Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-26
GENERAL POST" IS
SATIRICAL AND TRUE
Wartime Inversion Of Society De-
lightfully Depicted in
English Comedy
TRIUMPH FOR tom" WISE

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S"'Uii CHAM
Inariuativrly ov"rturuIuG She social strife
tr"" has prg been a favorltc literary practice.
backgrounds Of cNtravagau; fancy usually
accompanied the procedure. Thus Barrie IN
'lhc Admirable Crichtou" reduced the erst-
while formidable Earl Of Loan. maroored on
II remote tropical islen to the futtlity OF play
ing the concertina. while his perfect butler
duly assumed the exalted rank Of Governor.
Mark Twain in his Connecticut Yankee.
revclcd in hi4 railroad trains manned by
du"al conductors.
Eu' scauca of social inversion no longer
demand tn" iuircu"hm"ut Of ri"lous fancy.
~ Irin aud prcpondciaut reality "a th"
world war has converted what once Waa
. satir" into roMcthing very Ia" statistic
Thif yoraciOus material. ready at hand fur-
niahcs the higNly enjoyable theme of "'i"n-
"ral POST tho second comedy Of wartime
Eritain 70 reach Philadelphia this season.
hut that engaging Offering, although Gar
mora brilliantly written than General
Post was philosophicaly loss stimulating
H. y. Harold Terry, an English dramatist
hitherto unknown here, has dclectably set
forth the piquart tr1uspOsitionS In society
by which his native land IL fast being made
safe for democracy. The opening situation
presents a family of british tories aghast at
u daughters attachment for the town tailor.
The FIRST third os the play is dated 1877.
at nj ~ act
\. n. 1915, when the brcerhcsmaksr is colo
mol of the very regiment IN which the once
reactionary baronet's son Is only Il suhalt"rn.
The humorous ard human possibilities ~
such foo,llght fare are exceedingly rich. Mr..
Terry, nor being either n barrie or a Gil
bert occasionally founders in the midst ~
all this wealth. especially in tho post-hellum
final act whcr" the sentimental interest IL
nocdlossjy prolonged and rather clumsily
handled.
The piccc as n whole. however. is a"st-
fully productive Of both reflection and fun.
Its virtues are radiantlr cuhaurcd by the
wholly Irresistible comic taicu's Of that
ACCOMPLISHED player Thomas y. Wise as the
former conservative whose social standards
undergo 80 delicious 81 Noltc-facc. 1t might
well be said in London that Mr.. Wisc's por-
trait Is but family British, but it's humorous
appeal is 80 magnetic that American audi
cncc-, Captiyatcd Iy his drollsricS. can
scarcely fuil to accept them with gratitude.
Mr.. Wise was rewarded last evening with
more generous laut h,cr than has cnivencd
tho Hroad street Theatre at any timo this
season.
William Coru;cna" cuacts thc martial
tailor with familiar cas-, and authority. and
with the exception OF Cathlecn NcsbIt, who
is somewhat coorlost a. the heroine the
other roles are an capiially acted
An illuminating program note explains that
general post" Il an English game. akin 10
our stage coach" in which al the players
s,Iddeulv change places. The allegorical ap-