The Washington times., 1933-12-19
- HEPBURN PLAY HAS PREMIERE
Katharine Hepburn Triumphs in
Debut As a Stage Stsr---Honors
Shared by Stan-Bates

! Clayne (played by Colin Clive),
whom she does not love.
Then follows the marriage Of
Stella and John Clayne, her sud-
del realization that his generous
affection has earned her sincere
love, their few happy moments
together, ending tragically when
the honeymoon motor overturns in
the lake, killing him and leaving
Stella to mourn. The closing
chapters concern Stella's efforts
to find contentment out Of this
morass of woe and the curtain
drops with her problem still un-
solved. Trust Hollywood to solve
it eventually.
Psychological Study
This is a frail plot that has
been artfully tricked by the play
wrights so that it is spread dis
creetly over the conventional
theater evening. The entire sec
ond act is concerned with the
wedding and here you may OBJ
serve the directorial skill of Jed
Harris in full bloom. It is
sparkling exhibit of contrasting
types, revealing clever casting,
an interesting parade Of English
middle class and nobility with
their faults and virtues accented
for your utter amusement. A
rainy day and moist background
for dry fun. Only its tragic CHI
max last night seemed talterlng
and dramatically weak.
About the acting. Last nights
audiences was definitely COM
mitted to the Hepburn genius so
that her faintest twinkle excited
a favorable reaction. She is
refreshing stage picture, ami
mated, alert and the accom-
plished mistress of gesture and
expression. Some will see a
resemblance to Amelia Earhart
and others will interpret the dis
tinctive headdress as a studied
attempt to follow the Bernhard
portraits.
AboutHepburn Acting
AS an actress Miss Hepburn
was inclined to be stiff and un-
bending in her love scenes and
1 trace it to the fact that she
gathered neither inspiration or
stimulation from her wooing
males, BY far the finest Hep
burn was revealed in the last act
when assisted nobly by the COM
forting graces of Blanche Bates
she contributed her richest emo
tional moments. Always when
Miss Hepburn occupied the stage
she was the dominant and COM
handing figure, the sureSt test
of a real personality. She is far
and away the brightest gem that
has come from Hollywood to
adorn the contemporary stage
and I predict the cinema is fac
ing a struggle to retain these
talents exclusively.
Cheers For Miss Starr
Frances Starr got a full min
ute's ovation on her first en-
trance, a glowing tribute to the
memory of earlier glories. AS
the soft spoken, gentle but iron
willed mother "a role typically
in the Laura Hope Crews mood,
Miss Starr was a tower of
strength to the opening act and
throughout acted with sensitive
and delicate understanding a role
that could easily have become
farcical. enjoyed her every
moment.
Blanche Bates, another sea-
soned trouper, was royalty vel
coined. Hers was the task Of in
jecting the comedy flavor into
the opening act and as cynical
wisecracker she served gorgeous
ly. The Bates following gets
it's chance to cheer in the third
act when she sustained the
star in what I regarded as the
most effective moments Of the
play.
Lionel Pape is the English Mr..
MlIqueCOaSC ana A1InIlS OeuSuG-
full portrait. Here is a humble
and subdued husband who has a
quiet dread of his termagant
wife, whose self expression is
thoroughly quelled but who never
theless in his noble docility
energies an as appealing figure.
Beautifully acted.
1 am sorry to report that I
found Colin Give suffering from
a Journeys End" complex last
night. Altogether too moody and
cold to impress as possessing any
of the qualities which might win
the enduring love of such a
girl as Stella Surrege. The same
goes for Godfrey Wardwell,
whom I found less than ade-
quate. Roberta Beatty scored in
a brief appearance.
In an exceptionally large cast
the bits were in the main COM
petently played and Producer
Harris has provided an extra
striking and artistic 10 Mel
liner setting for the Surrege draw
ing room. The Hepburn follow
orc nav onnrnoch '011ha Tol-aO