Evening star., 1933-12-19

NllCll IAdl4AdA llC tDDulll NdlhCd Oul
on the stage last night she had little
to gain and everything to lose She
stood at the threshold of what might
either be a career of genius or a career
which had bloomed too soon in another
field. She faced The almost overwhelm-
ing job OF living up TO a reputation
which is one OF the genuine romanceS
of the theater, and she also faced an
audience that was necessarily prepared
to pick out the smallest flaw in her
if such a thing was to be found.
Without a trace of nervousness and
with all the assurance Of an actress
who is warm in the knowledge of her
own worth, she stepped into fame last
night, forever dispelling the question
that lurked in the minds of many,
namely rs she an actress by right, an
actress by chance, or is she an actress
at ALP"
Miss Hepburn is very much of an ac-
treSs-an actress OF whom much can be
said. and of an actress of whom much
more will be said She lacks little now
save a certain fullneSs of grace. She
is not quite certain of those small,
subtle tricks which can carry a per-
formance to bewildering heights, Yet,
she never SWerved from a magnificent
pitch of dignity, she never gave in to
any cheap mannerisms. and she was
never anything but the ideal1stlc young
dreamer who in that last act gives way
to such despair as only those who are
geared to great depths and to great Sor-
row and to great humanity can utter.
K x ::
NJISS HEPBURN not only won her
N1 theater spurs last night but she
ndlitsly and calmly broke her audiences
heart. With the help of script into
which Dorothy Massingham and Murray
Macdonald wrote what must have
been part of themselves-the play Is
said to be autobiographica-she touched
on those emotional chords which may
be seen in Little Women" and proved
that. next to Helen Hayes. she. better
than any one, can reduce audiences tc
gentle hySteria.
She was not. however. alone in splen-
did virtues. Jed Harris, who has the
uncanny faculty of putting the right
people in the right places, lured Blanche
Bates and Frances Starr back to the
stage and gave them roles which suit
them down to the ground. Miss Bates
particularly, is cast in a gracious anc
sympathetic role. having one scene with
Miss Hepburn which she does so easily
that audiences will be apt to overlook
the fact that it is really one Of the mos
difficult scenes any one could under
take. Although Miss Bates spoke a few
words backward last night, it seemed Il
us that she played the role of Lena Sur
rege exactly as 1t should be played
giving it that matter-Of-faCtneSS which
makes the woman so much the more
noble when she eventually breaks ou
OF her shell
Frances Starr. in the part which, o.
course, Billie Burke will have when the
films do this play, was splendldly re-
strained in the unsympathetic role o.
the Misunderstanding with much charm
a character who is anything bu
charming, and looking exceedingl!
handsome in a blue dress and blu'
hat and carrying spray OF blut
6elphinium.
The gentlemen. except for Lione
Fape, we thought stiff. Perhaps Mis-:
Hepburn's fresh and clear and natura
emotional reactions make the contraS
of the bruSquer emotions of man seen
too restrained and artificial. Mr.. CliVt
had, however, one or two exceedingly
important moments with Miss Hep
burn, and when we come to think i
over, since John Clagne is meant II
be stiff. except in that brilliant low
passage in the second act. there is nt
reason why We should take exception
to the fact that Mr.. Give plays hin
that way.
x = < =
THE play itself shouldn't come last
It is g beautiful script, done will
1ioh+ and dark shadows which ar
blended together eventually into
touching and tender whole. 1t is tn
story of young girl whose, link wit
reality is less strong than her wistiu
1nnpings for complete and absoiut