The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-07-07
NEW COMEDY WAS
 HERE LAST NIGHT
BrOOkfield Players Gave Capable Performance of
 "'In the Tradition"
BY VIRGIL GEDDES

The first of a series of new plays by American authors was present ed in this city last night at the Women's club by the Brookfeld Players, group of professional actors, whoA gave q capable per- formance of Virgil Geddes' comedy "In the Tradition" The play was viewed with much interest and ap- preciation of its merits by the Wa terbury audience-for the fine quail ity of the acting and the honest presentation by MT Geddes of theme, not entirely new in essence but quite original in its working out and background.
 Regarding the disturbance this play caused in one instance up In the Litchfield hills. 1t might be re- marked that the more or less un- usual situation in the second act of the play was not sufficiently monstrous or "obscene" as to cause the slightest degree of discomfort or uneasiness, much less blasphe- nous" enough to merit, a"Waik-out on the part of any audience. The play is a natural bit of life, among a common place group of tndivi- duals, it's central character George Blum, undertaken; played most na- | turally by Frank Conlan of Broad way fame. MT Geddes, the author addressed the audience before the
 opening of the play. The performance will be repeat
 ed tonight at the WOmeri,a club
 where the complete repertory oi
 the Brookfleld Players will be pre- sented during the rest of the sum
 mer. The players have their head quarters in Brookfield Center. Their purpose this season is. to give, the public a series of typical American plays which as the group of play CTS make announcement to thtii
 audiences Twill demand the high
 est quality of intelligence. imagiIa- = tion and entertainment value from
 the playwright, rather than the lowest common denominator of
 amusement" l "In the Tradition" gives a pic
 ture of George Blum, the urder- taker, discouraged as many another is, with too little business--Aot a
 death by which he can proft, m
 two months. Act one, whichis the
 Blum dining room. shows the
 discouraged undertaken suddenly | galvanized into life by business--
 a dead man is brought to hh place. | The second act, the cause. of the slight furore, has for its firtt scene
 Blum's undertaking parloK where | lies the corpse to be preptred for
 burial. Blum in his dutiSs thinks
 he discovers breath of liE, which. if 1t is so, means deatha to his
 hopes; so in a frantic mSment he take no chance of not Hsing his
 man by further investigation. and when the act closes the scorpse is still a corpse. Then follows Blum's 8
 mental anguish. His conflict with
 himself Is an acute thing; he con- fesses his crime to his assista mt | Bert Cardway, most efficiently | played by Norman Peck who en-
 deavors for the sake of the under | taker, to give the corpse1 the bene- fit of the doubt. Many h play has dealt with this same mental con- fiict of 8 man in the caie Of mur- der, but the circumstanfes in the comedy "In the Trad ltion" are
 somewhat novel, and whitever way you look at 1t Blum ian unfor- | tunate man, the victim bf his sud den act and worse than that of a | conscience that will allbw him no
 peace.
 The assisting cast wis adequate
 and caught the spirit bf the play,