbers,

- reporters and pick pockets , prostitutes and complainants come and go . From the plaintive shoplifter to the Navy hero who has committed his first larceny, the characterizations are finely shad ed t , the alk pungent and provocative . Some of the criminals are incurably evil , while others need help and a kindly break .

“ The law is upheld by an interestingly assorted crew of officers , k f wor ing with apparent casualness , but deadly e ficiency, from L the tough tf Monoghan to the humane detective Brody .

Th Mc e e pivotal figure of the play is Detective L od, a plain clothesman whose hatred for a drunken father makes him favor d the third egree, pass sentence upon arrest, and hold that all human actions are either black o r white . When he beats up a surgeon , who has caused the death of two girls by illegal opera tions , he is trapped by his own fanatical intolerance . His wife ’ M as one of s ary, the apple of his eye, w onc e the doctor s patient , and McLeod cannot find it in his heart to forgive her, tho ugh f ’ he makes the ef ort His climactic death , from a killer s bullet , is perhaps the best solution , since we are told that his mother ended her days in an insane asylum . T urning from this crowded and turbulent scene , relief may be obtained in a gentle little two - character play endowed with o r oste charm and quietly engaging humor . F u p r takes its title from a huge o rnate bed with a tester that changes with the dec ades . It is a symb ol rather than the center of married life , standing in a corner and witnessing the happiness , the big and

- fi e little tragedies of the wedded state , over a period o f thirty v years , 1 890 to 1 925 .

n i Agnes a d Michael are shy on their wedding night . The r l b r T f first chi d is o n in a year . hey dif er strenuously over social b ehavior and the training of children , and twice are on the verge of separating . Seen through their commonplace experiences , im marriage looks ludicrous at times , occasionally downright

f and . possible . But it is requently tender sometimes touching 2 P LAY S or TODAY

a At the end of the pl y, their children married and settled , the couple prepares to move , leaving behind them the old family bed ,

which is too big for the new apartment . With sentimental re gret, plus a final bicker , they make it ready to greet the next ho generation of newlyweds , w without doubt will repeat the same familiar scenes . Fourposter was beautifully acted in its New York showing by Jessica Tandy and Hume C ronyn , a couple working together as harmoniously as the Lunts of yore , or as the Rex Harrisons

— - - o f today who , b y the way, were Agnes and Michael in the moving picture version .

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

i n Kin sl e 1 . D e te ctive S tory , b y S d ey g y

om o f he scene s t o e rea al d. h Outline the plot , se le cting s e t b d ou S ow in these how Kingsle y has comb in e d b rilliant do cume nt ary reporting with

m A lso that the ch aract ers are ell dra n the theat rical melodra a. w w ,

h e ro de scene s s ilf ull handle d. detectiv e s diff e rentiate d, t c w d k y

r L h c e tion h e r e erienc e ith S chn id r to o Is Ma y Mc e o d t e ex p , xp w e e ? p atently manuf acture d t o fit the plot

in on the inev itab le ne s a er re orte r too much Do you think Joe Fe s , w p p p , of a stock ch aract er ? i m tic h i air o Mc Le od in s ite of disli n hi . No Lt . Mo nog an s f t , p k g e ’ el h f o h m how McLe o d s ch aract e r gradually develop s . Do you fe t at r i death was the only solution ?

nd lo e - stor b t een san C armichael and Do you think the se co ary v y, e w Su ? as ell -handled A rthur Kindre d, w w ? What is yo ur final e stimat e of the play

h our oster b Jan de Harto 2 . T e F p , y g r f o A ne s Micha l and he i alici d lana Using thre e reade s, r g , e , t t ze exp m rmit If not c rtain art s uch as he h ole la if ti e e s . tions , give t w p y p , e p , s an ce ne I in b oth A cts Two and Three c o l d b e A ct One , S cene II , d S , u summarized and omitt e d.

A dditio nal Re ading Men in White ; De ad E nd ; b y Sidney Kingsle y

ir liff o de t C ountry G l, b y C rd O s CHAPTER II

ROSE TATTOO—THE MOON IS BLUE

T ennessee Williams, one of the most promising of our young playwrights , whose most successful plays have been S treetcar

amed D esire lass Mena erie N and G g , has spent some time in t Italy and S icily, and come up with a play of a different ype, a

- folk comedy about a Sicilian family living on the Gulf C oast ,

a erafina - between New Orle ns and Mobile . S is a simple minded

S icilian woman who has known the glory of love . When her

- is husband , a truck driver , killed while transporting dope under h a load of bananas , s e dedicates herself to the ideal which has enriched her life , placing his ashes in an urn beside a statue of the Virgin , on the parlor table , and wo rshiping before this mixed shrine .

U f for n ortunately the ideal , her husband. did not love her alone . Gossip about his infidelity surrounds her with a murmur of ridicule and malice , tormenting her spirit and turning her

- against the world . At this low point another truck driver ap ff' pears o the road , who resembles her husband from the neck down , and he returns her to the warmth and comfort of human

0 society . Brooks Atkinson says ' For the past six years Mr Williams

s o n has been feeling fairly hopele s ab ut human beings , a d his wretched characters have been writhing in pain . To those who were afraid he had become impriso ned within a formula it is a especially gratifying to find this a comic play , that is lso com passionate and appreciative . Some of it is hilarious ; those gusty and volatile Sicilians blow hot and cold at bewildering ' speed .

h Moon I s Blue T e , by F . Hugh Herbert , centers around ma f f another uninhibited fe le, but one o a dif erent generation , ancestry and setting . Boy meets girl on the observation roof of the Empire State Building, and after c arefully explaining — a her maidenly innocence , girl guileless young TV actress agrees to go home with boy— a serious young architect —for a drink before dinner . At the apartment she offers to cook

an o ut - dinner, d while he is buying provender, a middle aged but engaging roué, who likes to make passes while holding a 4 P L-AY s OF TODAY

w glass of hiskey, drops in to find out why the architect has off broken with his daughter, particularly after keeping her out 1 0 A M until . . the previous night . T here is much talk, but very little action . The architect tries over the phone to shake off his whilom fiancee ; the father is uncertain whether he should horsewhip the architect or make f or S a play the Empire tate young lady ; while she , being both i na ve and worldly and also fantastically communicative, tries u on desperately to nderstand what is going , complicating every she thing puts her little mind to .

to r I It all adds up a gay, omant c trifle which pro duced an “ a To upro rious theatrical evening . quote Richard Watts , It succeeds handsomely in the feat of eating its cake and still hold in g onto it . Mr Herbert has written a sex comedy that has an a of tmosphere modest sophistication , and yet manages to keep ' a spirit of attractive innocence .

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

s T t nn i li ms 1 . The Ro e at oo, b y Te e sse e W l a

n of h l o th he Give a b rief outli e t e p t , wi sketc s of Serafina, Ro sa, n i ll nd ac H nt er Ma g ac av a o , a J k u . h r Re ad a f ew sc enes, b ringing out the se c aract e s . “ ' i he mb olism of the rose t att o Do o hi i is Descr b e t sy o . y u t nk t ' l r lo l ne ar o b url es ? succe ssfu , or pe i us y t que Do you think th e play has mo re of a b uild-up than a f ulfilment? A i l en e a the enin ene l l prom se of b o od and v d tt in op g sc s , a l too easi y settled b y a telephone call and the ent rance of Mangiacavallo ? r e o h ar c r h r There are many ext an us c a te s. Do t ey all cont ib ut e to the o ld ou eliminat e s me h m? story, or w u y o of t e h i h T e same que stion appl es to the neig b orhood witch , and pursuit of the go at . n h a i n t n Discuss the roma ce of t e p ss o a e you g daughter and the sailor. Doe s e ach ring t rue t o lif e ? h l e H rb er 2. T e Moon I s B u , b y F. Hugh e t h la ri in he har Either tell the story of t e p y, desc b g t c acters and read l r l hr o re ader reh ar hem nd ing p arts of the dia og, o se ec t t ee g od s , e se t , a ’ i h i l et them take th e p arts of Patty O Ne ll, Donald Gre s am and Dav d

h u cut th e lanati n to limit hi to an h r. Slater. Enoug co ld b e , wi xp o s , t s ou

Additional Re ading a S ummer and S mo ke ; C mino R eal, b y Tennessee Williams a a u n a The Gr ss H rp, b y Tr ma C pote

’ re es shu L an Wisteria T , b y Jo a og ut A ndré R us in The Little H , b y o s C HAP TER III

DA RKNESS A T NOON—THE PRESC OTT PROPOSALS

Sidney Kingsley has made a gripping and provocative play out

’ K stl r ar s o of of Arthur oe e s novel , D knes at N o n . It is the story the sh 1 3 om last days of Rub a ov , who prior to 9 7 was a Soviet C missar with considerable power , and in good standing with the

P the ol arty . He was one of d Bolsheviks , who while devoting his life to the Revolution had b een ruthless and cruel and im placable , in the co nviction that the grim means he employed u wo ld some day result in a world of peace and brotherhood .

o Of He then made two serious err rs , at least in the eyes his superiors . He fell in love with his attractive secretary, and he

began to doubt and to question . Inevitably , he fell a victim to

the endless purges . In prison , his case progressed b y interviews d i and inquisitions at the hands of the war ens . His past s shown f through flashbacks . The drama is heightened by the ability o the other prisoners to communicate with him through a system l of tapping on the wa ls . Meanwhile Rub ashov comes to realize m , that the evil eans became the end , that the monster who con

emne h d d him was his o wn creation . T e Revolution , achieved at any cost, was to destroy the idea of Go d, personal property , and he as individual liberties . T State w to be all , was to bring abun

dance and happiness to the many . But what the leaders failed to see was that the Revolution inevitably consumed its more sensitive , intelligent and visionary leaders , leaving the goons ,

- and the strong arm bo ys , to take over and perpetuate a reign of terror .

The s h play ho ws , with terrible clearness , ow diabolically relentless mental and physical torture could break down the m Ru asho orale of a strong character , such as b v , could induce a him to plead guilty, knowing it meant death or worse . It p n i n peals to the mind a d the intellect , at the same time nfiami g the emotions to an almost unbearable degree . Howard Barnes “ a calls it, A fiercely lucid arraignment of C ommunism nd an afii rmation by implication of the democ ratic way of life .

’ ’ h r s In contrast , Howard Lindsay s and Russel C rouse s T e P e cott P roposals seems almost drawing- room comedy, though it contains its quota of spokesmen from behind the Iron C urtain . 6 P LAY S OP TODAY

Mrs . P rescott, the U . S . representative to the United Nations , is presenting proposals that will put the emphasis more on the areas of agreement between the nations than upo n their dif P ferences . However , it appears that in her youth Mary rescott

had a romantic affair with a young C zech , who is now a member

of the puppet C zechoslovakian delegation . He pays her an

he unexpected visit, when S is expecting some of the delegates

to a cocktail party in her New York apartment , and falls dead

of a heart attack in her bedroom .

To avoid a scandal that would wreck the P rescott P roposals ,

the Russian , British , French and P akistan delegates agree to ’ n move the body to the C zech s hotel , reporti g the death as having

occurred there , and solemnly swearing never to divulge the

- secret . But the double crossing Russian goes back on his word , feeling sure that the C zech was running out and seeking sanctu M n d c mmen ary . atters look black for the heroine, u til a ra io o o tator , who is mildly in l ve with her , recalls that the Soviet delegate had betrayed his own girl friend for placing romance

above the party line . He atones for his treachery by absolving “ Mr s . P rescott, which leads her to hope that what happened ih ' side you today will someday happen inside Russia .

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

ar e t oon n 1 . D kn ss a N , b y Sid ey Kingsley “ ' Rea th in ro duc ion o A c ne r nite an ir n ' a in d e t t t t O , G a d o s a sett g o h l f r t e p ay . line he or h l a i e din c o Out t st y, wit int e rpo t ve r a gs su h as c nversations

e en he risone r int erv i noff an k n l i b etw t p s, ews with Iva d Glet i , c onc ud ng i h A t Thre e u i re d rs a f in w t c , s ng a e t o t ke the parts o Rub ashov , Gletk ,

no . 3 02 and no . 4 02.

Discuss Rub asho as an hon i I v e st , b ut m st aken p atriot . Do es the play make cle ar why so many of the e arlier Revolutionarie s were lat er liquidat e d? How c o nf e ssions could b e wrung f rom seemingly innoce nt men ?

Do ou thin the author K l r y k , oe st e , h as b een skilf ul in lessening the horror of th e play b y making the vict im a f ormer Bolshevik ? Or at the ime of t orture do h t , es t is make any real difference ? Discuss the flashb ac s as servin t li h h i k , g o g ten t e t ens on, and afford chan e f g o scene . Th f h e to r o t e irl Lub a . A arentl in the o i id ol an s y g pp y, S v et e ogy , y e altation of human lov e ab ov e art e al is unisha e d a o x p y z p b l b y e th . N te h ow this theme is ec hoe d in The resco tt ro os P P p als . Would ou li e to se e this la c e y k p y a t d, or would it b e almo st unb earab ly p oignant ? DARKNESS AT NOON THE PRESCOTT PROPOSAL 7

2 The resco tt ro osals H r Lind a . P P p , b y owa d s y Russel C rouse T l h h i e l t e st ory of t e play in some deta l . Have the authors adde d anyt hing to our understanding of international

aff irs or ha h onl n h n a im l a , ve t ey y s at ched at t e United Natio s s a t e y b ackgro und f o r melo drama? D t o i i h er l ? o he p l t cs se em sinc ere , as f ar as t ey go , or m e y superficial Do e s each dele gate convincingly repre sent his count ry ? ’ h r h C omment on the he roine s love aff airs, b o t the ea ly and t e lat e . “ ri i h t i i i Would yo u agree with one c t c of t e play, hat it s l ghtwe ght ' a riou r s tr i he a re f un ? s se s d ama, a s a ght t t good

Additional Re ading o h Ko s l e Darkness at N o n, b y A rt ur e t r CHAPTER IV

TT — C OME BAC K , LI LE SHEBA P OINT OF NO RETURN

The of ome Back i t h first part C , L t le S e ba Shows the dreary home of a Middle West chiropractor who is well along in a cure ’ - for alcoholism . Doc s messy house is run by his good natured but slovenly wife, Lola , who is sentimental, lazy and common . T —“ heir baby has long since died , and a cute white puppy little S b — he a that Lola loved has recently disappeared . From this slight beginning the play develops in consequences that are wild Th and frightening . e irritations and frustrations and tragic Doc memories are more than can stand , and things blow up when he finds that their girl roomer, a sweet little coed , but loose , is having an affair with a dumb athlete , though engaged to a nice young fellow from her home town .

r Doc grabs a b ottle , goes on a bende , tries to eliminate his ’ stupid wife with a hatchet, and is led off to the city s drunk ward

s by two stalwarts from Alcoholic Anonymous . Back at home, D sobered and repentant, oc and Lola cling desperately together, a afraid of the horrible things th t have happened , but trying to f face the future with a renewed af ection and understanding, re h solved to begin living in the present rat er than the past .

T was 1 95 0 his the outstanding play of , by William Inge, a young dramatist who has shown great originality, and is one of o of our few best h pes for the theatre tomorrow. It also intro duced Shirley Booth to her first starring role , as Lola , and the

North C arolina actor , Sidney Blackmer , as Doc . Both of them received awards , for the best acting of the year, and it is a pity that Blackmer was not given the part of Doc in the moving pic O ture version . NO spectator who saw him go ff the deep end , in his big tragic scene of fury and despair, will ever forget his

magnificent acting . P oint of N 0 R eturn tells the story of a quite different house

a insi nificance hold , whose problems f de into g in comparison with P the barren existence of Doc and Lola . aul Osborn based the

’ play o n John Marquand s popular novel ab out a j unior bank Of i ficial who has been creeping up the financial ladder , until he s

- now within reach of the almost ultimate goal , a vice presidency . But when he arrives at this point he discovers that it isn ’t real ly what he wanted at all—b ut it is too late for him to do anything PLAYS OF TODAY 9

i ’ but go on ; in the ocean fi er s phrase , he has reached the point ' of no return . It is a plausible satire of o ur whole American system of the

' struggle for advancement . C harles Gray has a devoted wife,

on but she keeps prodding him , making their home life unbear

o o ? ably tense . Sh uld he invite the b ss to dinner Dare he buy

o - his s n a sail boat ? And in town , at the bank , how far can he bring himself to play the sycophantic role required of him ?

h . T e play poses a real problem , and then evades the answer ’ A s s T s Jo hn C hapman say , here i n t any profound philosophy in P oint of N 0 R eturn for it is basically the familiar j oke about keeping up with the Joneses—but it is highly satisfactory the ' atre .

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

me ac Lit e he b a l 1 . C o k tl S b Wil iam n B , , y. I ge R A n n n c en 1 3 and 4 summarizin ead ct O e , Sce e 1 , a d A ct Two , S es , , g h n m t e S ce es o it te d.

Largely b e cause the atmo sphe re has b een so humdrum and lif e so

- du h lo off hen i come s i li n emotional tidal av e . Dis sty, t e b w , w t , s ke a w ’ cuss the cumulating f actors that le d up t o Doc s e xplosion . Do he and Lo la se em ve ry re al p e opl e ? ’ How doe s Marie s p resenc e aff ect e ach one of them h i hin n s u Do you like t e e nd ng , o r t k that it leave s the p ri c ipal s s pende d in mid- air ? 2 oint o o R e turn a l sb or . P f N , b y P u O n T ll the to r of the la e s y p y . What do you think of the flashb acks ? It has b e en said that Gray ne e ds no lanatio n h r i li n c exp , e is j ust an av e age climb er n our c mb i g so i m n so actl li e h h ety, a a ex y k t e rest of us t at we recognize him at o nc e .

Doe s th e ub i uito u anthro olo i n i h q s p g st add a yth ng t o t e play, or is he unne ce ssary and humorless ? How would you answer the se criticisms of the ending ' that the moral st ru l is o o atl e l gg e t p y r so ve d, as Gray e ats his c ak e and has it to o in getting the jo b and kee ping his int egrity ; that it is a b it sugary f o r some of the mo re aci c omm nt r in d e p ec ed g it .

Or is all this h e r- critical since he la yp , t p y is entert aining, the charac ters lifelike ?

A dditional Reading ’ The L adie s o the C orridor D f , b y orothy Parker and A rnaud d Usse au C ocktail art P y, b y T. S . Eliot CHAPTER V

THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING—GIGI

The Memb er of the Wedding has been called a mood rather

its first - e than a play, but one that held night audienc spellbound, fascmated Mc llers by the C u magic . Attention is focussed on

- - Frankie Addams , a frustrated little twelve year Old hoyden in

a Georgia town, and a sympathetic Negro co ok, who under

stands her somewhat abnormal behavior . Frankie, motherless

since infancy, is shunned by the more conventional little girls of the neighborhood and feels all alone . She yearns to belong — , to something anything ' When her so ldi er- brother returns home to be married she decides to become a member of the wed u ding, foreseeing a ga dy future of travel , excitement and friends . The t is a — That is all the plot there is . res char cter analysis the wild , whirling impulses of a girl on tiptoe With eagerness for “ ’ ‘ ’ a world she does not know how to enter— I ve been just an I ‘ ’ b l - person . You have to e ong to a we the lumbering, ele f ha mental compassion o the cook , who has d four husbands and knows all about life ; the counterpoint activities of a little boy who is busy about his own affairs and runs in and out of the play like a sprite . When the remorseful bride and groom leave Frankie behind she is heartbroken and hysterical , but with the resilience of youth she soon finds a playmate , is moving int o a new house, and verging on something resembling maturity . It is the cook who h cannot adj ust herself to new circumstances . S e has served i her purpose , and s reconciled to a lonely life . The critics conceded that as a playwright C arson Mccullers remained a novelist, but they were unanimous in their praise of d her as an artist . Speaking of Berenice, Brooks Atkinson sai , “ Everything of b asic importance to the truth of life seems to have been gathered up into the personal experience of this simple housekeeper who has loved and lost more than once in her life ' time and can now View the trouble of her juniors with wisdom , “ while John Mason Bro wn comments , This is no ordinary play .

It is felt, observed , and phrased with exceptional sensitivity is plainly it the work of an artist, of an author who does not stoop to the expected stencils and who sees people with her own eyes rather than through borrowed spectacles .

C HAPTER VI

VENUS OBSERVED—SABRINA FAIR

Venus Ob served was commissioned by Sir Laurence Olivier who u t ( created the part Of the D ke in London , and direc ed the a l et New York perform nce) , and it has been cal ed the b est play y ’ r to come from the pen of England s wonder boy , C hristophe ’ r n on F y . Fry s plays have b een short on action , a d long poetic “ s verbiage . Brooks Atkinson says he cascades wo rds and phrase ’ torrentially Mr Fry s genius for words becomes old-fashioned

ns1 e T s d prolixity when he is in a pe v mood . here is les rama than in f ' literature his study for the autumn season o life . k Reduced to its bare bones , the play concerns a du e on the thresho ld of middle age , with a fondness for astronomy , who

decides that he ought to. marry again , and asks his grown son to he choose among three former loves , by giving one of them t all symbolic apple . The ladies are summoned and Show up , but

' ’ j ust then the daughter of the Duke s estate manager returns

son . home from abroad , and bo th the Duke and his fall for her She learns that her father has been embezzling from the es

r tate , and agrees to meet the Duke in his obse vatory that night , in an effort to gain leniency , even though it may mean a sacrifi ial T i and c marriage . his tryst s interrupted by a fire , when it has been quenched the Duke generously relinquishes the girl to — his son and decides to marry the fireb ug when she returns from — j ail as she was the only one of the former loves who cared enough for him to want to kill him '

This fantasy makes an amusing and sophisticated play, but

- the reader thereof has the advantage of the play goer , as it would take more than one visit to the theatre to catch all the beauties ’ and C o , implications of hrist pher Fry s verse . — C uriously enough or perhaps by intention—there is a basic ’ ’ Similarity of situation between Fry s Venus and Samuel Taylor s ’ ab rina S . Here, too , the daughter of a wealthy family s retainer t s of re urn from abroad , full acquired charm and worldly wis son of dom , and marries the the great ho use . Here are no tragic no u overtones , sinister ndertones , nothing obscure or pedantic . “ S a r ays Walter Kerr , S b ina Fair is a play that ought to have P li ' been written by hi p Barry, and frequently was . “ “ s s In the twentie , ays William Hawkins , it became a hot PLAYS OF TODAY 1 3

fictional issue whether the offspring of domestic servants and the children of their employers could make a go of marriage .

Nobody cares very much these days , perhaps b ecause the thought ' o f domestic servants in any case seems pleasantly archaic .

At any rate, it is fun to see once more a handsome Long Is an land estate, the owners staggeringly rich , with cars d swim

- and - ming pools and yachts . Everybody is well bred well edu ca ted, and their sprightly conversation is sprinkled with humor “ o us T lines and philosophical Observations . he bride wore a ' satin gown edged with Old common and preferred stock ; the ’ “ hero s father had c ome to that sad time of old age when all ' pretty girl s look alike . And at the finish , when the chauffeur father- Of - the- heroine modestly reveals in a surprise twist that he has become a millionaire through the conservative invest “ ’ o f ment his savings , his employer explodes , Fairchild , Y ou re fired

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

enus b serve d hri o he r Fr 1 . V O , b y C st p y

r h n th l n outlin h s r . De sc ib e t e setti g of e p ay, a d e t e to y How woul d you c haract e rize the Duke ? h i d Hild Give t umb nail ske tche s of Ro sab el , J e ss e , an a.

D h s n E ar an Dominic h av e an rsonalitie a ? o t e o s, dg d , y pe s to spe k of What do you make of Perpetua ? f h Hil d s rib in he r husb and Read some o t e p assages, such as da e c g , ’ 4 n e am l i i n e r etua s monolo on a e 62 p age 5 , as a x p e of luc d ty , a d P p g p g , m lif in h e o o sit exe p y g t pp e . Doe s Fry succe ed in putting across his me ssage concerning lonely in o n r t an in l c e ? people re ach g out f o r l ve , u de s d g o r so a T i n A n r on h a e also rit n ic la . S . El o t a d Maxwell de s v w te poet p ys , What do you think of this mode of dramatic exp ression ? a i l 2. S b r na Fair, b y Samuel Tay or “ i l tle The author c alls this a romantic c ome dy, and as such the re s it to discuss o r elab orate . h of i ime allo s in lu in th e m s amusin dial Re ad as muc t as t w , c d g o t g og, and conden sing the re st .

A dditional Re ading ’ r i e r oners The L ady sN o t fo Burn ng ; B oy With a C art ; A S le p of P is , b y C hristopher Fry Rin Ro nd the Mo on harade M i n A n uilh rans g u , A C with us c, b y Jea o , t lat e d b y C hristophe r Fry The Ha T m ppy i e , b y S amuel Taylo r

Jane b . h n , y S N. Be rma CHAPTER VII

THE SHRIKE—WONDERFUL TOWN

’ Kramm s The hrike Joseph play S is a relentless, bitter con demnation of psychiatrists , nurses , and mental hospitals in gen

eral , probably written out of a definite experience, but in no

sense representative of the great maj ority of state institutions .

n - of - Jim Dow s , an out work theatrical director, is wheeled into w Of a the g rim , dreary ard a city hospit l, after an attempt at i — suicide . He is accompanied by h s estranged wife , Ann the w predatory bird of the title and out ardly She seems a loving,

solicitous wife, only anxious to nurse the unwilling Jim back to u t health . Grad ally , and mos ly through indirection, we discover he a b that s w nts to ind him to her forever, and in so doing is hi willing to destroy not only his reputation but s mind as well .

A black picture is drawn of the whole staff , as they persecute a or misunderst nd the hapless patients , victims of , a maddening The routine and its prying attendants . bitterest point made by a s author Kr mm is that once in the grasp of thi institution, a sane man wo uld have an almost impossible task in proving his h sanity . Jim Downs finds that he can obtain is release only in f the care of his wife , and at the end o the play he accepts these conditions as the price of freedom , walking away into an eternal ' l private he l .

The play is harrowing, but it is also remarkably enthralling “ ' what the critics call terrific theatre . Let us turn in relief from the frightening S hrike to a joyful 8 paean to the scraggly denizens of Greenwich Village in the 1 93 0 , ' o c r Wonder ul Town the uproari us musical a nival f , founded on ’ i r Ei e M ste l en . Ruth McKenney s comic stories in y S , It con ho cerns the adventures of two sisters from C olumbus , Ohio , w T have come to conquer New York . hey settle down in a ghastly

Village basement, where the passersby can peer down at them through the barred window and they co ntinually have to fight nd off their floozie predecessor s customers . Ruth , the elder a more sagacious , is constantly required to rush to the rescue of

- her daisy brained sister , whose exploits lead her into endless Th on difficulties with strange men . e climax comes when , a false lead after a story Ruth invades the Brooklyn Navy Yard , , — and becomes involved in a conga line of Brazilian officers to the PLAYS OF TODAY 1 5 point that they hoist her up in the air and continue their mad shuffle . ’ Leonard Bernstein s music has a remarkable quality . John “ ’ a C hapman says , There hasn t been nybody around like him since George Gershwm for jauntiness , tricky and intriguing o and modulations , and graceful sw ops into Simple pleasant ' f melody . The songs and music fit the Show, ranging rom a “ s Wh wistful little numbe r sung b y the two girl , y, oh why, oh — why, oh Why did we ever leave Ohio to the romantic hit of “ ’ ' a ce the evening, It s Love , which sends the udien home hum mIng;

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

i m 1 . The hr ke s Kra m S , b y Jo eph

R o h s tin an dial . ead A ct One , S cene 1 , b t et g d og um i h o h i h r adin r m the m s r S mar ze t e re st f t e play, w t e gs f o o t d amatic scenes .

Di he n t d u doc to rs chi tris scuss t t re atme t me e o t b y , p sy a t s and nurse s. e i i n nd s It may b typical of some inst tut o s a attendant . What can you ? say of c onditions in your own St at e hospital A f ew deductions c an b e ’ made f ro on i i a a i n n h l n m just e v s t to p t e t i mate . S ou d t we mak e it our ? b usine ss t o asce rtain how our Stat e - supp orte d institutions are c onducted

Describ some o he inm h s e l - i h h e f t ate s. Do t ey e m we l drawn, w t e noug grim humor to light en the he av y trage dy ? Th e charact er o Jim D Do some his t ro b l s come f ro his f o wns . of u e m o e a ss ? wn w kne , or is he c hiefly a v ic tim of inexorab l e circumst ance s What do you think of A nn Downs ? Of the suggestion that she is more unb alanc ed than he is ? Did you ever know anyo ne remotely like her ?

2 onder ul To n h . W f w , b y Josep Fields Je rome C ho dorov

Outline th e l t ith re adin s ro some h n n p o , w g f m of t e fu niest sce es. la a re cordin h i P y g of t e mus c al numb e rs . C HAPTER V III

I A M A C AMERA— THE TIME OF THE C UC KOO

Mr r . van Druten has adapted I A m a C ame a from some stories written by C hristopher Isherwo od about life in a tawdry room

- I n 1 93 0— th ing house Berlin in the first days of e Nazis . One of

is the two principal characters the young writer , Isherwood , who , like a camera with the shutt er o pen , is taking pictures of th o people and places . For e m st part he is concerned with the merc urial and irresponsible mo ods of an amoral young English who girl , is living a Bohemian life in Berlin . She is a creature of extravagant attitudes , given to parading her vices , enormo us l y confident that She is going to take life in her stride . In her

he drifting s comes close to failure , and in spite of her light

- C hearted j okes She is a heart breaking figure . hristopher , the d observer, her only platonic male frien , enj oys her company and wonders about the futility of what he is doing . Among their friends are a Jewish girl , and a young man who pretends he ’ who of isn t a Jew, exemplify the plight the Jew in a Germany of j ust coming under the spell Hitler .

They are lost young people , running away from substance toward mirages , deliberately blind to the kindling of a new war , though eventually C hristopher begins to realize that life is going o to be a serious matter for his generati n .

i the c oo The T me of C u k is a gentle , perceptive comedy about s a s an American spin ter having herself a fling in It ly, in a plea h antly located pension on one of the canals of Venice . S e is a warm , natural , forthright American woman , with no complexes , he only a no rmal desire for companionship and affection . S

- hopes she has found it in the pe rson of a gallant, middle aged

Venetian shopkeeper , and is momentarily caught up in the breathless whirl of one of those Italian Enchanted Evenings .

-b e d But alas , the would lover is also possesse of a wife and children , with little cash that could be spared from their upkeep . “ He Off ers her a liaison , telling her , In Italy there is no divorce , ' s a only discretion , but her stubborn romanticism hold her b ck , u until she wears out his feeling for her , j st about the time she is ready to capitulate . S This play was written for hirley Booth, who turned in a very winning performance in the part of the lovelorn spinster, PLAYS OF TODAY 1 7

o e has Leona Samish . She is the mst distinguish d actress who appeared in a decade , to follow in the footsteps of Katharine

C ornell , Judith Anderson , and Helen Hayes .

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

A m a ra hn an Drut n 1 . I a C me , b y Jo v e

n n o sis of t he re st of the la . R e ad A ct One , gi v i g a sy p p y Do e sh e se em lausib le o r Discuss the characte r of S ally Bowle s. s p , to o theat rical ?

h i h n l o r r he r th an ar ic i ant Do you acc ept C r st op e r as a on o ke , at a p t p in lif e ?

Would you say that world co nditions h ad a goo d de al t o do with the ? conduc t of o n e o le even thou h sub - consciousl This mi h b e y u g p p , g y g t ’ ’ illu tra e th at e ff a r i he 5 a el a h s t d b y e st of a i s n t os, s w l s t e 3 0 s.

C omme nt on at alia L n aue r an Fri end l N a d , d tz W e . This l i mo re concern i h mo h n D s i p ay s e d w t o d t a with action . oe t giv e a suc ce ssf ul interp re tation ?

2 The Ti e o he u c o . m f t C k o , b y A rthur Laurent s

The cuc oo is a summer visitant t o th hole E r k e w of u ope . It pro ' cl aims its arriv al b c r h r l n y a y e a di g the se ason of love .

Read A ct One S cene s 1 and 2 nd A c T o en , , a t w , S c e s 2 and 3 , sum marizin he ac io in g t t n b etwe en .

A dditional Re ading

The erlin S torie s h h B , b y C ristop e r I she rwood The Madwoman o haillo t f C , b y J e an Giraudoux M 3 A n e ls y g , b y S amue l and Bella Spewack CHAPTER I'

TEA AND SYMP ATHY—DIAL M FOR MURDER

’ Robert Anderson s Tea and S ympathy shows in devas tating

' fashion how well - meaning people can crucify one Of their own a kind when his f ilure to conform , to act and think and talk and

- walk as they do , upsets all their pre conceived notions . ’ Tom Because Lee wouldn t wear a crew cut, played tennis and with skill rather than drive, liked classical music wanted “ ' to be a folk singer , he was considered off horse by his fellow u ’ T st dents and masters in a boys school in New England . hey

on flimsiest condemned him the evidence, and almost drove him

- to suicide in his agonized isolation , his growing self doubt, and i uncertainties as to h s genuine manhoo d .

He is saved by the wife of his housemaster, a sensitive and C harming young woman whose official duty is t o be nice to the teen- agers and Offer them tea and sympathy on certain after h h noons . S e knows t at Tom is not abnormal , but only decently

o h - inn cent . Eventually s e restores his self respect, but not until

’ she has turned against her harsh and prej udiced husband , who has been going in for rugged athletics to hide his own doubts about himself . of u a d A play this nat re , sentimental yet clinical , dem n ing i both intensity and restraints , s absorbing to read, but would be a total failure on the stage without highly skilful acting in ’ s the part of the schoolmaster s wife and Tom. In the first New York production these parts were brilliantly taken by the beau an tiful English actress and cinema star , Deborah Kerr, d a

- young American who made the hesitant, self doubting yet pas sionate Tom a thoroughly believable young fellow . In a fore “I word , Robert Anderson says , t is perhaps not a good selling point for a published volume of a play to say that a playwright writes a play for the theatre , for the actors , the director, the t i designer . Bu he does . And when he s as brilliantly served by these artists as I have been , he feels a miracle has been brought ' to pass .

Dial M for Murder is that remarkable rarity, a London hit that is equally successful in America . It was brought over by

Maurice Evans , an English star hitherto distinguished in Shake a speare n roles , but here demonstrating that he also possesses a

C HAPTER '

PICNIC—THE SEVEN Y EAR ITC H

P icnic out c ad oi nI n starts pla idly enough , in the j g yards of two households in the less privileged section of a small Kansas o or t wn , where four five lonely women are marking time , won dering if anything will ever happen t o change the humdrum surface of their lives , and planning a Labor Day picnic to b right en things up . f e— Mrs . Owens is the anxious mother o Madg the prettiest h — girl in town , whom s e hopes to marry to the richest boy and

Millie , an awkward y oung girl with brains and artistic gifts . Th A frustrated schoolteacher boards with her . e neighbor is a lovable middle- aged lady who has given up her life to the care of her invalid mother . Into their midst strolls a husky and color f ful young vagabond o great physical prowess , romantic ap peal , and inner turmoil . By the time he leaves , the next morn ing, he has altered the whole landscape . With little effort , he succeeds in nearly breaking the heart of the ugly daughter , in stimulating the schoolteacher to drive her reluctant boyfriend a to the ltar , and finally , in inspiring the proud beauty to run away with him . h b e T e play starts in a mood of light comedy, but gradually “ rl s w o e comes se ou , working up to a po erful climax . As in C m

c ittl he b a s Ba k, L e S , Inge decline to bring his play to a neat con

o c lusion, b ut he sends his audience h me with a feeling that some ' how, sometime , something more is going to happe n . Says “ f Walter P richard Eaton , Mr . Inge has a powerful gift O bring s ing out in humble , perhaps thwarted or repressed people, udden flares of emotion in scenes which stab the audience to pity and ' give to his actors great scope . The S even Y ear I tch has been called a nonsensical play about ' m a slight case of adultery . It c oncerns one Richard Sher an , a publisher whose wife of Seven years has taken herself and son

Off for a summer in the country . When we first meet him he is roaming restlessly around his empty city apartment, bemoaning ’ hr t that lonesome dinner at Sc aff s, and wishing that a nervous ’ ff u sto mach hadn t put him o liq or and tob acco . When a gigantic flower pot rumbles down from an overhead balcony and nearly f t puts him permanently out o his misery, he suddenly comes o PLAYS OF TODAY 21

of life, lights a cigaret, pours himself a Shot Scotch , and invites the delectable young lady who lives on the floor above him down f T b for an evening O temptation . hey oth enjoy it immensely, ’ — but it doesn t really mean anything, all ends happily and that is the entire plot . Of his The author , however, has a refreshing way telling The story . summer bachelor , a nervous fellow with a vagrant imaginatio n , talks to himself constantly, at the same time eu acting scenes which portray the imaginary consequences Of his T u ’ flight from V irtue . In much the manner of h rber s Walter

Mitty; he envisions the complexities to follow, the j oy and anguish , and finally the fatal denouement when he confesses all hi to s wife . ( She shoots him through the heart, and then cal l usl o y refuses the dying man a cigaret , reminding him that the o s doct r said moking was bad for him . ) As William Hawkins “ obs erves , It is hard to explain how infidelity becomes a profit and able maturing adventure to both parties , but in effect the ' - play is remarkably innocent, and its humor is never distasteful .

SUBJECTS FOR STUDY

1 . i ic P cn , b y William Inge Read A c t n h he a i er i O e , and as much of t e re st of t pl y as t me p m ts . “ ' The la flo h l p y ws ; it as range and depth ; the ch arac ters dev e op . mm n C o e t on this.

Hal sa s li tl of m m n i e m y t e o e t , b ut h s mere p resence s e s to rouse a s ark in ev r oman he e n o n r hi ff n l p e y w c u te s. Note s e ect o Mi lie, o n Rose mar dn o y Sy ey, n Madge . Doe s it seem plausib le that Madge should f ollow him ? 2 The S e ven ear tch . Y I , b y George A x elrod ’ A b rid the la to ab o t an h u in i n n ge p y u o r s re ad g t me , i cluding as ma y h e f antas cen of t y s es as p ossib le . “ “ icnic is call d a summe r romance ev n a n i P e , S e Ye r I tch a roma t c m ' c d . But one is se rious the the r ro h h n o e y , o f t . Do you think eit er o e will hav e any permanency?

S even e a/r tch is havin a much l n ic Y I g o ge r run in New York than P nic. D s this have an si ni cance ? rh h oe y g fi Pe ap s Richard Sherman, as a c arac t er has as much v alidit a , y s Hal C arter.

A dditio nal Re ading S e ason in he un t S , b y Wolcott Gib b s H e arv y, b y Mary C hase CHAPTER ' I

HE — T C RUC IBLE BELL , BOOK AND C ANDLE

’ The C rucib le is Arthur Miller s powerful drama about the historic Salem witch trials of 1 692, the title referring to the ’ purification of man s conscience through terrib le trial . The tragedy b egins in the telling of small lies—children’ s lies—build ing and Spreading in denunciations and accusations until a whole town is aroused , and nineteen men and women go to the gallows r f o being possessed of the devil .

The off fuse is touched by several exhibitionist young girls , ho T w have been seen dancing in the woods at night . o cover the enormity of this behavior in the eyes Of the P uritans , they pretend to have found evidences of witchcraft . Th n u e story focuses o a yo ng farmer, his wife , and a servant girl who takes advantage of the prevalent hysteria to bring a malicious accusation of witchcraft against the wife . The farm

r — er b ings the girl to court to admit that she lied and here, in this trial Scene before the deputy governor of the C ommon

The rucib le Wealth , is the big moment of C , as it relentlessly shows the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit . The farmer , a d instead of s ving his wife, fin s that he, too , is accused . He u might have saved himself, had he s pported the vicious fiction o f the girls , b ut he holds fast to the truth , and is condemned to die .

The play brings to potent life the problem of guilt by association . Every now and then a skilled dramatist takes a fairy tale theme as his chief premise and turns it into a play that is both as great fun and , in his hands , wholly believable . Such a play w ’ it t ’ Noel C oward s B lithe S pir , where the ghosts of he hero s wives return to badger him and taunt each other , and another ’ Druten s Bell B ook and C andle a example is John van , , comedy about the sorcery of a completely enchanting contemporary witch .

- o Gillian Holroyd , a good looking young woman who wns an apartment building in the New York Murray Hill district, amuses herself b y casting spells and making people do things to suit t S e P ewacke . her , c hiefly through the agency of her iam se cat, y Noticing a handsome young man who has the apartment ab ove o f her , and learning that he is engaged to an bnoxious ormer f schoolmate, she promptly brings him to her door, where he alls P LAY S OF TODAY 23

madly in love with her and calls Off his previous engagement .

Unfo rtunately, she in turn has found him almost too attractive for it is a canon in the circles of sorcery that a witch who falls

in love loses her magical powers . G illian also runs counter to

r the rival craft of her fiutte y aunt, who loves both mischief and ’ — witchery—but can t make street traffic do her bidding and her roguish brother . The fable and its solution are develo ped with a droll sense of o hum r, which was greatly enhanced , in the New York produc tion , by the acting o f Lilli P almer and Rex Harrison , together in

‘ “ la f or a a p y the first time, and playing the le ds with the most ' beguiling sort of virtuosity .

SUBJ ECTS FOR STUDY

h i l r 1 . The C ru cib le , b y A rt ur M l e “ a c r hi Read the Not e on the hist oric l ac u acy of t s play .

i ummar of the lo t de scrib in th e rinci al ch rac rs G ve a s y p , g p p a te , read in enou h al ou t o illustrate the o r and int ensit of the dr ma g g d p we y a . What comparisons would you draw b etween this play and the purge t rials in Russia ? Doe s it se em likely that A rthur Mille r chose this theme b e cause of the mode rn p aralle l ? Perhap s the re are also similarities t o oc currence s in our own c ount ry . ’ h r a A rthur Mille r s rev i us l a s A ll M o n If you av e e d p o p y , y S ns , a d

e a h o a alesman di cu ss him a a crusa in oun r i D t f S , s s d g y g d amat st , mo re int nt on e lorin a current rob le m than in amusin his audien e e xp g p g c . How would you answe r the se critic isms that h av e b een lev elle d against The C ru cib le ' That it is more conce rned with what happ ene d rathe r than wh not delvin suf cientl into the c ause s and m ti e s o t r h y, g fi y o v f er o r ; t at the charact rs are t o o dramati e d t oo iv n o e r t o mo i n e z , g e v e t o al hysteria,

n re sul of a olemic r th h n with the e d t p , a e r t a a play c onc e rned with warmly ob se rv e d human soul s ?

2 e ll ook and C andle b ohn v an Drut n . B , B , y J e

ondense this la and h ave it re se nte d b t o r h C p y p y w o t ree re ade rs.

A dditional R eading

o s e a h o ale sman A ll My S n ; D t f a S , b y A rthur Mille r

os n th ars M l A n L t i e S t , b y axwel derson ( A dramatization o f A lan ’ P he e loved oun aton s C ry , t B C try ) lithe S irit b o l r B p , y N e C owa d C HAPTER ' II

THE KING AND I— S OUTH P A C IFIC

The adventures of Anna Leonowens at the court of Siam in the early 1 860 s was first a biography b y Margaret Landon , then a moving picture , and now becomes a charming musical play, in and I The K g , at the hands of the incomparable Rodgers and

Hammerstein . r The story, based on true sources , tells of an eminently e spectab le British widow wh o went to Siam to tutor the semi ’ - barbaric king s sixty seven children . Though they fought bitter ly f or the years of her stay there , She and the ruler grew to respect each other deeply . Besides imparting western culture to the children , Anna managed to administer considerable educa tion to the monarch himself, and he was a very tough , cocky , and

“ h e as stubborn ruler . S e became his diplomatic advis r , as well n he a lasting s ocial influence o his country . Before she left s was to see the new king trending toward the merciful reforms she had urged .

This is a play with music , rather than a musical . It has a good story, fine music and lyrics , a delightful ballet , and some

Of the charmingest children in the history of the stage . One of the most picturesque scenes is their introduction to their future teacher by the King himself— a ceremonious and colorful panto mime . Highly comic is the fitting of the Siamese ladies to western

clothes , to impress visiting Britons who have called the King a Th barbarian . e most original scene is a ballet representing the ’ Siamese notion of how Uncle Tom s C abin should be presented “ s C The ' on the tage . alled S mall House of Uncle Tom, it comes

close to being a minor o pera . The and lyrics music carry on the story, with such memorable “ “ ' s s T ' ongs as I Whi tle a Happy une , Hello Young Lovers , “ G ' etting to Know You , and others almost as good . S outh P aci c M ’ al fi , based on portions of James A . ichener s T es o the S outh P aci c f fi , is a musical play without ballet or chorus a show in which the rowdyism of the Marines and Seabees blend

with the romantic story of Nellie Forbush , a Navy nurse from

- Little Rock, and Emile de Becque, a gallant middle aged French

planter .

When the play opens , boy has girl Some Enchanting Eve P LAYS OF TODAY 25 — nIng then b oy loses girl when she discovers his deceased wife “ - — was a P olynesian , the ir two children half castes What Nearly ' Was Mine ; but at the final curtain boy has girl again , on his return from rendering an invaluable service to our Armed Forces in beating the Japs . M T Bloody ary, a brassy, greedy, ugly onkinese woman, sings ’ “ ’ ' n The one of Mr Rodgers finest so gs , Bali Ha i . tragic strain is provided by the love of her beautiful young daughter, Liat, “ ' for the heroic Lieutenant C able— Younger Than Springtime whose prej udices might have kept them apart, had he not been killed on the expedition with Emile .

The two interlocking romances , salted with lusty humor and i the inevitable tragedy of war, result in a musical play novel n n texture and treatment, rich in dramatic substance , a d eloquent “ M in song . Richard Watts calls it A asterpiece . One of the ' greatest musical plays in the histo ry of the American theatre .

Sub ject s f or St udy

1 he n and i . T Ki g I , b y Osc ar Hammerste n and Richard Rodgers 2 outh a i c in h rd . S P c fi , b y Oscar Hammerste , Jo s ua Logan and Richa Ro dgers Give a b rief sket ch of the lives and careers of Rodge rs and Hammer

in m nti nin he ir r v i cc ste , e o g t p e ous su esses. T ll the st r of e ach o h usi al l i r h n e o y f t ese m c s, p ay ng ecords of t e so gs h n h w e ever t ey o ccur.

Additional Reading

ome E nchan ted E v enin s De ems Ta l i a h r S g , b y y or (B ogr p y of Rodge s and Hammerste in ) Me an u e m e i d J li t, b y Osc ar Ha m rst e n and Richard Rodgers A nna and he Kin o iam t g f S , b y Margaret Landon

Tales o the ou h aci c m f S t P fi , b y Ja es A . Michener int our a on Pa Y W g , b y A lan Jay Le rner ’ al oe P J y, b y John O Hara BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MODERN PLAY S

B est Plays of 1 94 8 -5 1 ; 1 9 5 1 - 5 2 e ach ) ; 1 95 2 5 3 A nnual v olumes l a s summ ri e D , p y a z d. odd. C ha man ohn A Theatre an p , J . . R dom, 1 95 3 .

C lar arrett H. Dav en o rt illiam Mo k, B , p , W H. Nine dern American Plays. A l on 1 9 1 pp et , 5 .

assn r hn . Tre asur o the The atre i l r v s d. i 1 G e , Jo y f ; e e 3 vo s . S mon, 95 2.

‘ riffin A lic e S . Livin The atre an A n tho lo o re at la s G , g ; gy f G P y . Twayné,

1 95 3 .

T en t - Modern la s uc r amuel M. Tw ve S rev ise d. Ha ke , y fi P y ; rper, 1 94 9.

arno c R b e rt Re esentative odern la s ' A eri 1 W k, o . pr M P y m can . Scott , 95 2.

rn Ro r R e resentative Modern la s ' ri ish o Wa ock, b e t . p P y B t . S c tt , 1 95 3 .

m a E hom rn om l e te oe nd la . liot , T as St ea s . C p P s P ys Harcourt , 1 95 3 .

Ri Elm r L S ev en la s . i in 1 95 1 . ce, e . P y V k g,

REFERENC E A ND C RITIC ISM

’ e r he a re i ics R evie s 1 4 0 - dat s u e l N w Yo k T t C r t w , 9 e . I s ed in we k y numb ers, i r h in l e in e r contain ng rev iews f om t e n e ad g N w Yo k newsp apers . ’ ' i h R i 1 n 23 E 2 . 1 0 C rit c s T e at re ev ews, c . , 5 . 2 d St , N . Y . . i r The a r a db o o a d D est o la s th . n Sob el , B erna d. t e H n k n g f P y ; 6 ed C row ,

1 94 9 .

h an The atre Handb o ok o the Y ear 1 9 8 - 9 1 9 9 -5 0 Nat an, Ge orge J e . f , 4 4 ; 4 ;

- 1 95 0 5 1 . Kno f e a h p . c .

n e heatr n the Fi ties. Kn 1 9 Nathan, Ge orge J e a . Th T e i f opf, 5 3 .

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