New-York tribune., 1922-09-17
Cyril Maude Plays
Barrister-Dancer
In "The Dippers''

Froya The Tribune's EsroDeaH Bsrsaa
LONDON, Sept. Gone Is Cyril
Maude Of Grumpy" The Cyril Maude
OF Lord Richard in the Pantry" and
now Of THE Dippers" has taken his
place. One is never quite certain
whether farce comedy is particularly
the vehicle for Naude; but New York
will have an opportunity TO judge for
itself when "Thc Dippers," bag and
baggage, is transported there next
spring
Several London critics have pro-
fesscd 70 sec in "The Dippers," which
was written by Ben Travers. and is his
first play. oyerworked situations and
obvious dialogue. The answer is OBJ
vious: lack Of material. You cannot
make three acts and a prologue out ~
case Of mistaken identity and moth
ing else. II you have 10 do IL, there
are times when your action must
flag and the gaps must somehow be
flledin. Perhaps the best Of the time
killers for Mr. Trsvers was Ernest
Trimmingham. who was all that the
negro leader Of jazz band should be,
and more besides.
"The Dippcrs" has not, as one might
suspect anything TO do with either
astronomy or cooking. The Dippers
are pair Of American professional
dancers. husband and wife. n the
husband weren't named Hank 7. Dip
per. IL wouldn't be obvious at first to
London audience that he was OF the
pure trans-Atantic strain.
Well. then; the Dippers have been
engaged by Lord Nottingham. a prof
itccr. to enliven his house party.
Pauline Dipper has arrived, but her
husband hasn't-and she fears he isn't
going 10. What more natural than
that Lord Mellingham's chauffeur
haunting the little rural railway sta
tion for the missing Dipper. should
find Henry 1alboyes cyril Maude) y
who. having missed his own train "a
London, has composed himself q
sleep and TO waiting for the next
Or than that TAlboyes. secnting q
possible motor which would take
him 70 London. should accompany th'
chauffeur to Lord Mellingham's resi-
+ dence? Or than that Pauline Dippei
I should in desperation induce Talboyes
a sedate barrister. to impersonate he
missing husband!
Talboyes's faneee, naturally, is q
guest Of Lord Nottingham. The rea
Dipper, relentino at last. or perhaps
goaded by the thought OF the fi0o fe'
he chould receive. equally naturally
turns up in time 10 witness. with Tai
boyess fancee. the exploits Of his i'm
personator. Here are all the com
plieations any one could wish. and th'
business Of disentangling them pro
eeeds with a rush just before the hnA
curtain.
II is in one sense a difficult part tha
Cyril Maude must play, because 1t en-
tails for him acrobatiSs which one mus
surmise are scarcely as welcome Al
they might have been some years back
Aside from this, however, he rompl
gaily through the play, and does, in th'
first act, a most excellent impersona
tion OF a middle-aged barrlster allow
ing himself to be persuaded into some
thing utterly ludicrous.
Throughout the whole, except th'
prologue, Miss Binnie Hale make
Pauline Dipper an exceedingly charm
ing and graceful person. She should
as Mr.. Maude predicted in his curtain
speech on the opening night, 90 far il
eomedy-but her American accent vii
perhaps have to be slightly revised be
fore Broadway accepts Il as genuine.