Evening star., 1934-03-18

answers ana reports:
Tobacco Road" (Forty eighth
Street)-Earthy stuff about the poorer
of the South's poor white trash,
fashioned craftily by Jack Kirkland
from Erskine Caldwell's novel. Its
squalid scene and its rough treat
ment of the tender passion may
cause the squeamish to wriggle in
their chairs. But the hardened play
goer who Is interested in such things
will find sincerely unafraid and
dramatic panorama of life in the gray
pastures. Even those who are affront-
ed by Tobacco Roads" discordant
sounding Of Cupids sweet and silent
bells will get comfort from Henry
Hull's acting as old Jeeter Lester.
yellow Jack" Martin Beck)-A
result of Sidney Howards desire to
make the theater an institution of
learning rather than a peep-show in
a street carnival. Becoming engroSSed
at an early age in the warfare of
science against disease, Mr.. Howard
selected (after he had been estab-
ltshed as a successful playwright DR..
Walter Reeds tragic yellow fever
campaign as the subject of a serious
drama For six years he labored with
it, assisted casually by Paul de Kruif,
author of "Microbe Hunters" feeling
humbly that it was too big for the
conventional mines and rostrums-
which it Is. However, he persevered
and, discarding technique" as an
outworn tradition, he presents "Yel-
low Jack" to Broadway with ali the
stark simplicity of square artist try
ing to disprove the 1nfallible adage-
"Once q Snowman, always show
man" 1t Is an earnest and impress
sive history.
"Ah. Wilderness" (Guild Theater)-
Mr.. Cohan the daddy of all the troup-
ers, plays, in these stage "reminiscences
Of Eugene O'Neill, the father Of son
who is In the throes of what, in the
old days, was known as puppy love.
The lad Joshua Cook, jr), suburban
boy, reacts to the charms of neigh
borhood lass and when obstacles in
terfere goes to one Of Mr.. O'Neills
routine dives and there gets drunk
with a routine O'Neill temptress. Mr..
Cohan understands and sympathizes
with his offspring's troubles and
fetches him, in the last act, safely
back to the home harbor. "Ah, Will
derness" is explicably popular and it
represents Mr.. O'Neiu in his best
Charming Pollock or Samuel Shipman
mood.
Mary of Scotland alvin Theater)-
Miss Helen Hayes Miss Helen Menken
and Philip Merivale exercise their fine
gifts of histrionic hypnotism In a
sagacious history by Maxwell Ander-
son of the familiar intrigues and hos
tilities between Mary miss Hayes
and Elizabeth (Miss Menken). This
is one of the better dramas that
pleases the upper as well as the lower
class Of amusement seekers.
big Hearted Herbert" (Biltmore)-
j. c. Nugent getting everything that
can be got out of careless comedy
in which he plays with vaudeville de-
tail a selfish husband and father
whose prosecuted family finally turns
upon him and makes him like it.
Big Hearted Herbert" is funny, though
it comes from the other side OF the
tracks.
"Broomsticks" (The Little Theater)-
Something about Darkest Pennsyl-
vania and the superstitions Of the
transplanted Dutch, who believe in
ancient wizardries and witchcrafts. It
is Just a museum exhibition.
Men in White" (Broadhurst)-An
excited and prosperous melodrama,
depicting in explicit terms Of surgery
and the stage the complicated joys
and sorrows Of those who dedicate
themselves to the art of healing.
"The Wind and the Rain" (Ritz)-
A sweet anecdote from Great Britain
whose principal male characters are
pupils of medicine in an Edinburgh
university. One Of the incest Of
these students is Frank Lawton, from
London. who in the play falls in love
with Miss Rose Hobart, a solemn
American sculptreSs-a although he is
engaged to be married to a belle
impersonated nervously by Miss June
Blossom. Many playgoers enjoy 1t.
Others, among whom ! ask to be in
cluded, do not.
"The Shining Hour" (Booth)
honest tragedy in which tranquil
Yorkshire family is overwhelmed by