The New York herald., 1922-08-30
Torch Bearers Is
Without Story, but
TickIes Audience
Play by New Author Is Anus
ing Travesty on Amateur
Theatricals.

All those who have lived through
amateur theatrical rehearsals and
performances and come through without
any lasting scars will enjoy THE Torch
Bearers Even those who have never
participated in such fledgling produc-
tions have never trembled during pres
entation for the future of the drama
as well as for their own reason-wjll
probably emulate the audience at the
opening at the Forty-eighth Street The
ater last night and laugh >furiously un-
til they choke.
Something novel was presented in this
satirical comedy by George Kelly, play
without any underlying story, without
any cogent reason for existing for that
matter, and yet 1t tickled many of TIE
onlcoRers till they seemed ready to sit
on the floor to enjoy 1t better. Amateur
dramatics have been satirized to a
slight degree before this. but no one
seemingly has had the daring until Ros
allie Stewart and Bert French produced
this piece, to submit play dealing
wholly with the endeavors of the social
leaders in small city to be Statues OF
Liberty. where art is concerned, while
cally as the statue.
Only an author who had suffered
through an amateur performance could
write with half the pungency of this
dramatist. Many of the lines, besides
being highly ironic. are also very funny
"a rare condition in satire, which to
many theatergoers suggests simply
"skinning the cat"S intellectually for the
fun of the mental gymnastics. One of
the priceless gems from the collection
was the utterance of Mrs. J. Duro Pam
pincHi, self-constituted directress of this
uplift of the drama as well as standard
bearer In the fight for woman's recogni-
tion, who declared. Actresses will con-
tfnue long after husbands have passed
on"
The technique OF the comedy is form
less enough to suit Glare Hummer, whose
'Rollo's Wild Oat" is a blood relation.
It's method-if it has any--seems to be
the reverse OF that musical comedy.
Most modern melody plays have fable.
which presently is blown away by the
gusts of harmony In the first act In
THE Torch Bearers 1t isn't until the
last OF the three acts that the plot
thickens to the point where 1t can be
seen. Then the author seems TO get in
bit Of a panic over suddenly discover
ing that he has no theme. He suddenly
injects a plea for the maintenance OF
the little theater movement by qualified
experts. and the elimination of the stilted
pretenders who go in for such means
of developing stage talent simply be-
cause it is the smart thing to do.
His plea IS none the less effective, al
though 1t Is belated. Perhaps Kelly, like
good tennis player, is masking his
go nlra py,Ei lac
rate this playwright. who Is even less
known than his sponsors, has managed
to serve up an appetizing meal that Il
entirely chill con carne--or maybe caviar
Despite the possibility of nonotonous
repetition IN the rehearsal scene and the
back stage sSit. the various devices em.
ployed are generally refreshing, though
the artificially farcical moments wher
strong men nearly die over the perform
ance smack OF the mechanics Of q Puncl
and Judy show.
| Miss Mary Boland as the feathe
| headed wife with stage aspirations Ar
thur Shaw as the husband who finall,
put his foot down and Miss Alison Skip
worth as the dominant directress who's
toplofty ideas finally won tribute from
n cuckoo clock, were amusing and tn,
rest of tho cast entered gaily into tn,
spirit of the piece, which was that Of
| Lambs Gambol. And what lesson thi
play Is to the Equity Players who will
soon succeed It