The New York herald., 1922-09-26
Rich Load of
Native Fun in
Spite Corner
, x,z-s
Amusing. Play Of Country Life
by Frank Craven at Little
Thcater.
BY LAWRENCE REAMER.


The spirit OF Frank Craven seems
destined 10 preside permanently over
the Little Theater. .Afte. his long run
In THE First Year." there, Miss Marie
Tempest intervened for a brief period
but last night the Craven banners again
hung on the outer walls. 1t was Mr..
Craven merely as dramatist, however,
who was to be enjoyed there and not
Mr.. Craven as both author and actor.
His new play Is called "Spite Corner"
and like its prosperous predecessor,
dsSis tn the authors accustomed literal
manner with life in u small country
town.
To judge by the names Of the char
acters. the locality Is New England.
The three acts. II may be said at once
that the Craven admirers may not suf-
Ter Tor minute under the suspicion
that the author has not again found
success. are amusing without cessation
from the proiix and drawn cut open
ing scenes to the broadly farcical imita-
ton Of a village fire which brings the
play to a riotously comic close.
MIR. Craven has not. however held his
mirror up 10 nature this time as he did
IN his delightful study of town life in
the middle West. He has held it up rs
1t were to the certified bucolic drama
and has succeeded in reflecting a fresh
and always amusing picture of this
popular form of dramatic performance.
He has borrowed from his prede-
cessors all their familiar gallery of por-
traits, beginning with the iuvariable
spinster and running down through the
list to the impiacable skinflint who
wants the money OF everybody else In
hue tb4a lie al tC
renew it's acquaintance-with increased
tang and point In the hunlor moreover
with the kind hearted sympathizer with
the oppressed in distress very naturally
and sympathetically played by Percy
Pollock, the more or less catty house
Wife embodied rather emphatically but
amusipgly in Matte Keene. tho ina
dame who comes with her citified
nodshness to run the new millinery
shop picturesquely portrayed by Miss
Beatrice Noyes--these and various other
old friends OF the rural play are present
in Spite Corner" They are all stamped,
moreover with the racy Craven wit.
Miss Madge Kennedy, with her cool
and chiseled prettinoss and her un-
affected charm, Is of course the center
.os what intrigue Spite Corner con-
tains. She will not sell her old home
ard her dressmaking shop to the historic
enemy OF her family when he offerS her
large price to make place for the
largo building he plans. Since his son
has seemed Indifferent. after his seven
year sojourn in the vain attempt to
make himself important in n big town.
to their old love. she is more than ever
determined to hold on to her own. Even
IL the butcher boycotts her in the mat
ter of chops and the new milliner comes
TO take away her business she viii not
surrender until her heart tells her that
after all the young man who has IN
herited the wealth of the town miser
really loves her.
Miss Kennedy found no problems in
this role that her talents could not read
lily solve. Jason Robards as the re-
turned lover. Miss Eva Condor as the
shop assistant, George German as the
disloyal butcher. these were capable in
terpreters Of the country types that MI.
Craven had 50, well drawn from memory
and the traditions of the rural drama,
,mparting to them. of course, the I'M
print OF his personal hunor.
There never was a time In the Amcri-
can theater that the country play lacked
appreciation. Few OF them ever de-
served it more than spite Corner" in
which John Golden seems to have found
another rich lead of native fun.